206. Editorial Note
U.N. Secretary-General Hammarskjöld addressed the General Assembly at the opening of its October 3 afternoon meeting, which began at 3 p.m. Responding to Chairman Krushchev’s address that morning, Hammarskjöld stated: “I have no reason to defend myself or my colleagues against the accusations and judgments to which you have listened.”
He noted his regret that the Soviet statement “tended to personalize an issue which, as I have said, in my view is not a question of a man but of an institution. The man does not count; the institution does. A weak or non-existent executive would mean that the United Nations would no longer be able to serve as an effective instrument for active protection of the interests of those many Members who need such protection.”
Hammarskjöld concluded: “It is very easy to resign. It is not so easy to stay on. It is very easy to bow to the wish of a big Power. It is another matter to resist. As is well known to all Members of this Assembly I have done so before on many occasions and in many directions. If it is the wish of those nations who see in the Organization their best protection in the present world, I shall now do so again.”
For full text of Hammarskjöld’s statement, see U.N. doc. A/PV.883. Regarding Hammarskjöld’s September 26 address before the U.N. General Assembly, see Document 189.
The New York Times reported that delegates applauded Hammarskjöld’s assertion that he had a responsibility to continue as Secretary-General, and that he received a standing ovation when he stated he would stay in the office as long as the smaller nations wished him to do so. Khrushchev responded by beating his fists on his desk, while the other members of the Soviet Delegation refrained from applauding. (October 4, 1960, page A1)
The Mission at the United Nations issued a statement by Ambassador Wadsworth supporting Hammarskjöld. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, October 24, 1960, page 656.