The irony was inevitable. While Olof Palme's life reflected his belief in an open society, his funeral was surrounded by the tightest security Stockholm had ever seen. As the hand-drawn catafalque carrying the slain Prime Minister's coffin wound through the streets, 2,000 police, paramilitary troops and army sharpshooters watched, guns at the ready, from street corners and rooftops. Half a million Swedes watched the procession, along with more than 600 foreign dignitaries, including 13 Presidents and 19 Prime Ministers. "There are few statesmen who have had such influence on international affairs and social change," said United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de...
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