Dag Hammarskjold
Economist. Diplomat.
2016 - U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will propose reopening an inquiry into allegations that Dag Hammarskjold, one of the most revered secretaries-general in the organization’s history, was assassinated by an apartheid-era South African paramilitary organization that was backed by the CIA, British intelligence, and a Belgian mining company, according to several officials familiar with the case.[2]
The U.N. leader was advocating for Congo’s full independence, while Belgium, with some support from Britain, the United States, and South Africa, wanted to ensure that Katanga’s riches – which included the uranium ore used in the production of the atomic weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki — remained in friendly hands and out of the reach of the Soviet Union. Several months earlier, the CIA had played a role in the assassination by Belgian officers and Katangese separatists of Congolese liberation leader, Patrice Lumumba, who was suspected of moving too closely to the Soviet Union.[2]
Hammarskjold, meanwhile, died while en route to discuss a cease-fire with Moise Tshombe, the Belgian-backed leader of Katanga’s secession drive. His broader mission was to convince at Tshombe to ditch his foreign backers and make peace with Congo’s pro-Western leaders. “All those parties — the Belgians, the South Africans, the CIA — had a reason for opposing Dag Hammarskjold’s mission,” Goldstone told FP.[2]
The possible existence of an alleged CIA-backed plot to kill Hammarskjold first emerged in 1998, when the South African National Intelligence Agency turned over a file to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission related to the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, the leader of the South African Communist Party. But the file also included copies of eight documents detailing internal correspondence among members of the South African Institute for Maritime Research, or SAIMR, an alleged front for a clandestine mercenary organization active in Congo in the early 1960s.[2]
The documents, which contain an alleged exchange between SAIMR’s “commodore” and “captain,” said **Operation Celeste was meant to “remove” Hammarskjold, who had grown increasingly “troublesome.” One document, marked “top secret” describes a meeting including representatives of SAIMR and Britain’s intelligence agencies, MI5, and the Special Operations Executive, an apparent reference to a British agency that was set up in World War II to carry out espionage and sabotage operations in German-occupied Europe. The documents state that CIA director Allen Dulles concurs that “Dag is becoming troublesome … and should be removed.” They also claim that Dulles pledged the support of his people on the ground.[2]
10 Apr 1953 to 18 Sep 1961 - 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations.
United States President John F. Kennedy called Hammarskjöld “the greatest statesman of our century.”[5]
Died 18 Sep 1961, Areoplane shot down. Age 56.
Note: 15 others perished on the Douglas DC-6 airliner SE-BDY with no suvivors.
Documents suggesting CIA involvement came to light when the South African National Intelligence Agency turned over a file to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission related to the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, the leader of the South African Communist Party. These documents included an alleged plot to “remove” Hammarskjöld and contained a supposed statement from CIA director Allen Dulles that: “Dag is becoming troublesome … and should be removed.” However the authenticity of these documents has not been established.[1,39]
[0] - Britannica - Dag Hammarskjold
[1] - FYI - Wiki - Dag Hammarskjold
[4] - Find a Grave - Dag Hammarskjold
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