Accra: President John Dramani Mahama revealed during Ghana's 68th Independence Day celebration that declassified documents from the United States confirm the Central Intelligence Agency's involvement in the overthrow of Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Speaking at the Independence Day parade at Jubilee House on March 6, 2025, President Mahama stated that the intelligence documents indicated the CIA orchestrated the coup that removed Nkrumah while he was abroad.
According to Ghana Web, further examination of the documents reveals the extent of US surveillance on Dr. Kwame Nkrumah during his presidency. A national security briefing from McGeorge 'Mac' Bundy, the US National Security Adviser at the time, to President Lyndon Baines Johnson illustrates the frustration Bundy felt towards Nkrumah. Bundy described a situation to President Johnson, stating that although circumstances were uncertain, Nkrumah had become less troublesome for US interests.
The briefing, dated May 21, 1964, included a statement from Bundy to President Johnson: "This is mush, but it helps - and Nkrumah has been less of a monkey lately." The document does not provide further details about the context or additional circumstances surrounding this message.