No American has ever served as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Secretary-Generals have hailed from Norway, Sweden, Burma, Austria, Peru, Egypt and Ghana.

The UN Charter describes the Secretary-General as "chief administrative officer" of the world body, and that he shall perform "such other functions as are entrusted" to him by the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and other United Nations organs. He also has the power to "bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security." Alger Hiss, then an official with the U.S. State Department and later convicted of espionage, presided over the San Francisco conference, where the final terms of U.N. Charter were negotiated.