Hammarskjold
Site
STATE COLLEGE. PA.. TUESDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 19. 1961 FIVE CENTS
VOL. 62.
, vS Editorial Opinion .
More Than Mourning
Overlooking New York City’s East River rises a
complex of white stone structures known throughout
the world —the United Nations.
Somewhere in the barren, isolated bush country
of central Africa lies the smouldering wreckage of a
plane that was carrying the man who was the U.N. on
still another mission of peace.
A man and the United Nations.
The white haughty buildings caught the sun over
New York this morning, as they will every morning.
But the man who gave the United Nations its inner
energy, and whatever vitality it could claim to possess
in these tiring times, is no longer there,
Dag Hammarskjold and the United Nations were
synonymous.
All that has been accomplished by the United Na
tions in recent years in the way of preventing a third
world war, and keeping the precarious stalemate be
tween East and West from rupturing was the work of
this one man.
He did this by excercising the power of his office
as only he interpreted it. He could not be intimidated
by the Soviet Upion which called for his replacement
by an East-West-Neutralist triumvirate.
He was a particular hero to the small and neutralist
nations, giving favor neither to East nor West.
Now the U.N.'s effectiveness in moderating the
current world ideological conflict has been nullified
two years before anyone expected it.
The world can be satisfied to mourn him—and
accomplish nothing.
Or these nations that only call themselves “united”
can prove their dedication to their U.N. charter by
respect for his ideals, his concepts and his strength.
World Tragedy
Aspaturian
Leadership
By LYNNE CEREFICE
City Editor
(This is an interpretive article presenting the views 0/ Vernon
V. Aspaturian, associate professor of political science, on the
death of U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskfold as it will
influence the future of international relations,)
The sudden death of U.N. Secretary-General Dag Ham
marskjold yesterday morning has created a myriad of shock
and chaos the world over.
But what does it all mean? What are the possible effects,
both immediate and future, of the death of this one-man,
Dag Hammarskjold, on the United 1
Nations and the course of inter
national relations today?
First, the death of U.N. Secre
tary-General Dag Hammarskjold
can best be described as an “inter - -;
national tragedy” for the free
world, Vernon V. Aspaturian, as
sociate professor of political sci
ence, says.
He predicts that the Russians
will abandon their proposal of a
3-man secretariat (troika), repre
senting the three main world ide
ologies—Communist, Western and
Neutralist—each one having a
EXTRA
FOR A BETTER PENN STATE
Predicts
of U.N.
veto on secretariat decisions.
But “Dag Hammarskjold was
destined to be the last U.N. repre
sentative of the West, he adds.
The next Secretary-General of
the United Nations will prob
ably be an Afro-Asian, he pre
dicts. "And the big question,"
he adds, "is what kind of an
Afro-Asian will it be?
Aspaturian further says if the
United States is confronted with
a choice between a “Pro-Commu
(Continued on page three >
Hammarskjold
Background
Sketch
By The Associated Pres*
Dag Hammarskjold was a
icoolly poised diplomat who
i searched the world for the
makings of peace. He came
under fierce attack, but he
[insisted that nothing mattered but
the United Nations and its efforts
to safeguard the peoples of the
world.
Many persons disagreed with
some of his methods and with
the usefulness of the United Na
tions itself. But few questioned
the bachelor Swede’s dedication to
his job.
I He was the second secretary
general of the United Nations, the
[organization that grew out of
World War 11.
The Congo brought Hammar
skjold the severest test in his
eight years of directing the Untied
Nations. He was on his third mis
sion to the Congo when his plane
disappeared.
It was at the eve of a new ses
sion of the U.N. General Assem
bly, where the Soviet Union could
be expected to renew its attack
on the secretary-general.
I Last year the Soviet Union de
nounced him as a willful tool ofi
imperialists because of the way!
he was carrying out U.N. policy |
in the Congo.'
i Hammarskjold’s courage in re
fusing to quit under fire permitted
i the United Nations to go bn fune
itioning without the necessity of;
[agreeing on a new secretary-gen-j
eral or a substitute for the pres-!
lent secretariat.
His predecessor, Trygre Lie,
resigned in the fall of 1952 after
falling out with the Russians over
Korean policy. It took many
months of wrangling before a
promise was reached on Hammar
skjold as Lie’s successor.
Slight, sandy-haired, blue-eyed,
Hammarskjold already was known
as a quick-thinking economist
and a master of the art of compro
mise when he came to the $55,000
a year U.N. post.
He had been deputy foreign
(Continued on page three)
Reds Balk at Hammarskjold Praise
By MILTON BESSER
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y.
(/P) —The Soviet Union balked
yesterday at a U.N. Security
Council statement praising
Secretary-General Dag Ham
marskjold—victim of a tragic
plane crash in Africa.
The Soviet stand tended to con
firm fears that Hammarskjold’s
death would set off a bitter East-
West dispute over his successor
that could wreck the United Na
tions as an effective peace mak
ing organization.
The 11-nation council met be
hind closed doors several hours
after the official news of Ham
marskjold's death was announced
here.
Crash Kills
U.N. Head
NDOLA, Northern Rhodesia, (AP) —A plane carrying
U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold on a Congo peace
mission crashed into the red dust of central Africa yesterday
killing him and 12 other persons.
The lone survivor, a U.N. security guard, reported a series
of explosions had preceded the crash. He said the plane had
turned away from a landing at Ndola’s modern airport, ap
parently on Hammarskjold’s orders, after being in radio con
tact with the airport tower just after midnight.
The wreckage was found more than 12 hours after that in
a forest preserve eight miles
north of Ndola ' "
Hammarskjold was flying
to this border copper-belt
town for talks with Presi
dent Moise Tshombe of Ka
tanga Province.
For the last week the United
Nations has been trying to
bring Katanga under control
of the central Congo govern
ment. Tshombe’s forces have
been fighting back, inflicting
severe casualties on U.N. for
ces from several nations.
A U.N. spokesman said he
could not definitely rule out
sabotage or shooting as the
cause of the crash of the plane
—a four-engine DC6B.
The only survivor, Harry
Julien, an American U.N. se
curity guard, was quoted at a hospital as saying the plane
changed course on Hammarskjold’s instructions while prepar
ing to land at Ndola.
Officials quoted him as saying that Hammarskjold had
changed his mind about landing at Ndola and told the pilot
to alter course for another destination.
Moments later, according to the injured man, there was
a series of explosions aboard the plane.
Hospital authorities said Julien was in serious condition.
Owners of the airliner, the Swedish Air Co. said in Leo
poldville they were trying to determine whether the plane
might have been shot down by a jet fighter of Tshombe’s tiny
air force. They called this a possibility. The crash apparently
occurred in darkness, however.
Informed sources in Salisbury, Southern Rodesia, said
they learned Hammarskjold’s plane did not fly a direct route
from Leopoldville but took a roundabout course to avoid Ka
tanga.
The informants gave this report of the plane’s move
ments:
As the plane approached Ndola Airport, the control tower
asked the pilot to identify himself. The pilot refused and in
stead asked for permission to descend to 6000 feet, which was
granted.
The pilot then reported he might need fuel but mo
(Continued on page four).
Most delegates to the 16th As
sembly reacted with shock, and
some—especially from the small
er nations—were close to tears.
Delegates expected that the 99-
nation Assembly would open as
planned this afternoon, then ad
journ immediately for at least 24
hours in respect to Hammarskjold.
A. long blue and white U.N.
banner flew at half-staff while
flags of all the member nations
were removed from their poles
in front of U.N. headquarters.
Hernane Tevares de Sa. Brazil
ian, undersecretary in charge of
public information, sadly read to
a news conference the official
word of Hammarskjold’s death
while on a peace mission in the
Congo operation he had directed.
Already confronting the ICth
Assembly were, such grave issues
aa admission of Communist Chi-
Dead
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD
na, Berlin, nuclear weapons and
jthe Congo warfare that indirectly
claimed Hammarskjold’s life.
But the jungle tragedy threw
into the fore the fight over reor
ganization of the secretary-gen
eral’s office itself.
The Soviet Union has demanded
a three-man secretariat, repre
senting the Communist, WesteVn
and so-called neutral nations, each
with the power of veto.
The United States and other
Western powers have vowed to
fight the plan which they say
would paralyze the U.N. executive
machinery and prevent any effec
tive U.N. action in times of crisis.
The prospect of such a fight was
already threatening to put addi
tional strain on U.S.-Soviet rela
tions in advance of the explora
tory peace talks here on Berlin be
(Coritinued on page two)