Dag's Replacement

A favorite Russian fable describes a disastrous attempt by a swan, a pike and a crayfish to haul a wagon. The poem, a copy of which President Kennedy wryly presented to Andrei Gromyko last week, points the moral: "The cart's still there." In the U.N., the Russians withdrew their stalled troika proposal for a three-man, three-veto directorate to take over Dag Hammarskjold's job, and seemed ready to agree that triple traction does not work. They accepted the idea of a single Secretary-General, but insisted that he have three assistant secretaries and be compelled to consult them on every issue. The U.S. would agree to five assistants, without compulsory consultation (which is really a vestigial veto). When and if this last bargaining gap is bridged, Dag's likeliest successor is Ambassador U Thant (rhymes with Du Pont), since 1957 Burma's affable, obscure U.N. delegate.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.