History

The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination

The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination

  • Downloads：1037
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-10-27 13:21:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stuart A. Reid
  • ISBN：1524748811
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Anlan ，

Reid covers it all in this thrilling （and chilling） tale of a notorious political assassination。 The author walks the reader through seemingly every detail behind the assassination of Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the early years of the Cold War。 Of particular note is his exhumation of the United Nations presence during this time -- including background on Dag Hammarskjöld -- as an analysis the organization's early days （and early failures）。 Despite being lengthy， it was no difficulty Reid covers it all in this thrilling （and chilling） tale of a notorious political assassination。 The author walks the reader through seemingly every detail behind the assassination of Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the early years of the Cold War。 Of particular note is his exhumation of the United Nations presence during this time -- including background on Dag Hammarskjöld -- as an analysis the organization's early days （and early failures）。 Despite being lengthy， it was no difficulty to keep reading; each page beckoned like the one before。I read an advanced reader's copy of this book given to me by the publisher through a Goodreads giveaway。 。。。more

Rebekah Diamond ，

This is an incredible true story that reads like a spellbinding thriller。 I don’t gravitate towards historical works but devoured this one like a novel。 If you’re looking for fast-paced， fascinating entertainment that is as informative and well-written as it’s enjoyable， this is your pick。

William McCabe ，

What a fantastic book。 Stuart Reid was able to craft such an engrossing narrative around such an important but little known event （in American eyes） in the Congo during the height of Cold War tensions。 As someone who teaches and voraciously devours history I was aware of the people and the events in only the broadest of outlines。 Reid filled in all of the holes with captivating detail and fantastic character studies。 The main narrative focuses on the rise and unfortunate downfall of Patrice Lumu What a fantastic book。 Stuart Reid was able to craft such an engrossing narrative around such an important but little known event （in American eyes） in the Congo during the height of Cold War tensions。 As someone who teaches and voraciously devours history I was aware of the people and the events in only the broadest of outlines。 Reid filled in all of the holes with captivating detail and fantastic character studies。 The main narrative focuses on the rise and unfortunate downfall of Patrice Lumumba， and how his story intersected with those in his orbit of the Congo during the independence movement of the 1950s and 1960s。 Though Lumumba’s story drives the main narrative （and his story really is one to behold） Reid includes portraits of others who lived during the Congo Crisis， including his onetime ally Mobutu， who eventually deposed him and put his death in motion。 Others who were involved also get detailed character portraits， whether they represented the Congololese， Americans， Belgians， or United Nations workers。 At first I found the title to be misleading as the book really begins as a true biography and rise of Lumumba。 By the middle， though， you do see the plot against him begin to take place。 Beyond the interesting history of politics in 60s Congo， the machinations of the CIA and US government truly become horrifying and disheartening。 I cannot wait to recommend this book to others and if you enjoy history you will not be disappointed by the subject master and writing style。 Stuart Reid has truly written an engrossing book。 I want to say thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book for review。 。。。more

Book。Mountain ，

I loved this book。 It details the end of Belgian colonialism in the Congo， the subsequent rise to power of Patrice Lumumba， his swift and tragic decline， lots of behind the scenes dealings and movements of government agencies and how the Congo was caught in the middle of a cold war struggle leading to disastrous consequences。 The story of Patrice Lumumba is an event that I’ve only heard of briefly mentioned in other books and when I saw that this was coming out， it instantly became one of my mos I loved this book。 It details the end of Belgian colonialism in the Congo， the subsequent rise to power of Patrice Lumumba， his swift and tragic decline， lots of behind the scenes dealings and movements of government agencies and how the Congo was caught in the middle of a cold war struggle leading to disastrous consequences。 The story of Patrice Lumumba is an event that I’ve only heard of briefly mentioned in other books and when I saw that this was coming out， it instantly became one of my most anticipated books of the year。 I’ve got pretty limited knowledge of African history and politics but this book was easily accessible and would be enjoyable for anyone with an interest in the subject whether you’re well versed or not。 Coming in at over 600 pages， it’s a hefty book but held my intrigue throughout。 If you’re interested in the behind the scenes workings/meddlings of the CIA， UN this book whets the appetite。 A compelling piece of investigative reporting， it reads like a John LeCarre spy novel and I can’t recommend it enough。 5 stars。 Thank you to the author， publisher， and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of the book。 。。。more