UN / DAG HAMMARSKJOLD INVESTIGATION

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One of the most enduring mysteries in United Nations history – the 1961 plane crash that killed Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and all on board as he sought to broker peace in the Congo – will linger on, with a new assessment announced today suggesting that “specific and crucial” information continues to be withheld by a handful of Member States. UNIFEED / ARCHIVE FOOTAGE
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STORY: UN / DAG HAMMARSKJOLD INVESTIGATION
TRT: 06:00
SOURCE: UNIFEED / FILE
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 18 OCTOBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

RECENT - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

18 OCTOBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, spokesperson Farhan Haq at the podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Secretary-General has transmitted to the President of the General Assembly the report of the Eminent Person, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mr. Mohamed Chande Othman, concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him. The Secretary-General’s letter to the President of the General Assembly is accompanied by the Eminent Person’s report and will be publicly available as General Assembly document (A/78/1006). At this juncture, the Eminent Person assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash. The Eminent Person notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage, or unintentional human error. The Secretary-General notes that the Eminent Person considers that it is almost certain that specific, crucial and to date undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States. The Secretary-General further notes the Eminent Person’s assessment that he has not received, to date, specific responses to his specific queries from certain Member States. The Secretary-General has personally followed up on the Eminent Person’s outstanding requests for information and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession. With significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.”
4. Med shot, journalists

ARCHIVE – APRIL 1953, NEW YORK CITY

5. Various shots, incoming Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld arriving to UN Headquarters in the company of Secretary-General Trygve Lie

ARCHIVE – UNDATED, NEW YORK CITY

6. Various shots, Hammarskjöld addressing General Assembly

ARCHIVE – UNDATED, CONGO

7. Various shots, official visit

ARCHIVE – SEPTEMBER 1961, CONGO

8. Various shots, recovery efforts at airplane crash site
9. Various shots, Hammarskjöld’s body in casket Lying-in-State
10. Various shots, Hammarskjöld’s body in casket receiving honours at airport before being transported in aircraft

ARCHIVE – SEPTEMBER 1961, SWEDEN

11. Various shots, Hammarskjöld’s body in casket arrival in Stockholm
12. Various shots, official honours and burial

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Storyline

One of the most enduring mysteries in United Nations history – the 1961 plane crash that killed Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and all on board as he sought to broker peace in the Congo – will linger on, with a new assessment announced today (18 Oct) suggesting that “specific and crucial” information continues to be withheld by a handful of Member States.

According to the UN’s Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, “significant new information” has been submitted to the inquiry for this latest update.

This included probable intercepts by Member States of communications related to the crash, the capacity of Katanga’s armed forces, or others, to mount an attack on SE-BDY and the involvement of foreign paramilitary or intelligence personnel in the area at the time.

It also included additional new information relevant to the context and surrounding events of 1961.

Over the years, the UN General Assembly has mandated a series of inquiries into the death of Hammarskjöld and those of his party. The most recent, in December 2022, was led by Mohamed Chande Othman, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, with the formal title of “Eminent Person.”

Othman, Haq said, “assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash,” and “notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage or unintentional human error.”

However, Haq continued, Othman assessed so far that it is “almost certain” specific, crucial and so far undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States.

He noted that Othman has not received, to date, specific responses to his queries from some Member States believed to be holding useful information.

Haq said, “the Secretary-General has personally followed up on [Mr. Othman’s] outstanding requests for information and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession,” and added that “with significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.”

Appointed at just 47 years old, Hammarskjöld of Sweden remains the youngest UN Secretary-General.

Widely regarded as a visionary diplomat and reformer, Hammarskjöld is credited with strengthening the role of the newly established UN during a period of intense global tensions, including the drive to decolonise Africa and Asia.

His leadership was pivotal during the tumultuous events of 1956. He led a ceasefire mission to the Middle East and continued through the Suez crisis, where he helped negotiate the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egypt and oversaw the deployment of the Organization’s first emergency peacekeeping mission, the UN Emergency Force.

Hammarskjöld was known for his integrity and dedication to public service, earning the Nobel Peace Prize for developing the UN into an effective and constructive international organization capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter.

Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death aged 56, when the chartered Douglas DC6 aircraft he was travelling in with others, registered as SE-BDY, crashed shortly after midnight on 17-18 September 1961, near Ndola, then in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire between UN peacekeepers and separatists from the breakaway Congolese region of Katanga, and possibly even a peace agreement encompassing the whole of newly independent Congo.

Fourteen of the 15 passengers died on impact, and the sole survivor succumbed to their injuries a few days later.

An initial inquiry by Rhodesian authorities reportedly attributed the crash to pilot error but the finding was disputed.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres transmitted Othman’s latest report to the Assembly.

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