The assassination of Patrice Lumumba: a plot revealed
In his book “The Lumumba Plot”, Stuart Reid reveals a fascinating historical investigation into the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the charismatic Prime Minister of the independent Congo. Through impeccable archives, the author highlights the role played by the American authorities and the CIA in this tragedy.
The book highlights a real plot to undermine Lumumba’s authority, overthrow and kill him. The Belgians, eager to get rid of him, were one of the conspirators, but it was the influence of the Americans that proved to be the most powerful. The CIA encouraged the Congolese president to remove Lumumba from power, financing protests and spreading propaganda to facilitate this maneuver. She also recommended that Joseph Mobutu take power and provided him with the financial means to achieve this. The plot even included a plan for the “final liquidation” of Lumumba.
What is remarkable about this survey is that Lumumba was actually quite supportive of the United States. He wanted to send young Congolese to American schools, entrusted the economic future of his country to an American entrepreneur and even requested the sending of American troops to Congo. Despite this, American officials increasingly perceived him as an enemy, characterizing Lumumba as irregular, unstable and unreliable. Racism also played a role in this misperception, with remarks calling Lumumba a cannibal.
The major fear of American leaders at the time was to see Lumumba move closer to the Soviet Union in the context of the Cold War. When Lumumba requested military aid from the USSR, this fear was amplified. President Eisenhower even ordered the CIA to get rid of Lumumba.
The CIA developed several plans to assassinate Lumumba, even considering poisoning him. However, none of these plans came to fruition due to Lumumba’s house arrest. Ultimately, Lumumba’s fate was sealed when local authorities decided to transfer him to areas held by his sworn enemies. The CIA station chief in Leopoldville, Larry Devlin, knew of this impending transfer, but did nothing to prevent it, leading to Lumumba’s death.
This investigation reveals a disturbing reality about the corridors of power and the political manipulations which led to the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. It also raises questions about the role of great powers in the internal affairs of countries and the impact of their decisions on the course of history.