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SpyCast

On Assignment to Congo

SpyCast

SpyCast

History, Education, News

4.41.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2007

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, Peter chats with Larry Devlin, the CIA’s legendary station chief in Congo during the 1960s. Larry reflects on his reasons for joining the CIA, the political situation in Congo at the time, and the face-off with the Soviets in the Third World. He also discusses his response to the controversial directive from headquarters to have Congo’s Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba killed.

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:07.0

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0:55.1

at CS.JhU. edu slash MSSI. Hello and welcome to Spycast from the Secret Files of the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

1:16.4

I'm Peter Ernest, the Executive Director of the Museum.

1:19.8

I served for some 36 years in the Central Intelligence Agency largely as what is called an

1:25.1

operations officer or case officer.

1:27.9

Every month we'll be bringing you interesting talks with visitors, with authors, with

1:32.2

others who have something to do with the world of intelligence

1:36.0

and espionage.

1:39.5

My guest today is Larry Devlin.

1:42.9

And I say at the outset that he is one of the legendary officers of the Central Intelligence

1:47.5

Agency.

1:48.9

He is one of the distinguished warriors of the Cold War. He has just written a book called Chief of Station Congo

1:58.0

and it is probably one of the most thrilling accounts I've read by an intelligence officer,

2:07.6

and I think one of the most revealing in terms of how imished intelligence and policy become in the field when there's such a

2:16.0

close relationship between the station chief, Larry Devlin, and his ambassadors.

2:22.4

It is an extraordinary story and I highly recommend it

...

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