The Death of Dag Hammarskjoeld and the Last Great Mystery of the Cold War

LONGLISTED FOR THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

‘One of the mysteries I’ve long been fascinated by, and I am so grateful that Ravi Somaiya has cracked it open so brilliantly’ David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon

A PLANE CRASH IN THE JUNGLE.
A LEGENDARY STATESMAN DEAD.
A TRAGIC ACCIDENT… OR THE ULTIMATE CONSPIRACY?

In 1961, a Douglas DC-6B aeroplane transporting the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjoeld, disappeared over the Congolese jungle at the height of the Cold War. Soon afterward, Hammarskjoeld was discovered in the smoking wreckage, an Ace of Spades playing card placed on his body. He had been heralded as the Congo’s best hope for peace and independence. Now he was dead.

The circumstances of that night have remained one of the Cold War’s most tightly guarded secrets for decades. Now, with exclusive evidence, investigative journalist Ravi Somaiya finally uncovers the truth, with dark implications for governments and corporations alike.