CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY: CONGO

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00202802
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 5, 2016
• Case Number: F-2014-02699
• Publication Date: June 22, 1961

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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY
SUMMARY
22 June 1961
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
DOCUMENT NO. 9
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
CONGO
The agreement on 19 June
between representatives of the
Leopoldville and Stanleyville
regimes on the reopening of
parliament raises the prospect
that the long impasse between
Kasavubu and Gizenga may be
nearing an end. The agreement
calls for parliament to meet
at Lovanium University near Leo-
poldville on 25 June, but the
senior UN representative in
the Congo considers 15 July
a more likely date. The UN is
to provide protection for all
deputies and institute rigid
security measures to minimize
the threat of outside influence.
The agreement apparently
was reached over the protests
of Premier Ileo, who has long
been reluctant to call parlia-
ment. Ileo, who has little
legislative backing, probably
will be dropped as head of the
government; his most likely re-
placement is Cyrille Adoula,
the moderate and able interior
minister in the Ileo cabinet.
Adoula would probably be able
to obtain support from elements
in both the Kasavubu and the
Gizenga groups; Gizenga's spokes-
man in New York has expressed
the opinion that the Stanley-
ville leader would accept a
vice premiership under Adoula.
Estimates of the relative
parliamentary strengths of the
Kasavubu and Gizenga blocs con-
tinue to indicate that the Leo-
poldville faction is in the
lead. Gizenga has a strong
minority position, however, with
about 40 of the 137 votes, and
many of the other legislators
are unknown quantities. More-
over, his supporters are the
best organized group and prob-
ably will be able to wield an
influence out of proportion to
their number. There are indi-
cations that the Leopoldville
faction is becoming increasingly
concerned at its inability to
exert close control over its
supporters.
The position of the Katanga
regime on the question of parlia-
ment is unclear. Negotiations
in Milan earlier this month be-
tween Katanga and Leopoldville
officials produced the begin-
nings of a rapprochement; how-
ever, Congolese in Elisabeth-
ville, in conversations with UN
representatives, have been ignor-
ing the talks and their implica-
tions. On 20 June the parlia-
mentarians from Katanga announced
they would not come to Leopold-
ville unless Tshombe was released
and the confederal structure
proposed at the Tananarive con-
ference last March adopted as
the basis for a constitutional
revision.
Tshombe has now been re-
leased and has announced his
plans to return to Elisabeth-
ville, and a Katanga spokes-
man has apparently withdrawn
the condition concerning the
Tananarive resolutions. The
deputies controlled by Elisa-
bethville would furnish valuable
support to the Kasavubu bloc
in its disputes with Gizenga.
Congolese Foreign Minister
Bomboko recently told an Ameri-
can official that Leopoldville
authorities had proof that In-
dian Charg�ahman had been in-
volved in subversive activities
against the Leopoldville govern-
ment.
a member of the inalan
UN contingent and other UN of-
finials were implicated as well.
Rahman was implicatea lu
plot involving a youth group
and Congolese army elements.
The leader of the youth group
was arrested last week and may
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22 June 61
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
have furnished a basis for
Bomboko's charges. Bomboko
allegedly hoped to ask Nehru
to remove Rahmah quietly in the
interest of Congolese-Indian
relations. Should the charges
be widely publicized, the re-
cent improvement in New Delhi's
attitude toward the Congolese
Government probably would be
nullified.
Neutralist nations continue
to encounter difficulties in
their efforts to send aid to
Gizenga. A flight to Stanley-
ville, of a Ghanaian IL-18 al-
legedly to transport "medical
supplies" and "embassy person-
nel," was canceled at the re-
quest of the UN chief in the
Congo.
In Brussels, Foreign Min-
ister Spaak recently took is-
sue with Hammarskjold's view
that UN forces in the Congo
probably could be reduced from
20,000 to 5,000 by the end of
the year. Spaak believes the
situation will remain so un-
stable for at least a year that
any substantial UN withdrawal
would be dangerous. Hammarskjold,
in stating his views to British
officials in early June, had
also said he hoped to reduce
the annual cost of UN operations
in the Congo from $120,000,000
to $20,000,000.
Spaak appears to be increas-
ingly realistic regarding the
withdrawal of Belgian elements
from the Congo. He has told the
American ambassador in Brussels
that if Munongo does not release
all of the 23 advisers whose re-
turn has been requested by Spaak,
they will be ordered to return
to Belgium immediately. On the
other hand, Spaak is reluctant
to force the return of Belgian
officers serving in the Katanga
gendarmerie until replacements
are available. He has also de-
cided to send a high Foreign
Ministry official to Katanga to
represent him, although for "po-
litical" reasons he could not
immediately withdraw Belgian Con-
sul General Crener, who does not
have
cials.
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WEEKLY REVIEW
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