Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone

Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other way-out of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian roulette, Congo-style, with him. And not a year later, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered, raising questions about the CIAs-and Devlins involvement. This is a classic political memoir from a man who lived in wildly dramatic times.