UN General Assembly
1963

Mr. President, may I associate myself with the representatives who have spoken before me in congratulating you most warmly on your unanimous election to the high office of Presidency of the eighteenth session of the General Assembly. I am confident that your devotion to the cause of the United Nations and your comprehensive knowledge of the work of the Organization will contribute significantly to the success of this session. 133. When we last met in this hall a year ago, mankind was faced with a most menacing situation. The United Nations was desperately struggling to end the tragedy of the Congo when crisis in the Caribbean brought the world to the brink of a thermo-nuclear holocaust. 134. Today as the eighteenth session of the General Assembly convenes, this terrifying nightmare not only seems remote, but the opening of new vistas of hope and expectations have brought us nearer than ever to the realization of the ideals enshrined in the Charter.