Patrice Lumumba the first Prime Minister of the newly independent African state The Congo To fellow Africans he was a hero the man who had won his countrys independence from the Belgians But for the secret services of the western powers he was a threat It was at the height of the Cold War when the superpowers of both East and Western blocs were competing for spheres of influence in the New Africa Congo was vital to Western interests because of its vast mineral resources The West believed Lumumba was prosoviet and would open the door to communist control of this mineral rich region CIA agent Larry Devlin received 100000 dollars from the Agency along with telegraphed instructions to make the elimination of Lumumba the priority goal of his covert action
