On 27 September 1983, twenty-four world leaders were scheduled to gather in New York City at the United Nations (UN) headquarters for informal talks on peace, disarmament, and inequities in the world economy. It was just a few days after the opening of the 38th session of the UN General Assembly, and this drew many leaders to the city. Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, organized and would have led the talks. Earlier that year, she had hosted the seventh Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the talks were widely seen as an extension of her work with the NAM. Leaders planned to participate from both the Western and Soviet blocs, as well as from the NAM itself.
The opening nuclear blasts of World War III struck New York around 8:00pm local time on 25 September. Many world leaders were already present in the United States or were en route to the city, so the meeting had a significant effect on the histories of the participating countries.
List of participants[]
| Country | Bloc | Image | Name | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 India |
NAM |  |
PM Indira Gandhi | Already en route, due to arrive on the 26th; made an emergency landing in Ireland. |
 Vanuatu |
NAM |  |
President Ati George Sokomanu | Likely en route |
 Tanzania |
NAM |  |
President Julius Nyerere | |
 Liberia |
NAM |  |
President Samuel K. Doe | Already in New York; killed. |
 Cape Verde |
NAM |  |
President Aristides Maria Pereira | Planning a longer visit to Washington after the meeting |
 Egypt |
NAM |  |
President Hosni Mubarak | Still at home, departing for Paris the following morning. Not planning to attend the first day of the talks. Survived. |
 Morocco |
NAM* |  |
King Hassan II | Either in New York or en route; killed. |
 Nicaragua |
NAM† |  |
Coordinator Daniel Ortega | Likely still at home |
 Argentina |
NAM |  |
President Reynaldo Bignone | |
 Austria |
None |  |
Chancellor Fred Sinowatz | |
 Finland |
None |  |
President Mauno H. Koivisto | In Washington, DC; killed. |
 Sweden |
None |  |
PM Olof Palme | |
 Mexico |
None |  |
President Miguel de la Madrid | Still at home; survived. |
 Bulgaria |
Warsaw Pact |  |
General Secretary Todor Zhivkov | |
 Hungary |
Warsaw Pact |  |
General Secretary János Kádár | |
 Poland |
Warsaw Pact |  |
Chairman Henryk Jabłoński | Likely still at home |
 Norway |
NATO |  |
PM Kåre Willoch | |
 France |
NATO |  |
President François Mitterrand | Still at home, planning to meet with Mubarak the following morning; killed. |
 Netherlands |
NATO |  |
PM Ruud Lubbers | |
 Spain |
NATO |  |
President Felipe Gonzalez | |
| European Economic Community | NATO‡ |  |
President Gaston Thorn (of Luxembourg) | |
 Canada |
NATO |  |
PM Pierre Trudeau | Still at home, meeting with Margaret Thatcher; survived. |
 United Nations |
Neutral |  |
Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (of Peru) | In New York; killed. |
| UN General Assembly |
Neutral |  |
President Jorge Illueca (of Panama) | In New York; killed. |
* Morocco under Hassan was part of the NAM but considered a Western ally.
† Nicaragua under the Sandinistas was part of the NAM but considered a Soviet ally.
‡ All EEC members except Ireland were also NATO members.
The leaders of Greece, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh were planning to attend the talks but canceled at the last minute, potentially saving their lives. The American President, Ronald Reagan, was in New York and planned to meet with Prime Minister Gandhi but did not plan to participate in the talks. The British PM Margaret Thatcher likewise was planning to meet with Reagan and Gandhi in the coming days, but for now was finishing her visit to Canada.
Sources[]
- Richard Bernstein (1 October 1983). Pole, at U.N., says U.S. crusades against Warsaw. New York Times [1].
- Hassan and Ronald Reagan (26 September 1983). Remarks by President Reagan during photo op session with King Hassan of Morocco. Presidential Suite Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Audio recording. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum [2].
- Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute (n.d.). Visits By Foreign Leaders in 1983. United States Department of State [3].
- William K. Stevens (Sept. 25, 1983). INDIA TO PRESIDE OVER TALKS AT U.N. New York Times [4].
- Lena H. Sun (October 1, 1983) 24 World Leaders Meet at the U.N. Washington Post [5].
- Madhu Trehan (Oct 31, 1983). Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's US visit turns out to be low-key. India Today [6].
- United Nations (1986). UN Photo: General Assembly 38th Session. [7].
- Unknown reporter (Sept. 26, 1983). Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived today for talks with President Francois Mitterrand. United Press International [8]
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