by Ronan Farrow
17 “worst diplomatic fiasco”: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 47. Kindle.
17 muggy June night: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 78. Kindle.
18 “free soap”: Unpublished memo, rpt. in Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 86. Kindle.
18 “time in the field”: Halberstam, David. War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals. New York: Scribner, 2001, p. 181.
18 “Americans in such disarray”: “Memorandum from Richard Holbrooke of the White House Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Komer).” Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968. Volume IV, Vietnam, 1 December 1966, Document 321.
18 “faultily conceived”: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 90. Kindle.
19 hustling for a spot: Halberstam, David. War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals. New York: Scribner, 2001, p. 188.
19 “Holbrooke wants to always talk”: Packer, George. “The Last Mission.” New Yorker, 28 September 2009, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/28/the-last-mission.
19 to scuttle the talks: Farrell, John Aloysius. “Yes, Nixon Scuttled the Vietnam Peace Talks.” Politico Magazine, 9 June 2014, http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/yes-nixon-scuttled-the-vietnam-peace-talks-107623.
19 the team wasted two months: Holbrooke, Richard. To End a War. New York: Random House, 2011, loc. 3111. Kindle.
19 “A negotiated end”: Holbrooke, Richard. To End a War. New York: Random House, 2011, loc. 8208-8211, Kindle.
19 “I was wondering how long”: Clemons, Steve. “Afghanistan War: What Richard Holbrooke Really Thought.” Huffington Post, 17 May 2011, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/afghanistan-war-what-rich_b_862868.html.
20 “That was the wrong question”: Author interview with Henry Kissinger, 4 December 2017.
20 “trying to apply in Vietnam”: Holbrooke, Richard. “The American Experience in Southeast Asia, 1946–1975.” Washington, DC, 29 September 2010, Keynote Address.
4: THE MANGO CASE
21 danced and acted: Leiby, Richard. “Who is Robin Raphel, the State Department Veteran Caught up in Pakistan Intrigue?” Washington Post, 16 December 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-robin-raphel-the-state-department-veteran-caught-up-in-pakistan-intrigue/2014/12/16/cfa4179e-8240-11e4-8882-03cf08410beb_story.html?utm_term=.c44eab67b086.
21 “It was great”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, 30 June 2016.
22 “finger-wagging demanded”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, 30 June 2016.
22 “IF YOU DON’T READ BOOKS”: Crile, George. Charlie Wilson’s War. New York: Grove Press, 2007, loc. 352. Kindle.
23 “This means more money”: “December 26, 1979: Memo to President Carter Gives Pakistan Green Light to Pursue Nuclear Weapons Program.” History Commons, 2007, www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=aq_khan_nuclear_network_tmln&aq_khan_nuclear_network_tmln_us_intelligence_on_pakistani_nukes=aq_khan_nuclear_network_tmln_soviet_afghan_war_connections.
23 pursuing the atom bomb: “Reflections on Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan,” memorandum for the President from Zbigniew Brzezinski, December 26, 1979, rpt. by the Cold War International History Project.
23 swelled from tens to hundreds of millions: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 65. Kindle.
23 “Take care of the Pakistanis”: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, pp. 55, 58. Kindle.
23 “effectively dead”: “Your Meeting with Pakistan President . . .” Memo from Shultz to Reagan, November 29, 1982, and “Visit of Zia-ul-Haq,” from Shultz, also dated November 29, 1982, rpt. in the Cold War International History Project, Wilson Center.
23 “we succeeded”: Author interview with George P. Shultz, 19 January 2018.
24 easy to overlook: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 66. Kindle.
24 Zia lied: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 64. Kindle.
24 “no question”: Hersh, Seymour. “On the Nuclear Edge.” New Yorker, 29 March 1993, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/03/29/on-the-nuclear-edge.
24 “versus the long-term”: Smith, Hedrick. “A Bomb Ticks in Pakistan.” New York Times Magazine, 6 March 1988, http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/magazine/a-bomb-ticks-in-pakistan.html?pagewanted=all.
24 skinning captured soldiers: Crile, George. Charlie Wilson’s War. New York: Grove Press, 2007, loc. 379. Kindle.
25 “I really should have shot him”: Author interview with Milton Bearden, 28 April 2016.
25 favored jihadis: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, pp. 86, 153. Kindle.
25 declared the covert war cost-effective: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004. p. 68. Kindle.
25 the love of Robin Raphel’s life: Entous, Adam. “The Last Diplomat.” Wall Street Journal, 2 December 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-diplomat-1480695454.
25 Hercules: Robert MacFarlane. “The Late Dictator.” New York Times, 15 June 2008, p. BR12.
25 hand-selected: Epstein, Edward Jay. “Who Killed Zia.” Vanity Fair, September 1989.
26 kept the CIA away: Epstein, Edward Jay. “Who Killed Zia.” Vanity Fair, September 1989.
26 in a secret report: Epstein, Edward Jay. “Who Killed Zia.” Vanity Fair, September 1989.
26 “But life goes on”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, 30 June 2016.
26 “we won”: Crile, George. Charlie Wilson’s War. New York: Grove Press, 2007, loc. 110. Kindle.
27 “Speaking for Pakistan”: Fineman, Mark. “She Hails U.S. Support for Pakistani Democracy: Bhutto Wins Ovation in Congress.” Los Angeles Times, 8 June 1989, http://articles.latimes.com/1989-06-08/news/mn-1927_1_bhutto-pakistani-democracy-pro-democracy.
27 one person who was present that day: Author interview with anonymous American lobbyist for Pakistan, 17 March 2017.
27 irrefutable evidence: Windrem, Robert. “Pakistan’s Nuclear History Worries Insiders.” NBC News, 6 November 2007, www.nbcnews.com/id/21660667/ns/nbc_nightly_news_with_brian_williams/t/pakistans-nuclear-history-worries-insiders/#.WPj5OfnyuUl.
27 Pressler Amendment: “U.S. Legislation on Pakistan (1990–2004).” PBS, 3 October 2006, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/pakistan/uspolicychart.html.
28 “we screw ’em”: Author interview with Milton Bearden, 28 April 2016.
28 install Hekmatyar: Tomsen, Peter. The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers. New York: PublicAffairs, 2001, pp. 405–408. Kindle.
28 a bloody fight for Kabul: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004. p. 263. Kindle.
28 “students of Islam”: “U.S.-Pakistan Relations (1954–Present).” Council on Foreign Relations, 2017, http://www.cfr.org/interactives/CG_Pakistan/index.html#timeline.
28 “I do not regret not dealing with the Taliban”: Author interview with Madeleine Albright, 13 December 2017.
28 Pakistan, as the Taliban’s benefactor: Inderfurth, Karl. “Pushing for Peace in Afghanistan.” US Department of State cable to the Secretary of State, 25 March 2009, http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB227/33.pdf.
29 legislation to ease restrictions on assistance: Entous, Adam. “The Last Diplomat,” Wall Street Journal, 2 December 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-diplomat-1480695454.
29 assistance to the Taliban: State Department cable, April 14, 1996, rpt. in Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 298. Kindle.
29 while lying about it to the Americans: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 298. Kindle.
29 “I didn’t believe Bhutto”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, 5
January, 2018.
29 helped secure assistance for Pakistan: Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, pp. 298–299. Kindle.
29 “own limitations”: Declassified cable, “A/S Raphel Discusses Afghanistan,” 22 April 1996, quoted in Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. London: Penguin, 2004, p. 329. Kindle.
29 “they have demonstrated staying power”: Transcript of remarks in closed-door session at UN, obtained by Rashid, Ahmed, rpt. in Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. Second Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010, p. 178.
29 “If Robin had lasted”: Author interview with Husain Haqqani, 28 May 2015.
30 “emotionally driven”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, June 30, 2016.
30 “I was ahead of my time!”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, June 30, 2016.
30 Their investigation came up empty: Entous, Adam. “The Last Diplomat,” Wall Street Journal, 2 December 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-diplomat-1480695454.
30 the firm had two Pakistani contracts: “Exhibit A to Registration Statement Pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.” United States Department of Justice. Cassidy & Associates, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 2005, https://www.fara.gov/docs/5643-Exhibit-AB-20071004-4.pdf.
31 “Brazenly pro-Pakistan”: Rajghattal, Chidanand. “Pakistan Lobbyist Robin Raphel Under Lens for Alleged Spying.” Times of India, 7 November 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Pakistan-lobbyist-Robin-Raphel-under-lens-for-alleged-spying/articleshow/45073087.cms.
31 “for three weeks”: Author interview with Robin Raphel, June 30, 2016.
31 30 percent premium: “Top Hardship Assignments in the Foreign Service.” Diplopundit, 14 July 2009, https://diplopundit.net/2009/07/14/top-hardship-assignments-in-the-foreign-service.
31 turn back to public service: Leiby, Richard. “Who is Robin Raphel, the State Department veteran caught up in Pakistan intrigue?” Washington Post, 16 December 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-robin-raphel-the-state-department-veteran-caught-up-in-pakistan-intrigue/2014/12/16/cfa4179e-8240-11e4-8882-03cf08410beb_story.html?utm_term=.59cd5ed4b662.
5: THE OTHER HAQQANI NETWORK
32 named Husain: Public papers of William J Clinton, 5 May 1993, available at https://books.google.com/books?id=MSPhAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1263&lpg=PA1263&dq=Ranasinghe+Premadasa+funeral&source=bl&ots=WvCzewwlRN&sig=Sn2i7_SLyqKJSktRdC6qDIkCUeQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0kejcoIrTAhXoiFQKHRMzAjQ4ChDoAQhJMAk#v=onepage&q=raphel&f=false.
33 clawed his way up: Author phone interview with Husain Haqqani, 29 March 2017.
33 soaked in Western perspectives: Haqqani, Husain. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005, loc. 101. Kindle.
33 citing the Quran: Haqqani, Husain. “The Day I Broke With the Revolution.” Asian Wall Street Journal, 23 April 1998, p. 7. Haqqani, Husain. Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. New York: PublicAffairs, 2013, p. 3. Kindle.
33 Far Eastern Economic Review: Fineman, Mark. “Million Mourn at Funeral for Pakistan’s Zia.” Los Angeles Times, 21 August 1988, articles.latimes.com/1988-08-21/news/mn-1149_1_president-zia/2.
33 “might be able to bring some balance”: Author interview with Husain Haqqani, 28 March 2015.
34 “material support”: Haqqani, Husain. Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. New York: PublicAffairs, 2013, p. 271. Kindle.
34 pushed him into a waiting car: Landler, Mark. “Adroit Envoy States Case for Pakistan.” New York Times, 8 May 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/world/asia/09envoy.html.
34 He credits the call with saving his life: “Pakistan: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.” US Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 23 February 2000, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/441.htm.
35 “I came to the US”: Author interview with Husain Haqqani, 29 March 2017.
35 “rentier state”: Haqqani, Husain. Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. New York: PublicAffairs, 2013, pp. 323–324. Kindle.
35 “new relationship”: Haqqani, Husain. Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. New York: PublicAffairs, 2013, p. 324. Kindle.
35 “I wld hold”: “Bhutto Said She’d Blame Musharraf if Killed.” CNN, 28 December 2007, edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/bhutto.security.
36 Supporters swarmed: Farwell, James. The Pakistan Cauldron: Conspiracy, Assassination & Instability. Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2011, p. 135.
36 among bodies: Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009, loc. 7980; Schmidle, Nicholas. To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010, p. 207; and Coleman, Isobel. Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East. New York: Random House, 2013, p. 127.
36 corruption allegations: Walsh, Declan. “Zardari Rejects Claim of al-Qaida Link to Bhutto’s Murder.” Guardian (Manchester), 1 January 2008, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/01/pakistan.international1.
36 During Bhutto’s exile: Haqqani, Husain. Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding. New York: PublicAffairs, 2013, p. 323. Kindle.
36 he headed to Washington: “Haqqani Presents Credentials to Bush.” Dawn, 7 June 2008, https://www.dawn.com/news/306395.
36 “extension of the United States”: Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009.
37 “loyal to the pigs”: Khan, Asad Rahim. “The Magnificent Delusions of Husain Haqqani.” Express Tribune, 28 September 2015, https://tribune.com.pk/story/963896/the-magnificent-delusions-of-husain-haqqani/.
6: DUPLICITY
39 at least 100,000 people: “Bosnia war dead figure announced.” BBC. 21 June 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6228152.stm and Tabeau, Ewa and Bijak, Jakub. “Casualties of the 1990s War in Bosnia-Herzegovina: A Critique of Previous Estimates and the Latest Results.” Demographic Unit, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia, 15 September 2003, http://archive.iussp.org/members/restricted/publications/Oslo03/5-con-tabeau03.pdf.
39 “Who else?”: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, pp. 203–204. Kindle.
40 agreement untenable: “Kosovo, Genocide and the Dayton Agreement.” Wall Street Journal. 1 December 2005.
40 “Hasta la vista”: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 164. Kindle.
40 strikes authorized: Chollet, Derek and Power, Samantha. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2012, p. 2. Kindle.
40 dangling on a wire: “Richard Holbrooke Image in TIME Magazine Calling Him Diplomatic Acrobat of the Week.” The History Project, 1 January 1996, https://www.thehistoryproject.com/media/view/6236.
41 “I know he wanted to be Secretary of State”: Author interview with Madeleine Albright, 15 December 2017.
41 Gore administration: Traub, James. “Holbrooke’s Campaign.” New York Times Magazine, 26 March 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/03/26/magazine/holbrooke-s-campaign.html and The Diplomat. Dir. David Holbrooke. HBO Documentary Films, 2015, 1:04:48: “I will say most people were justified in believing he was first in line.”
41 collaborated with Pakistan: Woodward, Bob and Ricks, Thomas. “CIA Trained Pakistanis to Nab Terrorist But Military Coup Put an End to 1999 Plot.” Washington Post, 3 October 2001, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/18/AR2007111800629.html.
41 lock down Pakistan’s supp
ort: Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009, pp. 25-30.
41 “And he reversed the direction”: Iftikar, Ali. “Powell Defends U.S. support to Pakistan.” Nation, 9 September 2004, ref. in Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009.
42 “not necessarily agree with all the details”: Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009, p. 28, quoting Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar.
42 a break in the bombing: Filkins, Dexter and Gall, Carlotta. “Pakistanis Again Said to Evacuate Allies of Taliban.” New York Times, 24 November 2001 and Hersh, Seymour. “The Getaway.” New Yorker, 28 January 2002, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/01/28/the-getaway-2.
42 Rumsfeld insisted: Haider, Masood. “No Pakistani Jets Flew into Afghanistan Says U.S.” Dawn, 2 December 2001 and Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. London: Penguin, 2009, p. 91. Kindle.
42 “it was a mistake”: Author interview with anonymous CIA source, 19 July 2016.
43 “is never 100 percent truth”: Author interview with Husain Haqqani, 29 March 2017.
43 The United States had “not had a better partner”: Warrick, Joby. “CIA Places Blame for Bhutto Assassination.” Washington Post, 18 January 2008, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/17/AR2008011703252.html and author interview with General Michael Hayden, in person at his offices in Washington, DC, 17 May 2017.
43 “deal with the devil”: Author interview with General Michael Hayden, in person at his offices in Washington, DC, 17 May 2017.
44 “the whole truth!!”: “Email from Gen. Pasha to Ronan Farrow.” 22 September 2016.
44 “Look, I mean”: Author interview with General Michael Hayden, in person at his offices in Washington, DC, 17 May 2017.
44 devastating attacks: Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. Second Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010, p. 227.