On 15 November 1969 the Accademia nazionale dei Lincei presented the International Committee of the Red Cross with the Antonio Feltrinelli gold medal which is awarded in recognition of actions of a high humanitarian and moral value or for work in medical science.

We all know the danger of epidemic diseases in countries where the population is undergoing the ordeal of war. Hence the ICRC was concerned at the perilous situation which arose in the secessionist zone of Nigeria (Biafra).

The Neutral Commission set up by the ICRC to make assessments of the claims submitted by victims of pseudo-medical experiments made on former detainees of German concentration camps now living in Poland met from 30 September to 3 October 1970 at the headquarters of the ICRC in Geneva. Compensation totalling the sum of DM 3,110,000.—was allocated to 113 persons, whose claims were found to be valid. This brings the total paid by the Federal Republic of Germany, as a result of the Neutral Commission's decisions, to Polish victims of pseudo-medical experiments to DM 26,430,000.—.

As usual the ICRC has published a report in which it reviews the work of the previous year.

The Report first gives a summary of the International Committee's work in the field in many parts of the world: its conventional activities for the benefit of prisoners of war, its organization of the general exchange of Honduran and Salvadorian prisoners and of the general repatriation of prisoners of war in the Middle East,

It describes how, concerned for the welfare of civilian populations, the ICRC went to the assistance of displaced persons in a number of countries, in respect of which some significant statistics are given. Many were the interventions of the ICRC, such as in the Yemen Arab Republic, where food distributions were organized and several medical teams were in action.

The International Tracing Service, directed and administered by the ICRC since 1955, has recently produced a volume of considerable importance after several years work based on documents obtained over the past twenty years. This consists of 612 pages, in addition to an introduction of 50 pages and is entitled, Vorlaufiges Verzeichnis der Haftstätten unter dem Reichsführer-SS, 1933-1945. (Provisional list of concentration camps and their outside detachments, and of their places of detention dependent on the Reichsfiihrer- SS in Germany and the German-occupied territories, 1933- 1945.)

On 11 April 1970, the International Committee of the Red Cross sent the following message to the Powers engaged in the Middle East conflict.