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Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone, by Lawrence Devlin
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Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other way—out of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian-roulette, Congo style, with him.
During his first year, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered and Devlin was widely thought to have been entrusted with (he was) and to have carried out (he didn't) the assassination. Then he saved the life of Joseph Desire Mobutu, who carried out the military coup that presaged his own rise to political power. Devlin found himself at the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country on the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. He met every significant political figure, from presidents to mercenaries, as he took the Cold War to one of the world's hottest zones. This is a classic political memoir from a master spy who lived in wildly dramatic times.
- Sales Rank: #414932 in Books
- Brand: Brand: PublicAffairs
- Published on: 2008-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.12" h x .73" w x 5.74" l, .57 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
From Publishers Weekly
In this vivid, authoritative account of being CIA station chief in Congo during the height of the Cold War, Devlin brings to life a harrowing tale of postcolonial political intrigue, covert violence and the day-to-day reality of being a key player in a global chess match between superpowers. Posted to Congo in 1960, Devlin quickly found himself at the swirling center of conflict— the Belgian colonial rulers had pulled out, the local strongmen had begun what would be a decades-long struggle for power and the Soviet Union was sending agents to influence events. Arriving on the scene with his wife and young daughter in tow, Devlin finds "central authority had broken down; there was no one in control who could prevent random acts of barbarity." As the country begins to fall apart and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba starts flirting with the Soviets, orders come from Washington for "his removal." Within weeks Lumumba is not only out of power but dead. While the rest of the book is full of exciting cloak-and-dagger derring-do and scrapes with death, it is this incident that haunts Devlin. He devotes the last chapter of the book to a point-by-point refutation of his or the agency's involvement in Lumumba's death. That alleged assassination is often used to illustrate the hypocrisy in U.S. foreign policy. Devlin's straightforward, plainly written approach to the task lends credence to his assertion of innocence. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
When Belgium ceded independence to the Congo in 1960, one of the cold war's most acute crises erupted. The French-speaking Devlin was there as the CIA's man in Leopoldville (today, Kinshasa) with a charge to defeat a Soviet and Chinese Communist surge into the country. This memoir shows the author in best light as a station chief with personal courage and cultural astuteness, a quick thinker in sticky situations, many potentially lethal. The hair-raising incidents, often at roadblocks, once with burglars in his house, so common in Devlin's narrative will instill those interested in operational intelligence careers with the 24/7 risks of a posting in the field, while his involvement with political developments in chaotic, post-independence Congo contributes primary testimony to the history of the period. Devlin acknowledges, for example, receiving an order to assassinate leftist premier Patrice Lumumba, but says he opposed it as immoral and did not carry it out. Including his personal impressions of Mobutu, the eventual victor in Congo's early 1960s turmoil, Devlin's retrospective will rivet the espionage set. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"If one man personified the cold war in Africa-that ruinous contest between the greatest powers in the world's weakest states-it was Larry Devlin. Smart, ambitious and hard as bullets, a second-world-war veteran who equated communists with Nazis, he was one of the CIA's first station chiefs in Congo, where he arrived just days after it was made independent by Belgium in 1960-at two weeks' notice... Mr Devlin's was an unsavoury career. But so was that of any successful cold-war spy. His adventures, which he tells quite well, included dodging cannibal mutineers and murderous Western mercenaries; surviving numerous mock executions; and driving around Kinshasa with a rigid corpse sticking out of his trunk." The Economist "The real story, this book makes clear, was more colourful than any novelist dare imagine...[W]hat revelations remain [after being vetted by the CIA] are still extraordinary enough to ensure his memoirs become a must-read for those interested in the shaping of independent Africa. Devlin's account of the first Mobutu coup, in which he personally assured the future dictator that the US would bankroll his takeover, is one such astonishing moment....The danger with Chief of Station, Congo, is that it will be read purely as a work of historical interest, a fascinating account of a now-obsolete period when Moscow and Washington treated Africa as their board for a game of superpower chess. In fact, this book is of pressing and immediate relevance." Michaela Wrong in the Financial Times "This is one book every African must read... highly recommended." New African "Revealing... For devotees of Frederick Forsyth, there is plenty in these pages about gun-running in the heart of darkness." The Spectator"
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
A timely, honest, and sexy narrative.
By Dylan Darling
With the U.S. assassination of Osama Bin Laden still fresh in the public's mind, Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone is an incredibly timely piece of writing. Lawrence Devlin provides a perspective not often represented in many discussions surrounding the Bin Laden assassination. Devlin details his feelings of frustration and concern when given orders to assassinate the leader of the Congo, Lumumba. This honesty may come as a surprise to the reader expecting Devlin to be the typical an-order's-an-order CIA agent. His honesty is equally shocking regarding his defense of his decision to back the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in two separate coups.
While Devlin attempts to examine his past decisions with a cold eye, there is undoubtably a bias in his reporting. As an ex Chief of Station for the CIA, Devlin is not always examining his own actions, as well as the actions of the United States, from a global perspective. Though often insightful, the novel lacks a complete account of events in the Congo. All in all, certain details in the book lack international understanding. However, Devlin's perspective serves as a unique commentary on cold war politics, and on the early years of the CIA.
Of course, what would a book about the CIA be without some sexy tales of espionage? Devlin presents even some of the most mundane details of working in the Congo through the lens of a fresh faced agent, making each experience a wild and unexpected plot twist. Devlin is careful to toe the line of confidentiality, revealing intimate details about the Eisenhower administration, but maintaining secrecy regarding other agents and issues that may still carry weight in the global political sphere.
This well written, fast paced book is a must read for cold war enthusiasts, whether buff or beginner. The anti-communist mindset permeates almost every detail of the book, and is highlighted by Devlin's commentary nearly 50 years after the end of Cold War. The book addresses controversial questions surrounding international interference, government sponsored assassinations, and U.S. foreign policy in a Hollywood caliber action narrative.
Not to mention the kindle edition is environmentally friendly and affordable!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Fighting a hot war in the Cold War.
By Kevin M Quigg
Larry Devlin shows how a resourceful CIA agent can cause a difference in the Cold War. He reluctantly received the chief of station of the Congo Republic in 1960. He was advised he needed two proper suits and his golf clubs, he went into Brazzaville expecting no problems. Upon discovering the hoarde of whites fleeing across the Congo River, he prepared himself for the worst.
I really enjoyed this story. The former Belgian Congo is such a large country, and the rivalries were so complex, it is difficult to understand. Devlin reveals all the rivals for power, and his assessment of them. Even though I doubt Mobutu was all that good, maybe the rest of the lot was worse than him. His book makes sense of the warring factions competing in Zaire. Other books did not always give that view. Lumumba was viewed in a very negative light.
This is a great book for those trying to understand what a CIA agent does in a foreign country. It also shows an activist agent determining policy, since Washington was unable to lead the way. A very interesting read.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Good read, by someone who has been there!!
By S. Marcus
This is a good read for someone who wants to know how things were like in the Congo during the Cold War. So many Congo books are written by Academics who have no real world knowledge but merely wish to assign blame for the problems faced there. Instead, I challenge you to read this book to see how things were on the streets. It never ceases to amaze how many folks in University-land write books about places they have never been, and with a pre-conceived notion that everything bad that happens everywhere is because of the 'evil Western man'. Reality check in this book - many of the issues in the Congo were because it was the Congo. No need for more Western apologists.
As someone living in Africa now (but not during the Cold War) I can tell you this book is refreshing!
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