World Food Prize Ambassador Quinn
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THE ARCHIVE OF AMBASSADOR KENNETH M. QUINN
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI TO THE MEKONG
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Blocking Ollie North’s Attempt to take Over the Management of a Hijacking of a Pan-Am Flight in Pakistan

248/9/86

When a Pan-American International Airline flight is hijacked and forced to fly to Pakistan, the State Department crisis management mechanism is activated. With a task force assembled in the State Department Operations Center, Amb. Quinn discovers that Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North located at the National Security Council at the White House is issuing orders about how the crisis should be dealt with. Realizing that Lieutenant Colonel North is operating as a rogue element within the U.S. government, Amb. Quinn issues strict orders that neither the State Department nor the American Embassy in Pakistan should listen to orders issued by Lieutenant Colonel North. The issue that Amb. Quinn faces is whether the Secretary of State’s crisis management authority will be honored. 

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