Dag Hammarskjold, a Swedish diplomat, was appointed Secretary General of the United Nations in March 1953.
At that time, the principal concern of the United Nations was to prevent the so-called Cold War from erupting into all-out nuclear war between "the West", or NATO, or the USA and its allies, and the "Communist or Soviet Bloc" - the USSR and countries under its sphere of control. China hovered in the background as a mysterious potential third threat, loosely linked to the Soviet Communist sphere.
The United Nations was founded in 1945 to replace the League of Nations, felt to have failed in its purpose, which should have included avoiding a second world war.
The first few years after the war were characterized by a wave of optimism, of relief that the war had ended, of strong belief that another such war should never happen again. People all over the world were picking up the shreds of their lives, many had been displaced, food rationing was still wide-spread, clothes were cut and sewn from older clothes or military uniforms brought home by demobbed soldiers. All this was accepted positively just because the war was over and those who lived were grateful to be alive.
The war in Korea (1950-1953) changed the scenario. There had been friction from the beginning between the US and USSR forces occupying the Korean peninsula with the avowed objective of replacing the existing Japanese police and security forces by training Korean police and security, before holding free elections and withdrawing. Soviet influence extended from the north to the 38th parallel, and US influence south of that.
On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel. The UN Security Council met that same day and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, while U.S. President Harry Truman ordered the US Navy and Airforce to support the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
The United Nations now faced its first major crisis. The Norwegian Secretary General Trygve Lie supported the Security Council's decision for action against North Korea, causing a rift with the Soviet bloc. UN activity was hampered by veto from one quarter or another, and finally, in November 1952, Lie resigned.
Dag Hammarskjold elected Secretary General of the United Nations March 1953
The selection of a new Secretary General was not easy, in this impasse. Dag's name was put forward by the British and French, anxious to find someone acceptable to the USSR. He was a quiet man of 45, not well-known outside Sweden.
He was the fourth son of Hjalmar Hammarskjold, who had been Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914-1917 in a special cabinet to deal with the war issues. Dag's father had also been Chairman of the Board of the Nobel Foundation, and a member of the Hague Tribunal.
Dag Hammarskjold had studied extensively in Sweden, obtaining important positions in the Bank of Sweden and then in the Ministry of Finance. He had always been interested in international affairs, speaking English and French fluently. From Finance he had moved into Foreign Affairs, as a financial advisor.
His election to the position of Secretary General of the UN came as something of a surprise, but the man had a strong background. Brian Urquart, a former Under-Secretary for Political Affairs at the UN, who had worked with Hammarskjold, described him in a recent interview published by the UN News Centre as "sort of a genius.....who can do things not just by intellectual brilliance or anything but by a kind of spirit that is extremely commanding."
A simple example of his negotiation skill was seen almost immediately when he nominated as joint Under-Secretaries in his office the senior American and the senior USSR official in his secretariat. Brian Urquart describes him as a quiet, reserved man, not close to those working for him, careful to avoid anything that could smack of favouritism. He's described as a man who did not like oratory, thinking it verged on demagoguery. Yet we learn that this man quietly achieved great things.
The role of the United Nations, and of its Secretary General, changed into an active one. Avoiding nuclear war had to involve diplomacy, negotiation, economic pressure, firmness and correctness towards one and all.
Today's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a tribute to Hammarskjold on the 50th anniversary of his death, refers to his "courage and conviction" and states that Hammarskjold "articulated the very concept of preventive diplomacy".
Death of Dag Hammarskjold, 18th September 1961 in a plane crash in Zambia
Dag Hammarskjold died in the course of duty. His plane crashed killing all on board, during his journey to mediate in the conflict which had broken out in the newly independent Congo. The Congo troubles of 1960-1961 were incredibly complicated, with Belgian mining groups, as well as Soviet and American elements interested in the rich mineral resources of Katanga province.
Patrice Lumumba, Congolese Prime Minister, was unacceptable to the West because of his Soviet backing. Moise Tshombe declared the independence of Katanga province, backed up by white mercenaries mainly connected to the Belgian mining interests, unhappy about the 1960 independence of the Congo from Belgium.
A small UN force, mainly composed of African and Asian troops, tried to keep peace. The situation changed continually. Hammarskjold himself drew strong criticism from all parties involved, but this did not deter him from the attempt to negotiate to the best of his conscience.
In what he declared would be his last attempt to find some sort of acceptable solution to the conflict, he left Leopoldville on a special flight to neighbouring Rhodesia (Zambia) for secret talks with Tshombe.
The plane crashed shortly before landing, for reasons that belong to the world's mysteries.
Several Conspiracy Theories Surround Hammarskjold's Death
Brian Urquart in his interview with the UN News Centre, states that he is not convinced by the conspiracy theories, and that the plane crashed with its landing gear down, airbrakes on, and just ten feet too low to clear the trees into which it crashed.
No less a person than South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu revealed to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1998 that documents found in South Africa linked CIA and MI5 agents as well as mining interests to a plot to remove Hammarskjold. However he admitted that he could not be certain that these documents were genuine.
There are several other conspiracy theories :
- One suggests that an attempt to kidnap Hammarskjold went wrong, and this theory rests on reported bullet wounds found in the corpses of two of his Swedish bodyguards.
- Another theory is that the plane was destroyed by a bomb placed in the landing gear, using exposives supplied by one of the mines.
At the time of the incident, coming closely upon the detention then assassination of Patrice Lumumba and others players in the scenario, the conspiracy theory was widespread, and books have been dedicated to the subject.
We should remember Dag Hammarskjold for his actions and achievments, and his absolute belief in a United Nations organization which should represent everyone and not just ratify the decisions of powerful nations.
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him posthumously in 1961 testifies to that.
Sources:
UN News Centre accessed 22 Sept. 2011, interview with Brian Urquart and with Ban Ki-Moon
Valerie Wilson - Valerie Wilson has lived, studied and worked in Scotland, Germany and Italy; mainly employed in multi-national companies in shipping ...
Join the Conversation