UNITED NATIONS: Quickly & Quietly

After the high drama of Suez and Hungary, which dominated the Eleventh General Assembly of the United Nations, delegates to the Twelfth General Assembly gathered in Manhattan last week, willing to be more prosaic. “Frankly,” said one Western diplomat, “we hope this is going to be a dull, dreary and fast session.”

There were issues galore to orate about—Algeria, Cyprus, Kashmir, Syria, South Africa, Red China’s membership, Palestine refugees, Hungary’s aftermath, disarmament. The words would be many and searing, but the professionals on hand hoped that little action would be required. Even India, which sometimes seems to be rocking the boat for the sheer pleasure of making waves, was said to be in a mood to sit still because of its urgent need for economic help from abroad.

The first week—at least—reflected the new mood. Lebanon’s Charles Malik withdrew from what had been a hotly contested race for the Assembly presidency, and New Zealand’s Sir Leslie Munro was swept into office by a vote of 77 to 1. The Steering Committee accepted a U.S. proposal to put aside Red China’s perennial membership bid. The committee rejected a Greek request to debate British “atrocities” in Cyprus, settling for a less controversial listing: “The Cyprus Question.” Even Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, with his mechanical repetition of familiar Russian themes, surprised the U.S. delegation by his relatively moderate tone, as Soviet polemics go.

New President Munro, lawyer and onetime newspaper editor who has served at the U.N. for the past five years, promised to gavel quickly for order, start the sessions on time, and get everybody home for Christmas. “I can see no reason at all,” he said, “why we should not have a reasonably tranquil session.” It was another matter how many problems the session would settle.