From its postwar infancy to its mid-’90s...
From its postwar infancy to its mid-’90s prominence, the United Nations has had many ups and downs. Here are the six men who guided it through those years:
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Egypt, 1992-96
Said the only way to deal with bureaucrats was by using “stealth and sudden violence.”
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Javier Perez de Cuellar
Peru, 1982-91
Alleged by UFO enthusiasts to have been abducted by aliens in 1989.
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Kurt Waldheim
Austria, 1972-81
Accused of expediting and ordering war crimes while serving in the German army during World War II.
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U Thant
Burma, 1961-71
A devout Buddhist who was once a freelance journalist.
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Dag Hammarskjold
Sweden, 1953-61
Became the second person to be awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize.
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Trygve Lie
Norway, 1946-52
Fired American U.N. workers who claimed the U.S. Constitution protected them from self-incrimination.
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