Bengt Rösiö facts for kids
Per Bengt Magnus Ingemar Rösiö (born May 14, 1927, died May 19, 2019) was a Swedish diplomat and writer. He worked as an ambassador in many countries, serving in 17 different nations. He also wrote 20 books, mostly about diplomacy. Many people know him best for leading a Swedish government investigation into the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, who was the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Rösiö concluded that Hammarskjöld's death was an accident and not caused by foul play.
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Early Life and Education
Per Rösiö was born in Åmål, Sweden, on May 14, 1927. His father, Birger Rösiö, was a veterinarian. Per studied law at Uppsala University, finishing in 1949. He also studied in cities like Dublin, Vienna, The Hague, and Paris between 1947 and 1950. In 1951, he began his career as an attaché at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
A Career in Diplomacy
Per Rösiö had a long and busy career as a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. They work to build good relationships and solve problems between countries.
Early Diplomatic Posts
- In 1953, Rösiö worked at the Swedish legation in New Delhi, India.
- From 1954 to 1958, he was a Trade Commissioner and vice consul in Bombay.
- He served as an embassy secretary in Beijing, China, from 1958 to 1959.
- From 1959 to 1961, he was a secretary at the Swedish Foreign Ministry. During this time, he also helped investigate how Sweden could help developing countries.
Moving Around the World
Rösiö continued to serve in many important roles:
- He was a vice consul in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) from 1961 to 1962.
- From 1962 to 1964, he was an administrative director for the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.
- He worked as an embassy secretary in Washington, D.C. from 1964 to 1965.
- In 1965, he was a Deputy Resident Representative for the United Nations in Algiers.
- He served as an embassy counsellor in Khartoum from 1966 to 1969.
- From 1969 to 1971, he was the consul general in Houston, USA.
- He became a deputy director at the Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1973.
Ambassador to Many Nations
Per Rösiö became an ambassador, representing Sweden in many countries:
- He was ambassador in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 1974 to 1977.
- From 1977 to 1979, he was ambassador in Islamabad, Pakistan.
- He served as ambassador in Prague, Czechoslovakia, from 1979 to 1981.
- From 1981 to 1985, he was ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and also in Rangoon, Myanmar.
- He was the consul general in Montreal, Canada, from 1985 to 1990.
- Finally, he was appointed regional ambassador for French-speaking Central Africa until 1992.
Rösiö visited over 140 countries during his life. He was one of the few Swedish diplomats who worked in more than 25 countries.
The Dag Hammarskjöld Inquiry
In 1991, the Swedish government asked Per Rösiö to investigate the plane crash that killed Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961. This happened after some news reports claimed a mercenary shot down the plane. Rösiö was one of the first people to see the plane wreckage.
Rösiö looked at earlier reports and found some unanswered questions. However, he concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error. He proved that claims of bullet holes in the plane were false. He also showed that stories from mercenaries had many inconsistencies. For example, their planes' fuel tanks were too small for the distances they claimed to have flown. Since his report was submitted in 1993, it has been Sweden's official explanation for what happened in Ndola.
Author and Observer
After he retired from the Foreign Service, Rösiö wrote over 500 articles. Many of these were later published in books. He was always interested in events happening both in Sweden and around the world. One of his most famous books is Yrke: diplomat (1988), which means "Occupation: diplomat." This book explains what it's like to be a diplomat.
Personal Life
In 1955, Per Rösiö married Joan Binns. They later divorced. In 1969, he married Görel Pernvik. Per Rösiö had two children, Josefine Hjelm and Adrian Rösiö.
