page_title: CIA activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
section_title: 1960
hierarchical_section_title: CIA activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo / 1960
caption_attribution_description: English: Official Congo government portrait of Patrice Lumumba as the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
context_page_description: The Congo, short for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is an equatorial country located in central Africa. As of July 2018, the CIA World Factbook lists the Congo containing over 85 million inhabitants representing over 200 African ethnic groups. French is the country's official language, and Catholics comprise the largest religious group at fifty percent. The Congo was colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium in 1885, and known as Belgian Congo until independence in 1960. In recent decades, the CIA has been involved in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in relation to the CIA's considerations and plans to assassinate former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Patrice Lumumba was the legally elected first prime minister of the independent country. Lumumba was killed on January 17, 1961, at the age of thirty-five near Élisabethville, Katanga Even before the independence of the Congo, the U.S. government attempted to facilitate the election of a pro-western government by identifying and supporting individual pro-U.S. leaders.
context_section_description: The independent Republic of the Congo was declared on 30 June 1960, with Joseph Kasa-Vubu as President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was originally a Belgian colony that was established in 1908. It shared a name with the neighboring Republic of the Congo to the west, a French colony that also gained independence in 1960; the two were differentiated by also stating the name of the relevant capital city—Congo (Léopoldville) versus Congo (Brazzaville). From the beginning of the Congo's independence, the CIA was running operations in the country to "...stabilize the government and minimize communist influence in a strategically vital, resource-rich location in central Africa." According to a report regarding the CIA's activities in the Congo from 1960 to 1968, the CIA "comprised activities dealing with regime change, political action, propaganda, air and marine operations, and arms interdiction, as well as support to a spectacular hostage rescue mission."  During the heights of the Cold War in 1960s, Congo was perceived as geopolitically strategic. This was due to its size, which is quarter of the size of United States, and natural resource endowments. In short, Congo was "the Cold War prize of the first order". The Chief of CIA Africa Division in June 1960 said that "If Congo deteriorates and Western influence fades rapidly, the bloc will have a feast and will not need to work very hard for it".
  Patrice Lumumba was seen by the United States as a potential Communist. He turned to the United States for assistance shortly after the Congo declared independence from Belgium. For fear that Lumumba would follow a similar path to that of Fidel Castro, he was denied American aid. Lumumba knew a Belgian attack was coming to reclaim his country. With no American aid on the way, he instead turned to the Soviets who fulfilled his request. Newly appointed Congo Station Chief Larry Devlin, who was sent to assess Lumumba, took note of the Soviet support and interpreted it as Lumumba playing into the Soviet's plan. Devlin ultimately identified him as a target for covert action.
  United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower was very concerned at activities occurring in postcolonial Africa. During a meeting with senior advisors in August 1960 he stated that he felt Communists succeeded in convincing people worldwide that they were concerned for the common man while portraying the United States as dedicated to supporting outmoded regimes.
  Lumumba was a proud nationalist and claimed to be neutral in terms of the Cold War. The UN instead intervened in the Congo, however was unfit and truly not designed for forceful military or clandestine intelligence support. A CIA report from September 1960 described Lumumba as a "demagogic speaker" who was emotionally convinced it was his duty to unify Congo through a strong central government. This report illustrated the CIA's belief that the Soviet Union was attempting to undercut the United Nations by providing Lumumba aid outside UN channels in exchange for Lumumba being the Soviet's tool.  Lumumba continued to maintain that his interests were those of the Congolese majority, and described himself as a nationalist. He wanted full independence and full control over natural resources in order to use them to better the lives of the people.
  Despite Lumumba's statements, Washington was unconvinced and becoming concerned that he was too close to the Soviets. If left in power, Washington feared Congo would fall into chaos and turn communist. According to a document released by the CIA, many Congolese had traveled to Belgium, in order to make contact with members of the Belgium Communist Party. Though Lumumba was not listed as one of the Congolese in Belgium, it was reported that he had accepted financial support from the Belgium Communist Party. Another CIA document identified around three hundred active Soviet personnel in the Congo. The Soviet personnel included flight crews, medical teams, truck technicians and diplomatic personnel. Based on the document, in July 1
caption: Patrice Lumumba, 1960.
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