Hans was born
1914 in Kosta, Sweden. His ancestors were typically urban;
academics, militaries and merchants. They originated from
Holland and came via Germany to Denmark/Sweden towards the
end of 1600. One of these Nermans – as their name was
at the time – was David who as David Nerman
Ehrenstrale was given noble status. This fact did not
protect the descendants from hard times and Hans grew up
during the harsh first and second world war years.
Hans completed a classical schooling at
Fjellstedska in Uppsala and subsequently achieved a first
Lund University degree – the so called FK in Semitic
languages, Greek and the History of Religions (theological
studies for a degree in Divinity). He interrupted his
academic career for an offer – which came through the
University – to an appointment as Delegate of the
neutral Swedish Swiss Commission for Greece. It was an
irresistible opportunity for a young man with the required
technical and personal background to break out of the
mandatory Swedish neutrality and become active, albeit in a
humanitarian capacity, in the great combat of the Second
World War.
In his book “Peace Negotiator in
Greece” (1946) he has written about his year in
Patras in 1944. It was a harrowing experience of great
sufferings for the inhabitants, drama, adventure as well as
of humanitarian achievements.
Hans is further mentioned in “Kaldaris
– the Drama of Kalavryta” (Athens 1989). I
quote the author:
“…the saviour of our country Hans
Ehrenstrole of Sweden arrived …this great
humanitarian…gave himself completely to the service
of the suffering peoples of Kalavryta…we owe him
eternal gratitude…”
His efforts to negotiate a peaceful solution to
the liberation of Patras was recognised as an outstanding
diplomatic success and brought him recognition from the
Patras city council as honorary citizen with a street named
after him.
When the occupation was over and Greece was
liberated, Hans returned to Sweden but was soon required
again for similar work in the post war period. He carried
out several short term missions to France, Italy and
Yugoslavia for the Save the Children Fund and was recruited
by the Foreign Office in Stockholm when the Swedish Red
Cross needed a liaison officer with Lord
Montgommery’s HQ in Vloto for the worst ruined German
cities.
It was on the conclusion of this assignment
that Count Folke Bernadotte suggested that Hans take on the
post as coordinator of the manifold organisations working
for Poland’s reconstruction and relief.
During 33 years of international activity Hans
was posted for periods varying from six months to eight
years in the following countries: Greece, Germany, Poland,
Rumania, Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel,
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Aden and
Protectorates, Somalia, Congo, Gabon, Chad, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Algeria and the
United Kingdom.
In the 33 years (1943 – 1976) the world
went through changing political social and cultural phases.
Hans started his career as the Second World War culminated
in its most decisive military operations. In the post-war
efforts of reconstruction and reconciliation he and his
wife were directly involved at their modest level in the
activities and aims of the United Nations. In the
oppressive atmosphere of the Cold War they were especially
confronted with the great international move to
independence for dependent territories. Their years on the
African continent were contemporary with the accelerated
rush for the “liberation” of colonies and their
people. Finally, on retirement from the United Nations,
Hans became closely involved in the emerging human rights
struggles through Amnesty International as the consequences
of an earlier involvement in the Raoul Wallenberg case.
Africa
John Gunther’s Inside Africa was for
almost three decades the standard work about the continent.
A well read copy o this classic was to be found in the
Ehrenstrale bookcases. The author’s bird’s view
of the Continent as a whole and of each country and
territory had helped their introduction to and
understanding of the conditions they were to meet during
their long safari in Africa. Across the continent from the
Equator to the shores of the Mediterranean they were
assigned and working with some twelve countries during a
twenty year span with homes set up in Addes Abeba,
Brazzaville, Abidjan and Algiers.
When Hans retired from the UN in 1975 and they
sailed out of Algiers they had acquired their own in depth
knowledge of a new and different Africa. It had been the
critical years of independence for a great number of
African countries. Hans had been involved when Somalia in
1960 became a sovereign UN member state and they had been
not merely eyewitnesses but invited guests when in the
sixties the pan-african vision took shape with the
establishment of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa (UNECA) shortly afterwards to be followed by the
Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
Their African experience stretched over a wide
range of socio-political structures from traditional
hereditary rule ( the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie) to
democratically elected heads of state (Ivory Coasts
President Houphouet-Boigny) to a dictatorship after a coup
d’etat (Algerian President Houary Boumedien).
Measured on a different scale it was an experience of the
traditional market economy – again Ethiopia –
to market capitalism – this in The Ivory Coast
– with democratic socialism in Algeria and popular
socialism in the Revolutionary Republic of Congo under
Predient Massemba Debat. Applying again another type of
criteria Hans work had to adjust to varying degrees of
planning: from planned economies in Congo and Algeria
(respectively 3 and 5 year plans) to the more pragmatic
development in Ivory Coast or the
“modernisation” approach of Ethiopia.
Structures and classifications aside, the Ehrenstrales were
primarily interested in the people they worked with and
met. During their time in Africa for a short while a new
medical discipline; ethno-psychiatry claimed recognition in
WHO. The field studies were primarily located to the black
continent, leading to misinterpretations fo racism. Hans
had drawn attention to this danger in private
correspondence with colleagues in WHO and saw with
satisfaction that the whole concept of ethno-psychiatri
disappeared, at least from official records. With his wife
he was however deeply interested in behavioural phenomena
among the peoples they met and worked with all the time
aware of the risks in caricaturising and emphasizing at
every opportunity the fundamentals of our human existence
as embodied by the UN philosophy.
Perhaps it would be right to say that they
themselves embodied these principles in their work.
The
Middle East
On the 27th May 1950 the new UNICEF Area Chief
arrived in Beirut with this wife. It was their first
meeting with the world outside Europe where they would be
living and working for the next 25 years. The overshadowing
problems in the Middle East at that time (as today!) was
the Palestinian refugee issue which also took priority on
Hans’ job description. This was reflected by an
arrangement by chich Hans also served as head of the social
affaires division of UNWRAPNE (United Nations Works and
Relief Agency for Palestinian Refugees of the Near East).
The emphasize of his agenda was however to
establish working conditions with all the Governments of
the region for national programmes for care of mothers and
children, a concept which hardly existed yet in the local
political preoccupations. This implied extensive and
frequent travel to the twelve countries involved and
negotiations of both a juridical and operative nature.
Photographs show Hans on two such signings of basic
agreements with Egypt and Iran. What appears to be an
ordinary diplomatic ceremony was in fact the end result of
often long and intricate negotiations when traditional
national legal rules had to be reconciled with principles
of international law as promoted by the UN. Long before his
assignment to Beirut ended in 1956 basic agreements had
been concluded with all countries in the area which in turn
laid grounds for and opened technical and financial
assistance to cover one hundred welfare projects in the
fields of MCH (Mother and Child Health), rural health
services, education, vocational training, nutrition and so
forth throughout an extensive region from Iran to Libya and
from Turkey to Ethiopia.