TO BELIEVE THAT HE BOTH LIKES THE BROTHELS AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS OF KIGOMA AND IS ALSO AFRAID OF BEING CAPTURED BY HOARE’S OR SUPO’S FORCES IN THE CONGO. INASMUCH AS COLONEL SUPO NOW HAS COMMAND OF ALL CONGOLESE FORCES IN THESE PROVINCES, THIS SITUATION WILL CERTAINLY BECOME WORSE FOR HIM.
c. COLONEL SUPO BELIEVES, AND MATA HARI AND UNDERSIGNED CONCUR, THAT SHOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR GUEVERAN FORCES, WITH SOME SIMBA ASSISTANCE, TO RECAPTURE ALBERTVILLE, MITOUDIDI COULD CLAIM A MAJOR SIMBA VICTORY, AND HIS HEARTS AND MINDS PROBLEMS WOULD BE DIMINISHED. SHOULD AN ATTACK ON ALBERTVILLE FAIL, HE COULD PLACE THE BLAME ON GUEVARA AND HIS FORCES. THEREFORE, HE WILL PRESSURE GUEVARA TO MAKE THE ATTACK AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME.
d. ALTHOUGH, SINCE HE HAS ENCOUNTERED GREAT DIFFICULTY IN AUGMENTING THE SMALL FORCE HE HAS WITH HIM AT LULUPLAT, GUEVARA MAY BE RELUCTANT TO MAKE THE ATTACK, HE WILL PROBABLY BE FORCED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO SOLVE HIS OWN HEARTS AND MINDS PROBLEMS WITH MITOUDIDI. IN THIS CONNECTION, IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT GUEVARA THINKS OF HIMSELF AS THE LEADER OF THE AFRICAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT. IF AN ATTACK ON ALBERTVILLE SUCCEEDED, HE COULD AND ALMOST CERTAINLY WOULD CLAIM THE CREDIT FOR BEING THE GENERAL.
e. BASED ON HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE STRENGTH AND ABILITY OF THE MITOUDIDI FORCES, AND PRESUMING THAT CURRENT INTERDICTION EFFORTS OF CUBAN REINFORCEMENTS FROM BOTH TANGANYIKA AND CONGO BRAZZAVILLE WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, SUPO BELIEVES THAT WITH THE AUGMENTATION OF, OR REPLACEMENT OF, HOARE’S MERCENARY FORCES IN THE ALBERTVILLE AREA BY CONGOLESE ARMY FORCES, ADEQUATELY SUPPLIED, CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE, IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR GUEVARAN FORCES TO RETAKE ALBERTVILLE. MATA HARI AND UNDERSIGNED CONCUR.
f. MATA HARI AND UNDERSIGNED CONCUR THAT IT MUST BE KEPT IN MIND THAT NEITHER MITOUDIDI OR GUEVARA ARE TRAINED OFFICERS, AND THAT BOTH ARE DESPERATE AND EGOTISTICAL AND MAY TAKE ACTION AT ANY TIME THAT OTHERS WOULD REGARD AS ILL ADVISED.
HELPER SIX
TOP SECRET
[ NINE ]
TOP SECRET
2015 GREENWICH 8 JUNE 1965
FROM STATION CHIEF, LÉOPOLDVILLE, CONGO 00025
TO DIRECTOR, CIA, LANGLEY
COPIES TO SOUTH AMERICAN DESK
MR SANFORD T FELTER, COUNSELOR TO
THE PRESIDENT
THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON
1. AT 0635 8 JUNE 1965 A MESSAGE FROM “TATU” (GUEVERA) IN LULUPLAT TO CUBAN EMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM WAS INTERCEPTED BY HELPER PERSONNEL, DECRYPTED FROM CUBAN CODE SUGAR FOUR, AND FURNISHED BY HELPER SIX TO THE UNDERSIGNED.
2. GUEVARA REPORTS PROBABLE DEATH BY DROWNING IN LAKE TANGANYIKA OF COLONEL LAURENT MITOUDIDI, CHIEF OF STAFF OF REVOLUTIONARY STAFF MILITARY COUNCIL WHILE MOVING BY LAUNCH FROM KIMBAMBA TO NEW LOCATION OF HQ FOR GENERAL STAFF.
3. AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN SUPPORT OF COLONEL SUPO REPORT INTERDICTION AND SINKING OF LAUNCH KNOWN TO BE CLANDESTINELY TRANSPORTING MATÉRIEL AND PERSONNEL FOR GUEVERAN OPERATION IN THIS AREA AND AT THIS TIME.
4. IT IS PROBABLE THAT COLONEL LAURENT MUDANDI WILL REPLACE MITOUDIDI. MUDANDI, NOW IN DAR ES SALAAM, IS A CHINESE-TRAINED RWANDAN TUTSI AND MAY DEMONSTRATE MORE INITIATIVE THAN MITOUDIDI HAS.
C.R. TAYLOR
STATION CHIEF LÉOPOLDVILLE
TOP SECRET
[ TEN ]
TOP SECRET
2015 GREENWICH 14 JUNE 1965
00031
FROM STATION CHIEF, LÉOPOLDVILLE
TO DIRECTOR, CIA, LANGLEY
COPIES TO SOUTH AMERICAN DESK
MR SANFORD T FELTER, COUNSELOR TO
THE PRESIDENT
THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON
5. REFERENCE MY 00025 8 JUNE 1965
6. INTEL FROM COLONEL SUPO’S AGENTS IN LULUPLAT RELAYED BY HELPER SIX PERSONNEL
A-CONFIRMS PRESENCE OF COLONEL LAURENT MUDANDI IN LULUPLAT REPLACING MITOUDIDI AND EXERCISING CONTROL OVER GUEVERAN FORCES. B-REPORTS MUDANDI HAS CANCELLED ATTEMPT TO RETAKE ALBERTVILLE AND INSTEAD HAS ORDERED ATTACK “BY END OF MONTH” ON HYDROELECTRIC PLANT AT BENDERA.
7. BENDERA IS CURRENTLY GARRISONED BY APPROXIMATELY THREE HUNDRED (300) CONGOLESE TROOPS, NOT PARACHUTISTS, AND APPROXIMATELY EIGHTY (80) MERCE NARIES UNDER MAJOR MICHAEL HOARE PRIMARILY CHARGED WITH SECURITY OF HYDRO-ELECTRIC PLANT AND DAM.
8. COLONEL SUPO WILL SECRETLY IF POSSIBLE REINFORCE BENDERA WITH APPROXIMATELY FIFTY (50) PARATROOPS WHO WILL BE ADVISED BY HELPER PERSONNEL AND SUPPORTED BY HUNTER RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT.
C.R. TAYLOR
STATION CHIEF BUENOS AIRES
TOP SECRET
[ ELEVEN ]
Bendera, Katanga Province, Congo
0540 29 June 1965
Master Sergeant William “Doubting” Thomas was having very disturbing doubts of the wisdom of his having taught Sergeant First Jette the fine points of rifle marksmanship as they applied to a U.S. Springfield Caliber 30.06 Rifle, Model 1903-A4 equipped with a Bausch & Lomb 4- to 8-power telescopic sight.
On the one hand, Jette had been an apt pupil. He was a natural shot. They came along every once in a while. Thomas had known a few. Although he had never in the last decade failed to qualify as High Expert with every weapon in the special forces arsenal, Thomas knew he was not a natural shot; he had to work at it.