"There is no justification for this type of uncontrolled military spending," said a high-ranking Western diplomat based here.

She wore the Investor-style clothing of a high-ranking diplomat.

"They're the most effective cartel in Colombian history," said one high-ranking Western diplomat.

"It's that old question of linkage," one high-ranking Western diplomat said.

"Nobody thought to ask," a high-ranking diplomat said this evening.

Being a high-ranking diplomat had advantages, including access to confiscated alien technology.

"The ruling family is not monolithic," a high-ranking Western diplomat said.

This assessment does not come from me, but from very high-ranking diplomats and scientists.

I guess it wouldn't be hard; my sister was a high-ranking diplomat, and an admiral's daughter.

But a high-ranking Western diplomat in Bogotá was more skeptical.