Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Book by John Perkins

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is a semi autobiographical book written by American economist and essayist John Perkins, first published in 2004. The book provides Perkins' account of his career with engineering consulting firm Chas. T. Main in Boston. Perkins claims that the NSA arranged for him to be hired by the firm, and that he was subsequently seduced and trained as an "economic hitman" by a mysterious businesswoman named Claudine. Perkins writes that his primary role at Chas T. Main was to convince leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept substantial development loans for large construction and engineering projects, thus trapping them in a system of American influence and control. The book was a commercial success, but critics expressed doubts about the accuracy and validity of claims Perkins made in the book. Perkins was referred to as a conspiracy theorist by one reviewer, while a number of former colleagues at Chas T. Main disputed or disagreed with some of his allegations. Several reviewers discussed a lack of documentation or verification for Perkins' claims.

The book provides Perkins' account of his career with engineering consulting firm Chas. T. Main in Boston. Perkins claims the involvement of the National Security Agency (NSA), with whom he had interviewed for a job prior to joining Main. According to the author, this interview effectively constituted an independent screening that led to his subsequent hiring as an 'economic hit man' by Einar Greve, vice president of the firm (and alleged NSA liaison). Perkins claims that he was seduced and trained as an "economic hitman" by a mysterious businesswoman named Claudine, who used his NSA personality profile to manipulate and control him. According to Perkins, his job at the firm was to convince leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept substantial development loans for large construction and engineering projects. Ensuring that these projects were contracted to U. S. companies, such loans provided political influence for the US and access to natural resources for American companies,</blockquote>

In 2009, Stelios Kouloglou directed a Greek–U. S. co produced documentary titled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, featuring interviews with Perkins filmed between 2007 and 2008. The film was shown at movie festivals around the United States.