264. Letter from Prime Minister Adoula to President Kennedy 1

My Dear President: Learning that Ambassador Gullion was called to Washington I wished to profit from his trip to address to you this very personal note.

You have followed the development of the situation in the Congo since the last talks which I had with Mr. Tshombe in Léopoldville. You have certainly been apprised of all the efforts which I have made, first of all to avoid a rupture in the talks—a rupture which Mr. Tshombe desired at any price—and then in order to arrive at a peaceful solution to the Katanga problem even when the mandate vested in me by the parliament was not always respected. The point of view of the Central Government was revealed to you I believe by Secretary of State Dean Rusk after the meeting which he had in Washington with Ministers Bomboko and Kamitatu. The disappointments which I am unceasingly confronted with in this affair have considerably affected my morale. My political opponents are profiting from them in order to propagandize against the Government to the extent that the population more and more is losing confidence. For my part, I am becoming pessimistic, if not desperate. I [Page 518] wonder if it would not even be preferable to abdicate my duties if a solution is not forthcoming in the next month.

At the same time, conscious of the necessity of sparing the Congo a new crisis which would only have grievous repercussions on world peace, I struggle still against my conscience to keep courage and my nerve.

You are not unaware, my Dear President, of how much the problem of the Katanga is tied to peace and especially of the consequences that a failure of the UN operations could engender not only for the Congo but also for all those who have supported this operation. Notwithstanding the numerous difficulties lining my path, I still have confidence in the future of my country when I consider the efforts which your Government and you do not cease to expend in our behalf. I know also that your task is not easy. Several of your countrymen did not always understand the problems of the Congo. I know also that my policy of non-alignment is not always understood by the tax-paying American; but the acts which I present should suffice to clarify opinion, since I have never renounced the principles of liberty and democracy which reign in the free world. I would not wish to inject a pessimistic tone in my letter in saying that if a positive result is not obtained in the coming weeks I would be perhaps forced to submit my resignation to the Chief of State. This would be the result of the unfortunate efforts of those who in desiring happiness for the Congolese people continue to pursue their own interests.

I would be ill-mannered in ending these lines if I did not reiterate to you in my name and in the name of the Congolese people the feelings of gratitude which we owe to you personally as well as to the American people for the material and moral support which you have not ceased to furnish us.2

Believe me, my dear President,

Yours very sincerely,

Adoula 3
  1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Congo. Secret. The source text is an English translation prepared in the Department of State and sent to the White House with a July 24 covering memorandum from Brubeck to Bundy, which states that Adoula had given the letter to Gullion just before Gullion left Léopoldville to return to Washington for consultations. A copy of the original letter, handwritten in French, is in Department of State, Central Files, 770G.00/7–2462.
  2. Kennedy replied in a letter of July 30, stating that the U.S. Government was “urgently considering further measures in aid of your country” and was “determined to cooperate with the United Nations in taking the necessary steps to restore the integrity of the Congo.” He concluded by assuring Adoula that “you can count on my support.” The letter was transmitted to Léopoldville in telegram 172, July 31; telegram 288 from Léopoldville, August 2, reported that Godley had delivered it to Adoula that day. (Ibid., 770G.00/7–3162 and 770G.00/8–262, respectively)
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.