Nobel Prize Winner- Dag Hammarskjold

Ewa Budzyńska/Monika Makowiec- Poland/

Today I’m speaking to a very respected person, UN General Secretary - Dag Hammarskjold

Journalist : Good Morning

Dag Hammarskjold : Good Morning

J: At the beginning of our conversation, could we ask you to tell us let’s something about your childhood and family. You’re born on the 29^th of July 1905 in Jönköping, in Sweden.

DH: Yes, that’s right although I lived most of childhood in Uppsala. I was the fourth and youngest son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, the Prime Minister of Sweden…...

J: What were you studying?

DH: I was studying political economy at the Uppsala University, I graduated from it with the Master's degree and a Bachelor of Law Degree

J: After moving to Stockholm your career developed quite fast. Tell us about it,please.

DH: In 1930–1934 I was the secretary of the governmental committee on unemployment. I also wrote my thesis “Konjunkturspridningen”… In English it means-The Spread of the Business Cycle. In 1936 I became a secretary in the Bank of Sweden and soon I was an undersecretary of finance. In 1941–1948 I served as a chairman of the Bank of Sweden.

J: After World War II you began to work as Under-secretary in the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What were your duties?

DH: For example ,I coordinated governmental plans to alleviate the economic problems of the post-war period. Later as a Secretary-General of the Foreign Office I was a delegate in the Paris conference that established the Marshall Plan.

J: Did you join to Social Democrats to become a cabinet minister?

DH: No, I didn’t, although I cooperated with the cabinet dominated by the Social Democrats, but I never officially joined any political party.

J: What was the most surprising moment in your life?

DH: Hmmm… I think it was when Trygve Lie resigned from his post as UN Secretary General in 1953, the Security Council decided to recommend me to the post. It came as a big surprise to me. I was selected in March 31^st with the majority of 10 out of eleven states. UN General Assembly elected me in the session in April 7–10 with votes of 57 out of 60. Those results really shocked me.

J: But as the future shown you lived up to with these duties, because in 1957 you were re - elected.

DH: I’m happy, that people appreciated my job.

J: What did you start your term by?

DH: I started my term by establishing my own secretariat of 4,000 administrators. I set up regulations that defined their responsibilities. I insisted that the secretary-general should be able to take emergency action without the prior approval of the Security Council or the General Assembly.

J: I heard about your attempts to soothe relations between Israel and the Arab states, establishing the United Nations Emergency Force and intervening in the Suez Crisis in 1957,. Could you explain me what did you do ?

DH: Yes, of course. Generally, in 1956 I went there to negotiate relieving of 15 US pilots who were captured by the Chinese.

J: What about the newly independent Congo?

DH: Congo asked for UN aid in defusing the escalating civil strife. I made three trips there up to now. Next week I’m flying to Congo again.

J: So, I wish you success in negotiations and thank you very much for finding time to interview.

DH: Thank you.

Unfortunately this was the latest interview Dag Hammarskjold gave..

In September 1961 he found out about fighting between non-combatant UN forces and Katanga troops of Moise Tshombe. He was enroute 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 about the cause of the crash

Hammarskjöld received posthumously the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1961.

(July 29, 1905 – September 18, 1961)