Desperate Measures in the Congo

[James DiEugenio]

Michael La Flem composes another interesting article, this time on the Congo.  I have always thought this was a lot more important than people give it credit for.

And I don't really think its a coincidence that Lumumba was murdered three days before JFK was inaugurated. And further, Kennedy did not learn about his death until almost one month after he was in office.  The point is Kennedy changed the policy there after he was inaugurated.  He was going to favor Lumumba.  He was headed off at the pass so to speak.  

Its a good piece and click through to the links at the end. They fill in JFK's relationship with another guy who got murdered because of the Congo crisis, Dag Hammarskjold, and you will learn what JFK did to try and maintain Congo's independence after both men were killed.  Its really an amazing story.

 

https://kennedysandking.com/articles/desperate-measures-in-the-congo

Edited April 5, 2018 by James DiEugenio

[Rob Couteau]

Thanks for this Jim. PS: I just posted a link to your interview about the MLK assassination that was hosted on the Ripple Effect Podcast. Really nice work.

 

[James DiEugenio]

Thanks Rob.

That guy wants me back already.

 

[Rob Couteau]

I really enjoyed it - thought you summed everything up really well. Plus he didn't interrupt you and let you get into it in depth. Which is always a sign of a decent interviewer. By the way, did you see that Marrell McCollough's daughter just published a touchy-feely piece in the Washington Post about Dr. King and growing up in Memphis and somehow managed to never mention that fact that her dad was an agent provocateur, undercover cop, and later a CIA man? "My father, Marrell McCollough, witnessed the shooting and attempted to render first aid to King." Are the editor's asleep at the wheel ... or do they still have a second job at the Agency? Really shameful. Apparently she is writing a book about her father - there's one for you to review. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/04/04/i-ran-from-memphis-but-i-cant-escape-how-it-felt-to-grow-up-black-there/?utm_term=.c10cb5c6f539

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by Rob Couteau

[James DiEugenio]

Thanks for that one.  Man, I guess to get one we have to give one.

 

On Congo, did you know that during the 1960 election, JFK mentioned Africa 479 times!  That is how interested he was in the subject.  That is why when he gets the news of Lumumba's death, his face is contorted in distress.  And Lumumba was killed just three days before JFK was inaugurated.  But they hid it from him for almost a month.

In just a few short months, Dulles and JFK were opposed to each other on the Bay of Pigs, Congo and the OAS rebellion in France.  

Really, what choice did JFK have except to fire him. 

 

[Mervyn Hagger]

15 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Michael La Flem composes another interesting article, this time on the Congo.  I have always thought this was a lot more important than people give it credit for.

And I don't really think its a coincidence that Lumumba was murdered three days before JFK was inaugurated. And further, Kennedy did not learn about his death until almost one month after he was in office.  The point is Kennedy changed the policy there after he was inaugurated.  He was going to favor Lumumba.  He was headed off at the pass so to speak.  

Its a good piece and click through to the links at the end. They fill in JFK's relationship with another guy who got murdered because of the Congo crisis, Dag Hammarskjold, and you will learn what JFK did to try and maintain Congo's independence after both men were killed.  Its really an amazing story.

 

https://kennedysandking.com/articles/desperate-measures-in-the-congo

Interesting. But why is it that the 'glue' that binds CIA activities to all of these adventures - such as Katanga - is provided by a media organization that placed the quasi-religious program 'The World Tomorrow' on stations such as Radio Elizabethville, and why is it that this same organization was singled out by Edwin Walker as more or less a CIA 'front' which had ties to 'Overseas Weekly' that set out to destroy the career of Edwin Walker? All of these trails go back to Dallas, Texas and the Murchison family who helped Joe McCarthy get off the ground, and worked with McLendon who was tied to advising 'Radio Free Europe' acting through the offices of the Houston Post. It's all very well going around and around and around in circles looking at the same bits of film relating to the shooting of JFK, and its all very well going on about the Congo, or Cuba, or anywhere else in general terms, but how about some specificity. Why did Walker focus upon Radio Elizabethville and tie it to the 'Overseas Weekly' by inferring a common CIA link?

[Rob Couteau]

2 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

JFK mentioned Africa 479 times!

Another example of how far ahead of his time he was. Compare that with Eisenhower, who refused to meet with many of these leaders - and even snubbed one to instead play golf. I just finished Mahoney's "JFK: Ordeal in Africa" and am now reading "Betting on the Africans," so this comes at the perfect time. By the end of his term, I think even Eisenhower had second thoughts about the Dulles brothers. Too bad JFK didn't fire Allen right at the beginning. But that's just wisdom in hindsight. The Agency plots in the Congo and Indonesia are so similar that, at times, I was confusing one with the other. And similar to what they intended for Cuba.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Rob Couteau

[James DiEugenio]

Hard to believe how many guys they had there in Congo trying to kill Lumumba.

I mean really, how could he be any kind of threat to America?

And to top it off, that was a democratic election and a constitutional government.  And there we were helping the colonial powers, in this case Belgium, kill the elected upon ruler, undermine the democratic process and allow the colonizer to retake the country under imperial rule through the stand in Mobutu.

And that is an apt parallel with what was happening with Sukarno, just four years later. Sukarno was another Third World leader that Kennedy sided with and stuck with all the way until his assassination in 1963.  He even helped Sukarno strike nationalization deals that were better than Sukarno could have gotten for himself. 

Edited May 17, 2018 by James DiEugenio

[Ron Bulman]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=6hvz%2BULM&id=06C46139865A83C773B0B49BDFC24338B47B1E40&thid=OIP.6hvz-ULMyVYy00ktpVtygAHaE_&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.arcadja.com%2Flowe_jacques-the_assassination_of_patrice_lumumba%7eOM56e300%7e10639_20131119_9861_124.jpg&exph=202&expw=300&q=john+kennedy+lumumba+picture&simid=608047670709062070&ajaxhist=0&pivotparams=insightsToken%3Dccid_lt03XNk7*mid_1A44FB5DD8A8ED818287D86CC5509745D7C3D00A*simid_608022734128810291*thid_OIP.lt03XNk7MPdfvLVQhe!_SegHaEc&iss=VSI

I think the subject is much more important than I gave it credit for.  I'd read a little about Lumumba and Hammarskjold's murders but understood little about the bigger picture.  E.G. from the La Flem article, 8/18/60, Eisenhower orders the assassination of Lumumba, 8/25/60, Dulles sends a cable about removal of him.  Dillon was campaigning for this.  And so much more.

Ivory, rubber, copper, gold, and diamonds.  Much treasure expropriated over many years as a colony of Belgium until Lumumba and 1960.  

And Uranium.  The highest grade and largest deposit of it on earth.  That's where the USA became really interested near the end of World War II in pursuit of building Atomic bombs to end the war in Japan, and, prevent Germany from developing the capability.  We continued to mine and hoard it for our own use and to prevent other nations from developing the capability.  Then James Jesus Angleton gave it to the Israelis.  Which JFK opposed.  But he, like Lumumba and Hammarskjokd  was dead.

I guess Patrice is a hero to some now or they wouldn't be selling the t-shirts.

 https://www.bing.com/shop?q=lumumba+t+shirt&FORM=SHOPPA&originIGUID=A67C537222824EC1A982408179474D70

I guess the Congo was a hot topic in the late 50's.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rockin+in+the+congo&qpvt=rockin+in+the+congo&view=detail&mid=573BC12E3CF2B8A65CC7573BC12E3CF2B8A65CC7&&FORM=VRDGAR

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rockin+in+the+congo&qpvt=rockin+in+the+congo&view=detail&mid=4771317A2C24D6E9A3954771317A2C24D6E9A395&&FORM=VRDGAR

[James DiEugenio]

Please take a look at the update to the article.  David Josephs sent me some documents on the Congo and we posted them to the end of the piece.

If you read them you will see how interested and in control of the situation Kennedy was.  He was even influencing the UN actions.  This is why I think the critical community has underplayed this issue.

It shows not just the influence of Gullion, which is obvious since JFK recalled Timberlake and replaced him with Gullion.  But it also shows the tie to Hammarskjold.  If you read this article:

https://kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-articles/648

you will see that Kennedy made a secret alliance with Hammarskjold to keep both Congo and Indonesia out of the hands of European imperialism.  Kennedy decided to keep that pledge even after Hammarskjold was murdered.  Yes, I said murdered.  If you read the article you will agree with me.

Edited May 17, 2018 by James DiEugenio

[Michaleen Kilroy]

On 4/5/2018 at 10:37 AM, James DiEugenio said:

Thanks for that one.  Man, I guess to get one we have to give one.

 

On Congo, did you know that during the 1960 election, JFK mentioned Africa 479 times!  That is how interested he was in the subject.  That is why when he gets the news of Lumumba's death, his face is contorted in distress.  And Lumumba was killed just three days before JFK was inaugurated.  But they hid it from him for almost a month.

In just a few short months, Dulles and JFK were opposed to each other on the Bay of Pigs, Congo and the OAS rebellion in France.  

Really, what choice did JFK have except to fire him. 

 

I always felt the CIA created the circumstances for Lumumba’s death, like they so often did, before JFK could have a say.

[James DiEugenio]

Yes, that is what more than one commentator has implied.  Since Dulles knew that JFK would change policy there.  

That is why they had five plans in place to kill him.  A bit of overkill I think.

As per Lumumba being a hero in Africa, that is what Kwitny said.

As Jonathan Kwitny noted in Endless Enemies, after his death Lumumba became a hero in Africa. One could find his name affixed to avenues, schools, squares and parks. As Kwitny wrote: “Lumumba is a hero to Africans not because he promoted socialism, which he didn’t, but because he resisted foreign intervention. He stood up to outsiders, if only by getting himself killed.” (Kwitny, p. 72)

Edited May 17, 2018 by James DiEugenio

[Mervyn Hagger]

5 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=6hvz%2BULM&id=06C46139865A83C773B0B49BDFC24338B47B1E40&thid=OIP.6hvz-ULMyVYy00ktpVtygAHaE_&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.arcadja.com%2Flowe_jacques-the_assassination_of_patrice_lumumba%7eOM56e300%7e10639_20131119_9861_124.jpg&exph=202&expw=300&q=john+kennedy+lumumba+picture&simid=608047670709062070&ajaxhist=0&pivotparams=insightsToken%3Dccid_lt03XNk7*mid_1A44FB5DD8A8ED818287D86CC5509745D7C3D00A*simid_608022734128810291*thid_OIP.lt03XNk7MPdfvLVQhe!_SegHaEc&iss=VSI

I think the subject is much more important than I gave it credit for.  I'd read a little about Lumumba and Hammarskjold's murders but understood little about the bigger picture.  E.G. from the La Flem article, 8/18/60, Eisenhower orders the assassination of Lumumba, 8/25/60, Dulles sends a cable about removal of him.  Dillon was campaigning for this.  And so much more.

Ivory, rubber, copper, gold, and diamonds.  Much treasure expropriated over many years as a colony of Belgium until Lumumba and 1960.  

And Uranium.  The highest grade and largest deposit of it on earth.  That's where the USA became really interested near the end of World War II in pursuit of building Atomic bombs to end the war in Japan, and, prevent Germany from developing the capability.  We continued to mine and hoard it for our own use and to prevent other nations from developing the capability.  Then James Jesus Angleton gave it to the Israelis.  Which JFK opposed.  But he, like Lumumba and Hammarskjokd  was dead.

I guess Patrice is a hero to some now or they wouldn't be selling the t-shirts.

 https://www.bing.com/shop?q=lumumba+t+shirt&FORM=SHOPPA&originIGUID=A67C537222824EC1A982408179474D70

I guess the Congo was a hot topic in the late 50's.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rockin+in+the+congo&qpvt=rockin+in+the+congo&view=detail&mid=573BC12E3CF2B8A65CC7573BC12E3CF2B8A65CC7&&FORM=VRDGAR

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rockin+in+the+congo&qpvt=rockin+in+the+congo&view=detail&mid=4771317A2C24D6E9A3954771317A2C24D6E9A395&&FORM=VRDGAR

I suggest you read 'Leopold's Ghost' if you want to understand the Congo and the USA, and that you read 'Eighteen Days' by Remy to understand the USA whitewash of the Leopold family. That last book was translated and published in English by lawyer/accountant/author Stanley R. Rader who controlled Herbert W. Armstrong who was in part funded by Leopold III. The Armstrong program was aired daily on the CIA 'front' station 'Radio Elizabethville' in Katanga, Congo. The USA had a lot of involvement in the Congo, and the USA was the first nation to recognize that holocaust state ruled by Leopold II, which was separate from Belgium. Then Belgium bought out Leopold II just before he died. The Congo is the precursor story to the brutality of Nazi Germany; Soviet Russia; Mao's China, etc., etc., and the USA helped to make it possible. The USA got involved when the main export was rubber, and that of course was a key ingredient in the rise and development of the automobile industry.

[Ron Bulman]

This is a good article on what happened in the years before it leading up to Lumumba's assassination.

http://theconversation.com/how-a-rich-uranium-mine-thrust-the-congo-into-the-centre-of-the-cold-war-64761

It really looks like the Eisenhower/Dulles authorized elimination of Lumumba was accelerated when JFK was elected.  They didn't anticipate him winning.  But they remembered his speeches in the Senate and statements during the campaign (800 about Africa I read today?).  So Dulles authorized the chief of station to spend up to $100,000 to facilitate operation.  Then they hid it from him for a month after his inauguration.  At which time he was facing arguments for the bay of pigs from multiple fronts.  Double whammy. 

Thus this picture again, it's worth a thousand words.  

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=6hvz%2BULM&id=06C46139865A83C773B0B49BDFC24338B47B1E40&thid=OIP.6hvz-ULMyVYy00ktpVtygAHaE_&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.arcadja.com%2Flowe_jacques-the_assassination_of_patrice_lumumba%7eOM56e300%7e10639_20131119_9861_124.jpg&exph=202&expw=300&q=john+kennedy+lumumba+picture&simid=608047670709062070&ajaxhist=0&pivotparams=insightsToken%3Dccid_lt03XNk7*mid_1A44FB5DD8A8ED818287D86CC5509745D7C3D00A*simid_608022734128810291*thid_OIP.lt03XNk7MPdfvLVQhe!_SegHaEc&iss=VSI

Maybe someone more technologically advanced can enlarge it.

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Ron Bulman

[James DiEugenio]

That  picture of Kennedy getting the news of Lumumba's death was the moment the light came on in my head about who he was and what happened to him.

Because as I have said, we know that what came before him-Eisenhower/Nixon, and what came after--LBJ--would not have reacted like that at all.

Because if you read the LaFlem article, Eisenhower and Dulles wrote out an assassination order; supplemented by Bissell, the CIA had five different operations going on in Congo to liquidate Lumumba.  And I agree Ron, it does appear that there was all this overkill because they wanted to get it done before JFK was inaugurated.  And then they did not tell him about it until over three weeks after Lumumba's murder.

After Kennedy's assassination LBJ completely shifted policy there.  The CIA made up some BS about Red China funneling arms to the last of Lumumba's followers; Johnson then actually sided with Belgium.  The CIA sent it jet planes, they took over the embassy--exactly what Kennedy forbade--and they brought in all these Operation Forty guys.  This led to Congo becoming  what Kennedy and Hammarskjold did not want it to be: a vassal state to Belgium under the tyranny of a stand in for imperialism, namely Mobutu.

To put it mildly none of this would have happened, Lumumba's murder, or Belgium's triumph, with JFK as president.  As Rob Couteau mentioned above, Mahoney's book JFK: Ordeal in Africa is one of the best books on this subject.