Trygve Lie (1896-1968), from Norway, Secretary-General of the United Nations

In 1946 Oakley wrote, "In the center of the long crescent table, beside the President of the Council, sits the Secretary-General. His powerful, great figure rises above the others on either side: his grave yet genial countenance imposes a sense of dignity and security which strengthens and holds together the Nations there assembled."A Norwegian lawyer and politician, Lie was the first secretary-general of the United Nations. He held the post from 1946 to 1952, and famously described it as “the most difficult job in the world.” In the aftermath of World War II and at the onset of the Cold War, he sought to make his office a “source for peace.” As Lie stated, “Those who gave their lives in order that we may be free, those who lost their homes, those who suffered, and still suffer, from the consequences of war have given us a sacred mandate: that is, to build a firm foundation for the peace of the world.”