Patrick D. McCaslin Interview, 25 February 2001

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PM:Well, I just can't understand why anyone would think the military should be involved in a drug war. I can't imagine why you'd want a drug war, but that's beyond the scope of this. I mean it just seemed like such an idiotic thing to do.
INT:Mm-hmm.
PM:Which is why I didn't make General.
INT:Why?
PM:Well the ambassador had marching orders to prosecute a drug war, and I didn't think it was—here I am the guy in charge of the military end of it and I thought, this is not a logical thing to do.
INT:Yeah. But your superiors must've supported you? Right?
PM:Well, not to the extent of promoting me.
INT:Oh, okay. I see. They figure you hopped off track there or something?
PM:Ah, well, I think it would have been better had I just shut up and did what I was told to do.
INT:Yeah, okay.
PM:I mean they do things like say—it all started when someone came down from the State Department and said, "If we give you 40 million dollars, what can you do with that in the way of prosecuting the drug war here?" And my answer was, you know, where they grow cocaine here is bigger than Vietnam. You remember how much that cost? And we didn't win it, so your question should be, "How much money would it take to win a drug war?" in that context, not, "What can you do with 40 million dollars?"
INT:Yeah.
PM:That's not the right answer.
INT:Yeah, it hasn't changed to this day.
PM:No. Too many—when I left Peru there were 39 agencies that had their hand in the till for drug money—fighting the drug war. 39 separate agencies. It's a very profitable thing to do from a governmental point of view.

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