UN General Assembly
1961

55. The San Francisco Charter clearly embodies a principle, namely, that at the head of the Secretariat there should be a single individual personally responsible for the implementation of our decisions and for the administrative work of the United Nations. This principle is tacitly reaffirmed upon the admission of new Member States joining the United Nations, and these States not only accept the rules contained in the Charter but also automatically acquire — on the same footing as other Member States — the right to withdraw in the event of reforms should they be considered unacceptable. Thus any departure from the institution of a single office of Secretary-General, besides jeopardizing the efficiency of our executive, could, we feel, gravely complicate matters by casting doubt on the continued presence in the United Nations of part of its existing membership.