In Search of Enemies - A CIA Story - John Stockwell

Sa vim bi [147]
he was expelled from Zambia after he directed attacks on the Benguela
railroad which carried Zambia's copper to the sea. He spent
eight months in exile in Cairo before deciding to take personal command
of UNIT A inside Angola, first visiting the People's Republic
of China to solicit support.* The Chinese gave small amounts of
material help, and the North Koreans provided guerrilla training for
twelve fighters. With small numbers of men and limited means
Savimbi became a festering thorn to the Portuguese in central Angola
and a living legend among the Ovimbundu people.
"They used helicopters and horse-mounted troops and dogs but
they could never catch us," Sa vim bi recalled. "They were never sure
where we were. I would visit the faithful inside the cities at night.
I once went right into Silva Porto and left only fifteen minutes before
the Portuguese raided the house. Then I would walk for two days
and nights and show myself one hundred kilometers away, and do
it again and again, until the Portuguese and the people thought I was
everywhere. "
I listened, fascinated. A little of that sort of action, magnified by
rumor, poor communications, and natural exaggeration transforms
a man into a god in the minds of a suppressed people. I knew from
experiences in the Congo that some Africans could cover phenomenal
distances on foot; this man was a strapping mesomorph who
would translate his ambition into physical activity.
"I learned when to go away." he said. "I put Nzau Puna, my best
man, in charge of Bie province and he couldn't seem to do anything.
Finally I realized the people would never listen to him while Savimbi
was there. So I went away and three months later he was one of my
best commanders and Bie was the best province." Savimbi had thus
organized UNIT A into three regions and developed reliable leaders
for each one.
Organization, leadership and the courage to delegate, I thought.
The CIA's managers should understudy this man.
"How do you communicate with your forces in Bie and on the
Lobito front?" I asked.
"I send written messages by Land Rover. It takes days. And you
United Arab Republic, but Savimbi absconded with the money to Lusaka, Zambia,
where he used it to start UNIT A. In fact, Sa vim bi had broken with Roberto in 1964.
*Marcum, The Angolan Revolution, Vol. I.