Which Burmese diplomat and educator served as the third Secretary-General of the United Nations (1961–1971), successfully mediating the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and overseeing the end of the Congo Crisis?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. U Thant

  1. Step 1: Appointed unanimously following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in an air crash, he became the first non-European and first Asian Secretary-General.
  2. Step 2: U Thant played a key mediator role between US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, averting direct nuclear confrontation.
Answer
U Thant
Why not the others: 'Trygve Lie' Trygve Lie of Norway was the first Secretary-General, serving from 1946 to 1952; 'Dag Hammarskjöld' Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden was the second Secretary-General, serving from 1953 until his tragic death in 1961; 'Kurt Waldheim' Kurt Waldheim of Austria was the fourth Secretary-General, serving two terms from 1972 to 1981.

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