Foreword by the NATO International Staff
Archives Section

In October 1953 following suggestions from various quarters, i.e. the House of Commons, the Atlantic Community at an International Conference held in Copenhagen that the Secretary General of NATO should publish a Report on the activities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Lord Ismay , Secretary General and Vice-President of the North Atlantic Council announced his intention "to prepare an authoritative publication suitable for a parliamentary library or as a work of reference for government officials, and at the same time of sufficiently interest to appeal to press commentators, students of political affairs, members of pro-NATO voluntary organizations and the general public. Thus the document would have a technical value as well as a public relations one". He also added that "…it should describe the work of NATO in every field since the foundation of the Atlantic Alliance. Such a five-years' survey of NATO would place in proper perspective the progress achieved since 1949…". (1)

The Secretary General decided to handle this matter personally. Ms Eve Curie, Special Assistant to the Secretary General was tasked with drawing up the plan and forming a small team to prepare the drafting of the book.

"NATO - The First Five Years 1949 - 1954 by Lord Ismay , Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization " was published in the Spring of 1955. 26 373 copies in English and 22 3396 copies in French were printed.

In 1959, some discussions took place within the International Staff on a proposed sequel to Lord Ismay's publication; it was finally decided in 1960 that the Information Service would re-write the publication "Facts about NATO" (First edition in 1957) in a form designed to provide a serious reference book. It was subsequently published under the title "The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - Facts and Figures". (2)

Following numerous requests by researchers and scholars for copies of "NATO - The First Five Years" by Lord Ismay, the International Staff Archives Section has undertaken to scan this publication and make it available on the Internet.

March 2001