The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

December 21, 2015
Conspiracy buffs are most likely to enjoy this updated version of a memoir that was a surprise bestseller in 2004; others, even those who believe that American economic policies have not been an unmitigated good for the developing world, will find Perkins’s allegations unpersuasive. In 1971, Perkins, a business school graduate who had served in the Peace Corps, was approached by a mysterious recruiter assigned to “mold” him into a so-called economic hit man (EHM). EHMs were charged with encouraging world leaders to “become part of a vast network that promotes U.S. commercial interests,” ensnaring those leaders “in a web of debt.” This revised version, he states, was written to answer the thousands of emails he received from readers interested in what they could do to resist. But while Perkins devotes an entire chapter to the topic, even admirers who believe Perkins’s unsubstantiated accounts of U.S. involvement in the assassination of Central American leaders will scratch their heads at his advice. Having created a list of ways to spread social justice, Perkins prefaces it with the incongruous injunction to “Enjoy the process. Follow your bliss. Make it fun.”

February 15, 2016

Perkins, former chief economist at a major international consulting firm, here updates and expands his 2004 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. He defines economic hit men (EHM) as "highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign 'aid' organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources." Perkins relates his story from his boyhood through his recruitment as an EHM, traveling the world and experiencing as a direct participant or witness events such as Saudi Arabian money laundering, Panama Canal negotiations, the death of Omar Torrijos of Panama, and events leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Along the way, Perkins recounts an encounter with spy novelist Graham Greene, threats to his family, a possible poisoning, and the decision to write of his experiences. He concludes by offering advice on how to create a better world, including specific guidance for students, retirees, corporations, and entrepreneurs. VERDICT An intriguing, vivid account of Perkins's "living on the edge" experiences, this fascinating read is of the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction variety.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens, NY

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