Thomas G. Clines

Thomas Gregory Clines (August 18, 1928 – July 30, 2013) was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer whose 30-year career was marked by involvement in major covert operations, including the Bay of Pigs, the Vietnam War, and the Iran-Contra affair. A close associate of Ted Shackley and Edwin P. Wilson, Clines co-founded the Egyptian-American Transport and Services Corporation (EATSCO) and played a key role in private arms dealing, which led to his conviction in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Early Life and Education

Thomas G. Clines was born on August 18, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, into a working-class family. Little is documented about his early life, but he grew up in a modest environment, developing a disciplined and ambitious character.

• Education and Military Service: Clines attended college, though specific details are sparse, and joined the U.S. Army in the late 1940s, serving in counterintelligence roles during the early Cold War. His military experience, particularly in intelligence, paved the way for his CIA recruitment.

CIA Career

Clines joined the CIA in the early 1950s, rising through the ranks of the Directorate of Operations (clandestine service) to become a key figure in covert operations. His career closely aligned with Ted Shackley, earning them reputations as part of the CIA’s “hardliner” faction.

1 Early Assignments (1950s–1961): ◦ Clines worked as a case officer in Europe and Asia, focusing on anti-communist operations. His early roles involved recruiting agents and managing covert logistics, leveraging his military counterintelligence background. ◦ By the late 1950s, he was assigned to the CIA’s Berlin Operations Base under Shackley and William K. Harvey, handling espionage against the Soviet Union.

2 Bay of Pigs and JM/WAVE (1961–1965): ◦ Clines served as a key operative in the CIA’s Miami station (JM/WAVE), led by Shackley, to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba. He was involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961), training Cuban exiles and coordinating sabotage operations under Operation Mongoose. ◦ As deputy to David Atlee Phillips and later Shackley, Clines managed logistics for anti-Castro raids, earning a reputation for operational efficiency despite the invasion’s failure.

3 Southeast Asia and Air America (1966–1972): ◦ Clines joined Shackley in Laos (1966–1968), serving as a senior operative in the CIA’s “Secret War” against the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese. He coordinated logistics with Air America, the CIA’s covert airline, which airlifted supplies, troops, and operatives for Hmong forces under General Vang Pao. ▪ Connection to Air America: Clines directly oversaw Air America’s operations in Laos, including supply drops and search-and-rescue missions. Allegations of drug trafficking, particularly opium transport, surfaced, with historians like Alfred W. McCoy suggesting complicity by CIA operatives, though Clines and Shackley denied involvement. ◦ In Saigon (1968–1972), Clines worked under Shackley on the Phoenix Program, targeting Viet Cong infrastructure through intelligence and assassination. Air America supported these operations, transporting CIA teams and prisoners.

4 Western Hemisphere Division (1972–1976): ◦ Clines served as deputy chief of the CIA’s Western Hemisphere Division under Shackley, overseeing operations like the 1973 Chilean coup against Salvador Allende. He managed covert support for anti-communist forces, with Air America providing logistics in Latin America.

5 Retirement (1978): ◦ Clines retired from the CIA in 1978, frustrated by reforms under Director Stansfield Turner. His departure coincided with Shackley’s, marking a shift to private intelligence and arms dealing.

Post-CIA Career and EATSCO

After retiring, Clines leveraged his CIA contacts to enter private arms dealing, most notably through EATSCO and Iran-Contra-related activities.

• Egyptian-American Transport and Services Corporation (EATSCO, 1979–1983): ◦ In 1979, Clines co-founded EATSCO with Hussein K. Salem, a former Egyptian military intelligence officer, to handle U.S. military aid shipments to Egypt post-Camp David Accords. Clines owned 49%, with Salem holding the majority. ◦ EATSCO secured a $3 billion contract to ship electronics, artillery, and tanks, using aircraft like a Boeing 707-323C from Global International Airways, a CIA-linked company. The company overcharged the Pentagon by $8 million through inflated invoices, leading to a 1983 guilty plea for false statements, with a $20,000 fine and $3.04 million in restitution from Salem. ◦ Edwin P. Wilson provided funding for EATSCO and was investigated for his role, though Egyptian officials downplayed his involvement due to his Libyan ties. Ted Shackley was linked to EATSCO through his network, though not formally charged.

• Connection to Nugan Hand Bank and Michael Jon Hand: ◦ Clines’ associate, Edwin P. Wilson, used Nugan Hand Bank in 1974 to finance arms shipments to southern Africa, a deal facilitated by Michael Jon Hand, a former CIA contractor. While no direct evidence ties Clines to Nugan Hand, his partnership with Wilson in EATSCO and shared CIA networks (via Shackley) suggest overlap. Hand’s Laos experience with Air America and Clines’ oversight of similar operations indicate a parallel structure in covert logistics.

• Iran-Contra Affair (1980s): ◦ Clines was a central figure in the Iran-Contra affair, working with Richard Secord and Albert Hakim to sell arms to Iran and fund Nicaraguan Contras, bypassing Congressional bans. He operated through companies like Stanford Technology Trading Group International and Energy Resources, funneling profits to offshore accounts. ◦ In 1990, Clines was convicted of underreporting $720,000 in Iran-Contra profits on his taxes, receiving 16 months in prison, a $40,000 fine, and three years’ probation—the only Iran-Contra figure to serve time. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 1992.

Air America: ◦ Clines’ role in Laos and Vietnam directly tied him to Air America, which he used for logistics under Shackley’s command. His oversight of supply drops and Phoenix Program operations relied on Air America’s aircraft, and drug trafficking allegations (denied by Clines) mirror those against the airline.

Later Life and Death

After his 1990 conviction, Clines maintained a low profile, living in Florida and working as a private consultant. He died on July 30, 2013, in Coral Gables, Florida, at age 84, from complications of old age. His wife, Marjorie Clines, and family survived him. Clines left no memoirs, and his public statements were minimal, leaving much of his legacy tied to investigative reports and Iran-Contra records.

Thomas G. Clines’ career epitomized the CIA’s covert operations during the Cold War, from anti-Castro plots to Vietnam’s Phoenix Program and Iran-Contra. His role in EATSCO and ties to Edwin P. Wilson and Ted Shackley highlight the blurred lines between intelligence, private profit, and crime. The Nugan Hand Bank connection through Wilson underscores his place in a broader CIA network, as detailed in sources like The Crimes of Patriots by Jonathan Kwitny and Blond Ghost by David Corn.