Who Killed Hammarskjold?: The UN, the Cold War and White Supremacy in Africa

by Susan Williams

Overview

It has been 50 years since the UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold mysteriously died in a plane crash in Africa. Williams uncovers new evidence to demonstrate conclusively that the horrific conflict in the Congo was driven not so much by internal divisions as by the Cold War and the West's determination to control post-colonial Africa.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190873974
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	935,377
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Susan Williams Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London. Her books on Africa include Spies in the Congo: The Race for the Ore That Built the Atomic Bomb (2011) and Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation (2006). In autumn 2016, Pathé released a film based on The Colour Bar under the title A United Kingdom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=url66-67O90, starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike.

Table of Contents

Prologue

C. 1 Bebop-a-lula

C. 2 Congo

C. 3 Katanga and Rhodesia

C. 4 Mission for Peace

C. 5 Midnight Death in British Africa

C. 6 'They Killed Him!'

C. 7 The White Settlers Investigate

C. 8 UN Inquiry

C. 9 Zamia

C. 0 Big Business, Intelligence and Britain

C. 11 Cyprus

C. 12 Ethiopia

C. 13 The French Connection

C. 14 Hijack Hypothesis

C. 15 Aerial Warfare

C. 16 'Operation Celeste'

C. 17 Mercenaries under Apartheid

C. 18 Private and Military

C. 19 Secrets and Lies

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

Alexander McCall Smith

This is an extraordinary story, narrated with clarity and devastating effect. Susan Williams is to be congratulated for shining a light onto a very strange and disturbing incident. The result is a gripping and astonishing read.

— Alexander McCall Smith, novelist, author of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series

Editorial Reviews

"[Williams] has done a fine job of marshalling new evidence and painting a vivid picture of a past era of Rhodesian colonists in long socks and white shorts, and of cold war politics played out through vicious proxy wars in Africa."—Sunday Times

"A startling, meticulous, convincing book, written in the understated prose of a Scandinavian crime thriller."- The Financial Times

"This welcome, and highly readable, historical detective story sheds yet more mystery on the sad fate of Dag Hammarskjöld."--International Affairs

"Susan Williams' fascinating book explores the unresolved issues surrounding his death in a plane crash in central Africa. With the help of her engaging and no-nonsense style - part Miss Marple, part No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - we are led through the messy, ugly and secretive dark arts of decolonisation in a world of white supremacists and Cold War lunatics. Kids: don't try this at home."—Times Higher Education

"Part detective, part archivist, part journalist, Williams schmoozed spies, befriended diplomats and mercenaries and won the trust of Hammarskjöld s still grieving relatives and UN colleagues to get her tale. She unwinds each thread of the narrative with infinite patience, leading us carefully down the tortuous paths of Cold War intrigue." - The Spectator

"Utilizing primary source documents from at least nine countries across three continents, numerous oral history interviews with eye witnesses, and enlisting the help of forensic, ballistic, and medical experts to reexamine the written reports and photographic evidence compiled by the original Rhodesian and UN inquiries into the crash, Williams has authored a fascinating study which is as academic as any international history scholarship and as entertaining as any mystery novel … 'This book should be on the summer reading list of all historians."—H-Diplo

"Immensely impressive — Williams writes with clarity and knowledge, demonstrating a depth of understanding of this crucial period in the history of the UN."—Irish Examiner

"This engaging book marks a concerted effort to explore the historical mysteries that shroud the UN Secretary-General's death. … This is a fascinating, meticulously researched, and easy-to-read study of the events surrounding the episode."—African Affairs

"Fascinating book. . . "—Philip Muehlenbeck, New Internationalist

"Susan Williams' impressive probing draws together previously secret archived material and witness statements never before aired. The book is rigorously academic, with intensive referencing and quotes from expert informants, but it is also an intriguing whodunnit, albeit one with particularly sombre connotations."— The Canberra Times

"The book reads like a thriller, as the author pursues archives, interviews and thousands of documents to find clues to the murder of a man who, according to the British and Belgians, died in an aircraft accident."—Jamaica Observer

"Susan Williams has produced a compelling account from a monumental amount of historical detective work and encounters with an extraordinary range of personalities, some of them extremely shady."—The Witness (South Africa)

From the Publisher

this book, full of historical detail on the region's tragic transition to "freedom", will also bring the legacy of Hammarskjold, the great diplomat, to a new generation of students. Cooperating closely with relatives, as Williams did, runs the risk of producing hagiography, but Hammarskjold's bravery in not being intimidated by the political establishment is indisputable.

Times Higher Education

Part detective, part archivist, part journalist, Williams schmoozed spies, befriended diplomats and mercenaries and won the trust of Hammarskjöld's still grieving relatives and UN colleagues to get her tale. She unwinds each thread of the narrative with infinite patience, leading us carefully down the torturous paths of Cold War intrigue.

Spectator

Lively and well written.

Sunday Times