The seventeenth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board was held in Geneva from January 17 to February 2, 1956. One of the principal decisions taken at the session concerned a comprehensive program of research and study for protection against the effects of atomic radiation. The program was to include studies under WHO auspices on the effect of radiation on human heredity, on the protection of health against radiation, the standardization of radiation units and radiation doses to encourage the adoption of uniform codes of practice, and the improvement of pharmaceutical standards for modes of preparation and specific activities of radioisotopes for medical use. Training of health personnel, provision of fellowships and training facilities for a study of the problem of radioactive waste disposal, and the collection and distribution of information on the medical problems of atomic energy and on the medical uses of isotopes were also to be included in the study program. Among other decisions taken by the Board were the following: 1) it expressed pleasure that the Soviet Union had expressed its readiness to participate actively again in the work of WHO, and referred to the Assembly the question of settling arrears of contributions by the Soviet Union; 2) it recommended a budget of $11,000,000 for 1957, an increase of $800,000 over the budget for 1956; 3) it approved the creation of registry centers for the study of cancer tissues on an international basis, in the hope that comparative research might give a clue to the cause of cancer; 4) it endorsed a program of research to overcome the danger of growing resistance of disease-bearing insects to modern insecticides; 5) it called for more decisive action, in the form of large-scale campaigns, against leprosy in every country still affected by the disease; and 6) it appointed a fivemember committee on malaria eradication to advise the Director-General on various aspects of the intensified malaria campaigns and on steps to obtain increased voluntary contributions from official and private sources. Before concluding its seventeenth session, the Board agreed to hold the eighteenth session in Geneva beginning on May 28, 1956, after the close of the ninth World Health Assembly.

Ninth World Health Assembly The ninth Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) met in Geneva from May 8 to 25, 1956 and elected Professor J. Parisot (France) president. The Assembly appointed a special committee to study means of enabling inactive members to reassume their rights and fulfill their obligations, with particular emphasis on a method of settling arrears of contributions. The committee report, which was adopted by the Assembly, provided that contributions should be paid in full for the years during which such countries had participated actively in the work of WHO, while for other years a token payment of 5 percent of the amount assessed would be required. Three newly independent countries, Morocco, the Sudan and Tunisia were admitted to WHO as full members and the Gold Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were admitted as Associates.

The activities of the World Health Organization (WHO) during 1955 were surveyed in the anuual report to the World Health Assembly and to the UN of the WHO Director-General, Dr. Marcoline G. Candau. During 1955, Dr. Candau stated, substantial results had been achieved in three categories of programs: the fight against communicable diseases, the strengthening of national health services, and the raising of standards of education and training for all types of health personnel. Malaria, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, and trachoma were among the communicable diseases towards the eradication of which WHO activities had been directed, with in many instances considerable progress. However, it had become increasingly evident that the beneficial effects of such campaigns against disease could only constitute concrete gains for public health if national health services could be effectively strengthened, and during 1955 a large part of WHO's work had continued to be devoted to that aim, in all regions but particularly in the Americas, southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. In the development of national health services, particular attention had been devoted to such matters as the principle of program integration, nutrition and health education, changes in health services necessitated by the aging of populations, mental health, and environmental sanitation. In regard to education and training of health personnel, an effort had been made in the regions to increase the use of all methods which had proved their value in the past, including direct training of health personnel at all levels, provision of fellowships for study abroad, assistance to institutions and the sponsoring of international conferences, training courses and seminars.

The Annual Report of the Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1955 was transmitted to the Chairman of the Board of Governors on July 1, 1955. The report noted that during the period under review the trend of the previous fiscal year toward the relaxation of restrictions imposed for balance of payments reasons on imports, on currency transfers, and on dealings in foreign exchange had continued, resulting in a considerable improvement in international financial relations. The European industrial countries, in particular, because of a continuance of favorable payments balances had been able to reduce their use of restrictions, and in a few cases practically eliminate them. It was pointed out in the report that even the European countries which had experienced minor setbacks in their balance of payments in 1954 and 1955 had not increased their import restrictions. The report stated that the point had probably been reached at which obstacles to any further removal of import restrictions in Europe were due as much to a wish for protecting individual industries as to payments difficulties. In countries outside Europe, the relaxation of import restrictions was an important factor in the expansion of imports in many primary producing countries in 1954. However, because of the weakening of their reserves, several primary producing countries, especially Australia and Thailand, had to increase their import restrictions in the latter part of 1954. In addition to the reduction in the use of such restrictions, the tendency toward giving more equal treatment to imports from different sources or paid for in different currencies was noted in the report as another encouraging factor in the international financial situation.

During September 1955 sessions were held of six of the regional committees of the World Health Organization (WHO). The eighth session of the Regional Committee for Southeast Asia was held in Bandung, Indonesia from September 5 to 10, 1955, under the chairmanship of Dr. Saiful Anwar (Indonesia). The committee approved a work program for 1957 which called for an expenditure in Southeast Asia of approximately $1.4 million under the WHO regular budget. The committee's work program, based upon specific requests put forward by the member states of the region, was designed primarily to strengthen further the various national health services. At the session the annual report of the Regional Director was discussed in detail and approved. The committee also discussed tuberculosis in Southeast Asia, malaria eradication, environmental sanitation, health education of the public, and the training of auxiliary health workers. The committee decided to hold its 1956 and 1957 sessions in New Delhi and Burma, respectively.

The heads of state of three members of the Arab League, Premier Nasser of Egypt, King Saud of Saudi Arabia and King Ahmed of Yemen, met in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, on April 20 and 21, 1956, to form a military alliance. At the meeting the three leaders also exchanged views on plans to insure the development of economic, cultural and technical cooperation among their countries. According to a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the three leaders had reached agreement “in the light of the Arab people's aspirations, freedom, dignity, peace and security”. Some press observers stated that the Egyptian-Syrian-Saudi Arabian military alliance formed in March 1956 had as its primary aim the forging of a strong Arab defense around Israel, while the new Saudi Arabian-Egyptian-Yemen pact appeared to be aimed chiefly at the United Kingdom and its claims in the area.

Executive Committee The eighth session of the Executive Committee of the World Meteorological Organi zation (WMO) was held in Geneva from April 17 to 30, 1956 under the presidency of Mr. A. Viaut. Extensive discussion based on a report of a working group was held about plans for the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958, and several resolutions were passed asking all countries to participate, establishing a meteorological data center to ensure exchange of information, and setting up a method of financing. The Executive Committee also established a panel of experts to study meteorological as pects of atomic energy and discontinued its inquiry into the effect of atomic experimentation on the weather after agreeing that on the basis of the material submitted by the Secretary-General, there was no large-scale effect on weather from nuclear explosions. Material relating to a world climatic atlas was referred back to a working group which was asked to revise it for consideration at the second session of the Commission for Climatology scheduled for January 1957, and directives were laid down for consideration of the panel of experts on water resource development.

The Working Group on the Measurement of Precipitation met at the headquarters of the Swiss meteorological service on July 29 and 30, 1955, under the chairmanship of Mr. L. Poncelet (Belgium) mainly to revise a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publication on international meteorological instruments and observing practice with particular attention being given to revising the sections dealing with precipitation observations at sea and in mountainous regions. The group, after discussing the need for an international reference precipitation gauge, decided that while it was not possible at the time to specify die detailed design of such an instrument, an interim working model should be introduced as soon as possible. The Working Group on Radiosonde Comparison of the WMO Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation met in Payerne, Switzerland from November 14 to 18, 1955, to make preparations for the second world comparison of radiosondes scheduled to begin on May 23, 1956 in Payerne. A number of technical and financial questions were dealt with in detail during the session.

The Council of the Arab League, meeting in Cairo on October I, sent congratulations to Premier Nasser of Egypt on his armaments purchase agreement with Czechoslovakia. The period subsequent to the announcement of the agreement was regarded as one of heightened tension between the Arab states and Israel. On November 9, Prime Minister Anthony Eden (United Kingdom) declared that his government would like to assist Israel and the Arab states toreach a settlement of their differences. If those nations wanted to attain peace, he stated, they would have tomake some compromise on their positions; the Arab states based their claims on the 1947 and other UN resolutions, while the Israel position was founded on the Armistice Agreement of 1949 and on the territory they currently occupied. In the view of the Prime Minister, it would be possible to bridge the gap between the two positions through negotiations, and he stated that if a mutually acceptable boundary arrangement were reached, the United Kingdom and perhaps other powers would be prepared to give a formal guarantee to both sides. The Arab League Political Committee on November 13 considered the Eden proposals, and although no conclusive information as to its view of the proposals was made public, it was reported that Egyptian Premier Nasser welcomed them. The reaction in Israel, however, was reported to be highly unfavorable, the Israel view being that the territorial changes proposed by the Prime Minister included cession to Egypt of a large part of the Negev and of the port of Elath on the Gulf of Akaba.

Following the United States withdrawal of its offer to provide assistance to Egypt for the Aswan high dam project, and the consequent nullification of United Kingdom and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development offers of assistance on the project, the government of Egypt on July 26, 1956 announced its decision to nationalize the Suez Canal Company, the authority for the canal under the Constantinople Convention of 1888; Premier Nasser of Egypt was reported to have stated that the revenue from the canal would be used to finance the Aswan high dam. Talks on common policy among the members of the Arab League ensued, with Syria reported to be taking the lead; negotiations between Syria and Egypt for a federal union, to be open to other Arab countries, were reported to encompass unity in military, economic and foreign policies and in financial, cultural and communications matters. The Arab League Political Committee, in a meeting called at the initiative of Syria and concluded on August 12, expressed full support for the Egyptian government's Suez Canal policy. In two resolutions adopted by the Committee also unanimously approved by a meeting of the Arab League Council on August 13, the members of the League 1) proclaimed their solidarity with Egypt in the latter's determination to preserve its sovereignty and national rights, and considered aggression against any Arab state to be an act of hostility directed against all Arab states; and 2) approved the declaration of Egypt that it was prepared to convene a conference in conjunction with states signatory to the 1888 Constantinople Convention governing the use of the canal, as well as other states whose ships made use of the canal, with the object of concluding an agreement to which all those states might adhere to insure freedom of navigation in the canal.

The second part of the seventh ordinary session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg from October 14 to 27, 1955, under the presidency of Mr. Guy Mollet (France, Socialist).

The Council of the ANZUS Pacific Security Pact met in Washington, D. C, on September 24, 1955, to survey current developments in southeast Asia. The three member governmentswere represented by their foreign ministers: Mr. Dulles for the United States, Mr. Casey for Australia, and Mr. Macdonald for New Zealand.

Council The Ministerial Council of the Baghdad Pact held its second session in Teheran from April 16 to 19, 1956. The United States observer delegation was headed by Deputy Under Secretary of State Loy Henderson; the choice of Mr. Henderson, was reported to emphasize the importance attached by the United States to the pact, and to have been a direct response to diplomatic pressure from the United Kingdom. During the session, the question of United States participation in the pact through economic aid to the members was reported as a major focus of interest, and on April 18 the United States was reported to have become a full member of the Pact's Economic Committee, having agreed to contribute in technical advice and personnel and possibly in new equipment. Mr. Henderson was reported to have told the Council that the United States was prepared to discuss supplementing its programs of bilateral aid to member countries with a program of broader economic cooperation coordinated through the pact, thus meeting, according to the press, one of the major requests of the member countries. The delegates were reported to have reached unanimous agreement on a plan for combined efforts to combat subversion in member countries, as put forward by the Liaison Committee and the Counter-Subversion Committee; the crux of the plan was reported to be an agreement to form an international security organization to pool the information and resources of member countries, including combined police resources. The recommendations of the Economic Committee and of the Secretary-General for a permanent secretariat were also reported to have been unanimously approved.

The economic council of the Arab League was reported in January 1956 to have approved the establishment of an inter-Arab organization for economic development to be financed jointly by member states in proportion to their contribution to the general League funds. The capital of the new organizaton was to be £20 million. The economic council also approved the formation of a company to exploit Dead Sea minerals with headquarters at Amman, Jordan; the capital would be £4 million.

On September 23, 1955, Pakistan announced its formal adherence to the alliance formed on February 24 by Iraqand Turkey, and adhered to by the United Kingdom on April 5 (Baghdad Pact). On October 11, the government of Iran announced its intention to adhere to the Pact; following parliamentary approval of the decision, Iran formallyadhered on November 3. Both before and after Iran's formal adherence to the Pact, the Soviet Union, according to press reports, protested strongly. In a note of October 12, the Soviet government declared that the accession of Iran was incompatible with the interests of consolidating peace and security in the near and middle east, and contradicted certain treaty obligations of Iran with respect to the Soviet Union. In a subsequent note, the Soviet Union repeated its protest, alleging that Iran's adherence to the Pact “inflicted serious damage” to relations between Iran and the Soviet Union, and that Iran would have to bear the full consequencesof joining. In a reply to the earlier Soviet note, Iran had declared that its object in adhering to the Pactwas the consolidation of peace and security in the middle east; the Pact was for defensive purposes, and Iran'sadherence should not mar Iranian-Soviet friendly relations, nor did it conflict with the terms of existing agreements between Iran and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, both the United States and United Kingdom had formally welcomed Iran's decision.

The permanent representatives of the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met on March 27, 1956 in Paris, to consider the Algerian situation; the Council announced that it had been kept constantly informed of the with drawals by France of forces assigned by that country to NATO defense in Europe, and had examined the situation in Europe arising from these troop movements. After noting that France had found it necessary, in the interests of its own security, to reinforce the French forces in Algeria, which was part of the North Atlantic Treaty area, the Council stated that it recognized the importance to NATO of security in this area. After expressing hope for an early and lasting settlement, the Council noted the determination of the French government to restore, as soon as possible, its full contribution towards the common defense in Europe. According to a later news report, General Gruenther (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) declared that it might become necessary to seek other forces to replace those which France had transferred to Algeria; he felt that a re-evaluation of the allied position in Europe in the light of the Algerian situation might be started about the end of 1956 if the Algerian situation had not been stabilized by that time.

The first part of the seventh ordinary session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg from July 5 through 9, 1955; Mr. Guy Mollet (France, Socialist) was elected President of the session.

A special meeting of the Council of the North Adantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was held in Paris on February 24, 1956, to consider the situation created by the exceptionally severe winter experienced in many NATO countries. While noting with satisfaction the assistance already given by the military forces assigned to NATO in some afflicted areas, the Council noted also the danger of serious aggravation of the situation in the event of a sudden thaw. It was agreed to urge member governments to authorize their forces assigned to NATO to prepare urgently to deal with such an emergency, and NATO headquarters in Europe were instructed to assist and co-ordinate national efforts where required. It was also agreed to recommend that member governments give consideration to action that might be required if a shortage of food resulted from damage to agricultural land, and the Council decided to keep the situation under review.

Council The 21st meeting of the Caribbean Commission was held in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles from December 5 to 12, 1955, under the chairmanship of Robinson McIlvane (United States). A work program for 1956 was adopted which included a continuation of projects carried out in 1955 in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, home economics, housing, industrial development, trade promotion and other allied matters.

A report of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) on the relaxation of quantitative restrictions on imports of goods and restrictions on invisible transactions and transfers relating to the dollar area was made public during the period under review. The report was based on the replies of OEEC countries to a questionnaire approved by the OEEC Council, and on memoranda submitted by the two associate members, Canada and the United States. According to the report, substantial progress had been made since 1953 in the liberalization of imports from the dollar area and the relaxation of quantitative restrictions on imports of non-freed dollar commodities, with the extent and rapidity of the progress varying from one country to another. In general, the level of liberalization had been less for manufactured goods than for food and raw materials. In analyzing the effects of liberalization, the report stated that the very appreciable increase in dollar imports of raw materials and basic commodities had been not so much the result of liberalization itself as of the increased economic activity in member countries; and that on the whole, there had not been any sudden large-scale increase in imports from the dollar area of manufactured goods which had been freed by some countries. Since the imports of freed commodities from the United States and Canada had taken place against the background of a general increase in member countries' imports, there had not been generally any adverse change in the pattern of imports, particularly in regard to intra-European imports or those from other non-dollar countries. Nevertheless, the report stated, the increase in imports had contributed to the deterioration of the trade balance of member countries with the associated countries during the second half of 1954 and the first half of 1955, since exports to these countries did not rise above the 1953 level. However, because of increased American military expenditure in Europe, the current balance of member countries as a whole with the associated countries still showed a slight surplus.