Many of the buildings of the imperial city were destroyed during the vietnam war. An air america h34 helicopter on a supply mission in laos. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading air america in laos. Air america is a 1978 nonfiction book by journalist christopher robbins. 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.
This cia history is also circumspect on relations within the u. Army infantry platoon leader in south vietnam from 1965 to 1966. The greatest battle of the vietnam air war the air combat trilogy book 2 by jeffrey ethell and alfred price. The plot revolves around two men who find themselves in the middle of the cias private airline, which is used to deliver food, supplies, and even opium, to a small kingdom during the vietnam war. It supplied and supported united states covert operations in southeast asia during the vietnam war. A proprietary is an entity that appears to be a normal, legitimate enterprise but actually is operated and controlled by the cia.
From the 1950s to the early 1970s, indochina had been the landscape of major drug and military operations, conducted by many actors including european and communist countries. Your home for air america caps, shirts, jackets, flags, and other items. The collection has personal accounts by the rescued pilots and thank you letters as well as commendations from. The air america helicopters that were saved were taken to the philippines. As part of this deception, air america workers could not enroll in government retirement programs. 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. The explosive inside story of the cias supersecret airline. He spent more than a decade in southeast asia during the vietnam war era as a captain for air america, the cias airline. To purchase more than one type, please add it as a separate item to your cart. The republic of vietnam and various us government agencies contracted with air america. I like christopher robbins style of journalism in writing about vietnam, but there is much.
When the protagonists discover their aircraft is being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drugsmugglers. Leary is a professor of history at the university of georgia. Cia activities in vietnam were operations conducted by the central intelligence agency in indochina and then vietnam from the 1950s to the late 1960s, before and during the vietnam war. Cia air operations in laos, 19551974 central intelligence agency. This plan was approved by the cia, and the airline chosen was southern air transport. Air america historical social club, oshkosh, wisconsin. Air america was owned and operated by the cia for special operations in vietnam. The stories of these patriotic pilots makes the book a good read as well as a contribution to the sweaty job of digging up the cias buried past. Boecker, now a 71yearold retired rear admiral, plans to tell the story on.
The airline operated bases in various countries like japan and taiwan, allowing it to fly to these areas with ease. Us military, engagement in south vietnam began well before what is marked. Leary air america, anairline secretly owned bythe cia, was a vital componentinthe agencysoperationsin, laos. Pilots and air america staff did not wear uniforms, rather civilian clothing. After losing his pilots license, billy covington is recruited into it, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic pilots, gunrunning by his friend gene ryack, and opium.
Air america, an airline secretly owned by the cia, was a vital component in the agencys operations in laos. Set up in june 1961, long tieng was the headquarters for vang pao, who led irregular forces of the meo people, a cia ally in the conflict with pathet lao. Air americas black helicopter the secret aircraft that helped the cia tap phones in north vietnam the quiet one had a forwardlooking infrared flir camera. Without air americas presence, the cias effort in laos could not have been sustained. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. In the summer of 1970 he was recruited by the central intelligence agency s clandestine service and sent to fight the covert war in laos. Air americas black helicopter military aviation air.
Heroic tales of fearless men in the most deathdefying, headthumping conditions imaginable 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. The book is a history of air america, an airline covertly owned by the united states central intelligence agency from 1950 to 1976. Air america in south vietnam, all cia missions in south vietnam were flown as part of the usaid contracts, and within those contracts, all cia requirements were handled with priority harnage, a thousand faces, pp. These missions ranged from undercover cia operations to overt air transportation. 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. The connection among air america, the cia, and the drug trade in laos lingers in the public mind. When you hear air america, there is a good chance the 1990 movie starring mel gibson and robert downey jr. An air america pilots story of adventure, descent and redemption. Air america provided many services for the cia, one of which was delivering cargo to areas including vietnam and china. Air america was the cia s private airline operating in laos during the vietnam war, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers. I wrote about this for the history channel years ago, an episode called air america. Apr 15, 2009 they were civilian employees of air america, an ostensibly private airline essentially owned and operated by the cia. When the war in vietnam came to an end, so did air america.
Mar 26, 20 air branch, the cias secret air force by jack murphy mar 26, 20. Nor are his friends who served in laos alongside hmong fighters with air america, the cias secret air arm. Here is the incredible inside story of the worlds most extraordinary co. The cia itself claims that the cia air operations in laos from 19551974 were the largest paramilitary operations ever undertaken by the cia. Sadly, as you history buffs know, the vacuum created by the departure of the french was soon filled by the us, and things turned out badly all around. An air america representative greeted the crews, gave them tickets to their homes of record and told to go home. The explosive inside story of the cias supersecret. Air america is a 1990 american action comedy film directed by roger spottiswoode and starring mel gibson and robert downey jr. I have broken down the best books about vietnam into helpful sections. Vietnam war home movies, 1967 cia air america ivctz chau doc, cau lanh, can tho duration. America in laos traces the militarization of the cia. 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.
Whenever possible, the present status of a former air america aircraft has been added from faa files, and a lot of material about air america s contribution to the bay of pigs operation has been added from cia documents or other sources. Without air america, the cias secret war in laos would have been impossible. A walled citadel, 2 km by 2 km, as well as a moat, surrounded the city. In september 1964, neil hansen began his adventure as a pilot with air americathe cias secret airlineworking clandestine operations in southeast asia. So on 5 august 60, the cia acquired sat thru roger c. During the vietnam war, air america, a cia proprietary airline, flew a variety of missions in the far east. The crews were dropped unceremoniously in hong kong. Neil hansen isnt mentioned in the history books about the vietnam war. Air america was the cias private airline operating in laos during the vietnam war, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers.
Air america, laos, and the vietnam war, were significantly and inextricably linked. The flight mechanics stories kindle edition by nichols, stephen. Some files like the b26 file have been completely restructured, others like the b17 file have been added. America archives and catair america sur vivors raised. Adventure, intrigue, danger, sacrifice, and patriotismwords that fit air america well. 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. Little was known about what they did or their being there for over 10 years. An air america pilots story of adventure, descent and. 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. The aircraft of air america, 5th edition of 4 march 20. Air america was always supposed to look like a private airline, not a cia operation. Authors of books and articles assume, imply or assign cia ownership because of the. I would recommend this book to any aviationhistory enthusiast who enjoys reading about the exploits of paramilitary aviation operations. Aug 15, 2016 from its origins with the legendary flying tigers of wwii to the final days of the vietnam war, air america is one of the most clandestine operations in cia history.
Air america run by the cia, this controversial covert. Cia air operations in laos, 19551974 central intelligence. Flying as southern air transport, civil air transport, air america, and air asia ltd. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Shop online for special air america apparel and memorabilia by clicking on the links to the left. By the summer of 1970, the airline had some two dozen twinengine transports, another two dozen shorttakeoffandlanding stol aircraft, and some 30 helicopters dedicated to operations in laos. Jun 02, 2019 pilots who flew for air america in vietnam fight for pensions america s final act in the vietnam war produced an iconic image. They carried no id information, and were very secretive about what and where they did things. Contentsshow organization in august 1950, the cia secretly purchased the assets of civil air. 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. Located on the perfume river in central vietnam, hue was the capital of vietnam from 1802 until 1945. The truth about air america and the cia cates, allen on.
I read nearly all the books about helicopter flying in vietnam and this stands out as the book that describes the air america bit of the war. The film, according to the credits, was based on christopher robbinss book about the airline, first published in 1979 under the title air america. In the last dark nights of the vietnam war, however, a secret government organization did use a helicopter for a single. It supplied and supported covert operations in southeast asia during the vietnam war. Jan 19, 2012 air america was an air line created and operated by the cia.
Jun 19, 2010 more than three decades after air americas cover as the cias aviation wing in southeast asia was blown, former employees are telling more stories about the highs and lows of secret missions. Tony coalson is another air america pilot who was part of the saigon evacuation. 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. The history of air america, 2nd edition of 4 march 20 by. When the french were on the ropes in indochina and the american military could not officially intervene, air america took over. In the mid1980s the air america name was revived by a scheduled passenger airline based in. Vietnam war home movies, 1967 cia air america ivctz chau doc. Air america was an air line created and operated by the cia. Air america was a central intelligence agency cia proprietary, one of the many civilian airlines operating in southeast asia. Dec, 2017 in this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. The truth about air america and the cia by allen cates, iuniverse publishing, 2011. Cia and the wars in southeast asia central intelligence agency. 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. A fascinating assembly of documents revealing the role that air america, the.
Good book to read about the viet nam war effort and other places where air america flew. Apr 30, 2017 time has done little to dull the anger of james parker, the last cia officer to evacuate vietnam, as the world marks the latest anniversary of the u. The book is a history of air america, an airline covertly owned by the united states central intelligence agency from 1950 to 1976 background. The largest paramilitary operations ever undertaken by the cia took place in the small southeast asian. Please let us know if you cant find what you are looking for by sending us a message using the link in the menu above to contact us. The aircraft of air america, 5th edition of 4 march 20, by.
Pilots who flew for air america in vietnam fight for. 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. We are a small group of individuals dedicated to preserving the legacy of air america. But when he says i omit an awkward fact that the hmong grew opium, that the center of the operation of forwarding this as opium to us troops in vietnam and the us, and that it was carried on cias airline, air america, i must protest.
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