Remembering Dag Hammarskjold

As world leaders flock here in New York this month for the 80th United Nations General Assembly, it is coincidentally a special time to remember, perhaps, the most revered Secretary General of the United Nations.

Dag Hammarskjöld, the youngest UN Sec Gen ever appointed at age 47, perished in a plane crash on Sept. 18, 1961. Other than what I thought to be a tongue twisting surname that intrigued me as a young grade schooler (I eventually learned, it’s pronounced “Dagh Hahm-mahr-shold”), I took a profound curiosity in his life and times especially after having explored the UN Headquarters on several occasions and after having read two remarkable books about him. The first is “Markings,” his personal journal turned into what is now acclaimed as a spiritual classic and the second, “The Way Chose You,” a collection of testimonies and reflections of men and women who have read “Markings,” and whose lives Mr. Hammarskjöld has fundamentally touched and affected.

Reading another book, “Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings of His Life,” written by Henrik Berggren, executive director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, was my way of honoring his lasting legacy in the UN and understanding the organization beyond its works and institutions. How did his ideals and beliefs guide him as a leader? How did his life circumstances inspire him as a peacemaker?

Written and published from its original 2016 Swedish edition, the 10-part book replete with first hand resources and stunning photographs, is a thoroughly-researched biographical read of the Sec Gen’s early life, his teenage and university years and his time as a Swedish civil servant. The chapters on his stint as twice-elected top diplomat of the UN (I read that at Mr. Hammarskjöld re-election, our very own Carlo P. Romulo was one of the five nominees) explores on his unparalleled leadership, during which the organization was said to have expanded its reach and gained greater integrity.

Decolonization and disarmament efforts were at the centerpiece of his peacekeeping programs. He met with world leaders and scoured far flung territories in his desire to pursue the peace agenda. Here we read about little known details such as one of his first novel projects, the “Staff Days” in the UN, which took place on Sept. 8, 1953. We read about one of the favorite gifts given to him, an ice-axe that adorned the fireplace of his Park Avenue apartment. The present was from the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, who was the first to conquer Mt. Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary. Inscribed on the iconic memorabilia are what seemed to be prophetic lines: “So that you may climb to even greater heights.”

“Markings of…” explores on his background as a child growing up to a privileged family. His father Hjalmar, a lawyer and former prime minister, was a revered civil servant in Sweden. Dag’s father was respected for his integrity and competence for hard work. Living in a villa amidst a sprawling garden, the young Dag once described his childhood and youth as “so distant from our present day.” He was perhaps pondering on his privileged life while cognizant of the opposite realities elsewhere in the world. He was no doubt a “nepo baby” of his time, yet what we read or watch about the nepo babies of our time who shamelessly flaunt their wealth, mirrors a startling contrast to the young Dag’s life of modesty. It is said that his mother, Agnes’ “spirituality and empathetic sensitivity,” have directly influenced his “social and existential attitudes.” These eventually framed his belief on the importance of equality and independence as touchstones for authentic human relationships.

In a block not far from the UN Headquarters are a building and a park named after him. Visiting these memorials, one could only marvel at how Mr. Hammarskjöld is greatly immortalized. I’d like to surmise that, the circumstances of his death, a tragic plane crash involving 14 other UN personnel while en route to a UN peacekeeping mission to Congo made him the peace icon that he is now. I later researched from available documents at the UN’s online archives, from other sources, and from a controversial yet extensive documentary, “Cold Case Hammarskjöld” that there was something sinister about that fateful flight in September 1961.

Several investigations have been conducted and conspiracy theories abound. More than six decades after, public interest on his life has increased all the more. On Dec 24, 2024 the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus the draft resolution to revisit the case. Supported by all member states, the resolution is an “investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Mr. Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him.”

Such immense importance is given to Mr. Hammarskjöld that in a letter addressed to the UNGA President, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has re-appointed Mohamed Chande Othman as Eminent Person to spearhead the investigation. Mr. Othman is tasked “to continue to review the information received and possible new information made available by Member States,” including information from individuals and private organizations, to evaluate the “probative value and to draw conclusions from the investigations already conducted.” The resolution calls that key documents relative to the investigation be made available to the public through “a dedicated online collection.”

It is said that when Mr. Hammarskjöld assumed his post in April 1953, his predecessor, Trygve Lie welcomed him “to the most impossible job on this earth.” The work for peace is indeed daunting. As world leaders meet again for the high-level week may they be guided by the memory of Mr. Hammarskjöld, who the American statesman Adlai Stevenson brilliantly portrayed as “humane, cultured, judicious, possessed of a poetic and philosophic vision, free of passion other than the passion for the rule of decency, modest and brave. His memory will always be with us as a reminder of the best that the United Nations can be.”