The UNO headquarters

The General Assembly decided in February 1946 to locate the permanent headquarters of the United Nations in the United States instead of in Geneva, Switzerland, where the League of Nations headquarters had been. The Secretariat set up temporary quarters first at Hunter College in New York City, then at Lake Success, Long Island. The General Assembly met at Flushing Meadow, N.Y.

Various sites were proposed for a permanent home. The question was dramatically settled in December 1946 when John D. Rockefeller, Jr., offered a six-block tract in midtown New York City as an $8,500,000 gift. New York City contributed additional land along the East River and rights to the water front. The 18-acre site extends from the river to First Avenue and from East 48th Street to East 42nd Street.

Construction was financed by an interest-free loan of 65 million dollars from the United States. The cornerstone was laid Oct. 24, 1949. The Secretariat was completed in 1951. In 1952 the General Assembly and the Conference Building were completed.

The buildings were designed by a group of international architects headed by Wallace K. Harrison of the United States. Built of glass, marble, steel, and aluminum, they are functional and modern, with dramatic contrasts of form and mass.

The General Assembly is long and low, with concave sides and a sloping roof surmounted by a dome. The public entrance, at the north, leads to a large lobby. The south front is a great window looking out on the Delegates' Garden and the Circular Fountain. The vast hall, under the domed ceiling, is decorated with murals by Fernand Leger, a French artist.

The long, low Conference Building, on the riverside, built of metal and glass, has chambers for the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council. This building connects the General Assembly with the 39-story Secretariat.

A new library was dedicated in 1961. It was named after Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, who was killed in a plane crash earlier that year.

The United Nations site was made international territory by agreement with the United States government. It is patroled by United Nations guards in gray uniforms, who come from all parts of the world.

The United Nations has its own post office and issues its own stamps. The stamps are designed to acquaint people with the work of the United Nations.

All but a few meetings are open to the public. Visitors may obtain tickets by telephoning in advance or by writing to United Nations, New York 10017.

Ex. 18. Render the following text in English:

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