GUNNAR JARRING is a model of the classic diplomat: discreet, discerning and infinitely patient. His reticence with the press is legendary. Once when he answered a newsman's question about the Middle East with a tight-lipped "No comment," U.N. Under Secretary-General Ralph Bunche swore that Jarring had been misquoted. "Gunnar would never say that much," declared Bunche.
As U Thant's special representative to the Middle East for more than 2½ years, Jarring, who speaks nearly a dozen languages, including Arabic, Russian and French, has conducted the U.N.'s intermittent search for peace in the Middle East. Because Arab leaders adamantly refusefor the time being,...