U Thant

U Thant (1909–1974) was a Burmese educator and diplomat who became the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from November 1961 until December 1971. He was appointed acting Secretary-General after the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash in September 1961, and was confirmed for a full term in November 1962, later being re-elected in 1966.

Before joining the UN, U Thant worked as a schoolteacher and then as a senior civil servant in newly independent Burma under Prime Minister U Nu, eventually serving as Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1957.

His tenure coincided with several major Cold War and decolonization crises. He played a quiet mediating role during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, exchanging messages with U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev that helped create space for de-escalation. He oversaw the conclusion of the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC) and the integration of dozens of newly decolonized states into the organization.

More controversial decisions included his 1967 withdrawal of the UN Emergency Force (UNEF I) from the Sinai at Egypt's request, which preceded the outbreak of the Six-Day War, and his persistent but unsuccessful efforts to broker negotiations to end the Vietnam War. He also presided over the UN during the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the admission of the People's Republic of China to the UN in October 1971 (Resolution 2758).

A devout Theravada Buddhist, U Thant was known for a calm, understated personal style and a strong commitment to development and disarmament. He declined to seek a third term and retired at the end of 1971, succeeded by Kurt Waldheim. His death in New York in 1974 and the Burmese government's refusal to grant him a state funeral triggered the U Thant funeral crisis, a major student-led protest in Rangoon.