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The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld

The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld

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  • Create Date：2021-07-01 07:16:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Ravi Somaiya
  • ISBN：1455536520
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Summary

Now in paperback， investigative reporter Ravi Somaiya uncovers the story behind the death of renowned diplomat and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld， a true story of spies and intrigue surrounding one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries of the 20th century。

On September 17， 1961， Dag Hammarskjöld boarded a Douglas DC6 propeller plane on the sweltering tarmac of the airport in Leopoldville， the capital of the Congo。 Hours later， he would be found dead in an African jungle with an ace of spades playing card placed on his body。
Hammarskjöld had been the head of the United Nations for nine years。 He was legendary for his dedication to peace on earth。 But dark forces circled him: Powerful and connected groups from an array of nations and organizations -- including the CIA， the KGB， underground militant groups， business tycoons， and others -- were determined to see Hammarskjöld fail。
A riveting work of investigative journalism based on never-before-seen evidence， recently revealed firsthand accounts， and groundbreaking new interviews， The Golden Thread reveals the truth behind one of the great murder mysteries of the Cold War。

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Reviews

Ula Tardigrade ，

Fascinating and very well written account of a forgotten crime and decades of investigations that followed it。 I first heard about this stranger-than-fiction true story while watching the wonderful documentary film ‘Cold Case Hammarskjöld’ by Danish director Mads Brügger and ‘The Golden Thread’ is a perfect companion book。 The author provides a detailed portrait of a very specific time and place: Kongo in the early 1960s， which was a hub for international spies and a deadly playground for all ma Fascinating and very well written account of a forgotten crime and decades of investigations that followed it。 I first heard about this stranger-than-fiction true story while watching the wonderful documentary film ‘Cold Case Hammarskjöld’ by Danish director Mads Brügger and ‘The Golden Thread’ is a perfect companion book。 The author provides a detailed portrait of a very specific time and place: Kongo in the early 1960s， which was a hub for international spies and a deadly playground for all major foreign powers。 In these circumstances it is hardly surprising that UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld， who tried to fix the situation and defend the weak ones， was seen as an obstacle to get rid of。 The author’s style is clear， witty and engaging - he weaves the tread of this complicated story skillfully and effortlessly。 Recommended for everyone interested in geopolitics， recent history or just a good true crime。Thanks to the publisher， Twelve Books， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more

Jeanette ，

A bit repetitive。 And really comes to no new conclusions。

Alison ，

I'm not a huge fan of True Crime， but I was attracted to this by my burgeoning interest in mid-century African politics， and the significance of the Hammarskjold death/assassination/accident to that。 The first half of this book provides an overview of what Hammarskjold， the UN and the situation in the Congo at the time of the plane crash。 The second half delves into fifty years of people trying to work what happened to the plane， and other people trying to stop them。In some ways， I found the fir I'm not a huge fan of True Crime， but I was attracted to this by my burgeoning interest in mid-century African politics， and the significance of the Hammarskjold death/assassination/accident to that。 The first half of this book provides an overview of what Hammarskjold， the UN and the situation in the Congo at the time of the plane crash。 The second half delves into fifty years of people trying to work what happened to the plane， and other people trying to stop them。In some ways， I found the first half more compelling than the second - which largely loses focus on the 'why' in the unfolding mystery of the 'how'。 But in others - and certainly， for true crime fans - the second half is fascinating。 The tale of the search for （or against） the truth is as compelling as the story of the tragedy itself。 In the Sixties， essentially no one wants to know。 Racism provides great cover to ignore witnesses and cast doubt on the pilots， almost every piece of relevant documentation unbelievably goes missing， secret services claim to know nothing at all and every relevant agency is quick to declare accident and move on。 In subsequent decades， however， the trend reverses。 Mercenaries appear and then disappear in hotel rooms claiming to have shot at the plane， radio operators in nearby countries claim to have heard chatter， a full set of correspondence - on letterhead of a far-right group - detailing a plot surfaces as part of the Truth and Reconciliation investigation into the death of Chris Hani。 Both the KGB and the CIA plant info suggesting the other was responsible。 One frustrated investigator declares that， of the now dozens of theories， "none are plausible。 It remains to choose the least implausible option"。 Yet MI6 and the CIA/US analysis agencies remain reasonably tight lipped。 In an era when it is commonly known that both facilitated the assassination of Congolese President Patrice Lumumba， it clearly frustrates many that both agencies continue to seal relevant records regarding Hammarsjkold。 The Golden Thread relates to a growing， recent， sense that within all the evidence， there is a thread of commonality that may point to what happened。 Obviously， I'm not going to spoil it， but it is worth pointing out that it feels very much as if the 'truth' will not be known， simply because whatever happened that night， it was clearly messy。 There is a definite whiff of gross incompetence around the affair。 The MI6 Congo head， one of the book's more memorable personalities， reportedly took great pride in her late peerage life in claiming credit for Lumumba's assassination by torture。 It is hard not to speculate that successful missions are worth boasting about only。 By the end， I didn't care very much， but I did understand a great deal more about the functioning of intelligence in the Congo in the period。 And it is worthwhile remembering that the far-right has never really not been with us。Despite the puzzle， the book also pays fitting tribute to the fifteen people who died that night， not just one elite official。 。。。more

CrabbyPatty ，

I must admit I know little of the former Belgian Congo and only knew one factoid about Dag Hammarskjold （Secretary General of the United Nations）。 But this intelligently-written， extensively （double down on the "extensive"） researched true crime story of murder and mystery has provided a solid footing into the world of post WWII， and the post-colonial battlegrounds of the Cold War。 At the time of Hammarskjold's death in a plane crash， Harry S。 Truman said "Mr Hammarskjold was on the point of get I must admit I know little of the former Belgian Congo and only knew one factoid about Dag Hammarskjold （Secretary General of the United Nations）。 But this intelligently-written， extensively （double down on the "extensive"） researched true crime story of murder and mystery has provided a solid footing into the world of post WWII， and the post-colonial battlegrounds of the Cold War。 At the time of Hammarskjold's death in a plane crash， Harry S。 Truman said "Mr Hammarskjold was on the point of getting something done when they killed him。" And after reading this book， you realize that Truman knew what he was talking about。 As the saying goes "I may be paranoid 。。。 but that doesn't mean they're not out to get me。" And there's a lot to be paranoid about in reading this story of political intrigue and assassination。 The CIA had sent an agent to attempt to poison Patrice Lumumba's toothpaste， for example， and there is a strong network of spies afoot here。 The author's strength is putting together all his research into a cohesive and understandable structure and giving us readers enough of a background to understand the implications of Hammarskjold's death。 Exceptional book。 5 stars。 I received an ARC from the Publisher， via NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Christine ，

Not a book to read if you want to be in a good mood。 Content warnings for discussion of alcoholism， murder， kidnapping， sexual assault， plane crashes， gun violence， racism， and all manner of conspiracies。Dag Hammarskjöld was the UN Secretary General from 1953 until his death， in a plane crash， in September of 1961。 His plane， the Albertina， went down mere miles from the destination airport in Ndola， at the time part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland。 The plane was in contact with the a Not a book to read if you want to be in a good mood。 Content warnings for discussion of alcoholism， murder， kidnapping， sexual assault， plane crashes， gun violence， racism， and all manner of conspiracies。Dag Hammarskjöld was the UN Secretary General from 1953 until his death， in a plane crash， in September of 1961。 His plane， the Albertina， went down mere miles from the destination airport in Ndola， at the time part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland。 The plane was in contact with the airport， which was expecting them， and staff noted that the Albertina's radio had gone silent shortly after their last message: “Your lights in sight， overhead Ndola， descending， confirm。” The crash， which happened around midnight， was seen by numerous witnesses。 Despite all this evidence that something had gone wrong and the fact that an influential political figure was on the plane， the staff of the air field delayed looking for the plane for 15 hours。 Tower recordings – normally sacrosanct – coincidentally happen to be missing for the day of the crash。 Yet repeated investigations by the UN and numerous world governments all found no evidence of foul play， mainly by ignoring everything that pointed to it。 Demands for thorough， public investigations， and the release of material relevant to the crash， spanned decades and countries。 And were largely ignored by those in power。 It's a book to make you grind your teeth down to nubs， that these unbelievably wealthy and powerful people – politicians， businessmen， diplomats and the like， all of whom loudly proclaiming they know what's best for for the Congo， for Africa， for the world – blatantly care so little for justice and the betterment of humanity that some of them plotted the murder of one of their own for threatening their ability to continue stealing from an entire country and the rest of them covered it up。 Because Hammarskjöld had the audacity to prioritize the people of the Congo and potentially stood in the way of these oligarchs lining their own pockets even further。 And nothing has changed。 。。。more

James Hallmark ，

Prior to reading this book I knew nothing of the Congo beyond Billy Joel singing the line "Belgians in the Congo" in "We Didn't Start the Fire。" Well， the Belgians left the Congo （sort of） in the 1950s and the country immediately filled with CIA， KGB， MI6 and Belgian and French mercenaries， turning it into a powderkeg。 Swedish UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold was trying to navigate peace among the warring parties。 His plane crashed in what was then called Rhodesia while on such a mission。 T Prior to reading this book I knew nothing of the Congo beyond Billy Joel singing the line "Belgians in the Congo" in "We Didn't Start the Fire。" Well， the Belgians left the Congo （sort of） in the 1950s and the country immediately filled with CIA， KGB， MI6 and Belgian and French mercenaries， turning it into a powderkeg。 Swedish UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold was trying to navigate peace among the warring parties。 His plane crashed in what was then called Rhodesia while on such a mission。 The crash was classified "pilot error" although there isn't any reason to believe that。 Every side in this conflict wanted him dead。 The first several chapters of the book give a brief history of the region （interesting; again， I knew nothing of the Congo）。 The bulk of the book covers the events of that night and the subsequent investigation （or "cover up，" if you prefer）。 The last section reveals what Somaiya surmises may have actually happened。 Trying to avoid any spoilers， I found Somaiya's investigation and conclusions rational。 I'd say the book was interesting from the perspective of "I had no idea。" I knew nothing of Dag， his death， or the Congo。 That being said， I didn't think it was overwhelmingly compelling。 The most interesting part of the book was the historical background and the description of the crash and immediate investigation。 。。。more

LdyGray ，

At one point during the Cold War， the UN was using a Swiss-made machine to encode their messages。 Rather than attempting to break the code， the U。S。 co-opted the company that created the machine and built a backdoor that allowed them to read any coded message。 This kind of machination is one of the reasons the death of UN General Secretary Dag Hammarskjold was so difficult to solve。 Different countries had pieces of the puzzle， and none would provide what they knew。 Somaiya untangles the differe At one point during the Cold War， the UN was using a Swiss-made machine to encode their messages。 Rather than attempting to break the code， the U。S。 co-opted the company that created the machine and built a backdoor that allowed them to read any coded message。 This kind of machination is one of the reasons the death of UN General Secretary Dag Hammarskjold was so difficult to solve。 Different countries had pieces of the puzzle， and none would provide what they knew。 Somaiya untangles the different possibilities （accident， hijacking， explosive device on the plane， ground attack， aerial attack）， but also tells the stories of Hammarskjold and the people who admired him and tried to solve the case。（view spoiler）[In the end， Somaiya admits that the jury is still out for now， although all evidence points to an aerial attack， probably organized by the white Europeans whose commercial interests were at stake if the Congo and its mineral rights reverted back to the Congolese， as the UN wanted。 （hide spoiler）] An interesting book， but overall it didn't hold my attention as much as I thought it would。 It did add several new books to my TBR， though！ 。。。more

Rachel ，

I found this to be rather dry and at times， tedious and repetitive。 I did not feel invested in the mystery behind the death of the UN Secretary General。 However， I did enjoy and appreciate the history and insight into the Congo。

Mike McAdam ，

Overall， I enjoyed this audiobook。 The author （who is also the narrator） sounds exactly like Colin Firth。 A very soothing voice。 :） I usually love investigative journalism and there is some good stuff in this book。 I learned a lot about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and I found the whole mystery behind Dag Hammerskjold's death quite interesting。 I do have to admit that my mind wandered at times throughout the book。 There is so much information that I found fascinating that it makes the bo Overall， I enjoyed this audiobook。 The author （who is also the narrator） sounds exactly like Colin Firth。 A very soothing voice。 :） I usually love investigative journalism and there is some good stuff in this book。 I learned a lot about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and I found the whole mystery behind Dag Hammerskjold's death quite interesting。 I do have to admit that my mind wandered at times throughout the book。 There is so much information that I found fascinating that it makes the book with a read （or a listen）。 And I still love investigative journalism。 I don't know why my mind wandered but I did find some parts kind of boring。 。。。more

Florence ，

Dag Hammarskjold， the second head of the United Nations seemed to be an honest man， determined to do his job。 At the time of his death he was trying to keep factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo from exploding into civil war。 Belgium had relinquished its brutal hold on the former colony。 Patrice Lumumba， a passionate voice for Black power had been assassinated。 A rump section of the country had broken away， determined to preserve White nationalism and corporate domination。 And the entire Dag Hammarskjold， the second head of the United Nations seemed to be an honest man， determined to do his job。 At the time of his death he was trying to keep factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo from exploding into civil war。 Belgium had relinquished its brutal hold on the former colony。 Patrice Lumumba， a passionate voice for Black power had been assassinated。 A rump section of the country had broken away， determined to preserve White nationalism and corporate domination。 And the entire country was rife with spies， mercenaries， and forces ready to claim power at any cost。 They all hated the UN。 Hammarskjold was on a mission of peace when his plane crashed under mysterious circumstances。 Trying to figure out who or what caused the crash has frustrated many a journalist。 The details are maddeningly complicated， obscure and disparate。 This author gave it a nice try。 。。。more

Karen ，

Book Riot's Read Harder 2021: Read a work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color Book Riot's Read Harder 2021: Read a work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color 。。。more

Linda ，

Sometimes a little hard to follow， but utterly fascinating about the real life ways in which governments conceal evidence。

Rachel ，

I had heard about Hammarskjold but didn't really know much about his death。 This was a frustrating mystery full of intelligence reports， top secret files， and lots of unanswered questions。 It is also a demonstration of how the West has inhibited， harmed， and inflicted so much chaos on African countries。 I had heard about Hammarskjold but didn't really know much about his death。 This was a frustrating mystery full of intelligence reports， top secret files， and lots of unanswered questions。 It is also a demonstration of how the West has inhibited， harmed， and inflicted so much chaos on African countries。 。。。more

Craig Rapp ，

This is a really interesting real life story that could have been told a bit better。 A clear and concise explanation of the circumstances before the event set the stage really well in the first act of the book， but the 2nd and 3rd acts fail to avoid the name/place/theory soup trap that many unsolved mystery stories fall into。 I would recommend it to somebody who is particularly interested in Central African politics， the United Nations， or unsolved mysteries， but I think it falls short of a grea This is a really interesting real life story that could have been told a bit better。 A clear and concise explanation of the circumstances before the event set the stage really well in the first act of the book， but the 2nd and 3rd acts fail to avoid the name/place/theory soup trap that many unsolved mystery stories fall into。 I would recommend it to somebody who is particularly interested in Central African politics， the United Nations， or unsolved mysteries， but I think it falls short of a great book。 。。。more

Mary Beth ，

Even decades later， the suspicious death of Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 is impossible to entirely sort out—a perfect storm of missing evidence and deliberate disinformation in a tangled mess of political intrigue， in which multiple parties seem to have been motivated to eliminate the UN secretary-general。 Somaiya does an admirable job of sorting through it， thoughtfully and efficiently， but ultimately， the most compelling aspect of his investigation is the portrait of Hammarskjöld himself， a fascin Even decades later， the suspicious death of Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 is impossible to entirely sort out—a perfect storm of missing evidence and deliberate disinformation in a tangled mess of political intrigue， in which multiple parties seem to have been motivated to eliminate the UN secretary-general。 Somaiya does an admirable job of sorting through it， thoughtfully and efficiently， but ultimately， the most compelling aspect of his investigation is the portrait of Hammarskjöld himself， a fascinating， complicated man whose sincere efforts to support justice and peace in post-colonial Africa may have led to his assassination。2021 Read Harder Challenge 12。 A work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color。 。。。more

Prathap ，

Whilst in the thick of negotiating peace with warring factions and trying to reunite Congo， UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld's DC6 plane went down one early morning in September in 1961。 With so many loose ends left untied in Hammarskjöld's death， discernible even to the plain eye after half a century of his death， it's obvious there had been a coverup。 Somaiya embarks on a mission to put together the missing puzzle pieces and tie up the dizzyingly confusing narratives that had emerged sinc Whilst in the thick of negotiating peace with warring factions and trying to reunite Congo， UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld's DC6 plane went down one early morning in September in 1961。 With so many loose ends left untied in Hammarskjöld's death， discernible even to the plain eye after half a century of his death， it's obvious there had been a coverup。 Somaiya embarks on a mission to put together the missing puzzle pieces and tie up the dizzyingly confusing narratives that had emerged since then to bring closure to the case。 Was the plane crash a sabotage？ Whose hand was involved？ CIA？ MI6？ KGB？ Mercenaries？ Was there a second plane involved？ Or is it simply a pilot error？ Somaiya seeks to answers these questions in this brilliant piece of investigative work that spans more than fifty years。 It's important to mention here that there is simply no earth shattering new evidence to be unearthed in the case， yet Somaiya's writing is gripping and his research meticulous， hence what emerges is the tale of an earnest official who only wanted peace but caught in the crosswire between capitalistic greed and colonial interests in one of the mineral rich regions of Africa。 Brilliant read。ps: received eARC with thanks from Netgalley / Twelve Books in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Jamie Canaves ，

This has it all: spies， history， governments planning assassinations， the founding of the United Nations， unsolved mystery， conspiracy theories， and a reminder that history continues repeating itself if we don’t learn from it–“Nobody could call them off-only wind them up， set them off， and semi-legitimately deny any involvement in the destruction that followed。”Dag Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and the second Secretary-General of the United Nations whose death， along with the deaths of ev This has it all: spies， history， governments planning assassinations， the founding of the United Nations， unsolved mystery， conspiracy theories， and a reminder that history continues repeating itself if we don’t learn from it–“Nobody could call them off-only wind them up， set them off， and semi-legitimately deny any involvement in the destruction that followed。”Dag Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and the second Secretary-General of the United Nations whose death， along with the deaths of everyone on board， in a plane crash on Sept。 17， 1961 has remained unsolved。 The fact that a prominent political figure， with many enemies， died in a plane crash that went unchecked until the next day; that there were over 10 known spies from various countries in the area; that the investigation deemed a dozen witnesses who all saw the same thing （another plane in the sky） as not reliable; and more， fed the flames of conspiracy theories for years。 And it wasn’t until 2014 that the U。N finally appointed someone to reexamine this case。Here， Somaiya–who narrates the audiobook–which I highly recommend！–unravels the man， Hammarskjöld; the politics， including the history of the Congo， the creation of the U。N。， and the hatred towards it; and looks at all the theories that have been presented over the years。 “Never believe anything until it is officially denied。”I liked that I didn’t need to pause to go look up footnotes etc for more information， but， rather， Somaiya makes clear in the narrative whether it is one person’s uncorroborated or corroborated account， and the source material， or when it’s unknown， without this ever feeling like a textbook。 There is a lot of interesting information in here， especially if you don’t know much about the Congo or the U。N。 Spoiler: colonizers ruin everything。 While the book does not end with a pretty bow and a “solved” stamp， it does make clear from all the gathered evidence and information the most likely theory， including explaining the points that work and don’t， and why， for each of the main theories over the years， including mercenary planes， hijackers， and government assassination plots。（TW attempted suicide recounted， detail/ mentions group rape not detailed or graphic）--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link。bookriot。com/view/56a820。。。 。。。more

Robin EH。 ，

I love nonfiction about the Cold War but knew very little about how that played out in Africa， especially Congo。 This book was so educational but reads like a novel。 The author explains things well but also keeps the story moving; he also does a great job at describing the people involved。 Well worth reading！

Nikki ，

The devils enter uninvited when the house stands empty。 For other kinds of guests， you have first to open the door。 —Dag HammarskjöldHard to keep track of all the players but an interesting read。

Jennie ，

3。5 stars。 Really interesting examination of colonialism and its fall out， including the probable assassination of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961。 Probably would have been 4 stars if I'd read in print。 Audio made it tough to keep all the characters straight。 3。5 stars。 Really interesting examination of colonialism and its fall out， including the probable assassination of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961。 Probably would have been 4 stars if I'd read in print。 Audio made it tough to keep all the characters straight。 。。。more

Zare ，

While very interesting read I think first thing required here is to determine what this book is and what it is not。 If you are looking into more details and new developments related to the untimely and mysterious death of one of the greatest UN Secretary-General's you wont find it here - for information on this do check Susan Williamson's book Who Killed Hammarskjöld？ The UN， the Cold War and White Supremacy in Africa or for description of all strange and shady characters involved， Christopher While very interesting read I think first thing required here is to determine what this book is and what it is not。 If you are looking into more details and new developments related to the untimely and mysterious death of one of the greatest UN Secretary-General's you wont find it here - for information on this do check Susan Williamson's book Who Killed Hammarskjöld？ The UN， the Cold War and White Supremacy in Africa or for description of all strange and shady characters involved， Christopher Othen's Katanga 1960-63: Mercenaries， Spies and the African Nation that Waged War on the World。 If you are looking for a solid introductory read into this topic then this is book for you。 Author gives a very detailed picture of events in Congo and Katanga in 1961-63。 This was （after Korea in 1950's） last large engagement of UN led troops in area heavily contested by both superpowers and also various private enterprises。 So when UN decided to stand with the Congolese government to affirm their independence， forever present fear of those others-that-want-to-destroy-us （communists but in general populist movements of any kind at the time） will trigger armed response from the neighboring countries already involved in the long counterinsurgency war （Rhodesia） and from private companies that just didn't want to lose their profitable concessions （and also didn't want to be called out by any elected government especially in the areas where they were the de-facto governments）。 Soon large groups of shady people， mercenaries and spies began to pop up， and conflict between UN/official Congo government and Katanga （supported by private enterprises） entered a bloody phase。 Dag Hammerskjold was a person that lived by UN rules and obligations so for him there was no other way but to make sure Congo exits the colonial period a sovereign country。 Challenged by the mercenary forces， and triggered by gruesome murder of Lubumba， UN troops started a series of offensives that were so brutally fought by both sides that Katanga's leader Tschombe decided to have a meeting with Hammerskjold to discuss how to reintegrate secessionist Katanga back into Congo。 And en route to the meeting plane carrying Dag Hammerskjold will crash killing everybody on board。And this is where author starts to give us details on all investigations and obstacles encountered during the investigation of the crash。 It is true that story loses its tempo here but this is as expected because lots of details related to the crash were intentionally obscured by almost every official team and by actions of various countries with interest in Katanga。 Because of such an opposition investigations would hit a wall very fast。 Either people would hide away from the investigators or they would be dismissed as unreliable （for some very weird reasons that， to make things stranger， were never challenged） or just would not be available for questioning （especially during the re-started investigation in 2000's， time when majority of witnesses from 1960's were long time dead）。 Unfortunately there are no documents given in the book nor details on the findings （only given is publicly available information which is not much） so everything reads very much like he-said-she-said。 Again this is expected。 It just seems nobody wants to volunteer the information that would shed light on this event。When one scratches the surface such weird things start to surface， characters and organizations that seem like they popped up from pages of pulp fiction novels （SAIMR being just one one of them， maybe even not the strangest one）。 This event is important for several reasons - first， UN will never again act in capacity they did in Congo and will forever remain toothless tiger that became more involved in politicking and squabbling but unable to force any settlement ever again on its own; second， killing of a high profile person like UN Secretary General sent a message to everyone in the world。 No-one was untouchable。 Even if this was not planned assassination entire web of half-truths that was built around the event will always raise the what-if question and make politicians （usually not the most reliable people to begin with） to keep their distance。If there was ever a warning story of what happens when private business and government goals match then it was this。 Hopefully truth about what happened will eventually come to the light of the day。Very good book， good introduction to the topic and with extensive bibliography to pick up to learn more。Recommended。 。。。more

Molly ，

This is not an easy read。 I commend the author for making a very， very convoluted and confusing situation readable。 The biggest take away for me: how there are some people who are so dedicated to finding the truth and what is right will work their entire lives for， and still may get no results; how the 'democratic' governments of the world will do dirty deeds， and how public servants are more often than not rewarded for trying to do the best thing for all。 This is not an easy read。 I commend the author for making a very， very convoluted and confusing situation readable。 The biggest take away for me: how there are some people who are so dedicated to finding the truth and what is right will work their entire lives for， and still may get no results; how the 'democratic' governments of the world will do dirty deeds， and how public servants are more often than not rewarded for trying to do the best thing for all。 。。。more

Susan ，

not sure what all the hype is about but I found the story rambling and confusing with no obvious conclusion （other than what the author started with）。 In addition I was most seriously irritated by his habit of writing incomplete sentences; not sure if this is the intended style or just a bad editing job。

Lucie ，

Dag Hammarskjold is a name I remember from my school days。 Turns out he died while I was in high school。 I do not remember anything about his death， but considering my age that is not unusual。 When I saw this book about a mystery revolving around his death I was intrigued。 This book is an attempt to unravel the truth many years after the fact despite official attempts by several countries to cover up or distort the truth for their own ends。 There is still more to be learned but documents are "mi Dag Hammarskjold is a name I remember from my school days。 Turns out he died while I was in high school。 I do not remember anything about his death， but considering my age that is not unusual。 When I saw this book about a mystery revolving around his death I was intrigued。 This book is an attempt to unravel the truth many years after the fact despite official attempts by several countries to cover up or distort the truth for their own ends。 There is still more to be learned but documents are "missing" or lost。 Oh， what a tangled web we weave。。。 。。。more

Mary Foxe ，

Read for Reader Harder 2021。

Anna ，

What a crazy， crazy story。

Oliver ，

This book probably deserves more than 3 stars。 I liked it for the mystery enshrouding the crash but I found it hard to piece together names and places （that's a me problem）。 What I learnt most from this was about Africa and how it was used and abused by us， something I had never been taught about before that I'm thankful to finally have found out。 I understand why the British had interest in the Congo with the links to Union Miniere etc but I can't understand or perhaps it wasn't clear why the C This book probably deserves more than 3 stars。 I liked it for the mystery enshrouding the crash but I found it hard to piece together names and places （that's a me problem）。 What I learnt most from this was about Africa and how it was used and abused by us， something I had never been taught about before that I'm thankful to finally have found out。 I understand why the British had interest in the Congo with the links to Union Miniere etc but I can't understand or perhaps it wasn't clear why the Communists were too？ Were the Communists just hoping to settle in as a satellite state of the USSR？ 。。。more

Sam Quixote ，

In 1961， the Congo was in crisis。 Having regained independence from the hated Belgian occupiers， who caused decades of pain for the Congolese， the country was thrown into civil war as the mineral-rich region of Katanga attempted to secede - without the wealth of resources and income from Katanga， the Congo would not survive as a country。 The battle-lines were drawn between the Western-backed Katangese rebels and the Congo forces， the latter of whom were appealing to the newly-formed United Natio In 1961， the Congo was in crisis。 Having regained independence from the hated Belgian occupiers， who caused decades of pain for the Congolese， the country was thrown into civil war as the mineral-rich region of Katanga attempted to secede - without the wealth of resources and income from Katanga， the Congo would not survive as a country。 The battle-lines were drawn between the Western-backed Katangese rebels and the Congo forces， the latter of whom were appealing to the newly-formed United Nations to diffuse the situation。 So the UN Secretary-General， Dag Hammarskjold， flew out to the region to help - and then his plane was shot down， killing himself and everyone else on board。 Whodunit？ I quite liked how Ravi Somaiya’s Operation Morthor started out: providing context for the brutal way the Belgians treated the Congolese， why the region was so hotly disputed （it was immensely rich in resources， particularly uranium - hence the interest of both the US and the USSR; I wonder if this was the inspiration for Marvel’s Wakanda？）， and the portrait of Dag Hammarskjold， who was an interesting and accomplished Swedish gentleman。 After the assassination though - eh， not so much。 It becomes a hodge-podge of names all chasing down one dead-end lead after another for years and years - it’s a tad too convoluted。 And after a certain point I began to wonder what the outcome of the mystery would mean; as in， if it was ever solved （which this book doesn’t） - what if the Russians killed Dag or the US or some rando French mercenaries or a coalition of them all？ I don’t think it would mean anything to anyone。 Closure to those involved？ They’re all dead。 I guess closure for historians who’re interested in this particular chapter in the Cold War？ Hmm。 The setting is a juicy one: the troubled city of Leopoldville crawling with international spies （the unassuming British spy Daphne Park was another memorable character）， mercenaries and a power struggle as the potential for the Congo to become another proxy theatre of war between the US and the USSR， like Vietnam， plays out。 But instead the book focuses on the investigation into the Albertina plane crash with Somaiya sifting through the minutiae of the evidence and it wasn’t that interesting to read。 I had hoped there’d be more to the mystery behind the assassination - and that’s what this likely was， even though we’ll probably never find out for sure - but there isn’t much and what there is here is unsatisfying and thin。 Operation Morthor （“morthor” is the Hindi word for “twist and break”; it was a descriptive of the UN’s plan - to put down the Katangese secession by force - but also reflective of the makeup of the initial wave of UN soldiers who were from India） starts well and provides a thorough overview of this matter but it’s ultimately a disappointingly dull and forgettable history book - I can see why this is a little-known episode of the Cold War。 。。。more

Therese ，

Unbelievably， King Baudouin uttered these words （on June 30， 1960） as he "stood up in a white military uniform festooned with medals， and with the bitterness of a reluctant divorcee， declared the Congo free at last: The independence of Congo constitutes the completion of the work that arose from the genius of King Leopold ll， he said， "that was undertaken by him with undaunted courage and set forth by the determination of Belgium。" He asked that the Congolese show that Belgium was right to have Unbelievably， King Baudouin uttered these words （on June 30， 1960） as he "stood up in a white military uniform festooned with medals， and with the bitterness of a reluctant divorcee， declared the Congo free at last: The independence of Congo constitutes the completion of the work that arose from the genius of King Leopold ll， he said， "that was undertaken by him with undaunted courage and set forth by the determination of Belgium。" He asked that the Congolese show that Belgium was right to have offered independence， and said he would offer counsel if asked。" How racist！ How patronizing！ What arrogance！ What denial of the blood-soaked history of the Congo during Leopold's rule！ Patrice Lumumba， the first Prime Minister， responded with an unscheduled riposte: "The fate that befell us during eighty years of colonial rule， he said，"is not something we can eradicate from our memory， our wounds are still too fresh and painful。 We have known grueling labor for wages that did not allow us eat decently，to clothe ourselves or have decent housing， not to raise our children as loved ones。 We have known mockery and insult， blows that we underwent in the morning， in the afternoon and evening， because we were Negroes。" 。。。more

Illusions， ，

Normally I don’t indulge in conspiracy theories but I appreciated this book nonetheless

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0