U Thant
“We are thrown together on this planet and we have to live together. That is why the Charter imposes the imperative on all human beings to practice tolerance and to live together in peace with one another as good neighbors. To my mind this is the simplest definition of peaceful coexistence.” - U Thant, 7 January 1964
U Thant, who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, was chosen to head the world body when Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld was killed in an air crash in September 1961. U Thant was born at Pantanaw, Burma, on 22 January 1909, and was educated at University College, Rangoon.
Prior to his diplomatic career, U Thant's experience was in education and information work. He served as Headmaster of National High School, was a member of Burma's Textbook Committee and the Council of National Education, and was an Executive Committee member of the Heads of Schools Association, Secretary of Burma's Education Reorganization Committee (1942), and was appointed Press Director of the Government of Burma in 1947. He became Director of Broadcasting, was appointed Secretary to the Government of Burma in the Ministry of Information (1948), became Secretary for projects in the Office of the Prime Minister (1953), and was then assigned additional duties as Executive Secretary of Burma's Economic and Social Board (1955).
At the time of his appointment as Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant had been Permanent Representative of Burma to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador (1957-1961). U Thant was unanimously appointed by the General Assembly to fill the unexpired term of the late Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld. He was then unanimously appointed Secretary-General by the General Assembly on 30 November 1962 and was re-appointed for a second term as Secretary-General of the United Nations by the General Assembly on 2 December 1966. His term of office continued until 31 December 1971.
Archival Finding Aids for Secretary-General U Thant Fonds –AG-005
Fonds consists of the archives of Secretary-General U Thant, relating to his responsibilities as chief administrative officer of the Secretariat and as chief coordinator of the legislative, political, socio-economic, and military bodies of the United Nations. Also included are archives from an earlier period, when he was Burmese Representative to the United Nations, and private papers from his post-retirement years.
Fonds is arranged in the following archival series:
Series Title |
Dates | References |
Memorabilia - sound recordings | 1961-1971 | S-0512 |
Memorabilia - tribute and gifts | 1962-1971 | S-0551 |
Peacekeeping - Congo (ONUC) - subject files and correspondence with member states |
1959-1964 | S-0845 |
Peacekeeping - Congo (ONUC) - United Nations Advisory Committee on the Congo verbatim minutes | 1960-1963 | S-0849 |
Administrative and management matters - top echelon personnel | 1957-1974 | S-0852 |
United Nations Security Council and other organs | 1962-1971 | S-0853 |
United Nations specialized agencies | 1962-1972 | S-0854 |
Administrative and management matters - administration of the Secretariat | 1953-1972 | S-0855 |
United Nations General Assembly | 1953-1971 | S-0856 |
United Nations subsidiary bodies | 1960-1972 | S-0857 |
United Nations commissions, committee and conferences | 1962-1972 | S-0858 |
Secretary-General’s correspondence with outside organizations(international conferences, expositions, meetings, etc.) |
1961-1979 | S-0859 |
Press clippings | 1958-1975 | S-0860 |
Peacekeeping – Middle East | 1957-1973 | S-0861 |
Peacekeeping – code cables | 1961-1971 | S-0862 |
Peacekeeping – India/Pakistan | 1962-1973 | S-0863 |
Public relations | 1951-1972 | S-0864 |
Peacekeeping - Vietnam | 1962-1972 | S-0866 |
Peacekeeping – Dominican Republic | 1961-1971 | S-0867 |
Peacekeeping – India/Pakistan | 1964-1971 | S-0868 |
Peacekeeping - Cyprus | 1960-1971 | S-0869 |
Peacekeeping - Cyprus | 1964-1971 | S-0870 |
Peacekeeping - Vietnam | 1961-1972 | S-0871 |
Peacekeeping - Cuba | 1962-1971 | S-0872 |
Peacekeeping - Cuba | 1962-1964 | S-0873 |
Peacekeeping – Congo (ONUC) | 1961-1964 | S-0874 |
Peacekeeping – Congo (ONUC) | 1960-1965 | S-0875 |
Peacekeeping - West Irian (UNTEA) | 1950-1963 | S-0876 |
Peacekeeping - Yemen (UNYOM) | 1963-1967 | S-0877 |
Peacekeeping - other countries | 1961-1971 | S-0878 |
Peacekeeping - general | 1960-1971 | S-0879 |
Political Matters – disarmament | 1961-1971 | S-0880 |
Peacekeeping – Political and Social Security Council Affairs analysis | 1962-1971 | S-0881 |
Secretary-General’s correspondence with heads-of-state, governments, and Representatives to the United Nations |
1961-1972 | S-0882 |
Secretary-General’s trips and engagements | 1961-1971 | S-0883 |
Political matters – country files | 1960-1971 | S-0884 |
Secretary-General’s speeches | 1961-1971 | S-0885 |
Secretary-General’s statements | 1961-1967 | S-0886 |
Secretary-General’s correspondence with individuals and organizations | 1960-1974 | S-0887 |
Peacekeeping (official documents) | 1960-1971 | S-0888 |
Press conferences | 1961-1971 | S-0889 |
Press releases | 1950-1974 | S-0891 |
Private records – 1961-1971 period | 1953-1972 | S-0892 |
Private records – post-retirement 1971-1974 | 1963-1975 | S-0893 |
Private records – manuscript “View from the UN” | 1962-1974 | S-0894 |
Private records – Season’s greetings cards | 1961-1974 | S-0895 |
Memorabilia - photographs | 1962-1972 | S-0975 |
Memorabilia – moving images | 1961-1971 | S-1001 |
Memorabilia - gifts – photographs albums | 1961-1971 | S-1002 |