This is Jockel podcast number 382 with echo Charles and me jockel willing good evening echo good evening

The Congo's recent independence from Belgium had triggered triggered a

Session crisis by one of the country's most mineral rich and wealthy provinces

It led to an opening for the Soviet block to exploit rebellions among local tribal factions

The US saw the country as a strategic geopolitical necessity against communism

Which meant the Congo was turning into a superpower battleground

The US feared that losing influence in the Congo was the next step to losing Africa

The CIA had sent me to the Congo to conduct a clandestine

Operation under as deep a cover as possible

While still enabling and sustaining the conduct for a successful mission

The suits in Washington recognize that the communist rebels needed to be contained

The strategy was to cut off their supply lines and

Strangle their resource base which would require battle tested and see where the hands and

The world could not know we were responsible

We were holding back the line on insurgent violent communism

It was the boiling years of the Cold War and Africa was becoming a hotbed of potential

Dominoes that might fall the wrong way if we didn't pay attention and

As all eyes were focused on that other communist battleground in Southeast Asia

The US government wanted to keep Africa

Involvement as quiet as possible and ensure that no one could find our fingerprints on this up

Consequently one of the most important elements in my Congo mission was to cover the ass of the US government

They needed a guy who had the knowledge and covert experience to make this a successful play

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