The Crimes of Patriots: A True Tale of Dope, Dirty Money and the CIA

by Jonathan Kwitny

Show how American defense and intelligence were involved in an operation that promoted the drug trade, tax evasion, and gun running

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Crime, Politics, Conspiracy Theories, American, Espionage

424 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Ryan Nary]

One star off because you can't write a book like this and not have endnotes or a bibliography

[j]

In *The Crimes of Patriots* Jonathan Kwitny masterfully draws all the dots and leaves them for the reader to connect. Probably out of a healthy sense of caution in regards to his career and conceivably his life, and as constrained no doubt by the libel laws of the United States, The United Kingdom, Australia etc., he does not make many assertions that a critic could take hold of and assert "this is not true." As a consequence, the book is at times skeletal and many, many more questions are raised than answered. The answers, Kwitny leads us to believe, may exist in the secret files of intelligence services of the United States, among others. That there was a great deal of time to arrange and destroy files before they were inspected by the authorities, in-between Nugan's death and the coming investigations, would logically lead one to believe that this incomplete, nonsensical picture is what the organizers of the Nugan Hand Bank wanted us to see, the maximum extent of the partial limited hangout hung out before Michael Hand disappeared, presumably with the assistance of his intelligence and military contacts. He was not to be found for decades. So the big question of the book is: WHY did they leave what they did? Why not erase the whole thing, given the level of access the organizers had to company files prior to seizure by law enforcement? For once one has decided to leave an incomplete but still tantalizing and bizarre picture of a rogue Intelligence Establishment bank, defrauding innocent civilians and trafficking in heroin, prostitutes, and arms, we must imagine the artistes at work, making individual choices about what to leave in and what to take out of the story. What that story is, or to whom it is being told, is rather a mystery. Were all these signs left as pointers to the next bank, as a warning to the bit too roguish rogues that would inevitably follow in Nugan Hand's footsteps? While Kwitny doesn't answer this or many other questions that spring to mind, what he exposes about the character of private government and foreign policy is of great value.

[Jacob Tully]

An intriguing read! I wasn’t around for the Nugan Hand scandal but this book explained it thoroughly, whilst diving into the dark secrets of the CIA and the deep state. Although it gives answers to issues like the US’ role in the global heroin trade, it obviously leaves an awful lot of loose ends surrounding the NH Bank scandal and Michael Hand’s death. (Obviously due to the poorly executed fact finding commission rather than insufficient journalism on the author’s part.)

From the US’ shady involvement in the far east to the Iranian contras, through arms trade, drug empires, and laundering schemes; Kwitny leaves no un-turnable stones unturned.
great book👍🏼

[Erik Graff]

This book is about the Nugan-Hand banking scandal of the eighties. Kwitny, an investigative journalist, apparently began his study with a series of articles for The Wall Street Journal, then expanded them into a book. Very much in medias res, the book raises as many questions as it answers about the connections between the international complex of financial institutions commonly designated, for its two founders, "Nugan-Hand" and the Reagan administration, the CIA, US Naval Intelligence, the drug trade, illegal arms procurement, money laundering, spying and the overthrow of the Australian Labour goverment of Gough Whitlam. The evidence appears overwhelming that, in fact, Nugan-Hand did have these nefarious connections, but many questions remain unanswered because of stonewalling by Australian intelligence and various agencies of the government of the USA, particularly the CIA and FBI. Consequently, reading the book is ultimately unsatisfying, much like most of life is, though important if one is interested in US black operations, especially those involving the drug wars and Iran-Contra.

[Marc]

Brilliant, detailed accounts of patriotism run amok. If you want to know why 9/11 happened you just have to read this. Foreign policy operatives out of control and left to their own zealotry and devices. Look out!

[Burk]

Very dated. When this book was written in 1987, much of the reprehensible, but normal conduct of the CIA/Pentagon was a bombshell to the American people. (But probably not to our government officials in all the branches of government.) Today it doesn't raise an eyebrow. Business as usual. And we wonder why the parts of the world that we don't control hate us. Hum, let me think.

Writing is chopping, but I think that is because it was written by a newspaper journalist as he was developing his story (remember those days when there were actually "newspaper journalist" who actually investigated things?). A lot of details and conjecture, but no answers. No one ever held accountable. So, skip forward to 2020's with the supposed end of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and look at the current leaders of the intel community (again, CIA, Pentagon, now FBI), all with blood on their hands, and you can't be surprised at the state of the world today.

[Benjamin Brasford]

Mr. Kwitny does an excellent and meticulous job of demonstrating the history of the Nugan and Hand Bank in Australia. Along the way he shares some very good source material as he weaves together this tale from government records, other authors and reporters, and from interviews even those that he conducted himself. I recommend this book as a precursor to some of what you may see in the Panama Papers. This book has a little more in regard to the criminal world such as money laundering, drug trafficking, murder-for-hire, etc. Same world under the same sun.

[William Howle]

A very interesting book about banking scams involving CIA and other prominent military people. Too many names and it seemed a little redundant.