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United NationsFormer Secretary General U Thant
1961 - 1971
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The Secretary General | UN Reform
2000
Myanmar's U Thant Steered United Nations During Crisis (January 24, 2000)
Myanmar’s U Thant Steered United Nations During Crisis (January 24, 2000) This article compares the re-election processes of former UN Secretary Generals U Thant, Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kurt Waldheim. Whereas Boutros-Ghali and Waldheim were “political animals” who actively campaigned for second and even a third term, U Thant stated he would “under no circumstances whatsoever” campaign for a third term even though he had the support of the Security Council. The author advocates for a return to the days “when the office of UN Secretary General sought the person instead of the other way around.” (Jakarta Post)1961
The UN’s Acting Secretary General U Thant (November 10, 1961)
In 1961, U Thant succeeded Dag Hammarskjöld as UN Secretary General, after serious disagreements between Russia and the US on the number of assistant Secretary Generals. As the oldest son in a family of landowners, he quit university to support his family when his father died. He began a career in journalism and became speechwriter and secretary of his personal friend and Burmese Prime Minister U Nu. In 1952 he joined the UN delegation of Burma and before becoming Secretary General he held several posts at the UN. This article expects that, unlike his bold predecessor, U Thant will be a patient and efficient Secretary General. (Time)
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