"So, trapped in Roosevelt House, I sat in the garden with Pat, and, over a few beers, had a discussion about the evolution of drug policy under Nixon. Pat said that when he joined the Nixon's Administration in 1969, "the country was mesmerized with urban riots and street crime. They [Ehrlichman and Halderman] were also talking about a heroin epidemic they thought was about to explode. So they sent me to Turkey and France to look into the supply route. I came back and told Nixon we could temporarily disrupt the supply. I was surprised an anyone when they turned my suggestion into the war on heroin."
Moynihan suggested that the White House take a more direct role in the treaty negotiations in Turkey, even if it meant recalling the ambassador. "The next thing I know people in the White House were threatening Turkey."
He said he was now getting telegrams from "the boy scouts in the White House" telling him shut down the production of opium in India. "Its idiotic," he explained. Although India was the world's largest producer of opium, it went to pharmaceutical companies to manufacture codeine. Codeine was an anti tussac. "If they shut down Indian opium, they are going to cause a global coughing crises."
Here's the newsstand version of the LIFE piece by Epstein on Yurchenko: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00965R000301860001-6.pdf
Thank you!
@Jwalk:
"So, trapped in Roosevelt House, I sat in the garden with Pat, and, over a few beers, had a discussion about the evolution of drug policy under Nixon. Pat said that when he joined the Nixon's Administration in 1969, "the country was mesmerized with urban riots and street crime. They [Ehrlichman and Halderman] were also talking about a heroin epidemic they thought was about to explode. So they sent me to Turkey and France to look into the supply route. I came back and told Nixon we could temporarily disrupt the supply. I was surprised an anyone when they turned my suggestion into the war on heroin."
Moynihan suggested that the White House take a more direct role in the treaty negotiations in Turkey, even if it meant recalling the ambassador. "The next thing I know people in the White House were threatening Turkey."
He said he was now getting telegrams from "the boy scouts in the White House" telling him shut down the production of opium in India. "Its idiotic," he explained. Although India was the world's largest producer of opium, it went to pharmaceutical companies to manufacture codeine. Codeine was an anti tussac. "If they shut down Indian opium, they are going to cause a global coughing crises."
https://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diary/moynihan.htm