It is not the purpose of this article to develop or settle the delicate problems arising from the Geneva Protocol of 17 June 1925 for the Prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases and of bacteriological methods of warfare; it merely outlines, on the occasion of the forty-fifth anniversary of the Protocol, the role of the Red Cross in the development of law and the work now being carried out by the main international organizations.

The Mission of the Delegate General for the Middle East.— Mr. André Rochat, Delegate General of the ICRC for the Middle East, travelled to Israel on 15 April for a one-month stay.

On his arrival in Tel-Aviv, the Delegate General, accompanied by Mr. F. Payot, in charge in Geneva of the Middle East theatre of operations, was welcomed by an official delegation including members of the Israeli Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence. Mr. Rochat, Mr. Payot and Mr. Moreillon, Head of the ICRC delegation in Israel, were then received by Mr. Zalman Shazar, the Head of State.

At its plenary session on 14 May 1970, the International Committee of the Red Cross elected Mr. Victor H. Umbricht as a new member.

Mr. Umbricht was born at Untersiggenthal in the canton of Aargau in 1915. After studying at various universities he obtained a doctorate in international law. He was a member of the Tribunal of Baden and then, from 1941 to 1953, was in the Swiss diplomatic service. He subsequently became assistant director of operations at the World Bank, Washington, for Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. In 1957 he was appointed Director of the Federal Administration of Finances in Bern.

Mr. Nicolas Burckhardt, Director of the International Tracing Service, will be leaving his post at the end of June 1970. The position, which he has occupied since 1955, will immediately be taken over by Mr. Albert de Cocatrix, who is at present Assistant Director.

The ICRC organized its first “ training course for delegates ” in Geneva from 11 to 14 May.

The theory lessons (humanitarian law, Geneva Conventions) and practical lessons (delegates' activities on mission), which were introduced by various ICRC collaborators, the Swiss Red Cross and medical experts, were prepared in close collaboration with the Henry Dunant Institute. During the seminar, Professor O. Reverdin gave a lecture on the subject “ Switzerland and the concept of neutrality ”.