From the minutes of the Business Meeting at the World Vegetarian Congress, India, December 4, 1967:

It was decided to hold the 20th Congress in Israel in 1969.

From the minutes of the Executive Committee, London, May 1968:

Apologies: The Secretary said that he . . . did not know why Mr Pick, who had been invited as Representative of the Israeli Organising Committee was absent.

Israel Congress 1969: After a careful and lengthy discussion and taking into account the feelings of other friends with very great regret it was unanimously agreed that the Israel Congress should be postponed in view of the situation in Israel which has developed adversely since the Congress had been agreed, with the possibility of war erupting at any time. It was felt that responsibility could not be taken for encouraging delegates to take the ....... a cancellation nearer to the ............ [remainder illegible]

Later minutes from 1968 have been lost, presumably they changed their minds.... the following is from The British Vegetarian, March/April, 1969 (full page advert):

From The Humanitarian and Vegetarian World Forum, July-Sep., 1969

ISRAEL
20th International Vegetarian Union Congress, 1969

THE Marquis de St. Innocent, President of the I.V.U., has asked us to give our readers the following information :-

In appreciation of outstanding contributions made by the Lady Dowding and her dedicated co-workers to the vegetarian cause, the International Vegetarian Union is offering two "Beauty Without Cruelty Youth Prizes" to be awarded at the forthcoming I.V.U. World Congress in Israel next November. First Prize of one hundred dollars for the best expression of the humanitarian ideal in three words. Second Praize, fifty dollars.

Typical examples of the ideal in three words: Mahatma Gadhi's "Renounce and Enjoy," Dr. Albert Schweitzer's "Respect for Life," and best of all Lady Dowding's "Beauty without Cruelty." In case of duplications the prize will go to the contestant who first sends in his reply to Mr. Brian Gunn-King, Honorary Secretary General, I.V.U., Shanmar, 11 Ballymoney Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, N. Ireland, U.K. The prizes will be voted upon by the assembled delegates at the Israeli Congress. To qualify for these two prizes you must be less than 31 years old.

A third prize of twenty five dollars will be awarded to the first vegetarian, regardless of age, whi correctly guesses the name of the person who invented the three-word phrase, "Nostalgia for Perfection."

A small advert appeared in the July/August issue of The British Vegetarian:

A couple of years later Peltours Ltd were offering a variety of specialist vegetarian holidays via the same magazine. The above was repeated in the September/October issue which also printed another full-page ad., giving different contact info:

After all these big adverts, subsequent issues of The British Vegetarian made no mention of the Congress whatsoever. This was after a decade of entire issues devoted to each Congress. The next Congress, in 1971, was fully reported as usual - we currently do not know why this one was missed and have no further information about the 1969 Congress as the minutes of the business meetings are also missing from an otherwise almost complete set since 1955.

Mr Brian Gunn-King was present at the 2002 World Vegetarian Congress, held in Edinburgh. He confirmed to the IVU Webmaster that the Congress did go ahead.

Jashu Shah, IVU Reginal Co-ordinator for Asia, who has attended Congresses since 1957 has also confirmed that the 1969 Congress went ahead, but he says that only about 90 people attended - presumably many were hesitant about visiting the country because of the unstable political situation.

• Vegetarians from an International Outlook - an article by the IVU President which may have been used at the Congress.