1956: Ciudad Trujillo Regional air navigation meeting
The third Caribbean Regional Air Navigation (CAR RAN) Conference was convened by ICAO in the Old Palace of the Senate in Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic, from 3 April to 24 April 1956. The capital, Santo Domingo, was renamed in 1936 (until 1961) Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City), after the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo. With only one exception, all Contracting and the two non-Contracting States of the Region were represented, as well as four international organizations. Prior CAR RAN meetings were held in Washington (USA) in August 1946 and in Havana (Cuba) in April 1950.
On 6 April 1956, Dominican Republic issued a set of three stamps to commemorate this meeting, the 3rd stamp of this set being Air Mail. It is interesting to note that these stamps were the first ones in the ICAO philatelic collection to display the ICAO emblem, however in the form of a preliminary logo (without the acronyms of the Organization); more information on these stamps can be found by clicking on the following link: Dominican Republic - Third Caribbean Regional Air Navigation Conference. It is only a few months after this meeting that, during the 10th Session of the ICAO Assembly held in Caracas (Venezuela) in July 1956 (Resolution A10-11), the official emblem of ICAO with the acronyms was adopted.
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The three stamps of the issue show the Punta Caucedo International Airport, near Santo Domingo. Its construction began in 1956 at the time of the RAN meeting and it entered into service in 1958, although it was formally inaugurated in November 1959.
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First Day Covers showing a picture of the Old Palace of the Senate where the meeting was held.
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First Day Cover. |
The name Year of the Benefactor of the Nation (Aņo del Benefactor de la Patria, see slogan on the first day covers) was established by Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, president of the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952 and foreign minister from 1953 to 1961. He was popularly known as "El Jefe" ("The Chief") or "El Benefactor" ("The Benefactor").
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