When the United Nations was formed, one of its earliest tasks was to develop an international bill of human rights that would recognize the individual in international law for the first time. This bill was envisioned to have three parts: a declaration, a convention, and a means of implementation. A number of conventions have since been opened for signature. Two of the means of implementation that have been developed are actions under the Optional Protocol of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and ECOSOC Resolution 1503. This article examines some attempts on the part of individuals or groups to use these mechanisms to gain compensation for human rights violations. It is based on the papers of Canadian human rights advocate John Peters Humphrey, who as an UN official wrote the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, worked on the covenants, and first proposed Resolution 1503. Years later, as a private citizen, he helped bring a number of cases to the United Nations using these mechanisms. Humphrey and his allies also attempted to have a declaration of principle on the right to compensation for human rights violations adopted by the General Assembly — a question that has not yet been resolved.