The cia ran civil air transport cat, a front airline later renamed air america, that smuggled in guns and smuggled out drugs to finance their massive secret army. The cias front company, air america was alleged to have profited from transporting opium and heroin on behalf of hmong leader vang pao, or of turning a blind eye to the laotian military doing it. The movie was centred around the cias private airline, air america, which was used during the vietnam war to transport food, supplies, and other items, which happened to include opium. Air america a secret airline run by the cia flew missions no one else would touch, from general claire cennaults legendary flying tigers in ww ii to two brutal. American airlines, delta air lines, frontier airlines, etc. Jan 18, 2020 cat airlines was changed to air america in march of 1959 most of cat aircraft were marked for air america but some did keep the cat markings. Two years later, in 1967, the cia and usaid purchased two c47s for vang pao, who opened up his own air transport company, which he called xieng khouang air, known by one and all as air opium. When the protagonists discover their aircraft is being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drugsmugglers.
Air america was owned and operated by the cia for special operations in vietnam. We are a small group of individuals dedicated to preserving the legacy of air america. Author joshua kurlantzick calls it the largest covert operation in us history. Air americas black helicopter military aviation air. See more ideas about air america, america and vietnam war. America in laos traces the militarization of the cia. Great book, covered less about the detail and background behind the laos and cambodian wars than some, but did a good job of writing from the perspective of a civilian contractor working in the area for air america without it sounding like an extension of his vietnam service. I would recommend this book to any aviationhistory enthusiast who enjoys reading about the exploits of paramilitary aviation operations. The republic of vietnam and various us government agencies contracted with air america. This is a great book chronicling the exploits of the cia funded pilots of air america and all of the other proprietary operators going all the way back to the original flying tigers of china, and running through to the irancontra scandal. Air america was an american passenger and cargo airline established in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the central intelligence agency cia from 1950 to 1976. The truth about air america and the cia by allen cates, iuniverse publishing, 2011. Aside from the arguably inaccurate chapter dealing with air america s trafficking of opium, robbins research was well received by both former air america personnel, and eventually, the cia. The aircraft of air america, 5th edition of 4 march 20.
The united states government owned air america during the cold war against the global menace of communism. It supplied and supported covert operations in southeast asia during the vietnam war. Air america cap during the vietnam war, air america, a. Adventure, intrigue, danger, sacrifice, and patriotismwords that fit air america well. The book is a history of air america, an airline covertly owned by the united states.
The film, according to the credits, was based on christopher robbinss book about the airline, first published in 1979 under the title air america. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. An air america representative greeted the crews, gave them tickets to their homes of record and told to go home. The airlines schedules and operations were irregular and unknown. Foia this volume covers the early years of the agencys work in vietnam, and ends with the south vietnamese military coup that overthrew saigon leader ngo dinh diem, of which the cia was. All interviews are preserved as part of the air america association collection at the vietnam center and archive at texas tech university and are made available to researchers around the world through the virtual vietnam archive. Formed in 1959 from assets of previous front companies, air america was throughout its life beholden to the cia, the department of state, and the pentagon. Jun 22, 2017 the movie was centred around the cias private airline, air america, which was used during the vietnam war to transport food, supplies, and other items, which happened to include opium. A good book to read after air america by christopher robbins as adds.
The collection has personal accounts by the rescued pilots and thank you letters as well as commendations from. A fascinating assembly of documents revealing the role that air america, the agencys proprietary airline, played in the search and rescue of. Utd, mcdermott library, air america archives cia corporate records box 51, folder 12. Buy a cheap copy of air america book by christopher robbins. Air america remains probably the best known book on the history of air america, and it attempts to cover the airlines entire history, from the precia era beginning in world war ii with civil air transport, all the way through to the war in indochina. This is an audio recording of the tenth section of the first book of the church committee final report foreign and military. Those parts of the movie were actually correct, and it seems that the ciaoperated airline was in fact used to smuggle drugs. Jun 27, 2008 the connection among air america, the cia, and the drug trade in laos lingers in the public mind. The connection among air america, the cia, and the drug trade in laos lingers in the public mind. Inscribed deakin full throttle pilot aviation history air america cia military see more like this. Air america provided many services for the cia, one of which was delivering cargo to areas including vietnam and china. An air america pilots story of adventure, descent and redemption included the following statement.
Allen cates book is the first in a long while to paint an accurate picture of what it was like to be a pilot for air america during the war in indochina. A fascinating assembly of documents revealing the role that air america, the agencys proprietary airline, played in the search and rescue of pilots and personnel during the vietnam war. The air america helicopters that were saved were taken to the philippines. The cia bought and then handed over two of the topsecret helicopters to a firmby all appearances, civiliancalled air america. In nicaragua personal friend of thenvice president george h. Both deuel and maloney were members of the cia front company called air america who were working as intelligence officers. Air america pilot book launch reunites him with plane after five. So says, charlie weitz, a pilot for air america in southeast asia from 1961 through 1973. In the 60s, the cia began a secret program that aimed to curb communism by arming and training local fighters in laos. The cia s book of honor incorrectly lists ojibways date of death as 1966. Americas final act in the vietnam war produced an iconic image. Jan 23, 2017 in the 60s, the cia began a secret program that aimed to curb communism by arming and training local fighters in laos.
The majority of caribous operated by air america, however, were bailed aircraft, which. In the mid1980s the air america name was revived by a scheduled passenger airline based in. Leary is a professor of history at the university of georgia. As a vietnam war historian, i had been looking forward to the release of air america, said to be based on the cia s airline in southeast asia and on the nonfiction book by christopher robbins. This cia history is also circumspect on relations within the u. The airline operated bases in various countries like japan and taiwan, allowing it to fly to these areas with ease. They were smokejumpers when the cia sent them to laos. It was the month the french military garrison at dien ben phu vietnam was overrun by the viet minh forces under the command of ho chi minh. Air force, on the cia s management of air america, on the operation of the cia base at long tieng, and on political action in the laotian twin capitals.
The cias vietnam histories national security archive. Though seldom discussed by public or press, air america a civilian airline owned and run by the central intelligence agency, but formally abandoned in the late 1970s qualified as one of the. I n september 1964, i began a journey that was to be my lifes adventure. How the ciaoperated a drug smuggling airline for heroin. The longer i was with air america, the less i knew what it was.
Captain neil graham hansen has lived an extraordinary life from when he began to fly at age 15 to his years as a pilot for jimmy hoffa to his. These missions ranged from undercover cia operations to overt air transportation. Apr 20, 2008 the longer i was with air america, the less i knew what it was. Johnson and ojibway were members of the cia front company called air america who were working as intelligence officers. Dec, 2017 check out long daze at long binh the first truly funny book about the vietnam war. The truth about air america and the cia hardback or cased book.
It includes, for the first time, direct information about lima site 85 in laos and a possible hijacking attempt in the 1964 crash of flight 908. In 1964, i embarked on a journey that was to be my lifes adventure. See more ideas about air america, vietnam war and america. They were killed when their helicopter crashed into the mekong river in southeast asia. Air force histories reveal cia role in laos, cia air strike missions, new evidence on nuclear weapons, air force policy disputes, during vietnam war years.
Air force personnel under civilian cover, guarded by hmong commandos, and supplied by the ciarun air america cargo service. Air america historical social club, oshkosh, wisconsin. Air america is a 1990 american action comedy film directed by roger spottiswoode and starring mel gibson and robert downey jr. Air america is a 1978 nonfiction book by journalist christopher robbins. During the vietnam war, air america, a cia proprietary airline, flew a variety of missions in the far east. Center for the study of intelligence, june 2000, 231 pp. Just as in laos, the air america experience in vietnam was over abruptly.
Vva calls it the best book about rear echelon life in vietnam during that time period nobody will top it any time soon, if. A young pilot finds himself recruited unwittingly into a covert and corrupt c. The references given in the section service history indicate the exact location of the document within the air america archives, e. We are a small group of individuals dedicated to preserving the legacy of. A proprietary is an entity that appears to be a normal, legitimate enterprise but actually is operated and controlled by the cia. Cia air operations in laos, 19551974 central intelligence. Pilots who flew for air america in vietnam fight for pensions. Leary air america, anairline secretly owned bythe cia, was a vital componentinthe agencysoperationsin, laos. The cias book of honor incorrectly lists ojibways date of death as 1966. Air america employees and their family members are all welcome to participate. Formed in 1959 from assets of previous front companies, air america was throughout its life beholden to the cia, the department of. In september 1964, neil hansen began his adventure as a pilot with air americathe cias secret airlineworking clandestine operations in southeast asia. Because of the tropical climate, air america pilots favored comfortable attire. I was hired as a pilot with air america, the cias secret airline, working on its clandestine operations in southeast asia.
I hired on as a pilot for air america and its clandestine operations in southeast asia. Bevan, a smokejumperturnedciaoperative, was one of five men killed in an air america plane crash on aug. As a vietnam war historian, i had been looking forward to the release of air america, said to be based on the cias airline in southeast asia and on the nonfiction book by christopher robbins. Cates, who flew rotary and fixedwing aircraft for the airline in laos after his tour as a marine h34 helicopter pilot, negates the oftheld belief that it was the cia that. The contracts provided a method to separate the work and bill the different customers, but just as in laos, an aircraft or helicopter working on a usaid contract might be working for the cia, or a special forces unit in the delta or ii corps area. Air force personnel under civilian cover, guarded by hmong commandos, and supplied by the cia run air america cargo service. Mens longsleeved denim shirt with embroidered air america logo. Little was known about what they did or their being there for over 10 years. Air america was a central intelligence agency cia proprietary, one of the many civilian airlines operating in southeast asia. Bush, felix rodriguez, was involved in a very similar scheme to fly in guns and fly out drugs to fund the contras. National security archive electronic briefing book no. It was the world of spooks, covert air ops and adventure. Air america was an american passenger and cargo airline covertly owned by the us government in 1950 as a dummy corporation for central intelligence agency cia operations in china. Cat airlines was changed to air america in march of 1959 most of cat aircraft were marked for air america but some did keep the cat markings.
Air america was an american passenger and cargo airline established in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the central intelligence agency cia from. Here is the incredible inside story of the worlds most extraordinary covert operation air america, a secret airline run by the cia, which at its height had the biggest commercial airfleet in the world. Sep 29, 2017 two years later, in 1967, the cia and usaid purchased two c47s for vang pao, who opened up his own air transport company, which he called xieng khouang air, known by one and all as air opium. The explosive inside story of the cias supersecret airline. The aircraft of air america, 5th edition of 4 march 20, by. Bevan, a smokejumperturned cia operative, was one of five men killed in an air america plane crash on aug. The story is during the vietnam war, lima site 85 was a secret radar station on top of a mountain in northeastern laos known as phou phath manned by u. Bevan, along with two other agency operatives on the flight. Author and former air america pilot allen cates cuts through the myths and subterfuge surrounding this elite stealth air force used by the united states to fight a. The truth about air america and the cia hardback or cased book see more like this vietnam war nam era cia spy operation air carrier air america chest id patch brand new. In this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020.
The hughes 500p helicopter was a variant of the oh6a, with extensive modifications to allow it to fly quietly. The largest paramilitary operations ever undertaken by the cia took place in the small southeast asian. The cia did no the united states has lots of airlines. Thus, america continued with a covert and clandestine policy of publicly presenting air america as a free enterprise operating in vietnam under various contracts. To purchase more than one type, please add it as a separate item to your cart.