Editorial Note
The first session of the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was held in Washington on September 17, 1949. Iceland was represented by its Minister to the United States. The other nations, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States were represented by their Foreign Ministers.
The principal action was establishment of a Defense Committee, [Page 330] a Military Committee, five Regional Planning Groups, and a Standing Group composed of one representative each of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
A communiqué on this meeting was released by the Department of State on September 17, and is printed in the Department of State Bulletin, September 26, 1949, pages 469–472. A copy of the verbatim record of the meeting is in Department of State file 840.20/9–1749.