Putting together these Proceedings has afforded me the oppor­ tunity to re- read the papers which were presented last October here in Washington. In retrospect, the 1981 NATO/CCMS Symposium on Hazardous Waste Disposal maintains the impression of excellence expressed by the par­ ticipants at the actual event. The scope of the subject-matter and quality of its presentation indicate that we did attain the Sympos­ iums's objective--a comprehensive review of the international status of hazardous waste disposal. It is my hope that in your own evaluation of these proceedings, you will share my conviction that the Symposium--conceived three years ago, approved by the NATO/CCMS Pilot Study experts