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Octafish

(55,745 posts)
211. JFK tried.
Tue Jul 16, 2013, 04:34 PM
Jul 2013


JFK CRIED FOR CONGO



(JFK receives the news of Lumumba's murder)

The caption for the photo above, by Jacques Lowe, personal photographer to JFK, reads:

"On February 13 1961, United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson came on the phone. I was alone with the President; his hand went to his head in utter despair, "On, no," I heard him groan. The Ambassador was informing the President of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, an African leader considered a trouble-maker and a leftist by many Americans. But Kennedy's attitude towards black Africa was that many who were considered leftists were in fact nationalists and patriots, anti-West because of years of colonialization, and lured to the siren call of Communism against their will. He felt that Africa presented an opportunity for the West, and, speaking as an American, unhindered by a colonial heritage, he had made friends in Africa and would succeed in gaining the trust of a great many African leaders. The call therefore left him heartbroken, for he knew that the murder would be a prelude to chaos in the mineral-rich and important African country, it was a poignant moment."

(end quoting from 1983 book "Kennedy A Time Remembered" by Jacques Lowe)

As news stories describe the massacre of thousands in the Congo (April 2003) I remember Orwell and JFK, two of my favourite people. In 1984 Orwell told us that once Big Brother took control of the world (One World Government) it was divided into three Super-States and the Disputed Territories, over which the Super-States waged continuous war. The people of the Disputed Territories (including equatorial Africa) were "expended like so much coal or oil". Their nations were gutted for their "valuable minerals and important vegetable products".

Like so much else of what Orwell told us, he was accurate about the fate of Africa. Its nations have never had a chance to survive on their own without interference. However, had President Kennedy been allowed to live and enact his policies for Africa, that continent could be equal today to Europe and America.

CONTINUED...

http://www.orwelltoday.com/jfkcongo.shtml



Like in Vietnam, policy toward Congo and the rest of Africa did a 180.



Dodd and Dulles vs. Kennedy in Africa

“In assessing the central character ...
Gibbon’s description of the Byzantine general
Belisarius may suggest a comparison:
‘His imperfections flowed from the contagion of the times;
his virtues were his own.’”
— Richard Mahoney on President Kennedy


By Jim DiEugenio
CTKA From the January-February 1999 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2)

As Probe has noted elsewhere (especially in last year’s discussion of Sy Hersh’s anti-Kennedy screed, The Dark Side of Camelot), a clear strategy of those who wish to smother any search for the truth about President Kennedy’s assassination is to distort and deny his achievements in office. Hersh and his ilk have toiled to distort who Kennedy really was, where he was going, what the world would have been like if he had lived, and who and what he represented. As with the assassination, the goal of these people is to distort, exaggerate, and sometimes just outright fabricate in order to obfuscate specific Kennedy tactics, strategies, and outcomes.

This blackening of the record—disguised as historical revisionism—has been practiced on the left, but it is especially prevalent on the right. Political spy and propagandist Lucianna Goldberg—such a prominent figure in the current Clinton sex scandal—was tutored early on by the godfather of the anti-Kennedy books, that triple-distilled rightwinger and CIA crony Victor Lasky. In fact, at the time of Kennedy’s death, Lasky’s negative biography of Kennedy was on the best-seller lists. Lately, Christopher Matthews seemed to be the designated hitter on some of these issues (see the article on page 26). Curiously, his detractors ignore Kennedy’s efforts in a part of the world far from America, where Kennedy’s character, who and what he stood for, and how the world may have been different had he lived are clearly revealed. But to understand what Kennedy was promoting in Africa, we must first explore his activities a decade earlier.

SNIP...

To say the least, this is not what the Dulles brothers John Foster and Allen had in mind. Once the French empire fell, they tried to urge upon Eisenhower an overt American intervention in the area. When Eisenhower said no, Allen Dulles sent in a massive CIA covert operation headed by Air Force officer Edward Lansdale. In other words, the French form of foreign domination was replaced by the American version.

SNIP...

1964: LBJ reverses Kennedy’s policies

In 1964, the leftist rebellion picked up strength and began taking whole provinces. President Johnson and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy decided that a weakened Adoula had to be strengthened with a show of American help. The CIA sent Cuban exile pilots to fly sorties against the rebels. When the UN finally withdrew, the US now became an ally of Belgium and intervened with arms, airplanes and advisors. Incredibly, as Jonathan Kwitny notes, Mobutu now invited Tshombe back into the Congo government (p. 79). Further, Tshombe now blamed the revolts on China! To quote Kwitny:

In a move suspiciously reminiscent of a standard US intelligence agency ploy, Tshombe produced what he said were some captured military documents, and a Chinese defector who announced that China was attempting to take over the Congo as part of a plot to conquer all of Africa. (p. 79)

With this, the Mobutu-Tshombe alliance now lost all semblance of a Gullion-Kennedy styled moderate coalition. Now, rightwing South Africans and Rhodesians were allowed to join the Congolese army in the war on the “Chinese-inspired left”. Further, as Kwitny also notes, this dramatic reversal was done under the auspices of the United States. The UN had now been dropped as a stabilizing, multilateral force. This meant, of course, that the tilt to the right would now go unabated. By 1965, the new American and Belgian supplemented force had put down the major part of the rebellion. General Mobutu then got rid of President Kasavubu. (Adoula had already been replaced by Tshombe.) In 1966, Mobutu installed himself as military dictator. The rest is a familiar story. Mobutu, like Suharto in Indonesia, allowed his country to be opened up to loads of outside investment. The riches of the Congo, like those of Indonesia, were mined by huge western corporations, whose owners and officers grew wealthy while Mobutu’s subjects were mired in abject poverty. As with the economy, Mobutu stifled political dissent as well. And, like Suharto, Mobutu grew into one of the richest men in the world. His holdings in Belgian real estate alone topped one hundred million dollars (Kwitny p. 87). Just one Swiss bank account was worth $143 million. And like Suharto, Mobutu fell after three decades of a corrupt dictatorship, leaving most of his citizenry in an anarchic, post-colonial state similar to where they had been at the beginning of his reign.

The policies before and after Kennedy’s in this tale help explain much about the chaos and confusion going on in Congo today. It’s a story you won’t read in many papers or see on television. In itself, the events which occurred there from 1959 to 1966 form a milestone. As Kwitny writes:

The democratic experiment had no example in Africa, and badly needed one. So perhaps the sorriest, and the most unnecessary, blight on the record of this new era, is that the precedent for it all, the very first coup in post-colonial African history, the very first political assassination, and the very first junking of a legally constituted democratic system, all took place in a major country, and were all instigated by the United States of America. (p. 75)


CONTINUED...

http://www.ctka.net/pr199-africa.html



Thank you, Heywood J. You should have a Sunday column for The New York Times. Plus, a couple other days of the week, as well.






Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

AND MFM008 Jul 2013 #1
What a GREAT political family!! Thanks, Obama for leading the rehab of the BFEE! chimpymustgo Jul 2013 #6
The Bush Family: A Continuing Criminal Enterprise? Octafish Jul 2013 #11
Excellent read. Thanks. russspeakeasy Jul 2013 #31
Timely post for background refreshment for those who didn't know or forgot.. KoKo Jul 2013 #38
Thanks for posting. nm rhett o rick Jul 2013 #79
we are a total disaster because of your idiot son. yeoman6987 Jul 2013 #41
Torture Boy for Halloween Octafish Jul 2013 #88
This is more ass kissing then should be necessary in this case. It's total BS and disgusting. SammyWinstonJack Jul 2013 #132
I am sure that there will be plenty of people assuring us that Obama is still a dem roguevalley Jul 2013 #97
War is Peace. woo me with science Jul 2013 #2
+ a million nt grasswire Jul 2013 #7
Poppy Bush lied the United States into Gulf War I Octafish Jul 2013 #24
When historians 100 years from now go back and examine the record, they will HardTimes99 Jul 2013 #45
With the help of Lantos, my congressman at the time. deurbano Jul 2013 #131
Profit is peace. At least if you're a rich traitor Initech Jul 2013 #78
And much worse off due to his alcholic frat boy jesus freak son. Dawson Leery Jul 2013 #3
there's only one word that describes my reaction to this. grasswire Jul 2013 #4
COMCAST reads like Peggy Noonan. Wish they'd include Gary Trudeau for accuracy... Octafish Jul 2013 #28
So for 41's eulogy, will Obama paise the great job he did raising his sons? Divernan Jul 2013 #59
As a general rule, people say nice things at funerals. Liberal Veteran Jul 2013 #98
ugh quinnox Jul 2013 #5
Ozone Man is what Poppy called Al Gore in '92. Octafish Jul 2013 #105
UGH is right. Owl Jul 2013 #161
Huh. I was expecting a line like "Right now, I know what most of you are thinking..." Pholus Jul 2013 #8
NSA whistleblower Russell Tice says NSA has monitored Barack Obama since 2004. Octafish Jul 2013 #187
And shortly before an abrupt about face on FISA... Pholus Jul 2013 #214
What a load of horseshit. Sorry Obama, I know you're obligated but...... Avalux Jul 2013 #9
He's not obligated to be so effusive and untruthful. grasswire Jul 2013 #13
No he's not dflprincess Jul 2013 #120
This adulation is similar to the adulation of Sun Myung Moon grasswire Jul 2013 #10
Poppy's favorite Newspaper was the Rev. Moon's Washington Times Octafish Jul 2013 #17
Best Washington Times story ever, that has remained completely off the MS/public radar: WinkyDink Jul 2013 #158
Someone must have that pix of Poppy crowning Sun Myung Moon KoKo Jul 2013 #47
that was Harold Ford with the coronation: Poppy just celebrated his birthdays n/t MisterP Jul 2013 #71
I still think there's a photo of Poppy crowning Sun Yung Moon... KoKo Jul 2013 #74
I Think I Got Part of it ...HERE from SALON! KoKo Jul 2013 #89
Liberty University saved by Rev Moon Octafish Jul 2013 #100
There was a YouTube of Poppy Bush in the Moon Wine Ceremony at White House KoKo Jul 2013 #103
Neil posed for a nice shot, once or twice. Octafish Jul 2013 #75
blm...has kinda KoKo Jul 2013 #85
blm is loyal as the day is long. Octafish Jul 2013 #93
yes...I will say that she is..as I said, a treasure. n/t KoKo Jul 2013 #104
Neil and Moon article: WinkyDink Jul 2013 #160
Paraguay? ¿Por que no? Octafish Jul 2013 #189
Never forget. I posted elsewhere how they've got their hooks on a large aquifer in SA. WinkyDink Jul 2013 #190
Photo: WinkyDink Jul 2013 #157
Presidents often have to be polite when we would rather they not. Liberal Veteran Jul 2013 #12
I don't recall Pruneface, Poppy or Smirko ever doing anything nice for Jimmy Carter. Octafish Jul 2013 #84
Maybe our side is just more classy. Liberal Veteran Jul 2013 #92
cognitive dissonance can lead to extreme rationalization markiv Jul 2013 #177
Pretty telling. Enthusiast Jul 2013 #149
Well, looks like he's 5th wheel Ter Jul 2013 #203
Can you point to some Republican President doing this for a former Democratic President? sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #139
Well, I suppose Obama could have just kicked him the nuts... Liberal Veteran Jul 2013 #141
Who invited him there? He didn't just decide to drop in on the WH. These things are planned sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #147
Perhaps, he sees in Bush a kindred spirit Broward Jul 2013 #174
I'm having trouble finding many moments in the last few decades Heywood J Jul 2013 #166
JFK tried. Octafish Jul 2013 #211
They are all in the same club now Puzzledtraveller Jul 2013 #14
True. And the rich keep getting richer. Octafish Jul 2013 #110
oh, please. KG Jul 2013 #15
Poppy foisted Clarence Thomas on us. Octafish Jul 2013 #196
Another party for the Don RandiFan1290 Jul 2013 #16
El Mozote Octafish Jul 2013 #35
um, yeah, that's the ticket . . . datasuspect Jul 2013 #18
Poppy Bush: ''Let’s forgive the NAZI war criminals.'' Octafish Jul 2013 #172
He shoulda lifted his leg on the old bastard!!! BeyondGeography Jul 2013 #19
The drama queens here are rife. You're right; he's doing what babylonsister Jul 2013 #54
I guess he should have been polite but firm at what could be the old man's last visit to the WH BeyondGeography Jul 2013 #55
The old man belonged in jail after Iran Contra but he pardoned himself and all the convicted sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #140
Two different issues BeyondGeography Jul 2013 #142
Wrong, there is not obligation to be 'gracious' to criminals who have nearly destroyed this country. sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #144
Ack... TeeYiYi Jul 2013 #20
The Business Plot to Topple FDR Octafish Jul 2013 #173
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." nt raccoon Jul 2013 #21
Surely you jest. GeorgeGist Jul 2013 #22
Way more than a thousand points of light died in Central America due to the bastard's actions n2doc Jul 2013 #23
Will Barb call Obama her other son? Autumn Jul 2013 #25
A kinder, gentler nation? WTF is this? n/t Catherina Jul 2013 #26
I agree! Who the fuck is this man!?!? Rex Jul 2013 #48
What you said. I can only think of Carlin right now. It's a big club and we're not in it n/t Catherina Jul 2013 #67
It's hard not to take that exactly as he said...after we see it in action. n/t KoKo Jul 2013 #106
Neil Young on Poppy Bush and his time n2doc Jul 2013 #27
One of my favorite Neil tunes. Amazingly both timely and prescient. nt adirondacker Jul 2013 #51
Yup Enthusiast Jul 2013 #151
Since 1981: A Kinder, Gentler Machine Gun Hand. Octafish Jul 2013 #188
Excuse me while I go and puke tularetom Jul 2013 #29
Way to give Jeb Bush, via his father, a boost in his planned run for the presidency! Divernan Jul 2013 #30
I saw some of it and what I did observe is that malaise Jul 2013 #32
That's why I wish someone in the press would ask him about this FBI memo from Nov. 22, 1963... Octafish Jul 2013 #37
+1000 dflprincess Jul 2013 #121
Are you thinking that PBO was just being kind to a dying old man? KoKo Jul 2013 #108
Same here bro but I suspect that he was malaise Jul 2013 #119
There is a 94 year old man in Minneapolis who has recently been accused of war crimes committed dflprincess Jul 2013 #122
Because he's so close to Clinton and Obama? And Presidents get off when KoKo Jul 2013 #123
I'm sure that's why dflprincess Jul 2013 #127
No...he shouldn't be let off...but, KoKo Jul 2013 #133
And so on and so forth...the NWO ladies and gentlemen-maybe the Beast...? bobthedrummer Jul 2013 #33
Hi Bob! robertpaulsen Jul 2013 #63
All love to you and yours robertpaulsen. Wisconsin is a battlefield. bobthedrummer Jul 2013 #182
Another Shout out to Bob! KoKo Jul 2013 #124
And all love to you KoKo-you've been here forever too. I've been active in battlefield Wisconsin. bobthedrummer Jul 2013 #184
It's active here in NC, too. KoKo Jul 2013 #191
thanks for nothing G_j Jul 2013 #34
Sir, I hope you didn't include me in your praise to that POS.. russspeakeasy Jul 2013 #36
I'm going to call the WH and make sure... grasswire Jul 2013 #40
He looks about half dead n/t leftstreet Jul 2013 #39
I can't imagine being Trayvon Martin's parents and hearing this. factsarenotfair Jul 2013 #42
What does this OP have to do with Trayvon? Cali_Democrat Jul 2013 #53
So much has gotten crueler and meaner in this country, like SYG. factsarenotfair Jul 2013 #56
hearing this so soon after the Zimmerman verdict is probably like a kick in the teeth quinnox Jul 2013 #58
Obama issued a statement on the verdict Cali_Democrat Jul 2013 #61
Willie Horton destroyed Michael Dukakis Octafish Jul 2013 #81
Yes, I remember that well. factsarenotfair Jul 2013 #83
Ah Willie--- the Black Meat Puppet that Bush Inc used to mislead the now commonly warrant46 Jul 2013 #113
Iran-Contra. Chiyo-chichi Jul 2013 #43
Poppy got away with murder and treason. Octafish Jul 2013 #116
Who the hell is this guy? Rex Jul 2013 #44
How heartwarming! QC Jul 2013 #46
atheists in the military will love that! burnodo Jul 2013 #49
Obama had no choice. The Link Jul 2013 #50
yeah, considering that Carlyle Group owns him, ultimately grasswire Jul 2013 #52
OMFG. Egalitarian Thug Jul 2013 #57
Part of the "Big Club" now Hydra Jul 2013 #60
I don't gotta hate but I don't have to like it either TheKentuckian Jul 2013 #62
Please! nt ladjf Jul 2013 #64
Gag me Berlum Jul 2013 #65
How sickening. To think that this is what people worked so hard for, to help rehabilitate the sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #66
There's gotta be something.... KoKo Jul 2013 #77
Good post, Koko. They were afraid of OWS and the coordinated effort to try to crush them sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #138
Another day... matthews Jul 2013 #68
I wouldn't worry to much about trying to stay out of trouble. SammyWinstonJack Jul 2013 #134
Welcome to DU! Hydra Jul 2013 #185
WTF? Apophis Jul 2013 #69
I KNOW that one of the jobs of a President is to be the nations 1st Diplomat, bvar22 Jul 2013 #70
Obama loves honoring Poppy Oilwellian Jul 2013 #72
Well, he did something Obama will not do... Safetykitten Jul 2013 #73
I think POTUS was being sarcastic. darkangel218 Jul 2013 #76
I agree with Yeoman6987. democrank Jul 2013 #80
Shrub = Coward warrant46 Jul 2013 #114
What a great way to slam Junior! Coyotl Jul 2013 #82
Compared to that illegitimate, unelected douchebag son of his... Skinner Jul 2013 #86
Well.....in his wheel chair...I guess one could see him as an KoKo Jul 2013 #111
I think "seems" is the word Hydra Jul 2013 #186
What a stomach-churning statement. MotherPetrie Jul 2013 #87
Not gonna say it, wouldn't be prudent... IDemo Jul 2013 #90
Poppy used those very words in his eulogy for Gerald Ford. Octafish Jul 2013 #198
A Thousand Points Of Light? raindaddy Jul 2013 #91
I've never seen an investigation of where the funds go for "1,000 Points of Light." KoKo Jul 2013 #115
Please tell me that this is a Onion article Chisox08 Jul 2013 #94
I'd say something... 99Forever Jul 2013 #95
He was being nice to the guy. One of the 99 Jul 2013 #96
I think Obama is suffering from truth2power Jul 2013 #99
Lmao!!! darkangel218 Jul 2013 #176
I'm amazed Barack said that without laughing. muntrv Jul 2013 #101
Oh wtf!! SummerSnow Jul 2013 #102
Perhaps Obama is the honest politician we've always dreamed of... GliderGuider Jul 2013 #107
Hardly that ... BlueMTexpat Jul 2013 #109
Where the fuck did he come up with that idea? RedCappedBandit Jul 2013 #112
Poppy Bush had "A Kinder and Gentler America" in his Inauguration Speech... KoKo Jul 2013 #117
I'd rather not throw up today.. RedCappedBandit Jul 2013 #118
Carlin: "It's a big club and you aint in it!" whatchamacallit Jul 2013 #125
Yep! He fits right in. SammyWinstonJack Jul 2013 #135
Disturbing. n/t DirkGently Jul 2013 #126
Dude must be getting ready to croak. nt Ilsa Jul 2013 #128
The protocol for political diplomacy does not ever necessitate being gracious to fascists. nt Zorra Jul 2013 #129
yes it does. See my post below. nt stevenleser Jul 2013 #169
You're entitled to your opinion. My opinion is that fascists are not entitled to respect. Zorra Jul 2013 #215
Context is everything. Juan Carlos is telling one democratic leader who is repeatedly interrupting stevenleser Jul 2013 #216
you want him to spit in the dying fuckers face? jesus christ people are off the rails... dionysus Jul 2013 #130
It is way beyond that. Sorry. WinkyDink Jul 2013 #153
actually, it's not. neither bush ever honored Carter at the White House cali Jul 2013 #162
The perpetually outraged, are predictably outraged, about this non-event. JoePhilly Jul 2013 #167
If Obama had been talking about HWB's signing of the ADA, what he said would be appropriate suffragette Jul 2013 #136
Can't wait to see the pictures of the Obamas relaxing at Kennebunkport! kenny blankenship Jul 2013 #137
No one would accuse me of being too soft on Obama's policies... last1standing Jul 2013 #143
Unfortunately, some folks don't care to hear sentiments like yours. stevenleser Jul 2013 #170
What would you like the POTUS to say to a senile old man who likes rainbow socks? Hekate Jul 2013 #145
"sanctimonious hypocrite" doesn't begin to describe GHWB. WinkyDink Jul 2013 #154
What was he supposed to say, it's called being polite and having class and dignity. nt Raine Jul 2013 #146
Thank you, President Obama! Enthusiast Jul 2013 #148
WTH? WinkyDink Jul 2013 #155
Did I forget the Enthusiast Jul 2013 #212
I saw that sick display on tv. Waiting For Everyman Jul 2013 #150
That tears it. It's as if Obama knows NOTHING ABOUT THE HISTORY HE FOLLOWED. Is he TRYING WinkyDink Jul 2013 #152
Old Bush was Reagan's Cheney. Waiting For Everyman Jul 2013 #156
What a load of putrid bullshit, Mr. President deutsey Jul 2013 #159
The Dirty Secrets of George Herbert Walker Bush -- video from 1988... Octafish Jul 2013 #199
Bookmarking to watch later deutsey Jul 2013 #200
You are most welcome, D! Octafish Jul 2013 #204
I disagree The Great Dadda Jul 2013 #163
GAG Hubert Flottz Jul 2013 #164
"Ask not what your country can do for you, Heywood J Jul 2013 #165
I agree with the sentiments expressed by former Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Zapatero in his stevenleser Jul 2013 #168
I just vomited up some of my breakfast, thanks ... Myrina Jul 2013 #171
ODS has taken over this site... SidDithers Jul 2013 #175
The folks behaving like that don't want a President who acts Presidential. stevenleser Jul 2013 #178
Thank God actual historians don't subscribe to Miss Manners. WinkyDink Jul 2013 #180
Where did I ''shit on Obama'' SidDithers? Octafish Jul 2013 #183
Read the fucking thread... SidDithers Jul 2013 #193
So, I control what DUers post? Like a puppet master? Ask anyone if I've told them what to post on DU Octafish Jul 2013 #194
Blah blah blah... SidDithers Jul 2013 #208
Know your BFEE: Siegelman Judge is a big-time War Profiteer Octafish Jul 2013 #210
Know your BFEE pets... zappaman Jul 2013 #213
What is ODS?...nt Jesus Malverde Jul 2013 #197
Code for 'Obama Derangement Syndrome' Octafish Jul 2013 #201
thanks...nt Jesus Malverde Jul 2013 #202
The President is a classy guy. nt arely staircase Jul 2013 #179
'Tis true. Brigid Jul 2013 #207
"Kinder and gentler" to WHOM? Guatemala? Iraq? Oh, wait! Bechtel and Halliburton! WinkyDink Jul 2013 #181
Thousand points of Light.... ForeignandDomestic Jul 2013 #192
"A kinder and gentler nation?" Brigid Jul 2013 #195
Obama, the one I voted for, doesn't exist. zeeland Jul 2013 #206
A thousand pints of puke SirRevolutionary Jul 2013 #205
READ MY LIPS... SaveOurDemocracy Jul 2013 #209
Read my lips: FUCK OFF AND DIE. NuclearDem Jul 2013 #217
"It's time for another Bush/Nazis thread" an OP of mine from August 19, 2003-kick bobthedrummer Jul 2013 #218
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