U Thant, United Nations
The exact date of this episode is unknown. We've filled in the date above with a placeholder. What we actually have on record is: 1965-uu-uu.
Secretary General of the United Nations U Thant speaks about the failure of the 19th General Assembly, the formation of special peacekeeping council within the UN, and prospects of peace in Southeast Asia.
Secretary General U Thant introduces the event. They do not typically have press conferences during the General Assembly.
He talks about the damages done during the 19th general assembly, though he is heartened that the member nations have tried to make them right.
In the last two months there is no path to take without direct confrontation.
He cedes the dais briefly to the President [of the security council?].
He feels that the 19th assembly was not a success. He asks Thant what the alternatives may be.
Thant claims the projected constitution of the special committee which will look into peace keeping is the most positive action that occurred.
Thant sees the functions of the special committee being divided into two parts: questions relating to the past and present, and questions relating to the future. Arriving at a satisfactory formula for future peacekeeping activities for the future will be difficult.
Thant is asked for positive proposals concerning Vietnam.
Thant has been advocating diplomatic methods of finding a solution. Military efforts will not produce the desired result of peace. Peaceful solutions have become much more difficult. There is general agreement that the situation in Vietnam has gone from bad to worse.Peaceful solutions will be difficult to come across as time goes on.
Thant has never advocated the immediate withdrawal of US troops from the United States. A stable government is a requirement for peace and it is not there in Vietnam.
Thant is asked about the persecutions of Nazi criminals by West Germans.
Thant feels that both sides agree that the statute of limitations on Nazis should be extended, particularly in the context of General Assembly resolutions advocated in 1946.
How does Thant feel about the failure of the last negotiations as an argument against his desire for a diplomatic solution.
Thant recalls studying the situation in Southeast Asia before coming to the US 8 years ago. There is no evidence that in 1954 and 1955 the North Vietnamese provided arms to the Viet Cong. He is sure that there has been since. Thant talks about Burmese independence in 1948, when the Burmese communists went underground. The Burmese were able to deal with the communists on their own. He talks about Burma's good relations with its neighbors. If they had asked for military assistance they would have been divided into two parts or turned communist.
Thant is asked if he has heard if the US would consider negotiations of the Vietnamese dispute and would it withhold reprisals against North Vietnam during that time.
Thant cannot reveal anything from the negotiations he has been a part of. He praises President Johnson's wisdom. He stresses that further bloodshed is unnecessary. In war, the first casualty is truth.
Thant is asked for ideas about the creation of a stable South Vietnamese government.
Thant cannot reveal his thoughts on this at the moment.
Thant is asked about the political crisis in the United Nations. how can it be overcome.
This is the concern of the special committee, who will look into all peacekeeping activities. The can recommend amending the UN charter. The current crisis is predicated on two factors: whether the peacekeeping process' expenses are part of the UN's normal expenses; whether the general assembly or the security council is competent to allocate funds. The second has not been considered yet. He notes Article 24 [of the charter] that the security council shall have the primary means of keeping the peace.
Thant is asked how he will achieve peace in Vietnam. He is asked to pin down how he will do it.
Thant, up to the moment, tells us that his inquiries in to peace have not been conclusive and that he should best keep quiet on them for the time being.
Thant's UN will not step into the breach and attempt to resolve Vietnam. Thant notes the conflict involves parties who are not members of the UN.
Thant is asked about his UN predecessor.
Thant answers that he is not competent to comment on Charles de Gaulle. Critics feel that the UN is doing too much and others feel that the UN is doing too little.
Should the 1954 Geneva Conference be reconvened in terms of the Vietnam question? As he has felt in the past?
He does not expect the same results, but thinks it is worth trying. He has no way of knowing what will be the result of such discussions if they happen. He feels the longer we wait the less likely peace is.
That is asked about responses to his proposal from preliminary contacts in Peking and Hanoi.
He feels it is not in the public interest to reveal any information.
He is asked about article 19 of the last assembly and answers quickly.
Is there a role educationally in the UN? And what are the implications of the 'Pacem in Terris [papal bull]?
He feels the Pacem in Terris has had a positive impact.
Thant is further asked about Pacem in Terris and which articles of the charter he might amend?
That had no specific amendments in mind.
Does Thant have hopes about future peacekeeping operations before September? He talks about the requirement of the will to solve problems in Vietnam. These problems have baffled the world's leaders for years, but the assessment of what has happened in the past will be easier.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150571
Municipal archives id: T1285
