Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXIII, Congo, 1960–1968

24. Telegram From the Central Intelligence Agency to the Station in the Congo¹

Washington, September 19, 1960, 0919Z.

Dir 01443 (Out 71464).

1. Iden ² proceeding Brazzaville shortly and should arrive approx 27 Sept. He will make his way Leop soonest thereafter and call you at office on arrival. Will announce himself as “[Joe] from Paris”.³

[Omitted here is discussion of meeting arrangements.]

2. It urgent you should see Iden soonest possible after he phones you. He will fully identify himself and explain his assignment to you.⁴ However his ETA not firm and you should not be concerned by some delay.

3. Acknowledge above soonest, with any revisions you wish make in above procedures. Continue use [less than 1 line not declassified] PROP indicator all traffic this op, which you instructed hold entirely to yourself.⁵

End of message.

1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Files, Job 79–00149A, DDO/IMS Files, Box 23, Folder 1, African Division, Senate Select Committee, Volume II. Secret; Rybat; [less than 1 line not declassified]PROP; Priority. Eyes only COS from Tweedy. Drafted and authenticated by Tweedy (C/AF) and released by [illegible] (DD/P).
2. [text not declassified], September 19, stated that “iden” was “Sidney Braun.” (Ibid.) The Interim Report identifies “Iden” as “Joseph Scheider,” Special Assistant to the DDP (Bissell) for Scientific Matters with a degree in bio-organic chemistry. (pp. 20–23) Braun/Scheider was actually CIA scientist [name not declassified], who testified before the Church Committee in October 1975. [text not declassified] (Central Intelligence Agency Files, Job 79–00149A, DDO/IMS Files, Box 23, Folder 1, African Division, Senate Select Committee, Volume II)
3. The Interim Report, p. 23, included the following excerpts from the first three sentences “[‘Joe’] should arrive approx 27 Sept.” It went on to say: “Will announce himself as ‘Joe from Paris.’”
4. These two sentences are quoted ibid. On October 7, 1975, Scheider testified that Bissell had told him in late summer or early fall of 1960 to have biological materials ready at short notice for assassination of an unspecified African leader and that he had direction from the “highest authority” for such an operation. (Scheider said that he had assumed this meant the President.) He told the Committee that after he had prepared toxic biological materials and accessories for use in an assassination operation, he had a meeting with Tweedy and his deputy in September, during which Tweedy asked him to take the toxic materials to the Congo and deliver instructions to the Chief of Station “to mount an operation, if he could do it securely . . . to either seriously incapacitate or eliminate Lumumba.” (Ibid., p. 21) For a more detailed description of Scheider’s testimony before the Church Committee regarding the assassination plot, see ibid., pp. 19–30.
5. According to the Interim Report, the codeword “PROP” indicated extraordinary sensitivity and restricted circulation at CIA headquarters to Dulles, Bissell, Tweedy, and Tweedy’s deputy. On October 9, 1975, Tweedy testified before the Church Committee that the PROP channel was established and used exclusively for the Lumumba assassination operation. (p. 23)