THE venue was a UN Security Council session on August 14, 1947 at Lake Success in New York, USA. A 38-year-old Malay man with wavy hair, standing less than 1.6 meters tall, calmly surveyed his surroundings as he climbed on the podium.

From the way he spoke, it was apparent that the provocative statement of Eelco R. van Kleffens, who represented the opposing camp, had no effect on him. Kleffens was a senior official of the Dutch Foreign Ministry