A Small Decision in Manila Leads to a Big Discovery of a Major Counterfeiting Operation Undermining U.S. Currency

As the Deputy Ambassador in Manila, Amb. Quinn would make decisions about the size and staffing levels of other U.S. government agencies located at the embassy. Despite extensive pressure from Washington to cut back on many agencies, Amb. Quinn allowed the Treasury Department attaches to retain their full staffing. This would, in turn, lead to the discovery of incredibly perfect counterfeit U.S. $100 bills that were being circulated in the country and around southeast Asia. This was the first ever discovery of such bogus currency which would, over the next decade, drastically undermine confidence in U.S. paper money, and would ultimately lead to the redesigning of all U.S. currency with many new features aimed at countering such counterfeit efforts.