JFK and the Congo!
The negative effects of the assassination of John F. Kennedy are felt around the world today. One of the many places is in Africa, especially in the Congo.Years ago, JFK backed Patrice Lumumba, the First Prime Minister of the Congo. Lumumba was a young, dynamic, revolutionary who helped the Congo end the brutal Colonial reign of Belgium's King Leopold. The freedom was short lived as Allen Dulles and his cohorts like the Rockefellers backed Moise Tshombe to have the Katanga section succeed from the Congo. Katanga represented about 70-75 percent of the total wealth of the Congo without it, there is no way the Congo could survive. General Mobutu would turn on Lumumba and have him arrested. JFK, as president elect, would send his Brother Teddy on a fact finding mission. Teddy would come back and tell his brother that they need to back this dynamic young leader Lumumba. Allen Dulles had other plans and according to the Church committee, Dulles would speed up the Assassination of Lumumba before JFK took office. He would never notify JFK of Lumumba's death and Kennedy would not find out until weeks later that Lumumba was assassinated. JFK would work with Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary General of the United Nations to try and Keep Katanga from succeeding from the Congo. It would work temporarily but Hammarskjöld would be assassinated (with evidence of Dulles's involvement) and later of course JFK would be assassinated (with evidence of Dulles's involvement). President Lyndon Johnson would go in the opposite direction of JFK (like so many other places) and back Mobutu and his bloody reign.
Today the Congo is an absolute disaster. Years of wars have led to Millions of deaths. The exact numbers are hard to come by because the UN was not allowed to finish their investigation on some of the wars. The International Rescue Committee puts the casualties of what is considered the Second war from 1998-2004 at an estimated 3.8 million. This number is hard to comprehend. To put in perspective, on 9-11 there were 3 thousand casualties, the Indian ocean tsunami of 2004 had 300 thousand deaths, and the 22 year Sudan civil war produced around 2 million deaths. The International Rescue committee announced that more people have been killed in the Congo than any war since World War 2.
When I hear people ask the question "why does the JFK assassination matter today ", I can point to so many different areas.The Congo is certainly one of them. Allen Dulles caused so much damage in the Congo with the Assassination of Lumumba and so did Johnson with his reversal of JFK Policies. JFK's Irish roots led him to understand the brutality of Colonialism and the strength and determination of Nationalism. Do not let anyone tell you that Kennedy's assassination doesn't matter today because the Proof that it does is everywhere!
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