After the General Assembly confirmed in November 1948 an agreement for the transfer of certain funds and activities of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration to the United Nations, Byron Price, Assistant Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Services of the Secretariat, announced in January 1949 that the Communications and Records Division of the Secretariat would be responsible for administrative supervision of the UNRRA history project, which was prescribed by the agreement and which contemplated the completion, publication and distribution of a history to be compiled by March 31, 1949. Also this division would supervise both administrative and substantive matters in respect of the records and archives project contemplated by the liquidation agreement. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services was to perform the financial services required under the terms of the agreement, including the establishment of a special fund to record the financial transactions, the receipt and transfer of funds, provision of periodic financial reports regarding the history and records projects, processing of all payments from funds transferred, collection of accounts receivable transferred prior to and consequent on assumption of accounting functions from the Administrator for Liquidation and transfer of final residual amounts to the International Children's Emergency Fund, and arrangements for external audit of the liquidator's accounts. The Legal Department was to be responsible for examining and approving settlement of marine claims assigned by UNRRA to the United Nations for the benefit of ICEF, for the execution of the general releases required in the settlement of claims, and for such action with respect to legal proceedings as might be necessary.
