Felipe Herrera

Felipe Herrera Lane (17 June 1922 – 17 September 1996) was a Chilean economist, lawyer, academic and political socialist. He served as the first president of the Inter-American Development Bank,[1] where he gained a reputation as a "developmentalist."[2]

Campaign for United Nations Secretary-General, 1971

Herrera was nominated by the Allende government for Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 1971 selection. He received wide support among Latin American countries, including right-wing governments such as Argentina's military junta.[3] However, the United States opposed any candidate nominated by the leftist Allende government and felt that Herrera was "a poor manager to boot."[2] On 5 November 1971, U.S. Ambassador George H. W. Bush met with Herrera and revealed that the United States would not support his candidacy.[4] Herrera's campaign was resurrected later that month when the Chinese seat at the United Nations was transferred from Nationalist China to Communist China, which picked him as one of its top two choices for Secretary-General.[5]

In the first round of voting, Herrera placed third but was vetoed by the United States.[6] In the second round, he tied for third but was vetoed again.[7] Herrera subsequently withdrew in favor of Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, who placed first in the third round, only to be vetoed by the Soviet Union.[8] Latin America had nominated candidates from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, seeing both candidates vetoed by opposing superpowers. However, a Latin American would emerge as a dark horse candidate to win the deadlocked 1981 selection.

References

1. "Who was Felipe Herrera?". Inter-American Development Bank. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
2. FRUS 1969–1976 V, Document 226: Memorandum From Marshall Wright and Arnold Nachmanoff of the National Security Council Staff to the President's Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), November 2, 1971.
3. FRUS 1969–1976 V, Document 225: Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Posts in the American Republics, October 20, 1971, 1622Z.
4. FRUS 1969–1976 V, Document 230: Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State, November 6, 1971, 0220Z.
5. FRUS 1969–1976 V, Document 243: Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State, December 17, 1971, 0655Z.
6. Tanner, Henry (19 December 1971). "Jarring Reported in Lead for Thant's Job". The New York Times.
7. "Argentine Joins Race for U.N. Post as Voting Goes On". The New York Times. 21 December 1971.
8. Tanner, Henry (22 December 1971). "Security Council Names Waldheim to Succeed Thant". The New York Times.

• Duncan, Evan M., ed. (2004), United Nations, 1969–1972, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, V, Washington: United States Government Printing Office