After protracted negotiations and thanks to the comprehension of the Imam El Badr and the Saudi Arabian authorities, the ICRC recently negotiated the release of fifteen Egyptian prisoners who had been interned for several months at Taif in Saudi Arabia. One of them had a fractured leg and another was half paralyzed as a result of a wound.

Mr. Léopold Boissier has expressed the desire to be relieved of his functions as President, which he has exercised for nine years.

Relief to the victims.—The joint UN and ICRC action aiming at the easing of restrictions has proved effective at Kokkina, where the population had swollen from 600 to 1400. As a result, these two international organizations distributed supplies from their stocks, including blankets, and textile material provided by the Indian Red Cross.

On September 23, 1964, the International Committee of the Red Cross and its President, Mr. Léopold Boissier, received at the headquarters of the institution, representatives of some forty National Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Lion and Sun Societies meeting in Geneva on the occasion of a session of the Executive Committee of the League, their federative body.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has constituted its Presidential Council for 1964 as follows : President : Mr. Léopold Boissier; Vice-Presidents: Mr. Martin Bodmer and Mr. Hans Bachmann ; Members : Mr. Jacques Freymond, Mr. Ernest Gloor, Mr. Samuel Gonard and Mr. Frédéric Siordet.

A delegate of the International Committee, Mr. Jacques de Heller took part in the exchange of prisoners between Algeria and Morocco during the night of 14/15 April at Oujda on the frontier between the two countries. This concerned military personnel captured during the frontier conflict in the autumn of 1963. The exchange was assisted by the Moroccan and Algerian Red Crescent Societies. As usual, the ICRC had visited the prisoners whilst in detention and had distributed a certain amount of material relief.

The afternoon of April 14, 1964, at the headquarters of the League of Red Cross Societies was open house to the staff of the ICRC. After an address of welcome by the Secretary-General, Mr. H. Beer, on behalf of the League Secretariat, the visitors from the ICRC listened to extremely interesting talks by Mr. Gazay, Director a. i. of the Information Bureau, Mr. J. P. Robert-Tissot, Director of Relief Bureau and Mr. Ch. A. Schusselé, Director of the Junior Red Cross Bureau. The ICRC personnel were delighted to seize this opportunity of a more detailed insight into the various activities of the League.

The activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross continued to be both important and diverse throughout 1963. The Annual Report for 1963, produced by the ICRC, contains much information on the subject, one of the most prominent activities being that which has been and is still continuing to be undertaken in the Yemen.

The International Review has mentioned on a number of occasions the ICRC's humanitarian action in Cyprus.

Cinema — For the Centenary, the ICRC particularly desired to present to the general public a review of its activities since its foundation and of the evolution of humanitarianism throughout the ages, which gave rise to the Geneva Conventions. Its colour film entitled Red Cross on White Ground, lasting for twenty minutes, is a documentary of no mean interest on the movement inspired by Henry Dunant.

In a very tense atmosphere, the ICRC delegates are pursuing their activity in Cyprus on behalf of the victims of events and particularly of hostages held by both sides.

The 20th award of the Florence Nightingale Medal is to take place in May 1965. Under the new Regulations adopted in August 1952 by the XVIIIth International Conference of the Red Cross in Toronto, the International Committee will not issue more than 36 medals, without any obligation, however, to award the whole number.

As in past years, the message of Mr. L. Boissier, President of the ICRC, was this year recorded by the ICRC Broadcasting and Television Service. The message is as follows :

The year which is now coming to an end has been for the Red Cross a year of getting together, one of appraisal of its unity. Indeed, the numerous events which took place in Geneva and elsewhere on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the founding of this world wide movement fully demonstrated that all the national and international Red Cross bodies rally themselves to a small number of universal principles, universally accepted and universally applied.

We give below two articles, both concerning the same subject. The first is a general survey by the Head of the Agency, Mr. E. L. Jaquet. Readers are aware that the Swiss Government, on the occasion of the Centenary of the Red Cross, decided to donate to the ICRC a new building to house the Agency, for, indeed, this service is today in a building which is not suitable for the protection of irreplaceable records against the effects of light, fire, humidity and dust.

551. — Jean S. Pictet. La doctrine de la Croix-Rouge. — 1962. In-8, 18 p., Fr. 1.50.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has been working actively to come to the help of the apparently numerous victims of the troubles in the Congo. Its efforts have been concentrated particularly on bringing assistance to the civilian population of Stanleyville and the other regions opposed to the Government in Léopoldville. However, the extreme confusion which has been prevailing generally has given rise to some very complex problems. It was for instance difficult even to make contact with the leaders of the insurrection.