G. Edward Griffin - The Fearful Master - PDF Archive

chaos to justify the harsh police-state measures which must be used to establish firm
dictatorial rule. Step three: Put the blame on non-Communists. Step four: Maneuver as
many non-Communists as possible into actually doing the dirty work for them. Now came
the visible beginnings of step number five, the police-state measures themselves.
On August 2, 1960, the Congolese central government decreed that any Belgian business
which had been abandoned during the mayhem would be confiscated by the state unless
reclaimed within eight days.
The Congo's largest and most influential newspaper Le Courier d'Afrique was seized by
the government, forced to shut down, and its editor was thrown in jail for printing critical
remarks about Lumumba. The editor was finally expelled to Belgium and the paper
resumed operation with a more "acceptable" editorial policy. 28
Lumumba moved swiftly to consolidate his totalitarian control. On September 15 he issued
the following lengthy and highly revealing directive to the heads of the various provinces
throughout the Congo:
SUBJECT: Measures To Be Applied During the First Stages of the
Dictatorship.
Sir,
I have the honour and the pleasure to inform you that with a view to the
rapid restoration of order in the country, the House of Representatives
and the Senate [of the central government], meeting in special session
on 13 September of this year, decided to grant the government full
powers.
Full powers should be understood to mean that the government is free
to act as it thinks fit in all respects, for the purpose of suppressing
abuses, disorders and any action which is contrary to the will of the
government over which I have presided legally since the attainment of
independence by the Congo. . . .
The most effective and direct means of succeeding rapidly in our task
may be summarized as follows:
1. Establish an absolute dictatorship and apply it in all its forms.
2. Terrorism, essential to subdue the population.
3. Proceed systematically, using the army, to arrest all members of the
opposition. I will be personally responsible for those at Leopoldville
including the Head of State and his close supporters. A few weeks ago,
in view of the present situation in Katanga and Sud-Kasai, I sent the
National Army to arrest Tshombe and Kalonji and even to kill them if
possible. . . .
4. Imprison the ministers, deputies and senators, who sometimes abuse
their parliamentary immunity. In such a case I should be glad if you
would not spare them but arrest them all without pity and treat them with