Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

This book is written in the form of a memoir. Perkins frames the story of how he was recruited as an Economic Hitman (and the recruiter used that specific terminology, Perkins isn't making up the name himself) within his life story, beginning in New Hampshire, through college rebellion, the Peace Corps, a failed marriage, overt sexism throughout, and the birth of a daughter. But it is actually a story of redemption, as Perkins seeks ways to make up for helping to cause so much suffering in the world. As a fellow Returned Volunteer I saw another theme in this book - how his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer led him to be open to experiences with local people that ultimately caused him to have a change of heart on his profession. So, what is an economic hitman? These were and are the men and women hired by private construction companies, including Bechtel, Halliburton et al. in collusion with government agencies like the National Security Agency, who in the 1960s and 1970s, and continuing to the present, PURPOSELY and CONSCIOUSLY overstated the potential economic growth rate of Third World Countries to get them to qualify for enormous loans that the US GOVERNMENT KNEW THEY WOULD NEVER, EVER be able to repay! Why do this? Well, these countries either have to agree to give us their natural resources for cheap (read here oil and such) or tow the line politically. If they do not, another set of characters steps in, the jackals (again not Perkins' word), who get uncooperative Presidents like Torrijos of Panama or Roldos of Ecuador killed. They tried more recently in the case of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela too, but it didn't work, for reasons you'll find out in the book, even thought it was orchestrated by an individual who is well known internationally for his evil deeds in Latin America and the Caribbean (and at home as well). This connected the dots for me in a way that nobody who was not an insider could have. OUR government has been responsible for the suffering of millions of people on the planet, all in the name of empire, NOT FREEDOM and NOT democracy!!!! Perkins shows that this seemingly coincidental meeting of interests of oil revenues, international banks and governments was NOT a coincidence at all. He calls this collusion a corporatocracy, which is a great word. And this includes THE MEDIA. You must read this book in order to understand what is behind the Iraq war (if the jackals fail, the soliders are called in), our support of Saudi Arabia, and the deaths of two presidents of Latin American countries. You will never see the Third World debt situation or World Bank and IMF actions the same way again. Perkins also points out that there are a honest people in those agencies who have been totally duped by us, that is U.S. I found this book totally gripping. Please, please read it. You NEED to know this stuff about our government before believing one more thing that comes out of ANY government representative's mouth!

During college I came across numerous critiques and debates over the negative aspects of globalization on "emerging countries" in how often times quality of life is worsened, not improved for the local populous. In this respect, Perkins's insights are not revolutionary. However, his discussion of how unchecked personal greed leads to the intertwining of political and financial interests to create a new global empire is fascinating. This new global empire, deemed the "corporatocracy", seeks to advance the interests of unbridled capitalism (read: corporate greed) through a combination of economic and military pressures. What's truly fascinating, and frankly shocking, is that this omnipresent greed is often not the work of handful conspirators, but rather the product of a system that equates materialism and consumption with economic and social development. That's not to say there aren't appalling examples of cloak and dagger conspiracies and purposeful manipulations, such as American support of the House of Saud, the Panamanian invasion, support for the Iranian Shah, and Halliburton in Iraq, but the truly sickening examples are the pervasive and far more subtle manipulations engendered by a system driven by consumption. This book exposes how special interest groups manipulate perception to advance personal interests at the expense of long-term national security and global stability. This book is not "political" in the sense that it is a criticism of the current administration, or favors Democrats over Republicans, but rather is an indictment of all drivers of global empire, which includes government, media, and finance heads across the political spectrum. Moreover, this is not a criticism of America as some might suggest. It is a criticism of a perversion of the American ideals of freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness with the pursuit of ever-increasing consumption. This consumption fuels our need for natural resources, which in turn drives our foreign and economic policies leading to corruption and abuse of our power as the world's sole Super Power. It helps illuminate how this abuse has created many of America's enemies, because our dependence on foreign resources has forced us to create this global empire with little regard for those we seek to bring into our spheres of influence. This unsustainable empire building poses far greater risks to the U.S. than any individual terrorist or rogue nation threat because it is this reckless imperialism that destroys empires. Confessions of an EHM is essential reading to understand how the greed of our past continues to drive the current geopolitical instability. Open your eyes to prevent history repeating itself for the next generation!

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is so unbelievable that it's entirely believable. An economic hit man? A guy dashing around the world and inflating loan estimates in order to leave countries in debt to the US? Wielding economic influence in order to build a reserve of countries who have no choice but defend us? Helping a country build themselves up only to take advantage of them? No way! But like I said, it's so unbelievable that it's believable. I saw this listed as a recommended book by the Tattered Cover, so I knew it had to at least be decent without even reading the jacket. At first, I was a little unsure about where the book was going because the author, John Perkins, was groaning about his privileged upbringing and high-powered connections, so I thought, "Oh, he's one of those guys." BUT, because he at least recognized that he had said privileges, I knew he was off to a good start.. And I'm glad I stuck it out because I learned a lot and the author had the good sense to show remorse later on. You know, after he figured out all of the awful things that occurred in part due to his actions (but not after spending years battling his conscience and raking in millions). Regardless, the book is extremely intriguing. He spends a lot of time blaming (while accepting his part in it) the "corporatocracy" for how it is ruining lives worldwide. He's anti-Reagan and pro-Carter, which is evident in his explanations of the Panama Canal and oil dependence. Some of what he talks about (assassinations, the Panama Canal treaties, OPEC, etc.) are so sensational that I spent hours researching the conflicts he brought up. But it's definitely worth it. Anyone interested in international relations, the economy or democracy should read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Even if you don't agree with the author, the issues that he brings up are very pertinent to today's current events. I spent a lot of time doing my own research based on things that were mentioned in the book, and I can honestly say that I have a better understanding of how the international economy works now than I did before. And even if you aren't inspired to share the knowledge, it's information that you cannot un-know and ignore. So, go learn something!

An expose of the United States foreign policy; on their unsavory methods to undermine other countries financially to attain leverage on them with duress. The means by which leverage is attained, lies with the two "international financial institutions" (IFI's). The institutions were founded in 1945 during the genesis of the United Nations as "do-good" enterprises. The IMF would assist countries trying to keep their currencies tied to the dollar under the terms of the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. The World Bank would lend money at low interest rates gathered from the rich countries to help poor countries get off their backs. Over the years, the process has become corrupt, with both the IMF and World Bank becoming controlled by the multinational corporations and their banks. When President Nixon went off the gold standard in 1971, the IMF's reason for existence evaporated, because Bretton Woods and the fixed dollar went up in smoke. Now the problem for the big banks like Chase Manhattan, Citicorp and the Bank of America became two-fold: 1) As surplus dollars accumulated in their reserves and there were no credit-worthy Americans wanting to borrow, the banks had to think of ways to lend the money abroad or it would sit in their vaults earning zip, which means it really is losing money as the paper dollar - freed from its gold anchor - was inflating and losing purchasing power. Citigroup's Walter Wriston came up with the idea that the surplus should be loaned to poor countries, even though they had no collateral, because governments had to pay off their hard-currency loans or lose their international credit ratings. 2) If the countries that borrowed from Chase or Citicorp could not pay back interest or principle and did not worry about stiffing the private bankers, they would have to swallow the non-performing loans. The solution was to have the IMF, looking for something to justify its existence, step in to collect the debt. All it had to do was persuade the U.S. Congress to ante up billions of taxpayer dollars to fill their coffers. They could then go to the deadbeat country and say, "We will give you this money so you can pay Chase and Citicorp what you owe them, but you will have to raise taxes on your own people and devalue your currency as the conditions for the loan" This book is an account by Mr. Perkins a foot soldier in these operations of the Evil Empire. In extension Mr. Perkins does identifies Bechtel Corporation and Halliburton as agents in this quiet conspiracy to make sure the good old USA flourishes, at the expense of relentless impoverishment of the poorest countries of the world. In his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man he describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then taking over their economies. The scam: Mr. Perkins worked for was a company named Chas. T. Main in Boston, Massachusetts. He was responsible for giving loans to other countries, much bigger than they could possibly repay. One of the conditions of the loan is that they would then have to give ninety percent of that loan back to a U.S. company, or U.S. companies, to build the infrastructure - a Halliburton or a Bechtel. These companies would then go in and build an electrical system or ports or highways, and these would basically serve just a few of the very wealthiest families in those countries. The poor people in those countries would be stuck ultimately with this amazing debt that they couldn't possibly repay. A country today like Ecuador owes over fifty percent of its national budget just to pay down its debt. And it really can't do it. So, we literally have them over a barrel. So, when we want more oil, we go to Ecuador and force them to provide us with access to our oil companies your Amazon rain forest, which are filled with oil. The entire loan with interest finds its way back into the Unites States indirectly, while the host country is left with the debt plus lots of interest, and they basically become our servants, our slaves. Panama: In 1903 with the mammoth effort to build the Panama Canal underway; the United States under Theodore Roosevelt demanded Columbia to sign a treaty turning the isthmus over to a North American consortium. Columbia refused; Roosevelt sent in the marines; who removed a popular commander and declared Panama an independent nation. A puppet government was installed and the first canal treaty was signed; it established an American economic zone on both sides of the waterway. The country was ruled by an oligarchy of wealthy families with strong connections to Washington. A coup overthrew Arnulfo Arias; the last in the parade of puppet dictators and Omar Torrijos emerged as the head of the state. Torrijos was highly regarded by the Panamian middle and lower class as the champion for the people. His fate was an assassination at the hands of CIA. Guatemala: The United Fruits Company had been Guatemala's political equivalent of the Panama Canal. Founded in the 1880s, United Fruit grew into one of the most powerful forces in Central America. During the 1950s, reform candidate Jacob Arbenz was elected president of Guatemala in an election hailed all over the hemisphere as a model of the democratic process. At the time less than 3% of Guatemalans owned 70% of the land. Arbenz promised to help the poor dig their way out of starvation, and after his election he implemented a comprehensive land reform program. The United Fruit Company opposed these measures; since they were the largest and the most oppressive land owners in the country. The company in retaliation launched a public relations campaign in the United States; aimed at convincing the American public and congress that Arbenz was part of a Communist plot and Guatemala had become a Soviet satellite. In 1954, the CIA orchestrated a coup; American pilots bombed Guatemala City and the democratically elected Arbenz was overthrown; replaced by Cornel Armas a ruthless ally of America. Saudi Arabia: A deal was worked out with Saudi Arabia, whereby the Royal House of Saud agreed to send most of their petro-dollars back to the United States and invest them in U.S. government securities. The Treasury Department would use the interest from these securities to hire U.S. companies to build Saudi Arabia new cities, new infrastructure which we've done. And the House of Saud would agree to maintain the price of oil within acceptable limits to us, which they've done all of these years and in return the United States were the guarantors of power remaining in the House of Saud. And in Iraq we tried to implement the same policy that was so successful in Saudi Arabia, but Saddam Hussein didn't buy. When the economic hit men fail in this scenario, the jackals move in. Jackals are C.I.A.-sanctioned people that come in and try to foment a coup or revolution. If that doesn't work, they perform assassinations. Or try to. In the case of Iraq, they weren't able to get through to Saddam Hussein. So the third line of defense, if the economic hit men and the jackals fail, the next line of defense is to send in the marines to invade the country.

John Perkins the 2004 New York Times bestselling author of "Confessions of an Economic Him Man" helped me understand the questions: "Why is Anti-Americanism growing around the world? How did America become a Superpower with minimal military action like former Empires?" Perkins'job as the Chief Economist for Chas. T. Main, an international consulting firm, was to convince strategic countries to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development and to ensure that U.S. corporations got the projects. Upon default of the loans The United States Government, World Bank, International Monetary Fund IMF, and other U.S. dominated aid agencies then have access to the countries' resources (especially oil), strategic land and the installation of military bases. Perkins says that international economists are in essence highly paid "Economic Hit Man" (EHM) hired by international corporations to hide the U.S. governments' involvement. In the 1980s U.S. corporations became legal international companies to minimize rules and regulations. Perkins calls the big banks, corporations and government a "corporatocracy." Perkins says the majority of people in the debtor countries benefit little. For example when the wealthy ruling families in Ecuador accepted a billion-dollar loan (backed by the promise of oil revenues), to build roads, hydroelectric dams, industrial parks and other power projects they brought the country to virtual bankruptcy. In three decades the poverty level grew from 50 to 70 percent, unemployment increased by 15 to 17 percent, public debt increased from $240 to $16 billion and the natural resources allocated to the poor declined from 20 to 6 percent. Although oil accounts for almost half of Ecuador's exports since Texaco and Shell discovered petroleum in the Amazon in the 60s the oil companies receive $75 for every $100 of crude oil taken. Three quarters of the remaining $25 goes to pay off the debt by selling Ecuador's rain forest to the oil companies. The people of Ecuador are afraid of the oil companies as they are destroying the forests and poisoning the rivers. The Trans-Andian pipeline leaked over a half million barrels of oil into the rain forest-more than twice the amount spilled by Exxon Valdez in Alaska. Many people, animals and vast areas of the rain forest have died. Thirty thousand indigenous people hired American lawyers to file a $1 billion lawsuit against ChevronTexeco Corp. for dumping 4 million gallons of oil-contaminated wastewater, heavy metals and carcinogens into the rivers. The 350 uncovered waste pits continue to kill both people and animals. In August 1979 Jaime Roldós became the first elected president after a long line of dictators. In May 1981 he warned the US foreign interests he would force them to leave if they did not help the Ecuador people and use the natural resources responsibly. He died in the fiery airplane crash a few weeks later. Newpapers blazed "CIA assassination" and Perkins said the circumstances supported the allegations. He says U.S. assassins are called "jackals" by the international consulting firms. Osvaldo Hurtado took over as Equador's president and launched an ambitious program to increase oil drilling by Texico and other foreign companies in the Gulf of Guayaquil and the Amazon basin. Perkins says most countries including Indonesia, Guatemala, Chile, Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Panama are beholden to the U.S. global empire and have suffered a similar fate. Third world debt has grown to more than $2.5 trillion. The top one percent of third world households account for 70-90% of the wealth and real estate while over half the people of the world survive on less than $2.00 a day about the same they received in the 1970s. When Perkins finally admitted that only a few people profit when a country has a debt burden and felt guilt that U.S. foreign policies were alienating many nations and ultimately led to the U.S. attacks on September 11 he left Chas. T. Main. He decided he could no longer be a part of a system that uses fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, assassinations and war to foster impoverishment of millions of people across the planet, where citizens are used for cheap labor and deprived of health benefits, education and social services. He recommends that U.S. apply the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to all people of the world not just Americans as history shows that communism and terrorism are predictable reactions to oppression and exploitation. In the long run no one benefits from world starvation, diseases, deforestation and water and air pollution. He also believes big corporations, banks and government can decrease terrorism if they used their resources to end poverty, disease, starvation and wars.

During a recorded meeting between President Nixon and CIA director Helms along with the IC officials October 8, 1971, Nixon is attempting to get information about the Bay of Pigs from the I.C. (intelligence community). He wasn't on a need to know basis, like all presidents. Obviously, the CIA doesn't open the secret files and share them with the POTUS. While Nixon is pleading with the I.C. he makes the statements that I know what we did in Iran and I know Guatemala. In other words, Nixon knew that the US assassinated Arbenz and Mossedegh. Nixon knew the CIA was doing the wet work in order to assassinate the President of Iran and the PM Guatemala. One only needs to look at what transpired after the book came out. Government officials, along with the media, immediately began to discredit Perkins and attempted to discredit him. This should automatically raise your ire. Why are the media outlets and government officials commenting critically on a biography? While at the same time, they label Perkins a conspiracy theorist. This is right out of Nixon's playbook. First off, discredit Perkins, and then attack him. This should tell you how accurate this book is. I haven't read the second Perkins book yet, but by all accounts as to what he says, it lines up very well. One only needs to look at what is going on in Venezuela today. I am sure when the drone exploded above Maduro's head Perkins just laughter and said, "the CIA sure stepped in it this time". Everything Perkins describes in his book is exactly what is happening in Venezuela today. Hopefully our POTUS doesn't fall for this. Great book.

---------------- ----------------- 2013 UPDATE: I just revisited and noticed something odd - the supporters of this book have managed to hijack the reviews! The "most helpful favorable" review is, of course, favorable. However, the "most helpful critical" review is ALSO favorable. Sounds like their own "hit men" are out in force! ---------------- ----------------- An interesting read - Conservatives who are sure that it is nothing but lies should open their eyes a bit to the reality of America's perceived role in the world, but Liberals who think that every word is true should put down the bong and apply some critical reasoning. His basic thesis is that America deliberately ruins developing countries by convincing them to sign up for massive loans for infrastructure projects that have no chance of improving the economy enough to pay for themselves, thereby putting those countries into America's debt and ultimately, under America's control. As a self-described "Economic Hit Man", his job was to write the economic projections that deluded the poor "natives." The book is a weird mixture of probably-true but boring stuff about traveling around the world and writing economic predictions for proposed projects, and a James-Bond-meets-Woodward-and-Bernstein collection of shadowy characters who recruit him then train him to...what? After all the superspy stuff about an NSA uncle, a hot babe agent who "instructs" him during long sessions in her apartment and apparently breaks up his marriage, and a mysterious contact who gets him a job as an economic analyst at one of the many beltway-bandit companies that specialize in analyzing developing economies, all he does is travel around and write economic projections. How exciting. He admits that he fraudulently inflated his projections so that his company's client would get a big consulting contract. Oh - but his work was part of a massive business/government conspiracy to create an all-powerful global American empire, which only a sinister clique of insiders are aware of. Supposedly he would be killed if he revealed it or even tried to leave it. But his only proof is his own stories, which require significant suspension of disbelief. Or maybe he just liked his job, his high standard of living, and his first-class perks when traveling on company business. Given his early Peace Corp service and his fairly-obvious political leanings, it would seem that writing this book was more of a cathartic apology for playing the game so long and so well. And he hasn't been killed yet. As he himself explains, his publisher first suggested that he turn it into a novel rather than publish it as a non-fiction expose. In other words, it needed spicing up. My guess - the James Bond stuff was added after this initial rejection. As he mentions, some of the characters are "composites." He made them up. And in the end, I find it hard to believe that the James Bond stuff is factual, nor do I believe in a vast American conspiracy as he describes. It just doesn't make sense, nor does it match historical reality. Which third-world country now dances to the American tune because they owe us some money? Where have we reaped a vast economic windfall because of some papers stored in a bank vault somewhere? Instead they repudiate their debt and/or inflate their currencies which is about the same thing, and they nationalize our companies' subsidiaries and abrogate the contracts they've signed. And maybe they should - that is for others to decide. Either way, our "debt leash" is pretty weak. But, there is something here for all to consider, including Conservatives who've probably cheered my review so far. America does sometimes do more harm than good by "helping" developing countries. We do let our major corporations go out there and convince national leaders that if only they'd sign on the dotted line, everything would get better. And we do let "Economic Hit Men" offer projections about how great it is all going to be, but if it isn't, the poor countries are supposed to pay up anyway. It isn't just America - most "first world" countries have their people out there trying to do the same thing in the "third world." France. England. Russia. Japan. Even China. It isn't necessarily bad, it's just good business. As long as it works as promised. But then again, look at the incredible improvements in the standard of living of people in most of the world over the last 50 years. India. China. Latin America. Eastern Europe. The world-wide rise of the middle class, a truly new thing in the history of the world. A lot of it is due to dams, and power plants, and electrical grids, and water supplies, and ports, and airports - all the stuff the "hit men" push. Yes, we should regulate our international companies and our global development agencies, making sure that they are not shoving dubious projects down the throats of nations that can't afford them in the end. But let's not imagine that they are evil monsters who've done nothing but bad. They are economic entities organized to make a profit for their shareholders, and most of the time that is done by creating and servicing a market. This improves us all, as long as coercive shortcuts aren't permitted. One more thing that smells wrong about the book - a major problem in the developing world has always been corruption. Leaders steal. A huge fraction of the money loaned to needy nations winds up in their filthy fingers and in their overseas accounts. It is almost a cultural thing - why become a leader if you can't make yourself, your family, and your friends wealthy? The book acts as though every leader of every developing nation - especially those of socialistic leaning - was a virtual saint who only cared about his people until an evil America corrupted him or replaced him with a more-pliant stooge. Sorry, but power has always attracted the people who love power and would enrich themselves given a chance. America didn't invent it. In fact, one of the reasons for our world economic leadership is that we've managed to reduce our own corruption to levels lower than ever seen in human history. I only wish that we could better export this precious commodity. We don't. That, I think, is the true tragedy of globalization.

I just finished reading this tremendous book and I am a little shaken-Perkins has set out a vision of how the world works that is staggering, even for somebody like me who looks under the carpet of contemporary events. I have made it my business over these past years to attempt to come to grips with the world we live in and most importantly to try to see how the world picture is put together-how does the world work; what makes it work; who is pulling the strings of this planet at the turn of the third millenniun. As opposed to previous commentators I take all that Perkins has written at face value. I don't think he is a mad conspiricist; I don't think he is an embittered man who is raging because of missed promotions; I don't think his story is fiction and I don't think that he was low on the totem pole of power and really had no clear picture of all that was taking place. All of these accusations against his book have been cited as reasons for discounting what Perkins writes and I believe those conclusions are ludicrous. I virtually used up a marker underlining passages from this powerful book. Perkins admits early on page 15 that his job was to convince developing countries that they could afford the massive debt burden needed to buy the infrastructure for their economic expansion. I could never understand why developing countries put themselves into such massive debt-debt so large that they could never pay it off. Countries are not stupid-they would not do something so heinious to their people's future. Now I see why it happened-Economic Hit Men [EHM] like Perkins cooked the books. They were trusted to provide accurate economic forcasts for those countrie's future expansion and the Empire then ensnared them because of this false data. These countries will never pay off this monstrous debt. As perkins points out-they are not supposed to pay it off because that indebtedness is what binds them to the Empire. Perkins writes about those leaders who have recognised the ploy and refused to play the Empire's game: Arbenez in Guatemala, Mossadegh in Iran, Allende in Chile and Torrijos in Panama. As Perkins writes, if the EHM can't pursuade you, then the Jackels move in to eliminate you and if that fails then invasion happens. The pattern is all too obvious in our contemporary world. If you read no other book for the remainder of your life, read this one. Every person alive deserves to know what is happening.

Ich glaube nein. Es wird nur in sehr drastischer Weise gesagt, wie es funktioniert. Der US Normalbürger wird kaum was davon mitbekommen und von Presse und allen anderen Medien entsprechend eingelullt. Was der John Perkins erzählt ist schon wenig schön und jeder sollte sich diese Lektüre aneignen. Die Politik der USA ist ohne Skrupel und es geht immer um Gewinnmaximierung, unter welchen Bedingungen auch immer. Es gibt auch andere negative Politiker, aber die USA wird in einem nie gekannten Maße von der Industrie geführt und gegängelt. Es ist ein Horror. Man muss nur die vergangenen 10 Jahre ansehen, die waren mit Paradestückchen behaftet. Irak-Krieg Nr. 2 - aufgebaut auf einer Lüge (und was ist daraus entstanden?) Weltwirtschaftskrise 2007 - der Krieg der Banken -, etc. Mein Vertrauen in die US Politik ist mehr als erschüttert.

Interessante

I'll keep this short for now as I am just stating very briefly what I think, but I will edit this into a full review at a later date. This very is as stated, very compelling. It is in equal parts deeply saddening and inspiring. It is a little light on in depth details of certain situations but strikes me as a compromise between the weighty details of historical events and the authors own impressions of them from his very particular standpoint. There are other books which delve a lot deeper than this one; though I will say that most of them have been written since and probably in response to this one. It does seem as though the subject matter of the book might be a little 'dumbed down' for (forgive me) an American audience. Not that I am in any way inferring that 'Americans' would be any less capable of reading such a book, but that the view of an average 'American' on politics or world affairs may be ever so slightly to the right of ours in the UK and as such, they as an audience be a little less receptive or sympathetic to some of the views presented in this book. Never the less, I would say that this book was a very good starting for anyone who wanted to get a grapple on why things are the way they are in the world today. I would suggest it as an absolute must read for anyone who feels that the state of the world today is not quite as we all would wish. As I say, I will tidy this review up and improve upon it at a later date.

Very good book.

J'ai lu ce livre dans sa traduction française et je l'ai trouvé si instructif que j'ai décidé de le commandé dans sa version d'origine pour le partager avec mes amis anglophones. La livraison - par bateau - a pris plus de temps que prévu mais lorsque j'ai contacté le vendeur pour lui faire part de mon étonnement, celui-ci s'est empressé de me répondre avec professionnalisme et courtoisie pour me rassurer. J'ai apprécié sa réactivité et l'intérêt qu'il porte à la demande d'un client même si en l’occurrence le prix de la commande ne dépassait pas 2,60 €.