U.S. Involvement

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Abigail Avoryie

Last Updated : December 2004

United States Involvement

CIA Involvement:

In the early 1960’s, the United States became increasing concerned with Lumumba’s dealings with the Soviet Union. As the cold war heightened, the United States did not want to see further expansion of Soviet ideology, especially in the mineral rich Congo.

At a national Security Council meeting, president Eisenhower told CIA chief Allen Dulles to ‘eliminate’ Lumumba. Mobutu was encouraged to by the U.S to over throw the first government in the Congo and has remained in office longer than any African leader. “With the CIA’s encouragement and active assistance, Mobutu betrayed Lumumba and sent him to his death…thus began a client-patron relationship that was to last more than thirty years. (Kelly ix)”

The Church Report report shows government sanctioned assignation plots and the CIA’s involvement in Lumumba’ death. This CIA’s covert action plan was named “Project Wizard”. Likewise the Belgians also had their own plot to kill Lumumba called “Operation Barracuda”. The British Britishalso wanted to see Lumumba out of office.

The CIA helped Mobutu stage his coup by giving him over two hundred thousand dollars for political propaganda and to strengthen his military force. Having recruited Mobutu and provided him with the covert funding, the U.S proceeded to give him a military force that would help guarantee his position of power, in the Congo. (Kelly ix)”
For example, the United States has poured over 1.5 billion dollars into the Congo for aid. However, most of that money has been squandered and put into Mobutu’s foreign bank accounts with. The United States government is aware of his personal financhial gains.

“CIA officials and other American’s who dealt with Mr. Mobutu were under not illusions about him. In their view we had to support him because he was an anti-communist bulwark in the cold war. As Franklin Roosevelt said in another context, he was an S.O.B., but he was our S.O.B. (Lewis)”

“ Zaire is among American’s oldest friends- and its President- president Mobutu-one of our most valued friends…. and so I was honored to invited President Mobutu to be the first African head of state to come to the United States for an official visit during my presidency. (Kelly 1)”
-U.S President George Bush, at the White House, June 29, 1989.