The effort devoted by the U.S. authorities into subverting Gripen International's contract with the Czech Republic was described as "a shocking experience" by the managing director of Gripen International, Ian McNamee. "We expect competition but what we got was an amalgam of mis-information and half-truths from the highest diplomatic positions on behalf of our competitors. Most sales are political but this was politicization in the extreme by the United States. America's Ambassador Stapleton, even as he was leaving his office, warned the Czech government that a decision not to acquire F-16s would seriously affect diplomatic relations between the two countries. That's an extraordinary thing to say-it's just so arrogant."
