1964-1968: Volume XXIII: Congo, 1960-1968 (PDF)
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FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES 1964–1968 VOLUME XXIII CONGO, 1960–1968 DEPARTMENT OF STATE Washington Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968 Volume XXIII Congo, 1960–1968 Editors Nina D. Howland, David C. Humphrey, Harriet D. Schwar General Editor Adam M. Howard United States Government Printing Office Washington 2013 DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Historian Bureau of Public Affairs For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-0001 339-370/428-S/80002 Preface The Foreign Relations of the United States series presents the official documentary historical record of major foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity of the United States Government. The Historian of the Department of State is charged with responsibility for the preparation of the Foreign Relations series. The General Editor and the staff of the Office of the Historian, plan, research, select, and edit the volumes in the series. Official regulations codifying specific standards for the selection and editing of documents for the series were first promulgated by Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg on March 26, 1925. These regulations, with minor modifications, guided the series through 1991. A new statutory charter for the preparation of the series was es- tablished by Public Law 102–138, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993, which was signed by President George Bush on October 28, 1991. Section 198 of P.L. 102–138 added a new Title IV to the Department of State’s Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 USC 4351, et seq.). The statute requires that the Foreign Relations series be a thorough, accurate, and reliable record of major United States foreign policy decisions and significant United States diplomatic activity. The volumes of the series should include all records needed to provide comprehensive documentation of major foreign policy decisions and actions of the United States Government. The statute also confirms the editing principles established by Secretary Kellogg: the Foreign Rela- tions series is guided by the principles of historical objectivity and accu- racy; records should not be altered or deletions made without indi- cating in the published text that a deletion has been made; the published record should omit no facts that were of major importance in reaching a decision; and nothing should be omitted for the purposes of concealing a defect in policy. The statute also requires that the Foreign Relations series be published not more than 30 years after the events recorded. Focus of Research and Principles of Selection for Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, Volume XXIII, Congo, 1960–1968 This volume is part of a Foreign Relations subseries that documents the most important issues in the foreign policy of President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, this volume also includes documentation on U.S. foreign policy toward Congo-Le´opoldville during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. It is there- fore a retrospective, composite volume, which covers U.S. policy in Congo-Le´opoldville from March 1960 until December 1968. It should III 339-370/428-S/80002 IV Preface be read as a supplement to Foreign Relations, 1958–1960, Volume XIV, Africa, and Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, Volume XX, Congo Crisis. Both volumes provide thorough and detailed coverage of overt U.S. policy toward Congo-Le´opoldville during the 1960–1963 period in- cluding: U.S. support for UN intervention; diplomatic efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution of the Katanga secessions; and U.S. efforts to promote stability, install a pro-Western regime and limit Soviet in- fluence. The volumes did not, however, contain documentation of the U.S. covert political action program. There were also no records in the two volumes concerning U.S. planning and preparation for the possible assassination of Patrice Lumumba. At the time these volumes were published, Department of State historians had no access to sensitive records still in the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1991, however, Congressional legislation was passed and signed into law that affirmed the Foreign Relations series “shall be a thorough, accu- rate, and reliable documentary record of major United States foreign policy decisions and significant United States diplomatic activity” and required U.S. Government departments and agencies to provide De- partment of State historians with “full and complete access to the rec- ords pertinent to United States foreign policy decisions and actions.” Department of State historians were therefore able to conduct compre- hensive research on the U.S. role in covertly shaping, influencing and implementing U.S. foreign policy for this volume. Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, Volume XXIII, Congo, was originally conceived as a volume documenting U.S. policy during the Johnson ad- ministration. However, in March 1997 the Department of State Advi- sory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation called into question the completeness and accuracy of the previously released Ei- senhower and Kennedy volumes on this topic. At the Committee’s sug- gestion, the Office of the Historian delayed publication of this volume to incorporate all relevant material regarding U.S. covert actions missing in the earlier volumes. This volume consists of a selection of the most significant of those previously unavailable documents. The first part of the volume, covering 1960 to 1963, contains num- erous CIA cables to and from the Station in Le´opoldville, which docu- ment the chaotic nature of the Congo crisis and the pervasive influence of U.S. Government covert actions in the newly independent nation. They also provide the analysis that is at the core of policy formulation with regard to covert action. A significant portion of this intelligence information is presented in editorial notes, in an effort to release as much of the pertinent information as possible given the extensive de- classification challenges. Covert political action was only one part of U.S. policy during this period and must be viewed within the broader context. Thus, this portion of the volume is not intended to stand on its 339-370/428-S/80002 Preface V own and should be used in conjunction with Foreign Relations, 1958–1960, Volume XIV, Africa, and Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, Vol- ume XX, Congo Crisis, in order to gain a comprehensive picture of U.S. policy toward Congo-Le´opoldville during this period. The second part of the volume, covering 1964 to 1968, documents the continuation of the U.S. covert political action programs and their role in providing paramilitary and air support to the Congolese Gov- ernment in an effort to quell provincial rebellions. While CIA cables are an important component of the documentation, other agency positions are represented in cables, memoranda, memoranda of conversation, and analytical papers. This documentation illustrates a gradual shift in policy to engage other nations in the stabilization of Congo- Le´opoldville, including the joint U.S.-Belgian rescue of European and U.S. hostages during Operation Dragon Rouge and the efforts of the Department of State to convince other nations, including Belgium and members of the Organization of African Unity, to support the Congo- Le´opoldville Government and condemn outside interference. Addi- tionally, this portion documents efforts by the Department of State, Na- tional Security Council, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, and CIA to abandon the ad hoc approach to U.S. relations that charac- terized the earlier period and develop a more strategic, long-term approach. Editorial Methodology The documents are presented chronologically according to Wash- ington time. Memoranda of conversation are placed according to the time and date of the conversation, rather than the date the memoran- dum was drafted. Editorial treatment of the documents published in the Foreign Rela- tions series follows Office style guidelines, supplemented by guidance from the General Editor and the chief technical editor. The documents are reproduced as exactly as possible, including marginalia or other no- tations, which are described in the footnotes. Texts are transcribed and printed according to accepted conventions for the publication of histor- ical documents within the limitations of modern typography. A heading has been supplied by the editors for each document included in the volume. Words or phrases underlined in the source text are printed in italics. Abbreviations and contractions are preserved as found in the original text, and a list of abbreviations is included in the front matter of each volume. Spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and place names are retained as found in the original text, except that ob- vious typographical errors are silently corrected. Other mistakes and omissions in the documents are corrected by bracketed insertions: a correction is set in italic type; an addition in roman type. 339-370/428-S/80002 VI Preface Bracketed insertions are also used to indicate omitted text that deals with an unrelated subject (in roman type) or that remains classi- fied after declassification review (in italic type). For this volume, where possible, the editors have used bracketed insertions to indicate names, titles, or agencies in place of cryptonyms that are not declassified. When this is not possible, the amount and nature of classified material is indicated by the number of lines or pages of text that were omitted. In some cases, when more than one individual whose name cannot be de- classified is discussed in the body of a document, they have been desig- nated by the editors as “[Identity 1],” [Identity 2],” etc. for clarity. The identity designation of a specific individual is valid for a single docu- ment only, and is not consistent throughout the volume.