CONTRASTS

When Jan Anderlund applied for an extension to the deadline for submitting his income tax return for the 1981 tax year, he explained to the Swedish Tax Agency the difficulties of filing a tax return in Lebanon, where violent incidents associated with the ongoing conflict occurred almost daily. He also pointed out that it would be impossible to submit his return before his assignment as an observer ended in late June 1982.

Jan, who was serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East, was granted an extension until early June — in other words, before his period of service had ended.

However, the United Nations system proved more flexible than the Swedish Tax Agency, and after considerable effort, he eventually obtained permission to travel to Sweden to file his tax return. During the journey, he repeatedly encountered difficulties when overzealous UN employees attempted to prevent him from travelling for various reasons.

After finally managing to hitch a ride aboard an SAS aircraft from Cyprus to Arlanda Airport, he took the airport bus to Norrtull in Stockholm.

"It is early in the morning, and I am walking along Sveavägen towards Sergels Torg. It is a sunny, warm morning, and it is going to be a wonderfully hot day. I can feel it throughout my body. I am struck by how orderly Stockholm is. The streets are so well maintained, clean and tidy. Everything is calm and peaceful, and the contrast with war-torn Lebanon is enormous.

Over there, the world is filled with bombed-out buildings, bullet holes in the walls, wreckage and rubbish everywhere, and roads in poor condition. The difference is incredible, and suddenly Lebanon feels very far away.

All of a sudden, I no longer need to look over my shoulder or scan my surroundings for potential threats or anything that might pose a risk. I wander alone through the arcades around the Hötorg skyscrapers and the Stockholm Concert Hall. I am overwhelmed by a powerful emotion. 'I love this city. It is the most beautiful and wonderful capital in the entire world,' I think to myself. Tears well up in my eyes as the feeling takes hold of me so intensely.

There is a young man sitting nearby, playing the harmonica and guitar simultaneously, occasionally singing as well. I sit down to listen. I think he is absolutely fantastic, and I remain there for a long time, simply enjoying his performance. Or rather, he is practising for a performance he will give later in the day, when more people will be around. I strike up a conversation with him, and he tells me that he is travelling around, living as a vagabond and earning his living by playing music in streets and squares. He has recorded his music onto cassette tapes, which he sells. Before I can buy one, however, I need to visit the former PK Bank to withdraw some Swedish cash.

I am waiting at the door when the bank opens at 10 a.m. When I am asked to identify myself, I present my UN White Card ID, which allows me to travel throughout the Middle East. The bank cashier refuses to accept it as valid identification. My White Card contains details of my weight, height, hair colour and other identifying characteristics, but it does not include a Swedish personal identity number. Just to test her reaction, I say, 'With this identity card, I can travel anywhere in the Middle East.' She looks back at me with a slight smile and asks what kind of identification it is. I explain further. 'All right,' she says. 'I'll make an exception and accept your ID. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't, but you seem like a trustworthy person, so I'll let it pass.' I receive my Swedish cash, thank her warmly, smile and wish her a pleasant day. She smiles back and thanks me.

I leave the bank and buy two cassette tapes from the musician outside. Much later, when I listened to those tapes again, I discovered that most of the music was actually rather rubbish. But at that particular moment, seeing and hearing him play, surrounded by the peace, cleanliness and beauty of Stockholm, it had been an extraordinarily powerful emotional experience."

After submitting his tax return and spending a few days in Sweden, Jan returns to Lebanon. During the journey back, he suffers from food poisoning and, upon arrival, is taken by ambulance through the streets of Beirut, where fierce fighting is taking place. Several bullets pass through the ambulance, but he escapes unharmed and, a few days later, returns to his base south of the Beqaa Valley.

"The circle was complete. My mission to return home to Sweden and file my tax return, risking my life in the process, had been accomplished. And I had survived.

I was, however, somewhat unsure whether I should be grateful to the official at the Swedish Tax Agency for the adventures his decision had caused me. But then again, in the end, it had turned into an interesting experience and an exciting story. What more can one really ask of life?"

The full story of the journey, along with Jan Anderlund’s other experiences in Lebanon, Syria and Israel during his assignment as a UN observer, can be found in his 2017 book Observatören. The original source material for the book has been digitised and is preserved in Fredsarkivet (the Swedish Peace Archives).