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Chief of Station, Congo
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 we...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by PublicAffairs
(first published February 20th 2007)
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"I thoroughly enjoyed my tours of duty in the Congo," Larry Devlin writes. "It was a tough, tiring time, but accomplishing American objectives and contributing to the defeat of the Soviet Union made it worthwhile... That, after all, was the raison d'etre of my assignment as Chief of Station, Congo." This quotation, taken from the concluding chapter of Larry Devlin's memoir of his CIA tour in the Congo, is the mood that carries the story -- of local power struggles, near dea...more
I read this as a companion piece to King Leopold's Ghost, curious to see what happened in the Congo after the Belgians left. And although it does give a very clear summary of the development of the Congolese political scene in the 1960's, that wasn't what I ultimately found most interesting about this book. No, what was truly fascinating was the insight that Larry Devlin provides in to US foreign policy in the Third World during the Cold War. Devlin shows us just how important the Congo was to t...more
Marieke
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Shelves:
2010,
africa,
espionage,
foreign-affairs,
great-african-reads-book-club,
history,
memoir,
non-fiction,
united-states
I feel mean giving it two stars...I liked it (3 stars) but my feeling really was, "it was okay." therefore, two stars since there are no half stars on goodreads. it only sporadically engaged me and I've been anxious to just get it finished. Maybe after I have a read more deeply about post-colonial Congo, I will reread this memoir and change my rating. But for now, it was just OK: I don't feel like I learned much about the Congo; I felt confused about American policy (except that the on...more
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Frank Kelly
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Wow! There are few books or memoirs like this one. This is a riveting read from the former CIA man on the ground in the early 1960’s newly independent Congo. From the moment he hit the ground until his final months, he was dealing with mutinous soldiers, Soviet intrigue, deadly foreign mercenaries and the threat of communist pawn Patrice Lumumba. Devlin puts to rest the lie that the CIA assassinated Lumbumba (It was the Belgium’s; but Eisenhower did in fact order a “hit” on Lumbumba which ne...more
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa).
Devlin is no stylist, but his account of his tenure as CIA Chief of Station, Congo (Kinshasa) will still hold your attention. Devlin was transferred to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a period of great and swift turmoil. Later, his superior attests that he has a skillful, excellent operative in the post. As Devlin comments, what else could he say? That in fact, he had installed a relatively unexperienced chief at a station tha...more
Devlin is no stylist, but his account of his tenure as CIA Chief of Station, Congo (Kinshasa) will still hold your attention. Devlin was transferred to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a period of great and swift turmoil. Later, his superior attests that he has a skillful, excellent operative in the post. As Devlin comments, what else could he say? That in fact, he had installed a relatively unexperienced chief at a station tha...more
Revealing. Provides a good picture of the chaotic events after Congo attained independence. But the book should be noted for what's said and what's not. His portrayals, in much better light, of Mobutu, a man generally reviled for his brutal dictatorship reinforced with almost casual barbaric violence (look up how Lumeme died), is telling.
Some episodes are downright gripping, such as him being kidnapped at gunpoint on his way reporting to his duty, almost hopeless of making it out ali...more
Some episodes are downright gripping, such as him being kidnapped at gunpoint on his way reporting to his duty, almost hopeless of making it out ali...more
Although Devlin's egotistical nature gets in the way of some of the enjoyment (how many times did he have to write in his promotions and brag?), this is a very worthy read. It's about his time as chief of station of the CIA in Congo in the 60s when Lumumba was assassinated and he is often credited with being the one who assassinated him. He denies it, but says that he did get the order but ignored it. It is a worthy book to get a sense of the history and cold war politics; what the daily life...more
Probably not for everybody, this first person history of the first years of the Congo's independence from Belgium enhanced my understanding of the events of the 1960s in a sprawling and often incomprehensible African nation. Devlin calls them like he sees them and so offers insightful appraisals of Mobutu, Lumumba, Kasavubu, and Tshombe among others. He is partisan, opinionated, and honest. Despite the title, this is not a book about the CIA but rather one man's history of an exciting time.
I first heard about this book when Larry Devlin was interviewed on Fresh Air. Devlin was CIA station chief of the Congo in the early 1960s and this memoir is an account of that tour in East Africa. This was during some of the highest tensions of the Cold War period, and the US government was eager to establish allies in sub-Saharan Africa to keep the Soviet Union out. Devlin's writing isn't spectacular, but the stories he tells of the people he befriends and the things that happen to him and ...more
This book is slow-going, because Devlin has to set the stage for 1960s politics in the Congo before and after Independence, and they are a complicated mess. Then add in U.S. politics and U.N. politics and my head spins. Plus he does way too much this-happened-on-that-date-and-here's-where-I-was and not enough storytelling.
BUT I did learn some about the politics of the Congo. I wanted to know if we (the U.S.) really did assassinate Lumamba (Devlin: no, but he had orders to) and ...more
BUT I did learn some about the politics of the Congo. I wanted to know if we (the U.S.) really did assassinate Lumamba (Devlin: no, but he had orders to) and ...more
I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Devlin took on the position in the Congo right as it gained its independence in 1960. But before he could start, a coup overthrew the government. So while everyone was fleeing the country, he was trying to get in. Not a great start to a new job. But he worked the political situation to try and best serve American interests and try to prevent Soviet influence in the new country. And he was successful.
In his various tours of duty in the Congo, he...more
In his various tours of duty in the Congo, he...more
Really interesting story and a great insight into the political backstory of the Cold War (outside of direct US/Russia relations). The author gives a first hand account of his actions as a CIA operative in the Congo, but he tends to skim through everything and give only a shallow and cursory review of events - I could have used a more in-depth view.
As a side note, part of this story is that he was often thought to be the mastermind of Lumumbu, a Congo leader known to have Soviet a...more
As a side note, part of this story is that he was often thought to be the mastermind of Lumumbu, a Congo leader known to have Soviet a...more
A fascinating memoir of the Cold War. Devlin was a CIA operative in the Congo in the 1960s. The book is a fine tale of his experiences in the chaos of the country's transition from a Belgian colony to a democracy to a dictatorship under Mobutu.
An interesting tale inside the life of an American spy in the 1960s Congo. Like being at a dinner party with a fascinating old man. A good history lesson.
Welp, this is one side of a many-sided story and I valued it for that. Go figure, I am not entirely sure that everything this CIA dude says is true is true! But it's fascinating nonetheless.
interesting companion to The Poisonwood Bible
Very interestingtake on events in the Congo. A little bit like "The Last King of Scotland." Devlin is nothing if not a company man- I would read this with King Leopold's Ghost and The Poisonwood Bible as companion pieces.
Devlin, an old CIA Cold warrior, recounts his time in one of its warmest spots with a minimum of style. While a co-author would have helped the listless prose, the books true fault lies in its tendentious viewpoint — US tactics were justified by the Soviet threat. But this is the book’s value as well — by unabashedly defending morally expedient choices, Devlin holds the mirror up to our own times.
Worth a read if you're interested in DRC. Don't expect any nuance in analysis.
A sad story, I think. Great historical background from first-person account of early days of Congo trouble in the 1960s, early Cold War battlefield in Africa for CIA. Can't help but think that Mr Devlin was trying to clear his name, writing this book, or having it ghost-written, at the age of mid-80s. He died a year after publishing.
A good book about the turbulent time in the Congo in the 60's. One has to read between the line as the author tries to paint the CIA role as being the most innocent and hands off of all participant. One doesn't not become a super power by being naive, which is what the Author is trying to do!
Definitely a book for people with a significant interest in history, foreign policy, or Africa. Not a causal read. I found it interesting to see Congo and the Cold War through the eyes of a CIA operative, but the story is pretty dry unless you're really interested in the topic.
autobiography; so perhaps not a "true" account of what happened, but what the author thought (or wants us to think) happened.
Interesting, but one gets the feeling that Devlin is not telling all he knows, or possibly spindoctoring.
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
bought a copy yesterday - found it in the remainders section at Politics and Prose for $5.
Aaron
rated it
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Recommends it for:
those interested in the cia, u.s. foreign policy in africa, and cold war strategy
Busting people's balls at roadblocks is an African past-time.
Very interesting insights
Ashley
marked it as to-read
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