A Midnight Decision in Support of Democracy

Amb. Quinn describes his role in his position as Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department in the crisis management in regard to democracy in the Philippines in 1986. The dictator Ferdinand Marcos had lost an election, but was remaining in power and the decision had to be made about whether to support Corazon Aquino the widow of the murdered opposition candidate, who ran against Marcos in the election. Alone at midnight with just himself and Secretary of State George Shultz, the decision would come from the president about how America would respond.