183. Editorial Note
On September 23, Chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers Khrushchev addressed the General Assembly during the general debate. After commenting on how useful and necessary the United Nations was, he turned to criticism of the “executive machinery” of the United Nations by Secretary-General Hammarskjöld as “one-sided.” The result, he said, “is that in many cases the practical, routine work of the United Nations and of its Secretariat is carried out in a one-sided manner. The staffing of the Organization is also one-sided.” Khrushchev’s solution was to propose the abolition of the post of Secretary-General and replace it with a “collective executive organ of the United Nations consisting of three persons each of whom would represent a certain group of States,” i.e., “the Western Powers, the socialist States and the neutralist States.”
Khrushchev also noted the difficulties which some Members were experiencing because of the location of U.N. Headquarters: “the question arises whether thought should not be given to selecting another place for United Nations Headquarters, a place which would better facilitate the fruitful work of the international body.”
He then discussed the importance of the disarmament problem and the issue of the abolition of colonialism, and concluded by stating: “I wish to emphasize once again that the Soviet Government, guided [Page 348] by the interests of the Soviet people, by the interests of the citizens of a free socialist State, once again proposes to all: let us talk, let us argue, but let us settle the questions of general and complete disarmament and let us bury colonialism that is accursed of all mankind.”
For full text of Khrushchev’s address, see U.N. doc. A/PV.869.