Opposition to the MPLA in Angola
The MPLA is a political party that has ruled Angola since the country’s independence from Portugal in 1975.
It fought against the Portuguese army in the Angolan War of Independence of 1961–74 and defeated the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), two other anti-colonial movements, in the Angolan Civil War of 1975–2002.
With the MPLA under Agostinho Neto taking over the capital Luanda, chief of CIA’s covert operations in Angola in 1975, wrote that Washington decided to oppose the MPLA, as it was seen as closer to the Soviet Union, and support the FNLA and Unita instead, even though all three had help from communist countries.
The CIA then helped secretly import weapons, including 30,000 rifles, through Kinshasa in neighboring Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Stockwell says in a video documentary.
He adds that CIA officers also trained fighters for armed combat.
A declassified US government document detailing a discussion between the head of the CIA, the secretary of state and others indicates the support the CIA gave to the forces fighting the MPLA.
