The Poisonwood Bible. Congolese and American Historical Allusions

Transcription

1 The Poisonwood Bible Congolese and American Historical Allusions

2 Patrice Lumumba educated in Catholic missionary schools and served as postal clerk before travelling to Belgium and becoming involved in politics founded Mouvement National Congolais in 1958 and represented group at All-African Peoples Conference in Ghana charismatic and inspiring leader who spoke French and five African languages first Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo (democratically elected in June 1960) deposed in coup after 12 weeks in office (supported by governments of Belgium, United States, and Great Britain) imprisoned by military under authority of Joseph Mobutu and later executed by firing squad

3 Patrice Lumumba

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5 Patrice Lumumba

6 Patrice Lumumba

7 Joseph Mobutu (Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga) served in the Belgian Army and independently trained as a writer (inspired by Machiavelli and Churchill) joined Lumumba s party, becoming his personal aide and later Chief of Staff of the Army (probably recruited by Belgians as an informer) dictator of the Republic of Congo (which he renamed Zaire in 1971) from 1965 to 1997, when he was expelled by a rebellion supported by the United States because of his anticommunist stance amassed immense personal wealth through corruption (estimates of 15 billion dollars)

8 Joseph Mobutu

9 Joseph Mobutu

10 Joseph Mobutu

11 Dwight Eisenhower graduated from West Point served as five-star general in the U.S. Army and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II worked as Army Chief of Staff for President Harry Truman President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 (campaigned to fight Communism and corruption )

12 Dwight Eisenhower

13 Dwight Eisenhower

14 Allen Dulles graduated from Princeton University and George Washington University Law School before entering the foreign service with U. S. Department of State served as legal adviser to the League of Nations in the 1930s (meeting with British and French leaders as well as Hitler and Mussolini at that time) worked in Switzerland during WWII in intelligencegathering and assisted many German Jews in their escape from Nazi Germany to the United States served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1953 to 1961, waging the Cold War through covert operations appointed to Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy

15 Allen Dulles

16 Larry Devlin joined U.S. Army during World War II, earning a rank of captain recruited by the CIA in 1949 after graduating from college served as CIA field officer in Africa for many years and was station chief in the Congo received directive to assassinate Lumumba through poison and provided support for Mobutu in his two coups after CIA career in the 1970s, worked for DeBeers Diamond Trading Company in Congo for a decade before retiring to Provence, France

17 Larry Devlin

18 Sidney Gottlieb earned Ph.D. in chemistry from California Institute of Technology worked for CIA under Director Allen Dulles on secret Cold War projects (poisons and mind control) and was involved in plots to assassinate political leaders in Cuba, Congo, Iraq, and Vietnam received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal from the U. S. government in 1972 after retirement, ran leper hospital in India with his wife

19 Sidney Gottlieb

20 Frank Church served as United States Senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981 chaired Senate Select Committee to Study U.S. Intelligence Activities in , specifically investigating covert operations of the FBI and CIA spoke out against the Vietnam War and worked to protect the environment and wilderness areas unsuccessfully ran for President in 1976, losing nomination to Jimmy Carter chaired Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1979 to 1981

21 Frank Church