The Good Struggle

CHAPTER ONE

ENDURING QUESTIONS, EMERGING ANSWERS

In September 1961, a small plane crashed in the Congo and killed a Swedish diplomat named Dag Hammarskjöld—one of the most remarkable but little-known leaders of the last century. Hammarskjöld was a handsome, brilliant, well-connected man, at home in many languages and cultures. He could have had comfortable careers in banking, government, or academia. Instead, Hammarskjöld became a diplomat and the first secretary-general of the United Nations. The bold mandate of this unprecedented organization was preventing another world war and alleviating suffering around the globe. Hammarskjöld was on a dangerous peacekeeping mission when he died, and President Kennedy later hailed him as the greatest statesman ...