During 1960 the membership of the United Nations increased from 82 to 99, with all but one of the new states being African.

The 15th session of the General Assembly that convened on September 20, 1960 was a unique gathering in that it brought together the heads of state of many of its member states. The agenda proposed for the meeting, consisting of 87 topics, was also the longest in the history of the United Nations. At that opening, 14 new nations were admitted as members, the largest single addition since the UN's founding in 1954. Three more members were added before the general debate ended on October 17. The session also witnessed for the first time a serious challenge to the organization of the UN itself when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev proposed that the office of Secretary-General be replaced by a three-man executive board similar to the Soviet Presidium.

The Session (and Reactions to It) in Pictures

Maurice Couvre de Murville, Foreign Minister of France, addressing the opening session, September 20.

left: U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower was the first chief of state to speak before the General Assembly, on September 22. In his address he proposed a program for safeguarding the security of newly independent African nations.
right: Eisenhower waving to crowds in New York City on September 26. He had returned to the city to meet privately with leaders of the Afro-Asian countries.

left: Fidel Castro, Premier of Cuba.
middle: Welcoming committe for Castro at New York's Idlewild Airport, September 18. About 2,000 persons were present, many of whom went over fences to get a closer look.

left: Castro at the rostrum on September 26, when he delivered a 4-1/2-hour speech, which was largely an attack on U.S. policies.
center: Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, Assembly President Frederick Boland, and Andrew Cordier, executive assistant to the Secretary-General, listening to Castro's speech.
right: Fernando Castiella y Maíz, Spanish Foreign Minister, reacting to an attack on General Francisco Franco, Spanish chief of state, by Castro in his speech.

left: Castro's personal bodyguards, New York City policemen equipped with automatic rifles. About 8,000 police officers were assigned to the protection of foreign leaders during the UN session.
center: New York City policeman restraining a woman who was exchanging insults with Castro sympathizers.
right: Demonstrators in New York City's Harlem district, location of Castro's hotel and headquarters of the Cuban delegation.

left: Longshoremen of the New York water front picketing the Soviet liner "Baltika" (just visible at the top of the picture), which brought Khrushchev and other Communist leaders to the city.
right: Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union.

left: Premiers Castro and Khrushchev during one of their several meetings while the two leaders were in New York City.
right: Khrushchev and President Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia confer during the session of September 29.

Leaders of the Hungarian delegation at their desks; First Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party Janos Kádár is at left, Minister of Foreign Affairs Endre Sik at right.

Wladyslaw Gomulka, First Secretary of the Polish Communist Party

King Hussein of Jordan addressing the General Assembly on October 3.

Some of the members of the Afro-Asian bloc who met as "neutralists" and proposed that a renewed effort be made to bring together for conferences U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. At this meeting on October 4 were (left to right): Saeb Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon; Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of the United Arab Republic; Kwame Nkrumah, President of Ghana; U Thant, Ambassador to the UN from Burma; and Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India.

One of the many informal sessions which were held among various national leaders. Prime Minister Nehru (white hat) may be identified in this group, which met in a lounge at UN headquarters.

left: Jawaharlal Nehru, Primce Minister of India
center: Sukarno, President of Indonesia
right: Golda Meir, Foreign Minister of Israel

left: Sir Abubakar Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria
right: Robert Gordon Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia

left: John Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada
right: Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

PRINT SOURCE
Britannica Book of the Year Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1961

SEE ALSO
In the Year 1960
Nikita Khrushchev
Dwight Eisenhower
Fidel Castro
Dag Hammarskjöld
King Hussein
Gamal Abdel Nasser
U Thant
Jawaharlal Nehru
Robert Gordon Menzies
John Diefenbaker
Harold Macmillan

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This page was last updated on 01/31/2017.