CIA's secret airline you've never heard of

The crazy story of 2 American pilots                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 July 16, 2024 Greetings Everyday Spy, [Have you ever wondered how CIA moves people and cargo around the world without anyone knowing?]( I'm about to pull back the curtain on one of the Agency's most closely guarded secrets. This story is a killer lesson in how quickly your plans can go haywire. And how you need to be able to change and adapt on the fly… Or else risk losing everything. So it all started in 1946, when a group of American airmen saw a big opportunity in post-war China. The country was in shambles. It was divided by vast distances and terrible infrastructure. Two American pilots had one of those lightbulb, great idea moments: “There could be a big opportunity for an airline that could connect China's isolated cities and villages.” Led by the legendary Flying Tigers commander Claire Chennault and his enterprising partner Whiting Willauer, they scraped together funding from Chinese bankers. And their timing couldn't have been better. The Chinese government was hard-up for reliable air transport to deliver relief supplies to the interior. On October 25, 1946, Chennault and Willauer signed a contract to provide airlift for the Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. They called their fledgling airline CNRRA Air Transport, or CAT for short. With a handful of surplus C-47 and C-46 cargo planes, CAT began flying relief missions in early 1947. But the ambitious American aviators quickly realized there was money to be made beyond government contracts. The pilots started buying goods in the interior to resell in coastal cities at a profit. Soon, the airline formed its own trading company. And business boomed. But storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. By late 1947, Communist forces were advancing across China. The missions CAT found itself flying got very risky, including evacuating people and supplies from cities about to fall. Their aircraft were sometimes damaged by shellfire on the runways. As the Nationalist government's control crumbled, CAT was forced to relocate multiple times. From Shanghai to Canton, then to Kunming, Hainan Island, and finally Taiwan. With each move, maintenance became more difficult and schedules more chaotic. But CAT kept flying, often providing the last lifeline for surrounded cities. Its crews worked to the point of exhaustion, pushing themselves and their aircraft to the limit. Little did they know that CAT's reputation for getting the job done in impossible circumstances had caught the eye of some very interested parties in Washington… And tomorrow, you’ll learn how the pilots of CAT suddenly got way more than they bargained for after a run in with CIA. Godspeed, Everyday Spy. P.S. Think of a time when a project you were working on took a sudden and dramatic left turn. Did you have [mental tools like these to adapt on the fly - and succeed?]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here]( © 2024 EverydaySpy EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309 Green Cove Springs, FL 32043, United States of America [[beehiiv logo]Powered by beehiiv]( [Terms of Service](