Bradford Morse

In silence U Thant adhered dauntlessly to his wise principles. It happens that sometimes when one is unyielding and forthright, one loses friends, dear ones and even the world’s good will. But in the case of U Thant, the story is otherwise during the ten years that he so successfully piloted the United Nations-Boat.

Bradford Morse, Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at the time, has offered us abundant light and convincing assurance on this matter: “Both in the political crises which occurred during his time as Secretary-General and in the development of the economic and social work of the Organization, he displayed courage and total dedication to the United Nations in disregard of any private interests or even of his own physical well-being.”

Something more that Mr. Morse tells the world is quite soul-stirring: “Many of us here became his devoted friends. We admired, above all, his humanity, his respect for human dignity and his complete integrity. To me, U Thant was a personal friend whose wisdom, kindness and generosity I shall never forget. We shall all remember him as a man who gave himself unstintingly to the cause of peace, progress and justice in the world.”