That I hadn't
previously heard of the assassination of Hammarskjöld
feels like a personal embarrassment but is perhaps a token of the
fact that we, the British, are rather good at overlooking historical
events that would diminish our self image.
Susan Williams'
account is tightly written, it reads with the drama of Le
Carré – perhaps not a
complete surprise, because it is tale from Le
Carré's era of active,
secret, service.
There
are points where you get the feeling that there were so many people
with an interest in seeing the demise of the Secretary-General that
there was probably more at than one plot – that some of those
trying to cover their own tracks might have inadvertently of been
exposing others. There seem to be parts of the evidence that simply
don't add up – they are not explained by an accident, yet neither
do they fit well with any of the theories for what might have
happened. Williams marshals substantial evidence – bringing it
together for the first time, but there are still bits of the jigsaw
missing.
The
actions of the authorities after the crash seem at best negligent to
the point complicity, while the investigators wilful in dismissing
evidence of witnesses that didn't fit with their conclusions (the
failure of even the UN investigation to get anywhere near the truth
is a worry).
The
treatment of the witnesses is one of the aspects that reminds us that
the world has not changed
that much – racial prejudice was the key drive for undermining
witnesses, but it is a pattern that we see repeated, for
example after
Hillsborough, and why the victims of Grenfell Tower are so
miss-trusting of the investigation been established there.
Time and again investigations find in favour of the establishment's
version of the truth.
This
feels like an important story – not just to honour Hammarskjöld's
memory, but as an exemplar of the ways forces of power interact and
corrupt.
No comments:
Post a Comment