157-10014-10185
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
JFK Assassination System
Date:
7/7/2015
AGENCY:
SSCIA
RECORD NUMBER:
RECORD SERIES:
Identification Form
Agency Information
157-10014-10185
MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTEE
AGENCY FILE NUMBER:
07-M-90
Document Information
ORIGINATOR:
SSCIA
FROM:
TO:
TITLE:
THE CONGO
DATE:
PAGES:
08/22/1975
5
SUBJECTS:
CIA
DOCUMENT TYPE:
CLASSIFICATION:
RESTRICTIONS:
CURRENT STATUS:
DATE OF LAST REVIEW:
OPENING CRITERIA:
COMMENTS:
MOBUTU
LUMUMBA, PATRICE, ASSASSINATION
SUMMARY
Unclassified
1B; 1C
Redact
05/31/2000
v9.1
1
NW 50955 DocId: 32423573 Page 1
AGENCY : SSCIA
JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
Date: 08/07/95
Page:
1
AGENCY INFORMATION
RECORD NUMBER:
157-10014-10185
RECORDS SERIES : MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS OF THE CHURCH COMMITTEE
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 07-M-90
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
ORIGINATOR: SSCIA
FROM:
TO :
TITLE:
THE CONGO
DATE: 08/22/75
PAGES
: 5
SUBJECTS: LUMUMBA, PATRICE, ASSASSINATION
.CIA
MOBUTU
DOCUMENT TYPE : SUMMARY
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
RESTRICTIONS : REFERRED
CURRENT STATUS : POSTPONED IN FULL
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 01/19/99
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS :
し
[R]
ITEM IS RESTRICTED
NW 50955 DocId: 32423573 Page 2
Husou PITTS
R883 Secret/ Sanctive
INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY
ON
4/11/77
"Victor Hedgeman"
BY
Вс
INTERVIEW WITH:
The Congo
REGARDING:
DATE-TIME-LOCATION:
August 22, 1975, S201, a.m./p.m.
Bill Bader
PRESENT:
HAS OR SHOULD BE DIGESTED:
FOLLOW UP REQUIRED:
SEE PAGE 5
POSSIBLE INTERVIEWEES
MATERIALS SUBMITTED BY INTERVIEWEE(S):
X
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
YES
_NO
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E
INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY
Page
of
"Victor Hedgeman"
Interview and Meeting Summary
w/Bill Bader, August 22, 1975, S201
After an extended tour with the United States Army and
some education at San Diego State, Hedgeman went to Harvard
where he studied in the Department of International Relations,
working to a degree in political science. He didn't finish
his degree but went after being recruited at Harvard into
the OPC. He then became an NOC in Europe and for a number
of years worked in Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
His pri-
mary responsibility in Belgium was that of surveillance of
Soviet operators in Europe. While in Brussels in 1959 he came
to meet a good percentage of the Congolese who would be
important in the Congo after independence: Ileo, Mobutu,
and Adoula. In January of 1960 he became the first Chief
of Station in the Congo%3B prior to that time the Agency had
had merely a liaison service. In late July of 1960 Hedgeman
returned to the United States with Ambassador Timberlake to
press for a U.S. policy of political action in the Congo.
Hedgeman's position was that the Soviets were moving large
amounts of equipment and manpower into the Congo and that
something had to be done to head it off. At the time he
first went to the Congo he was the only man in the Station.
A year later there were five or six and eventually the Sta-
tion would reach upwards of twenty.Hedgeman mentioned that
the relationships and staff that he built in the Congo per-
sisted, and that when the Laotian operation started the
group would move almost intact to Laos. Hedgeman believed
that the Congo was vitally important to American interests,
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FILE:
INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY
Page
despite some criticism of that point from the State Depart-
ment. He felt that the economic wealth of the Congo was
important to the United States' future, and ;that it was
equally important that the Congo remain a viable unit. He
said that there was very strong resistance at the State
level for political action involvement in the Congo. For-
tunately the Congo operation became one of Allen Dulles'
projects. At the beginning, with the approval of the
Special Group, it was agreed that the CIA would begin to
provide financial support for moderate Congolese politicians
By August of 1960, however, Hedgeman and Timberlake were push
ing for instructions that would allow them to pursue a course
that would lead to a change in government.
Hedgeman said that
those close to Lumumba at that time were Soviet agents. The
way that it was initially pursued was to the building of
personnel assets investing in labor unions to help them
with their propaganda, a lobbying campaign, direct payments
to politicians.
4.
of
FILE:
The first major effort to rid the Congo of Lumumba came
with a plan developed by Hedgeman to bribe enough members of
the Senate in order to induce them to vote Lumumba out..This
plan was to have taken place on the 7th of September, 1960.
Hedgeman had arranged that the radio would be denied Lumumba
after his defeat so that he would not be able to go on the
radio to try to change the decision of the Senate. Unfortuneately
and for reasons Hedgeman does not know to this day, Mobutu
jumped the gun and threw Lumumba out. Lumumba in turn went
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INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY
3.
Page
of
to the Assembly and harangued them and got the vote and also got
the vote in the Senate by bringing troops out and surrounding
the Senate building. Hedgeman said that up to this point he
had been thinking largely in parliamentary terms%3B that the
way to rid the country of Lumumba was through the paramilitary
method. After this experience of the 5th through the 7th, he
decided more drastic and direct methods had to be employed.
Hedgeman contends that the coup of Mobutu seized control was
arranged and supported, and indeed, managed, by the Central
Intelligence Agency. During the course of the interview
Hedgeman spoke glowingly of Mobutu, who he feels is a man with
good political judgment, a sense of history, and the capacity
to be a Pan African leader. Mobutu was only twenty-nine at
FILE:
the time. Hedgeman says his most difficult time with Mobutu
came in February of 1961 when the Kennedy administration decided
that a federalized government, including all political factions.
was the only hope of averting civil war.. Hedgeman was charged
with going to Mobutu and telling him that the United States
had decided to withdraw all support from him and that he
would have to resign. He said Mobutu was utterly shocked
by this and could not possibly believe the United States
could believe that the Congo was ready for parliamentary
government. He said Mobutu was so upset that he drew his gun
and waved it in the direction of Hedgeman and said "If this
happens, I will die," and, looking at Hedgeman, "so will others."
Hedgeman said Mobutu only put his gun away when Hedgeman
told him that he did not personally agree with the decision,
that he was just carrying out orders like a good soldier.
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INTERVIEW AND MEETING SUMMARY
Page
of
FILE:
Hedgeman stressed that in this period, 1960-1961, the
Congo was fraught with utter confusion; he sais that what
they were running was a Scotch tape and baling-wire opera-
tion. As for paramilitary operations, Hedgeman said they be-
gan seriously in the end of 1962 with the arrival of a number
of T-6's that he and Ed Gullion had asked for. He said that these
aircraft were not intended to be used in combat, but only to
reassure the Congolese that the United States was with them and
provide them with a bit of black magic. Hedgeman professed that
the paramilitary combat missions of 1963, in support of anti-
rebel activities, were really quite minor affairs.
Some specifics. Hedgeman contended that he had no knowledge
of the approval of funding of South African mercenaries and
tribal leaders capable of resistance as approved by the 303
Committee. He also said, though, that he had important contact
with Mike Hoare mercenaries, they gave no direct or indirect
support to them.
He also said there was ne, repeat no, com-
plicity or support on the part of the CIA in the ouster of
Kasavubu by Mobutu in November of 1965.
Throughout the conversation, Hedgeman interspersed the
most hair-raising tales of his and his daughter's brushes with
death in their dealings with unruly mutinous Congolese, ranging
from being placed before two different firing squads during
one day and his evening as the selected victim of a hit con-
tract given by the Union Miniere.
As for CIA employees who might testify well, should the
Committee handle the Congo issue in executive session, Hedgeman
recommended Edward Korn-Patterson, Bronson Tweedy, and Glen
Fields.
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