30. Editorial Note
In telegram 04802, October 7, 1960, Bronson Tweedy, Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Africa Division in the Directorate of Plans, informed the Chief of Station in Leopoldville that he had “had good discussion with your colleague 7 Oct.,” a reference to Joseph Scheider, who had left Leopoldville for the United States on October 5. “Be assured did not expect [text not declassified]PROP objectives be reached in short period,” Tweedy stated, “and understand current situation fully warranted return your colleague.” Meanwhile, Tweedy reported, “we considering dispatching third national operator who, when he arrives, should then be assessed by you over period to see whether he might play active or cutout role on full time basis. If you conclude he suitable and bearing in mind heavy extra load this places on you, would expect dispatch TDY senior case officer run this op and outside agent full time under your direction.” (Central Intelligence Agency Files, Job 79–00149A, DDO/IMS Files, Box 23, Folder 1, African Division, Senate Select Committee, Volume II.)
In telegram 0089, October 8, the Station in Leopoldville informed the Central Intelligence Agency that Scheider had left Leopoldville for the United States on October 5 in “view expiration date his materials. However left certain items of continuing usefulness.” The Chief of Station “plans continue try implement op” and wished to “stress necessity provide Station with qualified third country national.” (Ibid.) Scheider, [Page 42] however, testified before the Church Committee in October 1975 that he had “destroyed the viability” of the biological material and disposed of it in the Congo River before departing for the United States on October 5. In what the Interim Report calls the “only real conflict” between the Chief of Station’s and Scheider’s testimony, the Chief of Station testified in August 1975 that the toxic material was not disposed of until after Lumumba was imprisoned by the Congolese in early December. The Interim Report notes that the central point was that the Chief of Station planned to continue the assassination effort, by whatever means, even after Scheider’s departure. (Interim Report, pages 29–30)
On November 3, 1960, a Central Intelligence Agency senior case officer, called Michael Mulroney in Interim Report, arrived in Leopoldville. In June 1975 Mulroney testified to the Church Committee that he had been asked by Richard Bissell, Deputy Director of Plans, to go to the Congo to carry out the assassination of Patrice Lumumba. Mulroney told the committee that before leaving for Leopoldville he had met with Scheider, who discussed with him lethal means for disposing of Lumumba, including a virus and poison, but Mulroney informed Bissell he would not participate in an assassination plot. Mulroney testified, however, that while in Leopoldville he had been prepared to take action to “neutralize” Lumumba by drawing him away from UN custody and turning him over to the legal Congolese authorities, Mulroney told the committee that he was opposed to assassination but not “capital punishment.” For more information on Mulroney’s testimony, see Document 45, footnote 5 to Document 46, and the Interim Report, pages 37–44.