This work of creative non-fiction by Jan Stocklassa offers a comprehensive overview of the murder of Olof Palme.
Author Jan Stocklassa
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme
*****
On February 28, 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on the corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgaten in Stockholm.
Corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgaten in Stockholm
After dismissing his security guards for the evening, Palme and his wife Lisbeth went to the movies, then decided to walk home.
Olof Palme and his wife Lisbeth
As the couple was strolling along a gunman closed in and shot Palme in the back, killing him almost instantly. A second shot in Lisbeth's direction only drilled two holes into her coat, and she was unharmed. The killer then ran away and escaped.
The hunt for the shooter spawned a laundry list of suspects and a plethora of conspiracy theories, but at the time of this book's publication - more than three decades later - the killer still hasn't been unequivocally identified.
To write this narrative, Jan Stocklassa relied heavily on the archives of Stieg Larsson , the author of 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' series.
Writer Stieg Larsson
Most people aren't aware that Larsson was originally an investigative journalist and illustrator who did extensive research on white-nationalist, right-wing, and neo-Nazi groups in Sweden.
Larsson suspected that far-right organizations conspired to assassinate Palme, and immediately began investigating the murder from that point of view. Larsson's theory morphed over time to include pro-apartheid groups in South Africa, because Palme strongly and vocally opposed this policy of racial segregation.
Apartheid signs in South Africa
Larsson died in 2004, but left reams of research about Palme's murder in the archives of 'Expo' magazine, which he published.
Stieg Larsson's Expo magazine
The Swedish authorities in charge of the Palme investigation were either as incompetent as Keystone Kops or scandalously corrupt because - year after year - they ignored valid clues and tried to nail their own bugbears for the crime.
Keystone Kops
Files related to the Palme assassination could probably fill a room, and Stocklassa read innumerable documents for this book. After immersing himself in the existing paperwork, Stocklassa launched his own investigation - doing research; traveling to South Africa and Cyprus; interviewing persons of interest; forming hypotheses; and working with a female 'spy' to gather additional information.
The result is this book, which contains a fascinating analysis of the Palme killing. Some reviewers kvetch about the length of the book and the large number of people with hard-to-pronounce names, but this didn't bother me.
After describing the actual shooting, Stocklassa devotes many pages to the observations of various witnesses - some of whom (allegedly) saw surveillers with walkie-talkies following the Palmes and some of whom think they saw the killer running away or climbing into a getaway car. In addition, the author discusses wife Lisbeth Palme's confusion about the shooter's appearance, and the creation of a composite photo from the observations of a nightclub worker on a cigarette break.
Composite drawing of Palme's shooter (left) beside a photo of Jan Stocklassa
As the assassination tale unfolds, Stocklassa identifies the multiple persons and law enforcement agencies who ran the Palme investigation. The first man in charge, Police Commissioner Hans Holmér, was dubbed Sherlock Holmér 😊. Unfortunately, Hans didn't have Sherlock's success, and was replaced after a time. In fact the investigative personnel changed several times over the years as one alleged perpetrator after another fizzled out.
Police Commissioner Hans Holmér
The main suspects targeted by Swedish officials were, in turn: the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK); Swedish extremist Viktor Gunnarsson; and criminal drug addict Christer Pettersson.
Kurdistan Workers Party
Extremist Viktor Gunnarsson
Criminal Christer Pettersson
When these targets didn't lead to an ultimate conviction, the Swedish cops were seemingly at a loss - though investigative reporters and true crime aficionados suggested many other suspects.
A good part of the book is devoted to journalists' and authors' speculations about who might have conspired to kill Palme. Suspects include Swedish right-wing zealots; Swedish intelligence officers; Swedish cops; Iran-Contra schemers; South African spies; South African political organizations; Americans who supported apartheid for monetary purposes; and more.
Once Stocklassa formed a solid theory about the perpetrators, he conducted his own intelligence operation with Lída Komárková.
Lída Komárková
Lída is a beautiful, fearless Czech woman who buddied up to a prime suspect while sporting spy paraphernalia, including a pen camera-recorder; a GPS device; and eyeglasses with a hidden camera.
In the end, Stocklassa's discoveries DO suggest a likely shooter, and a location for the murder gun. Moreover, Stocklassa outlines an entire assassination operation that involves a leader; a planning group; a murder group; a surveillance group; and a patsy. The Swedish authorities have this information and may eventually resolve the mystery.....or not (given their woeful history).
A fascinating (to me) chapter of the book includes a report from Stieg Larsson's archives, called "A Study of Assassination", which outlines pros and cons of assorted assassination techniques (possibly compiled by the CIA). The methods included are:
- Manual: Use your bare hands (which is very hard unless you're an expert); use a tool like an axe, hammer, or screwdriver; use a rock or heavy object to administer blunt force trauma to the head; employ a rope or belt for strangulation; etc.
- Accidents: Arrange a fall from a height of 75 feet or more; cause a car/truck accident; push someone in front of a train or bus; etc.
- Drugs: Administer a lethal dose of some sedative or painkiller, like morphine (if you're a doctor or nurse, this is especially convenient).
- Edge weapons (knives, swords, bayonets, etc.): Either pierce the heart or sever the spinal cord in the cervical region.
- Firearms: These are less reliable than many people think; if you use a gun, it should have immense destructive power.
- Explosives: Very effective; make sure the victim is less than six feet from the detonation.
In fact, Palme's assassination was associated with the demise of MANY individuals who may have colluded to commit the crime, or worked to unmask the perpetrators. And lots of these deaths were 'accidents.' 😲 Stocklassa speculates that this may have been an attempt to tie up loose ends and/or protect the most prominent conspirators.
Stieg Larsson and Jan Stocklassa also endured repercussions from their investigations, but these were largely self-inflicted. Larsson smoked incessantly and both men hung out in cafes with strong coffee and delicious pastries....which piled on the pounds.
Café in Stockholm
This is an excellent true crime narrative that reads like a mystery thriller. Highly recommended to readers interested in the subject.
Olof Palme Memorial Plaque in Stockholm
Rating: 4.5 stars
Excellent review Barb, fascinating book and very interesting that this is still an unsolved murder.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carla. 🙂🌾🌸
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