The different speeches of 30 June 1960 confirmed the mutual distrust between Lumumba and the Belgian government, which undoubtedly influenced their reactions to the subsequent events. From the beginning of the crisis, it was clear that it led to a fundamental split between Lumumba and the Belgian government and that gradually, not only the Belgian government, but also many other governments and many layers of Belgian and Congolese society were campaigning. . . to bring about

Lumumba’s downfall politically.

As indicated, the Belgian government found itself pressured by public opinion which was very harshly opposed to the events in the Congo after independence. . . . It was hard for the government to justify a laissez-faire attitude regarding the tens of thousands of Europeans in the Congo and it

was also worried about the financial and economic losses the Congo crisis could cause. The stakes were high for the Belgian financial groups in the Congo. Repeatedly, this was brought to the attention of the government.

Source: “The Conclusions of the Enquiry Committee,” 2001.

Guiding Questions:

1) (Sourcing) Who wrote this document? When and why was it written?

2) (Close Reading) What, according to this document, was the Belgian government most interested in protecting in the Congo?

3) What clues does this report provide about why Lumumba might have been assassinated?

4) Do you think this is a trustworthy source? Explain your reasoning.