The descriptive term War on Drugs was first used by the United States President Richard Nixon in 1969. During a speech to the "Mothers of America" he proposed the compulsory use of stimulants for US army personnel on active service. Nixon insisted that going to war on drugs would allow GIs to fight for up to 36 hours at a stretch and hasten the end of Communist insurgency across South East Asia. He then handed over control of this radical innovation to the Pentagon's so called High-command. However, credit for the idea of going to war high on drugs cannot be claimed by Whitehouse think-tanks alone, as the idea seems to have been prevalent throughout history.