The forerunner of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Commission, was created in 1923, in response to the rising criminal rate in Europe and to the development of a rapid and widespread transit system there. By 1966, Interpol headquarters, known as the General Secretariat, was established in Paris. The General Secretariat is organized into four divisions: General Administration, Police Matters, Studies and Research, and the International Criminal Police Review. The Secretary General, who is advised by an executive committee, heads the General Secretariat; both the General and the committee members are elected by the General Assembly, which serves as Interpol's Board of Directors. The General Assembly meets annually to conduct Interpol's general business and to discuss topics of special interest. Further, each member country has a National Central Bureau (NCB), which is responsible for liaison with other agencies in the country, with other NCB's, and with the General Secretariat. The United States' NCB is located in the Justice Department; during 1983, the USNCB investigative caseload totaled 24,706. Through the use of Interpol, the full resources of the law enforcement services of 135 nations are available, free of charge to law enforcement agencies in the United States and in all member countries.