Lie, Trygve

Lie, Trygve

(born July 16, 1896, Kristiania, Nor.—died Dec. 30, 1968, Geilo) First secretary-general of the United Nations (1946–52). Educated in law at the University of Kristiania (Oslo), Lie was active in the Norwegian Labour Party before being appointed foreign minister of Norway's government-in-exile during World War II. As a member of the Norwegian delegation to the UN Conference on International Organization (1945), he helped draft the provisions for the United Nations Security Council. As secretary-general, he helped to secure the removal of Soviet troops from Iran; he also dealt with the first Arab-Israeli war and the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir. The Soviet Union ceased to cooperate with him after he supported UN intervention in the Korean War, and his effectiveness was further hampered by charges from anticommunist politicians in the U.S. that his secretariat had employed subversives. He resigned in 1952.