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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 dis-cussed the possibility of organizing, in all civilized countries, "permanent "perma-nent societies of volunteers" to care for the wounded of all nationalities in time of war. A lawyer 'from Geneva named Gustave Moynier read Dunant's book. - As president of a local philanthropic philan-thropic society Moynier appointed a committee of five members of the society to consider the possibility of putting Dunant's plan into action. The "Committee of Five" then issued 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-ommended that relief societies be formed in each nation, authorized by the government of that natior and co-operating with its army. The original "Committee of Five" became the International Red Cross committee. In 1919 the League ol Red Cross Societies was founded, thus uniting all the separate national na-tional Red Cross societies. And in 1928 was instituted the Internationa Red Cross conference, governing body of the International Red Cross. |
