Why Did the US Want to Kill Prime Minister Lumumba of the Congo
Abstract
The US role in the Congo crisis has always been analyzed in terms of the Cold War. The argument put forward by Washington at the time to justify Western intervention was that Soviet expansion needed to be checked. But does this argument stand up to the facts? It is true that the year 1960 surely marked a climax in the East-West conflict. On May 1, 1960, a U-2 spy plane was brought down in Soviet air space. At a summit meeting in Paris, Khrushchev called Eisenhower a liar. The summit was cancelled. The Congo crisis turned into a war of words. Washington and Brussels accused Moscow of wanting to get its hands on central Africa. Prime Minister Lumumba of Congo was called a Communist and a politician who was willing to open the door to Soviet intervention. During the UN General Assembly in the autumn of the same year, Khrushchev replied vehemently, accusing Secretary-General Hammarskj ld of being an agent of imperialism, intent on safeguarding the UN s interests in the Congo.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA442948
Entities
People
- Roger T. Housen
Organizations
- National War College