Evening star., 1962-05-27
DATELINE U. N.
u Thont Worrying
About Arms, Cats
BY MILTON BESSER
Assnciated Press staff Writer

ABOUT Arms, C0fS
BY MILTON BESSER
Associated Press staff Writer
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y,
May 26.-U Thant meditated
for a moment, then with a
twinkle said to an aide: From
disarmament to cats - what
next?"
The acting Secretary General
maintained the same good
natured calm about a supposed
ly misbehaving cat-his-as he
has about world issues which
confront him.
The cat figured in a dispute
about rent for Mr.. Thant's New
York apartment.
There was q question Of al
legged damage to furnishings.
But Mr.. Thant was pretty much
an innocent bystander in the
rent dispute, which involved his
landlord and the State rent
commissioners office.
Gradual Change Noted
He is not so much q by
stander in world affairs today.
On the whole he has had
comparatively calm sailing dur
ing seven months at the helm
of the United Nations. But
rough seas lie ahead for the
53-year-old ex-teacher from
Burma who succeeded Dag
Hammarskjold in one of the
worlds most challenging jobs.
A gradual change has come
over Mr.. Thant since he was
elected last November. To the
firmness that underlies his out
wardly calm demeanor has been
added an air Of growing self
confidence.
Selection in Fall
One of the issues to be de-
cided at the U. N. this fall
is the selection Of a secretary
general for a full five-year-
term. Mr.. Thant's term as act
ing secretary-general expires
next April.
The big question is whether
the Russians will renew their
demand for a troika-three Sec
retaries general representing
the Western, Communist and
neutral nations, each with the
right Of veto.
The Russians agreed to Mr..
Thant as q stopgap secretary
general, but said they had not
given up the troika principle.
HammarskjOId's Views
In the past month or so Mr..
Thant has backed the views
held by Mr.. Hammarskjold for
a strong U. N. executive. Mr..
Hammarskjold's attitude evoked
a bitter denunciation Of him
Iby Soviet Premier Khrushchev.
In a speech this spring Mr..
Thant praised his predecessor
as a man with exceptional
courage of convictions" one of
which, he noted, was the neces-
sity for developing an inter-
national authority within the
present world setup.
Mr.. Thant indorsed "these
convictions and these objectives
which were cherished by my
predecessor"
That kind of talk is not to
the liking of the Russians.
Mr.. Thant plans to visit Mos
|. cow, probably in early Septem-
Der. He may have the opportu-
nifty of learning just how the
Russians stand by then on the
issue OF the secretary general.
What it boils down to is this:
Will the Soviet Union decide
lit has more to gain by accept
ling Mr.. Thant than by casting
la veto, and thus oppose the big
Asian-African majority it is
constantly wooing?
/ Mr.. Thant has been in con-
Iflict already with the Russians.
He has pushed his plan for a
$500 million emergency bond
tissue. When the Soviet Union
VETOED o United States proposal
that he help the Congo govern
Iment refrain and reorganize its
army. Mr.. Thant announced
1.-THE retraining would take place
anyway. He cited previous reso-
buttons for his authority.
4 During policy-making discus
sions among high-level secre-