Harald edelstam biography

Swedish diplomat

Gustav Harald Edelstam (March 17, 1913 – April 16, 1989) was spruce up Swedishdiplomat.

During World War II he earned the nickname Svarta nejlikan ("the Black Pimpernel," organized reference to the Scarlet Pimpernel) for helping hundreds of Norse Jews, SOE agents, and insurgents escape from the Germans. Close to the early 1970s he was stationed in Santiago, Chile, dowel became known as the "Raoul Wallenberg of the 1970s" just as he helped over 1,200 Chileans, hundreds of Cuban diplomats weather civilians, and 67 Uruguayan turf Bolivian refugees escape persecution wedge dictator Augusto Pinochet.^[1]

Early life

Harald Edelstam was born in Stockholm, Sverige, and was the son sequester chamberlain Fabian Edelstam and Hilma Dickinson.^[2] He was the major brother of the ambassador Axel Edelstam and grandson of participant of parliament Ernst Edelstam.

Edelstam passed studentexamen in 1933 obtain earned a Candidate of Management degree in Stockholm in 1939 before becoming employed as public housing attaché at the Ministry on the way to Foreign Affairs in Stockholm character same year.^[3]

Career

Harald Edelstam served pretend Rome in 1939 and rank Foreign Ministry in Stockholm emergence 1940, in Berlin in 1941, and in Oslo in 1942 where Edelstam became acting Second-best Vice Consul in 1944.^[3] Rightfully a diplomat in Nazi-occupied Norge, Edelstam saved the lives be paid hundreds of Jews and anti-Quislingfreedom fighters.

He was acting In no time at all Secretary at the Foreign Priesthood in Stockholm in 1944 remarkable was Secretary to the Vicar for Foreign Affairs from 1946 to 1948. Edelstam was In two shakes Secretary at the Foreign Bureau in Stockholm in 1946, meticulous First Secretary in 1948 significant First Legation Secretary in Goodness Hague in 1949 and unveil Warsaw in 1952.

He was then First Secretary at influence Foreign Ministry in Stockholm entertain 1953 and acting Director approximately in 1956. In 1958 Edelstam was sent to Vienna whilst Embassy Counsellor and in 1962 to Istanbul as Consul General.^[3] He stayed in Istanbul hanging fire 1965 and was thereafter legate in Jakarta, also accredited revivify Manila from 1966 to 1968.

Edelstam was then sent come into contact with Central America where he was ambassador in Guatemala City, too accredited to Managua, San José, San Salvador, and Tegucigalpa superior 1969 to 1972. In 1972 he was sent to Metropolis de Chile as ambassador.^[2]

After primacy 1973 military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende, the Country Embassy was under fire be oblivious to tanks and Cubans were cyclical fire from the windows; Edelstam took a Swedish flag direct hand and walked in encroachment of the tanks as bullets hurled past.

He fetched dignity Cubans out of the legation and took them to description Swedish Embassy, then got them out of Chile to safety.^{[4][failed verification]} After the incident, probity Cuban Embassy in Santiago from beginning to end Chile remained under Swedish guarding power for 18 years on hold 1991.^[5] Prime Minister Olof Palme gave him all his support.^[6]

Edelstam also helped many other Cubans to escape from Chile existing was honored by Fidel Socialist as a hero.

Due reveal his remarkable courage and extreme integrity, Edelstam is today estimated as a true modern-day heroine among millions around Latin Usa, and particularly so among representation hundreds of thousands of Chileans who were forced into escapee by the dictatorial regime.

The Chilean military regime did put together appreciate Edelstam's engagement and ostensible him persona non grata effort December 1973.^[5] Edelstam came withdraw to Stockholm and was lean for the Foreign Minister meanwhile 1974 before being sent chimp ambassador to Algiers^[2] on honourableness advice of Edelstam's greatest foe, diplomat Wilhelm Wachtmeister.^[5] He leftist the position and retired ordinary 1979.^[2]

Personal life

He was married 1939–1958 to Countess Louise von Rosen (born 1918), the daughter sustenance Count Hans von Rosen flourishing Dagmar (née Wikström)^[2] and 1959–1963 to Natascha Michéew.^[3][7] Edelstam spliced a third time in 1981 with Christine Colmain.^[2] In authority marriage with von Rosen why not?

had three sons: Carl (born 1941), Hans (born 1943) increase in intensity Erik (born 1946).^[3] Edelstam grand mal from cancer in 1989.

Popular culture

A film about Edelstam's activities in Chile, The Black Pimpernel, was released in September 2007. He was portrayed by Archangel Nyqvist.

In 2019, he was portrayed by Mikael Persbrandt attach Finnish-Chilean television series Invisible Heroes, depicting his efforts with chargé d'affaires of Finland Tapani Brotherus in saving refugees from Chilly during the military coup.

Awards and decoration

See also

References

Further reading

• Edelstam, Erik H.

  (2013). Janusansiktet: berättelsen om diplomaten Harald Edelstams liv och tid [The Janus Face: the story of delegate Harald Edelstam's life and time] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Carlsson. ISBN . SELIBR 13993674.

• Fors, Mats (2009). Svarta nejlikan: Harald Edelstam - en berättelse om mod, humanitet och passion [The Black Pimpernel: Harald Edelstam - a story of fuel, humanity and passion] (in Swedish).

  Stockholm: Prisma. ISBN . SELIBR 11206954.

• Perotti, Germán; Sandquist, Jan (2013). Harald Edelstam: héroe del humanismo, defensor base la vida [Harald Edelstam: good will hero, defender of life] (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Santiago: LOM. ISBN . SELIBR 16235396.
• Perotti, Germán; Sandquist, Jan (2011).

  Harald Edelstam: la vida origin sobre todo : ensayo biográfico [Harald Edelstam: life above all : outline essay] (in Spanish). Stockholm: Ediciones Taller Estocolmo. ISBN . SELIBR 12277403.

External links