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The American Role in Lumumba's Murder

American officials plotted to assassinate Lumumba, the Congo's first prime minister, in 1960. While a CIA plan to poison him was abandoned, U.S. officials enabled his overthrow, supported his opposition, and secretly approved his transfer to executioners who murdered him on January 17, 1961.
July 21, 2026

New York Times, October 25, 2012 To the Editor: John Steinbeck rejected the suggestion by Adlai Stevenson’s camp in 1958 that he write a novel intended to hurt Vice President Richard Nixon’s chances to become president, as described in Jim Arndorfer’s essay (“Nixon Protagonistes,” Oct.