- Category: Books » History Books » Military - Intelligence/Espionage
- Format: Paperback Learn more about the Paperback format using Tower WIKI.
- Publisher: Transition Vendor
- ISBN: 0802141242
- WAPI (Tower ID): 100184129
- Release Date: May 1, 2004
- Average Customer Review: There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
- Tower.com Sales Rank: #206585 in Books (See Top 100 Books Bestsellers)
- #8643 in History Books (See Top 100 History Books Bestsellers)
- #33 in Military - Intelligence/Espionage (See Top 100 Military - Intelligence/Espionage Bestsellers)
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Product DescriptionMore Books by George Crile (Author)Discover More Information About George Crile (Author)Run a Quick Search on "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile to Browse Related Products:Browse more products related to "Charlie Wilson's War"Browse more products related to "George Crile"Review"[S]uperb writing from Crile...will keep even the most vigorous critic of this Contra-like affair reading to the end." "[A] vivid narrative, though a reader may wonder how much of this story is true in exactly the way Crile presents it." Publisher's noteFrom an award-winning 60 Minutes reporter comes the extraordinary story of the largest and most successful CIA operation in history-the arming of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, pressure mounted for the Americans to support the Afghan resistance. Charlie Wilson, a maverick congressman from East Texas who sat on the powerful House Defense Appropriations Committee, persuaded his colleagues to allocate $10 million to fund the CIA's effort to arm the Mujahideen. Charlie Wilson's War tells the story of what became the largest covert operation in history; funding eventually grew to over $1 billion a year. The book includes an incredible cast of characters: Charlie, the charismatic, hard-partying congressman who raised eyebrows when traveling to Pakistan with unusual companions -- one his personal belly dancer, another an ex-beauty queen -- but was passionate about supporting the Afghans and brilliant at getting deals done. Gust Avrakotos, a working-class Greek among Ivy Leaguers at the CIA who set up the team that ran the largest operation in the history of the CIA. President Zia of Pakistan, who became great friends with Charlie and used his leverage to get huge aid dollars as well as keep the West looking away as he built the first Muslim bomb. Moving from the back rooms of the Capitol, to secret chambers at Langley, to arms-dealers conventions, to the Khyber Pass, Charlie Wilson's War is brilliantly reported -- one of the most detailed and compulsively readable accounts of the inside workings of the CIA ever written, with a cast of characters and a plot out of Le Carre or Clancy. This book is a remarkable account of the last battle of the Cold War, a battle that helped weaken the Soviet Union and led to its collapse and, of course, paved the way to the rise of the Taliban, with consequences that we are dealing with today. AnnotationThis investigative report on the secret CIA operations during the 1980s Russia-Afghanistan war tells of the billion-dollar-a-year effort to arm, supply, and train the Afghan resistance, and to maintain relations in the region--all centered on an American Congressman, Charlie Wilson from Texas. This true story reads like a thriller as Crile describes the larger-than-life Wilson, who was head of the House Appropriations Committee, and the many CIA operatives, ex-CIA operatives, gun runners, and freedom fighters who were involved in carrying out the operation. The story has added significance because these same weapons later fell into the hands of the Taliban and were used against us. A New York Times Notable Book for 2003. If You Enjoy "Charlie Wilson's War (Paperback)", May We Also Recommend:
Customer Reviews for "Charlie Wilson's War (Paperback)" by George Crile (Author)There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review! Military - Intelligence/Espionage Bestsellers
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