1961 United Nations Secretary-General selection

A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1961 to replace Dag Hammarskjöld after he was killed in a plane crash. After initial Soviet attempts to replace the secretary-general with a troika, it was agreed that an acting secretary-general would be appointed for the remainder of Hammarskjöld's term. Within two weeks, U Thant of Burma emerged as the only candidate who was acceptable to both the Soviet Union and the United States. However, the superpowers spent another four weeks arguing over the number of assistant secretaries-general, before finally resolving their dispute by allowing Thant to decide for himself. Thant was then voted in unanimously for a term ending on 10 April 1963.

Thant's term was extended in 1962 to a full five years, and he was drafted for a second term in 1966 ending on 31 December 1971. Thant served a total of 10 years and 2 months in office, making him the longest-serving secretary-general in history. Future candidates would be subject to a two-term limit, with each term running for exactly 5 years.