A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1953 after Trygve Lie announced his intention of resigning. Lie had been at odds with the Soviet Union since the outbreak of the Korean War, and the negotiations for an armistice offered the opportunity for a new Secretary-General to turn the page. The British delegation dragged out the selection process as they campaigned for Lester Pearson of Canada, but he was vetoed by the Soviet Union. Other candidates fell short of a majority in the Security Council. After two weeks of deadlock, France proposed Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden as a dark horse candidate. Hammarskjöld was acceptable to both superpowers and was selected Secretary-General for a 5-year term.

Hammarskjöld subsequently ran unopposed for re-selection in 1957 and was unanimously appointed to a second term.

Background

The Secretary-General of the United Nations is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. When the United Nations met in 1946, it was agreed that the Security Council would select one candidate for the General Assembly's approval. The United States had backed Lester Pearson of Canada, while the Soviet Union supported Stanoje Simic of Yugoslavia. Since neither superpower would accept the other's candidate, they compromised on Trygve Lie of Norway, who became the first Secretary-General of the United Nations.

In the late 1940s, international tensions affected the workings of the United Nations. Norway joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, placing the post of Secretary-General in the hands of a country that was aligned with one side in the Cold War. Lie took the United Nations into the Korean War in 1950, leading the Soviet Union to veto his re-selection in 1950. The United States then announced that it would veto every other candidate. With the Security Council unable to break the Soviet-American veto duel, the General Assembly extended Lie's term to 1954. The Soviet Union subsequently treated Lie as an illegitimate office-holder, addressing all communications to "The Secretariat" rather than the Secretary-General.

On 10 November 1952, Lie announced his resignation, declaring in a speech to the General Assembly, "I am quite sure that this is the time to leave without damage to the UN." The Korean War had reached a stalemate, and armistice talks had begun. Lie felt that his successor "may be more helpful than I can be" in concluding the armistice.: The Secretary of State to the Department of State, 10 November 1952—8:45 pm However, if a successor could not be found, Lie was willing to serve out the rest of his term.

At the time of Lie's resignation, all five permanent members were represented by their foreign ministers in New York. Nationalist China held the rotating Presidency of the Security Council, but the Soviet Union had a policy of boycotting informal meetings where Nationalist China was present. Although U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson agreed with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko that informal consultations should be held, Acheson declined to take the initiative to avoid usurping Nationalist China's role.: The Secretary of State to the Department of State, 11 November 1952—11 a.m.

Candidates

Candidates for Secretary-GeneralImageCandidatePositionRegional group Erik BohemanAmbassador of Sweden to the United StatesWestern Europe Nasrollah EntezamFormer President of the U.N. General Assembly (1950)Middle East Luis Padilla NervoLatin America Lester B. PearsonBritish Commonwealth Carlos P. RomuloAmbassador of the Philippines to the United StatesAsia

Campaign

Lester B. Pearson of Canada had been a leading contender for Secretary-General in 1946, and the United Kingdom launched an intense campaign on his behalf. British ambassador Gladwyn Jebb declared to Dean Acheson that the United Kingdom would veto anyone except Pearson or Erik Boheman of Sweden.: The Secretary of State to the Department of State, 17 November 1952—5:21 pm France also regarded Pearson as their first choice.: Memorandum by the Deputy United States Representative at the United Nations (Gross) to the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson), 8 December 1952. The British delegation had instructions from London to delay the selection until February 1953, when the General Assembly would reconvene after its holiday recess.

On 20 January 1953, Dwight Eisenhower succeeded Harry S. Truman as President of the United States, with John Foster Dulles as his Secretary of State. The United States offered to vote for Pearson if the British would vote for an American candidate in case of a Soviet veto. The Canadians were "upset" that the British were throwing around Pearson's name so casually,: Memorandum of Conversation, by James N. Hyde of the Mission at the United Nations, 18 February 1953. and the Canadian delegation respected Pearson's wishes by not campaigning for him. Pearson was the heir-apparent to be Prime Minister of Canada, but he had a deep interest in the United Nations and very much wanted the job.: Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs (Wainhouse), 20 February 1953.

Carlos P. Romulo of the Philippines was the leading candidate from Asia. Although the United States supported Romulo, it did not conduct a vigorous campaign on his behalf.: Memorandum by the United Nations Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Bacon), to the Acting Officer in Charge, Philippine Affairs (Wanamaker), 20 March 1953.

Nasrollah Entezam of Iran was the leading candidate from the Middle East. France considered Entezam to be their second choice after Lester Pearson. The Soviet Union also selected Entezam as their second choice, after Stanisław Skrzeszewski of Poland. British ambassador Gladwyn Jebb admitted that he was a capable candidate, but he repeatedly announced that the United Kingdom would veto Entezam. British opposition to Entezam was motivated by Iran's nationalization of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1951.

The United States approached the Swedish government to determine if Erik Boheman was willing to run for Secretary-General, since the British had threatened to veto anyone except Pearson or Boheman. However, Boheman declined and stated that the Soviet Union probably would not accept him.: The Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson) to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge), 27 February 1953. Nevertheless, if Boheman was the only candidate to avoid a Soviet veto, then the Swedish government was willing to press him to reconsider.: The Ambassador in Sweden (Butterworth) to the Department of State, 25 February 1953—5 p.m.

Voting

+ United Nations Secretary-General selection results, 1953 Date Vote Candidate For Against Abstain Vetoes 13 March 1 Carlos P. Romulo 5 2 4 13 March 2 Stanisław Skrzeszewski 1 3 7 13 March 3 Lester B. Pearson 9 1 1 19 March 4 Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit 2 1 8 30 March 5 Dag Hammarskjöld 10 0 1 None

On 2 March 1953, Gladwyn Jebb announced that he would be calling a meeting of the Security Council the following week. Jebb claimed that Pearson was the only candidate who could win the necessary 7 votes in the Security Council. U.S. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge warned Jebb about calling for a vote on Pearson only to be vetoed. However, Jebb felt that Pearson might win on the second round if the other candidates were also vetoed.: Memorandum by the Deputy United States Representative at the United Nations (Gross) to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge), 3 March 1953. The Soviet delegation had hinted that they might accept Pearson if there were no other choice.

Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin died on 5 March 1953. Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey Vyshinsky left New York for Moscow, but the selection process continued. On 12 March 1953, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States met to discuss their tactics for the upcoming meeting of the Security Council. The United States expressed its support for Romulo. However, French ambassador Henri Hoppenot objected to Romulo because of his unfavorable attitude towards the French colonial empire.: Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy United States Representative on the Security Council (Ross), 12 March 1953.

First round

On 13 March 1953, the Security Council met and voted successively on three candidates. First, Carlos P. Romulo fell short with a vote of 5–2–4. The Soviet Union and France both voted against Romulo, while the United Kingdom, Chile, Denmark, and Pakistan abstained. Next, Stanisław Skrzeszewski was rejected with a vote of 1–3–7. The Soviet Union was the only vote in favor, while France, the United Kingdom, and the United States all voted against. Finally, Lester Pearson won a favorable vote of 9-1-1. However, the Soviet Union vetoed Pearson, and Lebanon abstained.

The United States had supported Romulo because of its close ties with the Philippines, which had only become independent from the United States in 1946. Romulo claimed that he would be elected if the Soviet Union were forced to choose between him and Lie, but Dulles was noncommittal.: The Assistant Secretary of State (Hickerson) to the United States-Representative at the United Nations (Lodge), 16 March 1953. U.S. failure to advance Romulo's candidacy was criticized by Filipino newspapers, which accused the United States of "snubbing" and "double crossing" their candidate. However, Romulo's failure to win 7 votes and his veto by France made it unlikely that he could win, even if the Soviets agreed to withdraw their veto.

Second round

On 17 March 1953, the Soviet Union suggested Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Benegal Rama Rau of India for the Secretary-Generalship. The nomination of two Indians was calculated to force the Western powers to cast an embarrassing vote against an Asian. However, this became unnecessary when Nationalist China informed the United States that it would veto both candidates,: The Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State, 18 March 1953—6 p.m. as India recognized Communist China. The U.S. State Department felt that it was "very bad for the United Nations" if an Indian became Secretary-General, since "the problem facing the United Nations now is stopping Communist and ... this can not be done with the passive resistance advocated by India." U.S. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was instructed to abstain if possible but authorized to veto if necessary.: Memorandum for the Files of Telephone Conversations, by the Assistant Secretary of State for united Nations Affairs (Hickerson), 19 March 1953.

The permanent members engaged in consultations on 18 March 1953 and failed to agree on a candidate. However, 9 additional candidates were nominated in addition to the ones that had already been voted on.

The Security Council met again on 19 March 1953. Although the Soviet Union attempted to delay the vote, Pandit was rejected by a vote of 2–1–8. Lebanon and the Soviet Union voted for Pandit, Nationalist China voted against, and the Western powers all abstained. Zorin professed astonishment that the United Kingdom could abstain on a Commonwealth citizen. The Council then asked the permanent members to "continue their consultations" and adjourned.

Deadlock

The permanent members met for consultations on 23 March 1953 and failed to agree on a candidate. The list of candidates was reduced to six by removing Pandit and two candidates who declined their nominations. The Security Council met on 24 March 1953 and decided to wait for Soviet Ambassador Andrey Vyshinsky to arrive on the . However, Vyshinsky declined to attend the next meeting of the Security Council on 27 March 1953, and the Council did not vote.

Third round