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Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjżld
Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjżld | Ravi Somaiya
3 posts | 3 read | 2 to read
A true story of spies and intrigue surrounding one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, investigative reporter Ravi Somaiya uncovers the story behind the death of renowned diplomat and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld.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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 15.0px}
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review
DGRachel
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Mehso-so

While I found the history of the Congo fascinating, the main premise of the book, the mystery surrounding the plane crash that killed the UN Secretary General, was tedious and repetitive. There appears to be a cover up, but whether it was nefarious or just an attempt to avoid embarrassment over gross negligence/ineptitude is unclear. This is my spring audiobook for #booked2021 and counts for #mounttbr.

BarbaraTheBibliophage Sorry it wasn‘t a better book ... but good job! 3y
69 likes1 comment
review
Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Dag Hammarskjöld, then UN secretary-general, was making an effort to calm tensions in Congo when his plane crashed, killing all aboard. But there were some strange findings and eyewitness reports, throwing doubt on what really happened. Somaiya explores the historic and currently available information to delve into the story. While it‘s quite interesting, I‘m not sure there‘s enough info to have merited a book-length treatment.

review
GerardtheBookworm
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Pickpick

A bit of mystery with historical conflict centered around the Congo. After a centuries of European colonialism in that region of Africa, other countries have shown economic interest fueling decades of civil war and a battle for national independence. During the Cold War, UN Ambassador Dag Hammarskold was trying negotiate peace talks before his plane mysteriously crashes on the continent. What comes next is a series of death conspiracies.