The Symposium originated in a proposal made in 1969 by Professor A. A. Ilyushin, Moscow. A study group (chairman J. Hult) , appointed by the General Assembly of IUTAM in 1971, suggested in areport to the Bureau of IUTAM in 1972 that the following topics should form the basis of the scientific program: 1) Limits of linearized theories and effective versions of the non-linear theory of viscoelasticity 2) Theory of experimental studies in linear and non-linear viscoelasticity aiming at the determination of consti­ tutive equations and conditions of strength and failure under an arbitrary deformation process 3) Experimental and theoretical studies of thermal effects in viscoelasticity taking into ac count thermo-mechanical coupling 4) Novel analytical and numerical techniques for the solution of problems in viscoelasticity and thermo-viscoelasticity. This proposal was accepted by the Bureau, and the following Scientific Committee was appointed: J. HULT, Chalmers University of Technology, Fack, S-402 20 GÖTEBORG, Sweden (Chairman) J. F. BESSELING, Technische Hogeschool Delft, Mekelweg 2, DELFT, The Netherlands P. CHADWICK, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of East Anglia, Wilberforce Road, NORWICH NOR 880, England A. A. ILYUSHIN, Dept. of Mechanics and Mathematics, University of Moscow, MOSCOW B-234, USSR E. H. LEE, Dept. of Applied Mechanics, Stanford University, STANFORD, California 94305, USA W. OLSZAK, Int.