1960 was the "Year of Africa"
- 17 new nations; 16 joined the United Nations
- Brit. gave indep to East and Central Africa, but kept Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
- Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (indep 1957) was militant nationalist, but accepted US-Brit-World Bank aid for Kaiser-Reynolds-Alcoa-Olin Mathieson project called Valco (Volta Aluminum Co.) to build Volta Dam in 1960
Congo became independent June 30, 1960, but civil war
- Patrice Lumumba won elections and became 1st Prime Minister, but was considered radical, an"African Castro" and pro-communist, but actually was a genuine nationalist
- Moise Tshombe declared indep of Katanga July 11, 1960, was the richest province in the Congo desired by former Belgian business interests
- Belgian troops returned to help Tshombe
- Lumumba sought UN help, and UN voted July 14 to send troops, not to help Lumumba but to act neutrally and oversee Belgian troop withdrawal
- USSR aided Lumumba, even after he broke away from Kasavubu
- UN voted Nov. 22 to seat a Kasavubu-Mobutu government, not Lumumba
- was killed Jan. 17, 1961, by his Congo enemies, not by the CIA (although CIA had made an assassination plan)
JFK supported newly elected premier Cyril Adoula
- also supported Nkrumah, despite criticism of U.S. role in Congo affairs
- critics in Congress opposed aid to Nkrumah, esp. Sen. Albert Gore of Tenn.
- JFK approved support the Volta project Dec. 5, 1961
Katanga secession led by Tshombe from capital Elisabethville, but secession crushed by Jan. 1963 and Tshombe fled to exile in Spain
Joseph Mobutu was one of the enemies of Lumumba, was leader of the ANC (Army of the Congo) and kept stability in the Congo with the help of UN troops, but his government became increasingly corrupt
Mobutu's army collapsed June 1964, had no desire to fight the growing Simba rebel movement
Simbas took western hostages, including Dr. Paul Carlson
Africa was not well known in the U.S.
- no Bureau of African Affairs until 1958
- LBJ advised by Ambass. G. McMurtrie Godley and Asst. Secy of State for African Affairs G. Mennon "Soapy" Williams (former Mich. gov., strong civil rights advocate), with Undersecys W. Averill Harriman and George Ball
June 26, 1964 - Tshombe returned from his Spanish exile and was appointed PM by President Kasavubu and Gen. Mobutu, but he was considered a "walking museum of colonialism" due to his ties with Belgium and Portugal and favored a partitioning of the Congo
LBJ wanted the European allies to help Tshombe suppress the rebels, but Britain would not send troops to stop communists in Zanzibar; no French or German help; "gutless Belgians" refused help
July 22, 1964 - 2nd meeting of the new Organization of African Unity
- was critical of U.S. and Tshombe
Aug. 5 - Simba rebel army captured Stanleyville
- Simba leader Pierre Mulele held 1000 white hostages, including Belgian nuns; tortured opponents
Aug. 11 - NSC began 1st of 75 meetings about the Congo - John McCone of CIA
- debate between the "clean solution" of European troops vs. the employment of "special volunteers" of mercenaries
Over 1000 mercenaries employed for the Congo campaign in Oct. and Nov.
- Maj. "Mad Mike" Hoare of Britain, Samuel Shoesmith of U.S., Cuban exiles trained by CIA
- activities described by Hans Germani in White Mercenaries in a Black Land (1966) and Jean Schramme in The Leopard Battalion (1969)
1964 was the "Year of the White Giants"
- Boers, Rhodesians, British and French mercenaries
- practiced cruelty in Africa - looting, murder, robbery, torture
- Boende campaign - photos published in London Observer
U.S. contributed planes for the Congo AF
- C-130s, T-28s, B-26s flown by Cuban exiles
Cuba sent Che Guevara, known as "Talu" to train Simba rebels - 2
Although Tshombe sought to present an anti-colonial image by contributing $800 to Holden Roberto of Angola, he secretly accepted weapons and mercenaries from South Africa to fight the rebels
Nov. 24 - Hoare's mercenary army and Belgian paratroopers rescued Stanleyville hostages
- most safe but others were killed, including Carlson and 8 other Americans
April 1965 - Hoare's forces reached the Sudan border
June 1965 - Ben Bella of Algeria who had aided the rebels was overthrown by Boumedienne; Ghana's Nkrumah would be overthrown in 1966
Sen. Thomas Dodd was pro-Tshombe
Malcolm X was anti-Tshombe and critical of LBJ
Oct. 1965 - Tshombe was overthrown by Kasavubu
Nov. 25, 1965 - Mobutu assumed power and ruled the Congo for the next 27 years
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