Hammarskjöld, Dag

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{{Infobox_President | name=Dag Hammarskjöld
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| nationality=swedish
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[[Image:Dag Hammarskjold outside the UN building.jpg|thumb|200px|Hammarskjöld outside the [[United Nations headquarters|UN headquarters]] in New York]]
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'''Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld''' (July 29, 1905  – September 18, 1961) was a [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[diplomacy|diplomat]] and the second [[United Nations Secretary-General|secretary-seneral]] of the [[United Nations]]. He served from April 18, 1953 until his death in a plane crash on September 18, 1961.
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| order=2nd [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]]
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| term_start=[[April 10]], [[1953]]
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As secretary-general, Hammarskjöld took the stance that he was not representing his own nation but he was a representative of the international community. When he contemplated decisions and undertook action, he always kept this in mind. Hammarskjöld was awarded the [[Nobel Prize#Nobel Prize in Peace|Nobel Peace Prize]] posthumously for his dedication to achieving lasting peace. He was succeeded as secretary-general by [[U Thant]].
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| term_end=[[September 18]], [[1961]]
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{{toc}}
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| predecessor=[[Trygve Lie]]
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Hammarskjöld was a man who sought a close relationship with [[God]]. His personal journal, published following his death under the title ''Markings''', revealed the footprints of his spiritual journey. He was known to say, "The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside."
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| successor=[[U Thant]]
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| birth_date=[[July 29]], [[1905]]
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==Early life and Education==
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| birth_place=[[Jönköping]], [[Sweden]]
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Hammarskjöld was born in Jönköping, Sweden. He lived most of his childhood in the college town of Uppsala. Hammarskjöld was the fourth and youngest son of [[Hjalmar Hammarskjöld]], [[Prime Minister of Sweden|Swedish prime minister]] (1914–1917), and Agnes Almquist. His ancestors had served the Swedish crown since the seventeenth century. During his youth, Hammarskjöld’s father was governor of Uppland County.
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| death_date=[[September 18]], [[1961]]
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He began his studies at Uppsala University when he was 18. In 1925, Hammarskjöld graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. His majors were linguistics, literature and history. He continued his studies at Uppsala, pursuing and earning a Master's degree in economics in 1928 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1930. He then moved to Stockholm.
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| death_place=[[Ndola]], [[Zambia|Northern Rhodesia, current Republic of Zambia]]
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==Career in Swedish Government==
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From 1930 to 1934 Hammarskjöld was secretary of a governmental committee on unemployment. He also wrote his doctoral thesis, ''Konjunkturspridningen'' ''(The Spread of the Business Cycle)''. Hammarskjöld received his doctorate in economics from Stockholm University in 1933. For the next several years, he worked as assistant professor of political economics at the University of Stockholm.
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In 1936 he became secretary of the Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden). After only a year, Hammarskjöld was appointed as permanent undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, which was considered one of the most difficult jobs in the government. From 1941 to 1948 he also served as chairman of the board of the National Bank of Sweden, also a government appointment. He was the first to have both assignments simultaneously.
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'''Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld''' ({{Audio|sv-Dag_Hammarskjöld.ogg|''Dag Hammarskjöld''}}) (July 29, 1905 – September 18, 1961) was a [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[diplomat]] and the second [[United Nations Secretary-General|Secretary-General]] of the [[United Nations]]. He served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961.
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As 1945 began, Hammarskjöld became adviser to the Cabinet on financial and economic problems. In this position he coordinated government plans to alleviate the economic problems of the post-[[World War II]] period.  
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Hammarskjöld was appointed to Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1947, continuing his responsibility for handling economic issues. Two years later, he became the state secretary for foreign affairs.  
  
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==Early life==
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Also in 1947, he was a delegate to the [[Paris]] conference that established the [[Marshall Plan]]. He went to Paris again in 1948 to attend the conference of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  
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Dag Hammarskjöld was born in [[Jönköping]], although he lived most of his childhood in [[Uppsala]]. He was the fourth and youngest son of [[Hjalmar Hammarskjöld]], [[Prime Minister of Sweden]] (1914–1917), and Agnes Almquist. His ancestors had served the Swedish Crown since the 17th century. He studied at [[Uppsala University]] where he graduated with a [[Master's degree]] in [[political economy]] and a [[Bachelor of Laws|Bachelor of Law]] degree. He then moved to [[Stockholm]].  
 
  
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From 1930 to 1934 he was a secretary of a governmental committee on [[unemployment]]. He also wrote his economics thesis ''Konjunkturspridningen'' (''The Spread of the Business Cycle'') and received his [[Doctorate]] from [[Stockholm University]] in 1933. In 1936 Hammarskjöld became a secretary in the [[Sveriges Riksbank|Bank of Sweden]] and soon he was an undersecretary of finance. From 1941 to 1948 he served as a chairman of the Bank of Sweden.  
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Hammarskjöld became head of the Sweden delegation to UNISCAN in 1950. This organization was created for the purpose of promoting economic cooperation between the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[Scandinavia]]n countries. The next year, he became a cabinet minister without portfolio—essentially, deputy foreign minister. Although Hammarskjöld served with a cabinet dominated by the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]], he never officially joined any political party.  
  
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Early in 1945, he was appointed as adviser to the cabinet on financial and economic problems, and coordinated government plans to alleviate the economic problems of the post-war period.
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In 1951, Hammarskjöld became vice chairman of the Swedish delegation to the Sixth Regular Session of the [[United Nations General Assembly]] in Paris. He became the acting chairman of the Swedish delegation to the seventh General Assembly in [[New York City|New York]] in 1952.
  
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In 1947 Hammarskjöld was appointed to [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)|Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs]], and in 1949 he became the [[State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)|State Secretary for Foreign Affairs]]. He was a delegate in the Paris conference that established the [[Marshall Plan]].  In 1948 he was again in Paris to attend conference for the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|Organisation for European Economic Co-operation]]. In 1950 he became a head of Sweden delegation to [[UNISCAN]]. In 1951, he became a cabinet [[Minister without Portfolio|minister without portfolio]] and in effect Deputy Foreign Minister. Although Hammarskjöld served with a cabinet dominated by the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]], he never officially joined any political party. On [[December 20]], [[1954]], he was elected to take his father's vacated seat in the [[Swedish Academy]]. In 1951 Hammarskjöld became vice chairman of Swedish delegation to the [[United Nations General Assembly]] in Paris. He became the chairman of the Swedish delegation to the General Assembly in New York in 1952.
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On December 20, 1954, Hammarskjöld was elected to take his father's vacated seat in the [[Swedish Academy]]. The Swedish Academy is the organization that is charged with choosing [[Nobel Prize]] recipients.
  
 
==UN Secretary General==
 
==UN Secretary General==
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[[Image:Dag Hammarskjold outside the UN building.jpg|thumb|200px|Hammarskjöld outside the [[United Nations headquarters|UN headquarters]] in New York.]]
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When [[Trygve Lie]] resigned from his post as [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN secretary-general]] in 1953, the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] recommended Hammarskjöld to the post, which came as a surprise to him. The UN General Assembly elected him unanimously in the April 7–10 session. In 1957, he was re-elected.  
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When [[Trygve Lie]] resigned from his post as [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN Secretary General]] in 1953, the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] decided to recommend Hammarskjöld to the post. It came as a surprise to him. He was selected on [[March 31]] with the majority of 10 out of eleven states. The UN General Assembly elected him in the April 7–10 session, by 57 votes out of 60. In 1957 he was re-elected.  
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Hammarskjöld, known as a knowledgeable and unassuming man, had no illusions about the secretary-general role being an easy one. Those who knew him testified that he gave himself completely to the responsibility with all his strength and determination.
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Hammarskjöld started his term by defining the role and responsibilities of the Secretariat and the secretary-general. He believed that it was the duty of both to gather complete objective information about aims and difficulties of member states. But he also believed that the secretary-general was obliged to form an opinion based on the rules of the UN Charter and never betray those rules.
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Nearing the end of 1953, Hammarskjöld reflected,
  
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Hammarskjöld started his term by establishing his own secretariat of 4,000 administrators. He set up regulations that defined their responsibilities. He insisted that the secretary-general should be able to take emergency action without the prior approval of the Security Council or the General Assembly.  
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<blockquote>Our work for peace must begin within the private world of each one of us. To build for man a world without fear, we must be without fear. To build a world of justice, we must be just. And how can we fight for liberty if we are not free in our own minds? How can we ask others to sacrifice if we are not ready to do so? Only in true surrender to the interest of all can we reach that strength and independence, that unity of purpose that equity of judgement which are necessary if we are to measure up to our duty to the future, as men of a generation to whom the chance was given to build in time a world of peace.</blockquote>
  
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During his terms, Hammarskjöld tried to soothe relations between [[Israel]] and the Arab states. In 1955 he went to [[mainland China]] to negotiate the release of 15 US pilots who had served in the [[Korean War]] and been captured by the Chinese. In [[1956]] he established the [[United Nations Emergency Force]] (UNEF). In 1957 he intervened in the [[Suez Crisis]].  
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Hammarskjöld devoted himself to solving disputes through private discussions between parties of the dispute, thoroughly dedicating himself to this quiet diplomacy. During his terms, Hammarskjöld tried to soothe relations between [[Israel]] and the [[Arab]] states. In 1955 he went to mainland [[China]] to negotiate the release of 15 American pilots who had served in the [[Korean War]] and been captured by the Chinese. In 1956 he established the [[United Nations Emergency Force]] (UNEF). In 1957 he intervened in the [[Suez Crisis]].  
  
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In 1960 the former Belgian colony and now newly-independent [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] asked for UN aid in defusing the escalating civil strife. See [[Congo Crisis]]. Hammarskjöld made four trips to the Congo republic. However, his efforts towards the decolonisation of [[Africa]] were considered insufficient by the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]. In September 1960 the [[Soviet Union]] denounced his decision to send a UN emergency force to keep the peace. They demanded his resignation, and the replacement of the office of secretary-general by a three-man directorate with a built-in [[veto]], the "troika". The objective was, citing the memoirs of the Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]], to "equally represent interests of three groups of countries: capitalist, socialist and recently independent" [http://www.un.org/russian/av/radio/history60/11history60.htm].
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In 1960 the former Belgian colony and now newly-independent [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] asked for UN aid in defusing the escalating civil strife. Hammarskjöld made four trips to the Congo. However, his efforts towards the decolonization of [[Africa]] were considered insufficient by the [[Soviet Union]]. In September 1960 the Soviet Union denounced his decision to send a UN emergency force to keep the peace. They demanded his resignation and the replacement of the office of secretary-general by a three-man directorate with a built in veto, the ''troika''. According to the memoirs of Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]], the objective was to "equally represent interests of three groups of countries: capitalist, socialist and recently independent."<ref>[http://www.un.org/russian/av/radio/history60/11history60.htm United Nations Radio History (in Russian)] Retrieved July 11, 2007.</ref>
  
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Like his predecessor Trygve Lie, Hammarskjöld ended his term a lame duck, no longer on speaking terms with one of the UN's most important members, the Soviet Union. His bad relations with both the Soviets and the French led directly to financial crisis and the looming threat to bankruptcy, as both these governments refused to pay their peacekeeping dues. It would be up to his successor, [[U Thant]], to rehabiliate the office of [[Secretary General|Secretary-General]].
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Hammarskjöld remained firm to the end that the independent authority of the [[United Nations]] be strengthened. His position made him the object of attack, sometimes by the West, but more frequently and intensely by the Soviet Union. He firmly believed and stated that it was not the Soviet Union or any of the other great powers that needed the vigilant protection of the UN, but all the other nations.
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Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee in 1961, credited Hammarskjöld during the Nobel Prize presentation speech, with standing firm in the face of criticism and attacks, never wavering from his path, which resulted in the UN "becoming an effective and constructive international organization, capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter, administered by men who both felt and acted internationally. The goal he always strove to attain was to make the UN Charter the one by which all countries regulated themselves."
  
 
==Death==
 
==Death==
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In September 1961, Hammarskjöld found out about the fighting between non-combatant UN forces and [[Katanga Province|Katanga]] troops of [[Moise Tshombe]]. He was en route to negotiate a cease-fire on the night of September 17-18 when his plane crashed near [[Ndola]], Northern Rhodesia (now [[Zambia]]). He and fifteen others perished. There is still speculation as to the cause of the crash.
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In September 1961, Hammarskjöld learned of fighting between noncombatant UN forces and Katanga Province troops of [[Moise Tshombe]]. He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire on the night of September 17-18 when his plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now [[Zambia]]). He and fifteen others perished.  
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There is still speculation as to the cause of the crash. The explanation of investigators at the time is that Hammarskjöld's aircraft descended too low on its approach to Ndola's airport at night. The crew had filed no flight plan for security reasons. No evidence of a bomb, surface-to-air missile or hijacking has ever been presented. It has been speculated that the crew of the Douglas DC-6 incorrectly used altitude data for Ndolo (915 feet/279 meters), in Congo and at lower altitude, rather than Ndola (4,167 feet/1,270 meters) in Northern Rhodesia.
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On August 19, 1998, Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]], chairman of South Africa's [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] (TRC), revealed that previously uncovered letters had implicated British MI5, American CIA and South African intelligence services in the 1961 crash of Dag Hammarskjöld's plane. One TRC letter said that a bomb in the aircraft's wheel bay was set to detonate when the wheels came down for landing.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/154384.stm “UN assassination plot denied,”] BBC News (August 19, 1998). Retrieved July 11, 2007.</ref>
  
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The explanation of investigators at the time is that Hammarskjöld's aircraft descended too low on its approach to Ndola's airport at night. The crew had filed no [[flight plan]] for security reasons. No evidence of a bomb, surface-to-air missile or hijacking has ever been presented. It has been speculated that the crew of the [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6]] incorrectly used altitude data for [[Ndolo]] (915 ft, 279 m), which is in [[Congo]] and at lower altitude, rather than [[Ndola]] ( 4167ft, 1270 m) in Northern Rhodesia.
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On July 29, 2005, exactly one hundred years after Hammarskjöld's birth, [[Norway|Norwegian]] Major General Bjørn Egge gave an interview to the newspaper ''Aftenposten'' on the events surrounding Hammarskjöld's death. According to Egge, who was the first UN officer to see the body, Hammarskjöld had a hole in his forehead, and this hole was subsequently airbrushed from photos taken of the body. It appeared to Egge that Hammarskjöld had been thrown from the plane, and grass and leaves in his hands may have indicated that he survived the crash, and had tried to scramble away from the wreckage. Egge's statement does not align with Archbishop Tutu's information.<ref>Cato Guhnfeldt, “Så hull i pannen” (in Norwegian), ''Aftenposten'' (July 28, 2005).</ref>
  
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On [[August 19]], [[1998]], Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]], chairman of South Africa's [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] (TRC), revealed that recently-uncovered letters had implicated British MI5, American CIA and South African intelligence services in the 1961 crash of Dag Hammarskjöld's plane. One TRC letter said that a bomb in the aircraft's wheel-bay was set to detonate when the wheels came down for landing. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/154384.stm]
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A less conspiratorial theory holds that Hammarskjöld's plane struck some treetops as it was preparing for landing. Hammarskjöld was the only person whose body was separate from the wreckage and therefore not burnt. He was thrown from the crash, able to crawl away from the plane, but his injuries were severe enough that he was already dead by the time the plane was found.
  
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On [[July 29]], [[2005]], exactly 100 years after Hammarskjöld's birth, the [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Major General]] [[Bjørn Egge]] gave an interview to the newspaper ''[[Aftenposten]]'' on the events surrounding his death. According to Egge, who was the first UN officer to see the body, Hammarskjöld had a hole in his forehead, and this hole was subsequently airbrushed from photos taken of the body. It appeared to Egge that Hammarskjöld had been thrown from the plane, and grass and leaves in his hands might indicate that he survived the crash, and had tried to scramble away from the wreckage. Egge's statement does not, however, align with Archbishop Tutu's information. [http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article1087787.ece]
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Hammarskjöld's only book, ''Vägmärken'' ''(Markings)'', was published in 1963. The book is a collection of his diary reflections. It begins in 1925 when he was 20 years old, and ends at his death in 1961.<ref>Thom Hartmann, [http://www.buzzflash.com/hartmann/05/03/har05003.html “Markings - the spiritual diary of Dag Hammarskjöld,”] BuzzFlash.com (March 3, 2005). Retrieved July 11, 2007.</ref> Hammarskjöld reveals himself as a [[Christian mysticism|Christian mysticist]] through the journal entries. In his journal entries, he describes his diplomat life in terms of an ”inner journey.” The book became popular with U.S. students and the former Swedish archbishop [[K. G. Hammar]].
  
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A less conspiratorial theory holds that Hammarskjöld's plane struck some treetops as it was preparing for landing.  Hammarskjöld was the only person whose body was separate from the wreckage and therefore not burnt due to his aversion to seatbelts.  He was thrown from the crash able to crawl away from the plane, but his injuries were severe enough that he was already dead by the time the plane was found.
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==Legacy==
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Today, many view Hammarskjöld as the greatest United Nations secretary-general because of his ability to shape events.  
  
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His only book ''Vägmärken'' (''Markings'') was published in 1963. A collection of his diary reflections, the book starts in 1925, when he was 20 years old, and ends at his death in 1961. [http://www.buzzflash.com/hartmann/05/03/har05003.html] In the book Hammarskjöld reveals himself as a [[Christian mysticism|Christian Mysticist]] and describes his diplomat deed in the way of a ”inner journey”; the book became popular with U.S. students and also with the former Swedish archbishop [[K. G. Hammar|K.G. Hammar]].
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[[Kofi Annan]] stated in a speech about Hammarskjöld,
  
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== Nobel Peace Prize ==
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<blockquote>His life and his death, his words and his actions, have done more to shape public expectations of the office, and indeed of the [United Nations] Organization, than those of any other man or woman in its history. His wisdom and his modesty, his unimpeachable integrity and single-minded devotion to duty, have set a standard for all servants of the international community&mdash;and especially, of course for his successors&mdash;which is simply impossible to live up to. There can be no better rule of thumb for a Secretary General, as he approaches each new challenge or crisis, than to ask himself, "How would Hammarskjöld have handled this?" What is clear is that his core ideas remain highly relevant in this new international context. The challenge for us is to see how they can be adapted to take account of it."<ref>Kofi Annan, [http://www.dhf.uu.se/pdffiler/Kofi%20Annan.pdf "Dag Hammarskjöld and the 21st Century"] (speech given September 6, 2001, in Uppsala, Sweden).</ref></blockquote>
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Hammarskjöld received the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1961, having been nominated before his death.
 
  
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==Legacy==
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Not long after Hammarskjöld's death, many cities around the world renamed streets and squares in honor of him.
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Today Hammarskjöld is viewed perhaps as the greatest [[United Nations Secretary-General|Secretary-General]] because of his ability to shape events in contrast to his successors. This view is one that is commonly shared by intellectuals around the world, such as the historian [[Paul Kennedy]], who hailed Hammarskjöld in his book ''The Parliament of Man''.{{fact}}
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A Manhattan park near the United Nations headquarters is called ''Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza''.
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The United Nations, desiring to establish a fitting memorial in commemoration of Dag Hammarskjöld's service to the organization, elected to name its new library after Hammarskjöld. The library was dedicated on November 16, 1961.
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Hammarskjöld was awarded the [[Nobel Prize#Nobel Prize in Peace|Nobel Peace Prize]] posthumously in November 1961, "in gratitude for all he did, for what he achieved, for what he fought for: to create peace and goodwill among nations and men."
  
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A [[Manhattan]] park near the United Nations headquarters is called ''Dag Hammarskjold Plaza'', and nearby buildings use it as a [[vanity address]].{{fact}}
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==Notes==
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<references />
  
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==See also==
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==References==
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*[[Olof Palme]]
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* Ask, Sten and Anna Mark-Jungkvist. ''The Adventure of Peace: Dag Hammarskjöld and the Future of the UN''. New York, Scribner, 1966. Reprint edition, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. ISBN 978-1403974310
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*[[Bernt Carlsson]]
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* Cordier, Andrew W. ''The Quest for Peace: The Dag Hammerskjöld Memorial Lectures''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1965.
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* Jordan, Robert S. ''Dag Hammarskjöld Revisited: The UN Secretary-General as a Force in World Politics''. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1983. ISBN 978-0890892336
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* Lash, Joseph P. ''Dag Hammarskjold, Custodian of the Brushfire Peace''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.
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* Meisler, Stanley. ''United Nations: The First Fifty Years''. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995. ISBN 0871136562
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* Miller, Richard I. ''Dag Hammarskjöld and Crisis Diplomacy''. New York: Oceana Publications, 1961.
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* Stolpe, Sven. ''Dag Hammarskjöld, A Spiritual Portrait''. New York: Scribner, 1966.
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* Urguhart, Brain. ''Hammarskjöld''. New York: Knopf, 1972. ISBN 978-0394479606
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* Zacher, Mark W. ''Dag Hammarskjöld's United Nations''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. ISBN 978-0231032759
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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{{wikiquote}}
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All links retrieved June 23, 2022.
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*[http://www.dhf.uu.se/pdffiler/Kofi%20Annan.pdf Kofi Annan, ''Dag Hammarskjöld and the 21st century'', The Fourth Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture 6th September 2001, Uppsala University (pdf)]
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*[http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/dag/index.html Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General: the official website of the UN]
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* [http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/dag/index.html Dag Hammarskjöld: The UN Years] &ndash; United Nations
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*[http://www.buzzflash.com/hartmann/05/03/har05003.html Markings - "the spiritual diary of Dag Hammarskjöld"]
 
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*[http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Print_BasicFactsheet.aspx?id=4327 Biography]
 
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*[http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1961  The Nobel Prize]
 
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*[http://www.globalpolicy.org/secgen/pastsg/murder.htm Letters say Hammarskjöld's death Western plot]
 
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*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/154384.stm UN assassination plot denied]
 
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*[http://www.geocities.com/saufor/unsorted/allegedcoverup1961.html Plot to kill Hammarskjöld]
 
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*[http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1998/98820_0x1539810364.htm Media briefing by Archbishop Desmond Tutu]
 
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*[http://home.intekom.com/southafricanhistoryonline/pages/chronology/thisday/1961-09-18.htm 18 September 1961 UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld is killed]
 
  
 
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Revision as of 06:22, 15 January 2023

Hammarskjöld outside the UN headquarters in New York

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld (July 29, 1905 – September 18, 1961) was a Swedish diplomat and the second secretary-seneral of the United Nations. He served from April 18, 1953 until his death in a plane crash on September 18, 1961.

As secretary-general, Hammarskjöld took the stance that he was not representing his own nation but he was a representative of the international community. When he contemplated decisions and undertook action, he always kept this in mind. Hammarskjöld was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously for his dedication to achieving lasting peace. He was succeeded as secretary-general by U Thant.

Hammarskjöld was a man who sought a close relationship with God. His personal journal, published following his death under the title Markings', revealed the footprints of his spiritual journey. He was known to say, "The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside."

Early life and Education

Hammarskjöld was born in Jönköping, Sweden. He lived most of his childhood in the college town of Uppsala. Hammarskjöld was the fourth and youngest son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, Swedish prime minister (1914–1917), and Agnes Almquist. His ancestors had served the Swedish crown since the seventeenth century. During his youth, Hammarskjöld’s father was governor of Uppland County.

He began his studies at Uppsala University when he was 18. In 1925, Hammarskjöld graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. His majors were linguistics, literature and history. He continued his studies at Uppsala, pursuing and earning a Master's degree in economics in 1928 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1930. He then moved to Stockholm.

Career in Swedish Government

From 1930 to 1934 Hammarskjöld was secretary of a governmental committee on unemployment. He also wrote his doctoral thesis, Konjunkturspridningen (The Spread of the Business Cycle). Hammarskjöld received his doctorate in economics from Stockholm University in 1933. For the next several years, he worked as assistant professor of political economics at the University of Stockholm.

In 1936 he became secretary of the Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden). After only a year, Hammarskjöld was appointed as permanent undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, which was considered one of the most difficult jobs in the government. From 1941 to 1948 he also served as chairman of the board of the National Bank of Sweden, also a government appointment. He was the first to have both assignments simultaneously.

As 1945 began, Hammarskjöld became adviser to the Cabinet on financial and economic problems. In this position he coordinated government plans to alleviate the economic problems of the post-World War II period.

Hammarskjöld was appointed to Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1947, continuing his responsibility for handling economic issues. Two years later, he became the state secretary for foreign affairs.

Also in 1947, he was a delegate to the Paris conference that established the Marshall Plan. He went to Paris again in 1948 to attend the conference of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Hammarskjöld became head of the Sweden delegation to UNISCAN in 1950. This organization was created for the purpose of promoting economic cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries. The next year, he became a cabinet minister without portfolio—essentially, deputy foreign minister. Although Hammarskjöld served with a cabinet dominated by the Social Democrats, he never officially joined any political party.

In 1951, Hammarskjöld became vice chairman of the Swedish delegation to the Sixth Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly in Paris. He became the acting chairman of the Swedish delegation to the seventh General Assembly in New York in 1952.

On December 20, 1954, Hammarskjöld was elected to take his father's vacated seat in the Swedish Academy. The Swedish Academy is the organization that is charged with choosing Nobel Prize recipients.

UN Secretary General

When Trygve Lie resigned from his post as UN secretary-general in 1953, the Security Council recommended Hammarskjöld to the post, which came as a surprise to him. The UN General Assembly elected him unanimously in the April 7–10 session. In 1957, he was re-elected.

Hammarskjöld, known as a knowledgeable and unassuming man, had no illusions about the secretary-general role being an easy one. Those who knew him testified that he gave himself completely to the responsibility with all his strength and determination.

Hammarskjöld started his term by defining the role and responsibilities of the Secretariat and the secretary-general. He believed that it was the duty of both to gather complete objective information about aims and difficulties of member states. But he also believed that the secretary-general was obliged to form an opinion based on the rules of the UN Charter and never betray those rules.

Nearing the end of 1953, Hammarskjöld reflected,

Our work for peace must begin within the private world of each one of us. To build for man a world without fear, we must be without fear. To build a world of justice, we must be just. And how can we fight for liberty if we are not free in our own minds? How can we ask others to sacrifice if we are not ready to do so? Only in true surrender to the interest of all can we reach that strength and independence, that unity of purpose that equity of judgement which are necessary if we are to measure up to our duty to the future, as men of a generation to whom the chance was given to build in time a world of peace.

Hammarskjöld devoted himself to solving disputes through private discussions between parties of the dispute, thoroughly dedicating himself to this quiet diplomacy. During his terms, Hammarskjöld tried to soothe relations between Israel and the Arab states. In 1955 he went to mainland China to negotiate the release of 15 American pilots who had served in the Korean War and been captured by the Chinese. In 1956 he established the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF). In 1957 he intervened in the Suez Crisis.

In 1960 the former Belgian colony and now newly-independent Congo asked for UN aid in defusing the escalating civil strife. Hammarskjöld made four trips to the Congo. However, his efforts towards the decolonization of Africa were considered insufficient by the Soviet Union. In September 1960 the Soviet Union denounced his decision to send a UN emergency force to keep the peace. They demanded his resignation and the replacement of the office of secretary-general by a three-man directorate with a built in veto, the troika. According to the memoirs of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, the objective was to "equally represent interests of three groups of countries: capitalist, socialist and recently independent."[1]

Hammarskjöld remained firm to the end that the independent authority of the United Nations be strengthened. His position made him the object of attack, sometimes by the West, but more frequently and intensely by the Soviet Union. He firmly believed and stated that it was not the Soviet Union or any of the other great powers that needed the vigilant protection of the UN, but all the other nations.

Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee in 1961, credited Hammarskjöld during the Nobel Prize presentation speech, with standing firm in the face of criticism and attacks, never wavering from his path, which resulted in the UN "becoming an effective and constructive international organization, capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter, administered by men who both felt and acted internationally. The goal he always strove to attain was to make the UN Charter the one by which all countries regulated themselves."

Death

In September 1961, Hammarskjöld learned of fighting between noncombatant UN forces and Katanga Province troops of Moise Tshombe. He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire on the night of September 17-18 when his plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He and fifteen others perished.

There is still speculation as to the cause of the crash. The explanation of investigators at the time is that Hammarskjöld's aircraft descended too low on its approach to Ndola's airport at night. The crew had filed no flight plan for security reasons. No evidence of a bomb, surface-to-air missile or hijacking has ever been presented. It has been speculated that the crew of the Douglas DC-6 incorrectly used altitude data for Ndolo (915 feet/279 meters), in Congo and at lower altitude, rather than Ndola (4,167 feet/1,270 meters) in Northern Rhodesia.

On August 19, 1998, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), revealed that previously uncovered letters had implicated British MI5, American CIA and South African intelligence services in the 1961 crash of Dag Hammarskjöld's plane. One TRC letter said that a bomb in the aircraft's wheel bay was set to detonate when the wheels came down for landing.[2]

On July 29, 2005, exactly one hundred years after Hammarskjöld's birth, Norwegian Major General Bjørn Egge gave an interview to the newspaper Aftenposten on the events surrounding Hammarskjöld's death. According to Egge, who was the first UN officer to see the body, Hammarskjöld had a hole in his forehead, and this hole was subsequently airbrushed from photos taken of the body. It appeared to Egge that Hammarskjöld had been thrown from the plane, and grass and leaves in his hands may have indicated that he survived the crash, and had tried to scramble away from the wreckage. Egge's statement does not align with Archbishop Tutu's information.[3]

A less conspiratorial theory holds that Hammarskjöld's plane struck some treetops as it was preparing for landing. Hammarskjöld was the only person whose body was separate from the wreckage and therefore not burnt. He was thrown from the crash, able to crawl away from the plane, but his injuries were severe enough that he was already dead by the time the plane was found.

Hammarskjöld's only book, Vägmärken (Markings), was published in 1963. The book is a collection of his diary reflections. It begins in 1925 when he was 20 years old, and ends at his death in 1961.[4] Hammarskjöld reveals himself as a Christian mysticist through the journal entries. In his journal entries, he describes his diplomat life in terms of an ”inner journey.” The book became popular with U.S. students and the former Swedish archbishop K. G. Hammar.

Legacy

Today, many view Hammarskjöld as the greatest United Nations secretary-general because of his ability to shape events.

Kofi Annan stated in a speech about Hammarskjöld,

His life and his death, his words and his actions, have done more to shape public expectations of the office, and indeed of the [United Nations] Organization, than those of any other man or woman in its history. His wisdom and his modesty, his unimpeachable integrity and single-minded devotion to duty, have set a standard for all servants of the international community—and especially, of course for his successors—which is simply impossible to live up to. There can be no better rule of thumb for a Secretary General, as he approaches each new challenge or crisis, than to ask himself, "How would Hammarskjöld have handled this?" What is clear is that his core ideas remain highly relevant in this new international context. The challenge for us is to see how they can be adapted to take account of it."[5]

Not long after Hammarskjöld's death, many cities around the world renamed streets and squares in honor of him.

A Manhattan park near the United Nations headquarters is called Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza.

The United Nations, desiring to establish a fitting memorial in commemoration of Dag Hammarskjöld's service to the organization, elected to name its new library after Hammarskjöld. The library was dedicated on November 16, 1961.

Hammarskjöld was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously in November 1961, "in gratitude for all he did, for what he achieved, for what he fought for: to create peace and goodwill among nations and men."

Notes

  1. ↑ United Nations Radio History (in Russian) Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  2. ↑ “UN assassination plot denied,” BBC News (August 19, 1998). Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  3. ↑ Cato Guhnfeldt, “Så hull i pannen” (in Norwegian), Aftenposten (July 28, 2005).
  4. ↑ Thom Hartmann, “Markings - the spiritual diary of Dag Hammarskjöld,” BuzzFlash.com (March 3, 2005). Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  5. ↑ Kofi Annan, "Dag Hammarskjöld and the 21st Century" (speech given September 6, 2001, in Uppsala, Sweden).

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Ask, Sten and Anna Mark-Jungkvist. The Adventure of Peace: Dag Hammarskjöld and the Future of the UN. New York, Scribner, 1966. Reprint edition, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. ISBN 978-1403974310
  • Cordier, Andrew W. The Quest for Peace: The Dag Hammerskjöld Memorial Lectures. New York: Columbia University Press, 1965.
  • Jordan, Robert S. Dag Hammarskjöld Revisited: The UN Secretary-General as a Force in World Politics. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1983. ISBN 978-0890892336
  • Lash, Joseph P. Dag Hammarskjold, Custodian of the Brushfire Peace. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.
  • Meisler, Stanley. United Nations: The First Fifty Years. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995. ISBN 0871136562
  • Miller, Richard I. Dag Hammarskjöld and Crisis Diplomacy. New York: Oceana Publications, 1961.
  • Stolpe, Sven. Dag Hammarskjöld, A Spiritual Portrait. New York: Scribner, 1966.
  • Urguhart, Brain. Hammarskjöld. New York: Knopf, 1972. ISBN 978-0394479606
  • Zacher, Mark W. Dag Hammarskjöld's United Nations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. ISBN 978-0231032759

External links

All links retrieved June 23, 2022.

Preceded by:
Trygve Lie 		United Nations Secretary-General
1953-1961 		Succeeded by:
U Thant
Nobel Peace Prize laureates

Léon Jouhaux (1951) • Albert Schweitzer (1952) • George Marshall (1953) • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1954) • Lester B. Pearson (1957) • Dominique Pire (1958) • Philip Noel-Baker (1959) • Albert Lutuli (1960) • Dag Hammarskjöld (1961) • Linus Pauling (1962) • International Committee of the Red Cross / International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (1963) • Martin Luther King Jr. (1964) • UNICEF (1965) • René Cassin (1968) • International Labour Organization (1969) • Norman Borlaug (1970) • Willy Brandt (1971) • Lê Đức Thọ (declined award) / Henry Kissinger (1973) • Seán MacBride / Eisaku Satō (1974) • Andrei Sakharov (1975)

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