The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 249
233 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Presidents. I don't know whether General Romulo exercised much influence in the way of persuading people inside the United Nations, to accept his view, but he was a very persuasive speaker. He had a great command of language and was very eloquent and was held in great esteem. He became President very early, as you know. Then there were Henry Spaak, Lester Pearson, Padilla Nervo and many others. But it is no longer so; at least not to the same degree. Group influence is now much more prominent that the influence of individuals. At that time, members did not act so much under group discipline, if I might say so; they do it more now, and therefore the individual's influence is less perceptible. For instance, during the 17th Session, there were as many as nine Presidents present in the Assembly but one did not feel that they were exercising any particular influence, not that the Presidents should form a group by themselves, but they were called into aid much less than would have been the case before if as many as half the Presidents had been available. Also, as time passes, having been President begins to lose the gilt; for one session or two people think, "He has had this experience," but it wears out. My own feeling is that if the individual has to continue in the United Nations after he has been President, he should not continue for too long. If one does continue too long, it becomes a sort of anti-climax. I have been given the way out by being elected to the Court, but if that had not happened I do not know what the view of our Foreign Minister and our President would have been. My own idea was that I would give up anyway at the end of the present session. It becomes a case of diminishing returns, but that may be a purely individual assessment and may not apply to all, because some people, no matter how long they continue, would always have a great standing and influence. Nevertheless it remains true that matters are now determined more by group discussion rather than under individual influence. Inside the group, everybody has his own standing, and persuasive qualities count. But the group discipline tends to let the lead to be assumed by the more vigorous, sometimes the more vociferous representatives, and then occasionally the heat is put on so that when the drum begins to beat and that is where wisdom and reason begin to be overborne, and perhaps in