One in a Million Through the Grace of God

1

Genesis and Exodus

On September 20, 1985, the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations was celebrated at its headquarters in New York. Presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and even some kings and rulers of the member countries attended. Preparations for the events started many months in advance. Hundreds of FBI agents and New York City police officers secured the hotels where the foreign dignitaries stayed and other places where meetings would be held.

As the date of the anniversary approached, the New York police blocked all the roads and sidewalks within one thousand feet of the UN building. Hundreds of police cars, communication vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks were all waiting in the vicinity to respond in case of any emergency. On the East River behind the building, two US Navy ships and many police patrol boats moved around. Armed security officers were positioned on the terrace of the UN General Assembly building. Two helicopters flew in the sky above. President Ronald Reagan attended the UN meeting, in addition to the other visiting dignitaries. They all arrived in beautiful motorcades. There were high UN officials and FBI/CID officers waiting at the entrance to receive all the most-respected personalities.

On that day, only UN-invited guests could enter that building, whether you were rich, politically powerful, a foreign ruler, or an American citizen. In these circumstances, I, John Mathews, a simple and ordinary person, son of V. M. John from Ranny, Kerala, walked into this building. I came down from my office on the twenty-seventh floor of One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, which is situated right in front of the Assembly building. I walked slowly through the gate and into the hall. When the security officers saw the badge that I was wearing, they respectfully led me to my assigned seat. The badge said, “Representative of the British Government.”

The UN had issued a very few visitors’ passes to major countries. The British UN Mission had received two passes, and the management was good enough to give me one of them. I was the only Indian among the two-hundred-plus British and American staff working in the British government offices in New York.

It was a great privilege for me, an ordinary middle-class man from India, to sit with US President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and many other heads of states to attend the General Assembly meeting for a whole day. It was beyond my expectation and dreams to be with so many great people of the world.

In the morning session, the American president, British prime minister, and the Australian prime minister spoke. At lunch break, I was able to be very near to Ronald Reagan, Rajiv Gandhi, and few other presidents and prime ministers. I had lunch at the executive canteen for delegates and staff in the UN itself. I was back at my designated seat in the afternoon for the second session.

In the afternoon, the Russian Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze started speaking in the Russian language. Even though the translation was there, my attention drifted away and went back to my humble past. I thanked God for bringing me up to this position. After Shevardnadze finished his speech, someone else started speaking. But I could not concentrate because my thoughts went back to my childhood.