UN General Assembly
1966

11. My first thoughts focus upon the decision of our Secretary-General, U Thant, the tireless and conscientious servant of peace, not to seek re-election for a second term. In the five years that U Thant has served the United Nations, first as Acting Secretary-General and then as Secretary-General, this Organization was faced with crucial difficulties and problems which at times threatened to split the Organization to its very foundations or to push the world towards the brink of a holocaust. These catastrophes were averted, in considerable measure through the courage, dedication and perservance with which the Secretary-General pursued the goal of peace and the survival of the United Nations.