 They saw him as greatly responsible for the political crisis that resulted in his downfall.A handful of other writers, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, shared the belief that Lumumba's goals were unattainable in 1960 but nevertheless viewed him as a martyr of Congolese independence at the hands of certain Western interests and the victim of events over which he had little control.According to sociologist Ludo De Witte, both of these perspectives overstate the political weaknesses and isolation of Lumumba.