Thanks for Nothing

Some time soon, Burma's U Thant must decide if he wants a full five-year stint as United Nations Secretary-General after his present temporary term expires next April. The U.S. hopes he will stay on, the Asian and African nations mostly support him, and his visits to eight countries in the past four months have shown that he is well regarded in most of Western Europe and Latin America. But what about the Communists? Last week ubiquitous U Thant bustled off to Russia to see how he rates.

Flying into Moscow's almost empty Sheremetyevo Airport, the beaming, bespectacled Acting Secretary-General solemnly pumped the hands of a grade B reception committee headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Arkady Sobolev. "I am confident," he declared in English, "that my discussions here will contribute materially to my understanding of Soviet attitudes.'' They did indeed.

Not a Ruble. U Thant--who has earned Moscow's respect--chiefly wanted to discuss the fact that the U.N. is broke, largely because the Communist bloc has not put up a ruble toward the $140 million annual cost of the Congo and Gaza Strip policing operations.

Emerging from an all-day session with the Khrushchevs at Yalta--a swim in the Black Sea surf (K. wore an inflated rubber ring), a dinner with the family--U Thant allowed: "We covered a lot of ground." But as for any hope that Russia will fork out its share of the U.N. commitments, U Thant could only reply bleakly: "Chairman Khrushchev reiterated his traditional position regarding this matter." In other words, Nikita still considers the operations "illegal" and will pay none of their costs.

The Other Side. U Thant did not conceal his feelings when Radio Moscow asked him to record a farewell statement.

Said he: "The Russian people do not fully understand the character of the Congo problem. This lack of understanding is probably due to the absence of presentation of the other side of the coin. I am saying all this with a heavy heart because diplomacy demands honeyed words. I am not a believer in honeyed words." His hosts, who are somewhat higher on honey, carefully strained U Thant's acid out of all internal news broadcasts. About all that was left was Radio Moscow's assurance that U Thant "is full of gratitude to the people and the government of this great country."

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