3-letter codes: ISO, IOC, LOCODES

[Keld Jørn Simonsen]

On Tue, Feb 26, 2002 at 07:37:02AM +0000, John Clews wrote:
> In message <20020225180735.GB16739@rap.rap.dk> Keld Simonsen writes,
> Re: Stability in standards:
> 
> > Why did those request 3-letter codes in the first place?
> > Two letters are enough for all countries, and much more
> > widely known anyway.
> 
> I suspect that they didn't - the developers of the standard
> ISO/TC46/WG2 (with no intervening SC in the ISO acronym soup)
> would have allocated it in any case while developing the standard
> ISO 3166: Codes for representation of names of countries.

My question was why the passport authorities requested 
the 3-letter codes in stead of the 2-letter codes.

Keld