Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone - Hardcover

Larry Devlin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586484052 ISBN 13: 9781586484057

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2007

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

Larry Devlin was raised in California, enlisted in the army reaching the grade of captain in World War II, joined the CIA in 1949 and was appointed Chief of Station Congo in 1959. He subsequently served as Chief of Station, Laos and Chief, Africa Division and retired in 1974. He resides in Virginia and Provence, France.

Review:

"'Chief of Station, Congo,' [Devlin's] account of his stint in Kinshasa, then called Leopoldville, is an effort to finally set the record straight following years of rumors" -- Reuters, 6/7

"An unusually open look at CIA operations in the Eisenhower-Kennedy era..." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Devlin clearly loved his job. He deals with individuals, powerbrokers...The book is part memoir, part documentary, part b-movie screenplay...The book covers much more of interest, including the Cuban missile crisis. But the main thrust is Devlin's central role in countering Lumumba and those around him, while building up pro-US figures and backing Mobutu." -- Socialism Today, July/August 2007

"Devlin's memoir...is not easy to lay aside once you start reading...He knows how to write a succinct, compelling dispatch." -- Barron's, May 7, 2007

"Devlin's tale is often entertaining, with lots of cloak-and-dagger drama in a chaotic and largely lawless capital city." -- Foreign Affairs, May/June 2007

"Mr. Devlin's book illustrates the influence a station chief could exert in a far-away corner of the globe." -- Washington Times, May 6, 2007

"[I]t's a rollicking great read...a memoir full of adventure..." -- ControlledGreed.com

"must-read for those interested in the shaping of independent Africa.... this book is of pressing and immediate relevance" -- Financial Times, March 24, 2007

About this edition

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1586484052
• ISBN 13: 9781586484057
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 312