Devlin served for two years in North Africa, Italy and Southern France where he met his first wife, Colette Porteret, an ambulance driver with the Free French forces.
Devlin became chief of station in Congo in July 1960, a mere 10 days after the country's independence from Belgium and shortly before Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba's two-month term in office, dismissal from power and ultimate execution.
The directive had come from the CIA Deputy Chief of Plans Dick Bissell, but Devlin wanted to know if it had originated at a higher level and if so, how high.
This is contradicted, however, by evidence[citation needed] that CIA orchestrated Leopoldville newspaper headlines against Lumumba, organized union protests against him and mass demonstrations to remove him from power.
Prime Minister Lumumba sought assistance from the US and the United Nations (UN) to bring in a peace-keeping force until a settlement could be negotiated with Katanga, but the request was denied.
Subsequent to his CIA employment, Devlin settled with his wife in the Congo and became the business agent of Maurice Tempelsman, the diamond, cobalt and uranium booker,[4] who advised the Mobutu Government on its dealings.