[ Thanks to David
Sugar for this link. ]
“In 2002, then-US Ambassador to Peru, John Hilton, delivered a
threatening letter to the Peruvian congress using his public office
to act on behalf of a very powerful American private interest. The
letter, which was leaked to the press, stated that the Microsoft
Corporation and its chairman Bill Gates disapproved of Peru
debating a proposed law, Special Bill 1609, which favored the use
of free software in public administration. Hilton warned its
passage would harm US-Peru relations.“This incident was only an early salvo in a brewing
international conflict. As nations of the world increasingly turn
to free software to cut costs and promote local development,
powerful North American commercial interests have responded by
bullying…”