James Gustavus Whiteley: The Lost Agent of King Leopold II

#History: A Journal of Student Research Volume 1 Article 3 12-2016 James Gustavus Whiteley: The Lost Agent of King Leopold II Jonathan Broida The College at Brockport Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/hashtaghistory Part of the African History Commons, European History Commons, and the United States History Commons Repository Citation Broida, Jonathan (2016) "James Gustavus Whiteley: The Lost Agent of King Leopold II," #History: A Journal of Student Research: Vol. 1 , Article 3. Available at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/hashtaghistory/vol1/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @Brockport. It has been accepted for inclusion in #History: A Journal of Student Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @Brockport. For more information, please contact . JAMES GUSTAVUS WHITELEY: THE LOST AGENT OF KING LEOPOLD II Jonathan Broida, The College at Brockport [Keywords: Whiteley, Leopold, Belgium, Congo, United States] At the turn of the nineteenth century, European countries were in a competition to spread their influence around the globe. They began to focus their greed on Africa, one of the last remaining areas of land that Europeans had yet to fully control. Desperate to get in on the action, King Leopold of Belgium convinced other Europeans to allow him to receive a large chunk of the continent that he called the Congo Free State. Thus began a series of events that would lead to the whole-sale slaughter, rape, and manipulation of Congolese peoples living in Leopold’s Free State. The terrifying atrocities that happened under Leopold’s rule did not go unnoticed. Spearheaded by E.D. Morel, a reform movement gained momentum in Britain then spread across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. The movement was backed by prominent authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Mark Twain, who worked to expose the abuses that Leopold oversaw. They utilized newspapers and other forms of media to spread their message. To combat growing cries for reform in the Congo Free State, Leopold enlisted the help of agents to counter Congo reformers and gain the influence of high-ranking officials in Washington. The reform movement has been the subject of much research. William R. Lewis wrote extensively on E.D Morel and the reform movement he led to combat atrocities committed in Leopold’s Congo. Similarly, Dean Pavlakis wrote of the reform movement, adding information about its entrance into the United States and how it helped to expose a lobbying scandal in the U.S. senate operated under Leopold. Stories of Leopold and the Congo reform movement jumped to the forefront of popularity with the success of Adam Hochschild’s book, King Leopold’s Ghost. His work highlights the grotesque crimes perpetrated by the Congo Free State and describes the life of Leopold and his reactions to attacks against his rule. Hochschild writes of agents who worked to support Leopold in the United States, most famously Henry Kowalsky. On December 10, 1906 the New York American exposed Henry Kowalsky as an agent working for King Leopold of Belgium. The media fire storm that ensued spread to headlines in papers across the United States. Feeling the heat from media outlets, the U.S. government promptly removed all support for Leopold and his Congo. Kowalsky was merely a pawn in a much larger chess match. While Hochschild wrote of other accomplices to Leopold in the United States, he failed to mention a man named James Gustavus Whiteley. Behind the scenes, James Gustavus Whiteley quietly worked to secure King Leopold II’s interests in the United States and garner support for his Congo. His background in financial institutions helped him to arrange business deals that would entice potential supporters. Most of all, Whiteley depended on his inconspicuous nature to work covertly to promote Leopold in the U.S. Broida, Jonathan. “James Gustavus Whiteley: The Lost Agent of King Leopold II,” #History: A Journal of Student Research, n. 1 (December 2016). Brockport, NY: Department of History, The College at Brockport, S.U.N.Y.: 35-45. Jonathan Broida / “James Gustavus Whitely” Whiteley has remained nearly invisible in the popular histories written on Leopold and the Congo Free State. His elusive nature has left a void in the full understanding of Leopold’s agents’ infiltration of the United States. An article written by Jerome L. Sternstein briefly mentions Whiteley and the role he played in helping Leopold to gain the favor of a high ranking senator in Washington, but Sternstein does not mention who Whiteley was and how he got to play such a high-ranking role for Leopold. Similarly, an article written by Robert G. Weisbord tells of a Catholic Cardinal who led Whiteley to people in Washington who would listen to Leopold’s proposals. The evidence presented in these articles identifies Whiteley as a contributor, but do not address his significance as a key member of Leopold’s lobbying scheme in the United States. The clues found in newspapers from the era and information presented by Sternstein and Weisbord indicate that there is information that has been overlooked regarding Leopold and his battle against the Congo reform movement. Pulling together these strands of information reveals a more cohesive narrative on Leopold and the Congo reform movement. This more complete story helps to bring a better understanding of Whiteley’s role and how he remained so elusive. It examines his life before he became a key member of Leopold’s ring of agents, his writings, and how his extensive knowledge of language and Belgium led to him to catching the eye of Leopold. Working for Leopold propelled Whiteley down a path from atrocity supporter into acting in a reverse role for Belgium during World War I. He utilized his previous role as Leopold’s agent to become Belgium’s most outspoken supporter during the German occupation of World War I. This research differs from previous works because it presents evidence that has remained excluded from the analysis of Leopold and his fight against the Congo reform movement. It examines Whiteley’s largely unknown story as a key player in countering the Congo reform movement’s allegations against Leopold and his Congo Free State. James Gustavus Whiteley was born in Baltimore on July 9, 1866. After attending private schools as well as being tutored, he became a clerk at the Savings Bank of Baltimore in 1882. 1 He was not passionate about banking but was very interested in studying “diplomacy and international law.”2 Whiteley’s studies introduced him to an understanding of the relationships between nations as well as foreign cultures. His interest in foreign cultures and diplomacy led him to “master several languages.”3 In 1899 Whiteley was part of a delegation in Washington that urged the president to step in and mediate a conflict in Africa between Great Britain, Transvaal and Orange Free State republics.4 He (...truncated)