Show International Red Cross Grew Out of Eye Witness Story of Italian Battle In 1862 Henri Dunant a Swiss who had been an eye witness wrote a graphic account of the Battle of Solferino He told of the suffering of the wounded soldiers and discussed discussed discussed dis dis- dis- dis cussed the possibility of organizing in all civilized countries permanent permanent permanent perma nent societies of volunteers to care for the wounded of all nationalities in time of war A lawyer from Geneva named Gustave read Dunant's book As president of a local philanthropic philanthropic philanthropic philan philan- society appointed a committee of five members of the society to consider the possibility of putting Dunant's plan into action The Five then is issued issued issued is- is sued an invitation to all European governments and military medical and philanthropic societies to send delegates to a conference to be held at Geneva on October 26 1863 The 36 delegates who attended the now famous Geneva convention recommended rec rec- recommended that relief societies be formed in each nation authorized by the government of that nation and operating co-operating with its army The original Committee of ot Five became the International Red Cross Cros committee In 1919 the League of Red Cross Societies was founded thus uniting all the separate national national national na na- Red Cross so societies And in 1928 was instituted the International Red Cross conference governing body of the International Red Cross |