Parliamentary
Committee of enquiry in charge of determining
the
exact circumstances of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba
and
the possible involvement of Belgian politicians
Introduction
The
subject under examination was particularly complicated and extremely delicate.
Moreover,
the period under examination was more than forty years ago.
Numerous
witnesses are today deceased, while others could not or would not accurately
relate the facts that they had witnessed.
It
was therefore a question of accurately establishing those facts, in their
totality and in precise chronological order.
The
co-operation of historical research specialists was required for the success of
such a mission.
The
Committee places on record the fact that its work unfolded in an excellent
atmosphere and that the results achieved by far exceeded its expectations.
The
Committee is convinced that this positive assessment is due to the working
method that it followed.
At
the beginning of its work, after a call for candidates, it designated experts,
selected after hearings based on their curriculum vitae, their scientific skills
and their neutrality.
These
experts were able to carry out their research and to formulate their findings in
complete independence and freedom.
Fortunately,
the Committee spontaneously obtained free access to all the public and private
archives that it wanted to consult, as well as the co-operation of their owners.
It
should however be observed that numerous archives were lost in the Congo itself
and that it is impossible to guarantee that all the documents have been
consulted.
What’s
more, it was only after having familiarised itself with the experts’ first
reports that the Committee proceeded with the hearing of witnesses, who, as a
result, were able to be heard by the Committee in the full knowledge of the
facts and who were confronted, during their testimony, with information that the
Committee had already obtained.
For
the successful conclusion of research on this scale, the Committee wanted to
allow itself the necessary time, and requested a six-month extension of its
overall mandate.
The
contribution of the experts to the Committee’s work was of paramount
importance, but for the historians themselves, their co-operation with this
Committee represented a unique opportunity for obtaining access to important
sources of recent history.
Furthermore,
the Committee enacted all the expert’s requests when they solicited any
additional duty of enquiry.
The
very existence of this investigative committee merits a mention in itself:
research
into the colonial and post-colonial past is still relatively rare.
To
formulate its findings, observations and recommendations, the Committee was able
to base itself on various scrutinised reports and on the precise historical
findings of its experts, and would in consequence like to express its sincere
appreciation of their work.
It
would also like to thank the departments of the House for their traditionally
excellent co-operation, without which this book could not have been concluded.
Fruitful
co-operation reigned on this occasion, no doubt for the first time in
Belgium’s parliamentary history, between the political world and the
scientific world.
On
the basis of these observations, the Committee would consequently recommend
further recourse, in the context of parliamentary activity, to the expertise
available in the academic world, in the research establishments and in the
international organisations.
This
expertise would contribute to making the debates, including the ordinary
committee work, more profound and more objective.