fering it has caused the people of Viet-Nam are a constant reproach to the conscience of humanity. Today it seems to me, as it has seemed for many months, that the pressure of events is remorselessly leading towards a major war, while efforts to reverse that trend are lagging disastrously behind. In my view the tragic error is being repeated of relying on force and military means in a deceptive pursuit of peace. I am convinced that peace in South-East Asia can be obtained only through respect for the principles agreed upon at Geneva in 1954, and indeed for those contained in the Charter of the United Nations.

Elsewhere in the world, too, there are signs of growing tension. While the situation in Europe has shown signs of improvement, the state of affairs in many other parts of the world has undergone some deterioration. The increasing imbalance in the world economic situation, to which I have constantly drawn attention, most recently in my statement to the Economic and Social Council, can only add to the clear and present dangers.

I must also confess to a sense of dissatisfaction with the fact that the Organization has not yet achieved universality of membership. I believe I am not alone in this feeling. Many of the problems facing the world today, be they regional or global, become more intractable because of this circumstance. This is true, for example, of the lack of progress in such vital fields as disarmament.

It thus happens that, owing mainly to the international situation and to circumstances beyond the control of the Organization, no decisive progress has been made by the Governments of Member States in the co-operative efforts which are essential if the Organization is to serve effectively the cause of peace and to contribute significantly to the economic development of the poorer regions of the world.

I now come to the question of my own plans for the future. I have been greatly touched, indeed overwhelmed, by the many kind references to my work which have been made at the level of Heads of State and Govern

See American Foreign Policy, 1950-1955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 750-788.

8 See U.N. doc. E/SR.1421, July 5, 1966.

ment, as well as on an informal and personal basis by my friends and colleagues. If I have not found it possible to accept their urging to be available for a further term of office, it is not for lack of appreciation and gratitude for their sentiments. It is my belief, as I have said more than once in the past, that a SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations should not normally serve for more than one term. I have similarly made it known that I do not believe in the concept of indispensability of any particular person for any particular job. In the circumstances the conclusion I have reached will, I hope, be understood by all my friends and colleagues: I have decided not to offer myself for a second term as Secretary-General, and to leave the Security Council unfettered in its recommendation to the General Assembly with regard to the next Secretary-General.

I am sure that my own unwillingness to be available for a second term as Secretary-General will not be misconstrued by those who know me. I have an abiding and unshakable faith in the United Nations and in its ultimate success. Despite the difficulties facing the Organization, I believe and hope that the world will continue its efforts to develop the United Nations as an indispensable instrument for the attainment of a peaceful and just world order. In this task, I pledge my personal support and whole-hearted devotion.

Document II-5

Statement by the U.S. Representative at the U.N. (Goldberg), Issued September 1, 1966°

United States Call on the United Nations SecretaryGeneral (Thant) To Agree to the Extension of His Term of Office

The United States Government profoundly regrets that U Thant has decided not to offer himself for a sec

Department of State Bulletin, Sept. 19, 1965, pp. 434 435.

ond term as Secretary-General and has expressed his unwillingness to be available.1o

U Thant has served the United Nations with distinction and impartiality during his 5-year tenure of office. Last April, when it first became apparent that he was deliberating whether or not to accept reappointment, President Johnson sent him a letter expressing appreciation for his contributions to the cause of world peace and assuring him of the wholehearted support of the United States for another term of office."

The United States has complete confidence in U Thant and, along with all other members of the United Nations, persists in the hope that the Secretary-General will accede to the desire of the membership that he consent to the extension of his term of office. Especially at this vital juncture of world affairs, his experience, integrity, and the faith he commands from the entire membership make such an extension of paramount importance to the organization and to the cause of world peace.

We who participate in the work of the organization readily understand the many frustrations of the difficult office of the Secretary-General. His comments necessarily command our fullest attention. The United States Government, while realistically cognizant of the problems in the world organization, shares his full faith in the United Nations.

We have been and remain one of the strongest supporters of United Nations activities in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and we are determined to strengthen the United Nations' capabilities in these areas. We

would hope that members who have not contributed to peacekeeping would respond promptly to the Secretary-General's appeal for substantial voluntary contributions so that the organization "can face the great tasks ahead with confidence." 12 U Thant's continued presence in office, in the view of our Government, would contribute greatly to this high aim.

We recognize that the war in VietNam hangs as a cloud over world affairs. It is our ardent desire to bring it to an early end. Above all, we remain determined to exercise every restraint and to pursue every effort to prevent a major war. If this desire and determination on our part is matched by others, then peace can be quickly restored to Southeast Asia. The United States entirely shares the Secretary-General's view that the principles of the Geneva accords 13 and of the United Nations Charter form an acceptable basis for a settlement. We reiterate our willingness to go to Geneva, to Southeast Asia, or anywhere else where an honorable settlement can be negotiated, and we are ready to go today. We, like the Secretary-General, do not believe that force and military means are good arbiters of international disputes, and we welcome any and all efforts to bring about an end to hostilities on all sides.

Our sole goal is that of the United Nations Charter, to safeguard the right of the people of Southeast Asia to settle their affairs peacefully and to select their forms of government by principles of self-determination.

As President Johnson has repeatedly made clear and has recently reaffirmed:

We are not trying to wipe out North Viet-Nam.

10 Supra.

"Not printed here. President Johnson made a special trip to U.N. Headquarters in New York to confer with U.N. SecretaryGeneral Thant on Viet-Nam and other world issues, Oct. 7, 1966. After the conference, President Johnson said: "I expressed to the Secretary-General our deep feeling about the United Nations and our gratitude to him for his leadership and the contribution that he has made to promoting better relations between nations." President Johnson stated that he had also "reaffirmed to the Secretary-General the viewpoint of my people that not only had he been of great service to the cause of peace, but in this hour of trial we needed him all the more.' (The New York Times, Oct. 8, 1966.)

We are not trying to change their government.

We are not trying to establish permanent bases in South Viet-Nam.

We are not trying to gain one inch of new territory for America.

12 Quotation from U.N. Secretary-General Thant's retirement statement (supra).

13 Text in American Foreign Policy, 19501955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 750–788.

And we are prepared to withdraw our forces from South Viet-Nam as soon as the people there are enabled to determine their own future without external interference.

We continue to hope that the United Nations and its organs, including the Secretary-General, can play an important role in bringing about an honorable peace in Viet-Nam.

Finally, we share the dissatisfaction of the Secretary-General that the organization has not yet achieved universality of membership. We would welcome the day that the United Nations includes all genuinely independent states which are committed to the principles of the charter "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors."

Document II-6

Resolution 2147 (XXI), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, November 1, 1966

Extension of the Appointment of U Thant as United Nations Secretary-General Until the End of the TwentyFirst Session of the General Assembly

Text in U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Twenty-First Session, Supplement No. 16 (A/6316), p. 3. This resolution, sponsored by the representatives of 10 member states, was adopted by a vote of 113 (including the U.S.) to 0, with 1 invalid vote. On Sept. 19, U.N. Secretary-General Thant, whose term of office was to expire on Nov. 3, had offered to stay at his post until the end of the 21st regular session of the U.N. General Assembly. The U.N. Security Council recommended this extension of his appointment on Oct. 28, 1966 (U.N. doc. S/RES/227).

Document II-7

Resolution 2161 (XXI), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 2, 1966

as

Appointment of U Thant as United Nations Secretary-General Until December 31, 1971

Text in U.N. doc. A/6316, p. 4. This resolution, sponsored by the Representative of Uruguay, was adopted by a vote of 120 (including the U.S.) to 0, with 1 invalid vote. On Dec. 2, 1966, U.N. Secretary-General Thant acceded to an appeal by the U.N. Security Council to serve another term Secretary-General (U.N. doc. A/6540), whereupon the Security Council unanimously recommended his reappointment (U.N. doc. S/RES/ 229 (1966)). President Johnson stated in a letter, Dec. 3, 1966, to U.N. Secretary-General Thant: "Your selfless decision to continue to serve the Organization will, I am sure, inspire the membership to strengthen the United Nations" (Department of State Bulletin, Jan. 2, 1967, pp. 14-15).

Document II-8

Resolution 2239 (XXI), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 20, 1966

Establishment of a United Nations Committee on Conferences

Text in U.N. doc. A/6316, pp. 87-88. This resolution, sponsored by the representatives of six member states, was adopted without objection. The Committee on Conferences was composed, on an experimental basis, of 15 member states (including the U.S.). Its function was to submit in the closing

stages of the General Assembly's session a calendar of meetings and conferences for the following year, with recommendations concerning the succeeding year's schedule, for final approval by the Assembly. For background, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1965, pp. 74-75.

Document II-9

Resolutions 2241 A and B (XXI), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 20, 1966 11

14

The Need for a More Equitable Geographical Distribution of Positions on the Staff of the United Nations Secretariat

A

The General Assembly,

Bearing in mind the considerable changes which have occurred in the membership of the United Nations and the specialized agencies,

Recalling the provisions of Articles 100 and 101 of the Charter of the United Nations,15

Recalling further its resolution 1928 (XVIII) of 11 December 1963 on this question,1o

Noting that in the determination of the recruitment priorities the Sec

14 U.N. doc. A/6316, p. 89. Resolution 2241 A, sponsored by the Representatives of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Hungary, and Iran, was adopted by a vote of 110 (including the U.S.) to 0. The draft resolution was adopted in Committee V by a vote of 84 to 2 (U.K. and U.S.), with 14 abstentions, taken Dec. 2, 1966. The U.S. delegation voted for this resolution in the U.Ñ. General Assembly after the adoption of an Iranian amendment to the last preambular paragraph which substituted the words "and fixed-term contracts of longer duration" for the words "and semipermanent contracts"; see U.N. doc. A/PV. 1501.

Resolution 2241 B, recommended by Committee V of the U.N. General Assembly, was adopted by a vote of 102 (including the U.S.) to 0, with 8 abstentions.

15 Text in American Foreign Policy, 1950– 1955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 134-161.

16 Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1963, pp. 70–71.

retary-General bears in mind the need for a more equitable distribution of staff among the Member States within the various regions, in particular at the levels of senior posts,

Noting with satisfaction the efforts already made by the Secretary-General to improve the geographical distribution of posts in the Secretariat and mentioned in his report on the composition of the Secretariat,"

Considering nevertheless that arrangements should be made to ensure an even more equitable distribution of posts,

Recognizing the need for a large proportion of permanent contracts and fixed-term contracts of longer duration to ensure the stability and efficient operation of the Secretariat, and noting the statement of the Secretary-General in paragraph 14 of his report,

1. Believes that, as a temporary measure and under the existing conditions, increased recruitment on the basis of fixed-term contracts, especially in the case of developing countries, might help to achieve a balanced geographical distribution;

2. Invites the Secretary-General to give preference to candidates from inadequately represented countries;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to study the question of determining the desirable ranges of posts for individual countries, taking into account the level of appointment together with the number of posts;

4. Further invites the SecretaryGeneral, in his capacity as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, to draw the attention of the competent authorities of the specialized agencies to this problem at a forthcoming session of that Committee;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to take the present resolution into account in his future reports on the composition of the Secretariat.

1501st plenary meeting.

17 U.N. doc. A/6487.

[Doc. II-9]

47

B

The General Assembly,

Bearing in mind rule 51 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly,18

Noting the statement by the Secretary-General in paragraph 3 of his report on the composition of the Secretariat,

18 "Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish shall be the official languages of the General Assembly, its committees and subcommittees. English, French and Spanish shall be the working languages." (U.N. doc. A/520/Rev. 8, p. 11.)

с

THE UNITED NATIONS BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 1966

Document II-10

Resolution 2125 C (XX), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 21, 19651

Financing of United Nations Appropriations for the Financial Year 1966

с

FINANCING OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1966

The General Assembly

Resolves that for the financial year 1966:

1. Budget appropriations totalling

Recognizing the limitations in regard to the recruitment of staff which result from language considerations,

14

1 U.N. General Assembly Official Records. Twentieth Session, Supplement No. (A 6014), p. 85. This resolution was adopted by a vote of 100 to 1, with 12 abstentions.

Requests the Secretary-General to study the methods which should be used to ensure a more equitable use of the working languages of the Organization and a better balance among those languages in the recruitment of staff at all levels, and in particular at the higher levels, of the Secretariat, and to include his conclusions on this question in his future reports.

1501st plenary meeting.