Spies in the Congo: America's Atomic Mission in World War II

by Susan Williams Narrated by Justine Eyre

Overview

The Shinkolobwe Mine in the Belgian Congo was described by a 1943 Manhattan Project intelligence report as the "most important deposit of uranium yet discovered in the world." So long as the U.S. remained in control of this mine and its supply, it had a world monopoly on the primary material needed to build an atomic bomb. The uranium from this mine was used to build the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Given the possibility that the Germans were also working on an atomic bomb, it was a priority for the U.S. to prevent Congo's uranium from being smuggled to Germany. This task was given to the newly created Office of Strategic Services, later known as the CIA.



Although much has been written about ALSOS, the secret intelligence mission created to investigate the German atomic project, so far nothing has been written about the intelligence mission at the source of uranium-the Belgian Congo. Spies in the Congo is based on a mass of newly released (and formerly top secret) archive material in the U.S., the U.K., and Belgium; personal testimonies; and a range of audio visual materials, including a set of eight mm films taken by the lead spy.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

06/06/2016
The core in America’s first atom bombs came from rich uranium deposits deep inside Belgian Congo, and Williams (Who Killed Hammarskjöld?), a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, details the Allied efforts to secure that source of uranium in light of reports that Nazi Germany had begun to develop an atomic weapon. He uses newly released records from American, British, and Belgian archives, including from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Derring-do is in short supply, and the ore shipments proceeded smoothly, but readers will not regret learning about the activities of some of America’s least heralded spies. Williams’s central figure is Dock Hogue, an engineer with a taste for adventure who was recruited by the OSS and sent to Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in 1943. He and colleagues suffered from heat and disease. They mostly enjoyed working with British agents but held a lower opinion of Belgian officials; many were corrupt, some sympathized with the Nazis, and all treated Africans terribly. As a cover for uranium-based activities, agents were publicly engaged in fighting diamond smuggling. They turned up little uranium smuggling but risked their lives, engaged in a few gun battles, often ruined their health, and received scant recognition. Williams’s niche but engrossing story offers new insight on intelligence activities in sub-Saharan Africa during WWII. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

“A clever book.” —London Review of Books

“An excellent contribution to the history of intelligence, Africa, World War Two and Atomic Power.” —The Cipher Brief

“A commendable addition.” —New York Journal of Books

“Authentic and well-documented…fascinating and intricate.” —Galveston County Daily News

“A dense and engaging work on a key aspect of the Manhattan Project….Chock-full of spies and their fanciful code names as well as insightful accounts of the jealousies between the American and British. A fine complement to other accounts of wartime efforts to keep atomic weapons from the Germans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will not regret learning about the activities of some of America's least heralded spies…Williams's niche but engrossing story offers new insight on intelligence activities in sub-Saharan Africa during WWII.” —Publishers Weekly

“A well-paced read based on archival documents, this work should appeal to those interested in the history of World War II, special operations, and the origins of the nuclear age.” —Library Journal

“This is an extraordinary and fascinating story, revealed here with all the detail and pace of a well-crafted thriller.” —Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

“Williams reveals, with painstaking research and delightful prose, the conspiracies that transformed the Congo into the chessboard for superpower politics. This may seem like a far-gone era, but the repercussions of Shinkolobwe and Hiroshima are alive in the imaginations and politics of the Congo today. An important history, and a superbly crafted story.” —Jason Stearns, author of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters

“With wit, insight, and a fabulous story-telling ability, Susan Williams has taken a crucial but little-known piece of nuclear history and turned it into a remarkable tale of espionage, intrigue, romance, and murder that will keep readers riveted from start to finish. Those who thought they knew the history of the development of the atomic bombs are in for a big surprise. A magnificent achievement!” —Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute, American University, and co-author (with Oliver Stone) of The Untold History of the United States

“Gripping…A little-known story, but one with a terribly familiar ring—and ultimately devastating consequences.” —The Economist

“Susan Williams' new, meticulously researched book has shades of Graham Greene, a hint of Conrad, even echoes of Indiana Jones…truly a thriller.” —The Guardian

“Meticulously-researched and masterfully written…A real-life spy thriller.” —Joe Lauria, The Huffington Post

“A remarkable discovery…To have found in the history of the Second World War a million square miles of unfamiliar territory–the Congo–is an achievement in itself. On top of that, Williams' story is thrilling.” —The Telegraph

“Nuanced but gripping...Williams does a sterling job of delineating a complicated plot while at the same time giving a clear sense of the characters of the major players.” —The Spectator

“Chilling… Spies in the Congo is an espionage classic. Scrupulously researched, it illuminates a barely-known aspect of arguably the most significant event of the 20th century, giving fresh perspectives. “ —The Scotsman

“Williams tells a story that is sometimes comical, sometimes tragic, but always riveting.” —History of War

Library Journal

06/01/2016
This latest work by Williams (Colour Bar) details the efforts of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor of the modern CIA, particularly their agents in the Congo during World War II who sought to prevent enemies from acquiring uranium. The most potent uranium known was found in the Congo, averaging 65 percent uranium oxide compared to 0.02 or 0.03 percent from other mines. Under the pretext of preventing the smuggling of industrial-grade diamonds, the agents strove to expose the smuggling of uranium through German operatives and Belgian sympathizers. These efforts led to the intelligence needed to create the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and thus contributed directly to the advent of the nuclear age. One of the drawbacks to the agents' service was that many suffered premature deaths, likely from uranium exposure. While there are numerous books on the Manhattan Project, this is the first to focus on operations related to the origins of the uranium used. VERDICT A well-paced read based on archival documents, this work should appeal to those interested in the history of World War II, special operations, and the origins of the nuclear age.—Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

Kirkus Reviews

2016-05-08
Dogged examination of the official American and British wartime interest in keeping valuable uranium ore from the Belgian Congo out of Nazi hands. Williams (Senior Research Fellow/Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Univ. of London; Who Killed Hammarskold?: The UN, the Cold War and White Supremacy in Africa, 2012, etc.) offers a dense and engaging work on a key aspect of the Manhattan Project. Once Albert Einstein warned President Franklin Roosevelt of the potential for German scientists to develop an atomic bomb in mid-1939, the Americans seized the sources of the necessary uranium ore. These included mines in Canada and Czechoslovakia, but the richest one was located in the southern Congo province of Katanga. The ore from the Shinkolobwe Mine was exceptionally rich, containing an average of more than 65 percent uranium ore, compared to the negligible quantities from Canadian and American mines. However, in May 1940, the Nazis had overrun Belgium, and while the colony's governor general officially declared support for the Allies, "allegiances in both Belgium and in its colony were far from clear." To foil any attempts by the Nazis to infiltrate the colony and wrest control of the mine, the Americans enlisted the Office of Strategic Services, set up by Roosevelt as the wartime intelligence agency. Top-secret agents—e.g., the able civil engineer Wilbur Owings Hogue—were sent to work alongside Belgian officials to keep the shipments of Congolese ore moving to the port of Matadi and eventually ending in a storehouse on Staten Island. Only a handful of insiders knew of the ultimate use of the ore, and thus a diamond-smuggling operation became the ideal cover for the movement of the uranium. The author's work is chock-full of spies and their fanciful code names as well as insightful accounts of the jealousies between the Americans and British. A fine complement to other accounts of wartime efforts to keep atomic weapons from the Germans—e.g., most recently, Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress (2016).

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170827909
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/09/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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