Topic: Acheson

Hillary Clinton used architectural metaphors to describe global diplomacy, comparing the post-war era of Truman and Acheson to the Parthenon's "classical geometry." She suggested the new world requires a "Frank Gehry" style of architecture—more complex and diffuse. The hosts mock the comparison, suggesting Gehry's "crumpled paper" designs are an apt metaphor for a chaotic new international order.

A George Washington University professor revealed on C-SPAN that Afghanistan was unable to produce opium until a 1950 USAID project acidified the soil. This historical detail suggests that the US government intentionally created the conditions for the Afghan opium trade. The project occurred under Secretary of State Dean Acheson, shortly before the Dulles brothers established the modern CIA.