Javier Perez de Cuellar served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1982 to 1991 - a time of monumental change for the U.N. In the early years of his first term, international relations were governed by the workings of the Cold War, and the United Nations was certainly captive to its grip. During his second term, the Cold War thawed and the United Nations became a central actor in the resolution of conflict and resistance to aggression.

During this period, many dramatic developments drew the United Nations into its new role: the Falkland Islands War; the beginning of the wars in the former Yugoslavia; the Gulf War; the withdrawal of the Soviet army from Afghanistan; the rebirth of Cambodia; and the freeing of the Western hostages in Lebanon. During his two terms, Perez de Cuellar worked side by side with the most powerful world leaders of the day, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Francois Mitterrand, Saddam Hussein, Nelson Mandela, F. W. de Klerk, and others.

In Pilgrimage for Peace, he shares his impressions of these people, the roles they played, and their abilities to lead.