Able Servant

When Dag Hammarskjold first heard the rumors five years ago that he might be the next Secretary-General of the U.N., his comment was: "Amused, but not interested."

Last week, as it came time to elect a Secretary-General for another five years beginning next April, Bachelor Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden was the only candidate for the world's most prestigious and lucrative ($55,000 a year taxfree) civil service job. Though the Russians had been peeved over his role in the U.N.'s handling of the Hungarian revolt, everyone acknowledged that this reticent and precise diplomatic technician, who never exceeds his authority but never hides behind its limitations if he sees a way of being useful, had done a good job in a frustrating position. He does so by hewing to a set of maxims. Among them: 1) "Between sovereign states, no solution is valid if the other fellow feels he has been wronged." 2) "Never abuse a temporary weakness in your opponent; perhaps you could get more, but it won't last."

After being re-elected by 80 unanimous votes, Hammarskjold heard himself eulogized for an hour by such disparate personalities as Russia's Vasily Kuznetsov and Nationalist China's T. F. Tsiang. Said U.S. Chief Delegate Henry Cabot Lodge: "We have paid a great personal tribute to a great man. We have also done the U.N. a great favor."

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