Swift Agreement

Ever since the Soviet bloc began to snub and boycott Trygve Lie two years ago, the U.N. has been without a truly effective secretary general. Last week, as part of its diplomatic new look, Russia at last agreed with its fellow members on the Security Council on a successor to Lie, who submitted his resignation last fall.

In a series of secret, informal meetings, delegates of the Big Five had considered --among others--the name of Erik Boheman, Sweden's Ambassador to the U.S. Boheman said that he did not want the job, but his name had been in the air just long enough for Soviet Delegate Valerian Zorin to hint that perhaps Russia might accept a Swede in order to get rid of Norway's Trygve Lie. French Delegate Henri Hoppenot took the cue, submitted the name of Dag Hammarskjoeld (see box). So little known was he that State Department officials had to scurry about for a few hours to see if there might be anything unacceptable in his background (they decided not).

The next day Zorin announced that the Soviet Union would support Hammarskjoeld. That afternoon, in formal session, the Council swiftly voted 10 to o (with Nationalist China abstaining because Sweden has recognized Red China) to recommend Hammarskjoeld to the Assembly. It was the first time since the beginning of the Korean truce talks in July 1951 that East and West had agreed on anything as important in U.N. affairs.

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