U Thant Misled On Yemen, General Says

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30230, 7 September 1963, Page 11

U Thant Misled On Yemen, General Says

,N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) BEIRUT, September 5.

The former commander of the United Nations Observer Mission in the Yemen, General Carl von Horn, today claimed that the United Nations Secretary-General, (U Thant) had been misled over the situation in the Yemen.

General von Horn told the British Unwed Press he was demanding a complete reappraisal of the whole United Nations field operations system. He was making his first public statement since bis resignation last week "1 felt strongly that if 1 did not take this action, the s-tuation might deteriorate and then the reputation of th' fine organisation I have been privileged to serve for six years would be at stake." General von Hom said.

• Although I sincerely hope the problems of UJi.Y.O.M have been definitely solved by my resignation, on behalf of the many who suffered in the Congo and the Yemen and elsewhere. I have to maintain toe necessity for an agonising reappraisal of United Nations systems and methods of supporting United Nations missions in the field.” he said

General von Horn mentioned particularly the lack

of adequate aircraft to permit fulfilment of the mission’s terms of reference. He suggested the United Nations Secretariat had censored bis report to U Thant, forcing the Secretary-Gen-eral to take decisions based on false information "In my report to the Secretary-Gen-eral on the estimated needs ' for U N Y.0.M., I presented my estimates as an absolute i minimum." he said. i General von Horn said he I felt U Thant bad been “misi led by advice that it was pos- ; sible to establish and main-, j tain a mission on a level con- ! siderably below my minii mum requirements.” He said he had been told : New York was “doing its best” but he felt the “best” was not good enough Morale among mission personnel bad been seriouslv affected by the lack of New York sup- . port, he said United Nations sources in New York bad no comment,’