Editing Edwin P. Wilson

Edwin Paul Wilson (May 3, 1928 – September 10, 2012) was a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) officer whose career in intelligence and subsequent activities as a private arms dealer made him one of the most controversial figures in U.S. espionage history. Known for his lavish lifestyle and covert operations, Wilson was convicted in 1983 for illegally selling 20 tons of C-4 plastic explosives to Libya, only to have his conviction overturned in 2003 after evidence emerged that the CIA had misrepresented his activities.
==Early Life and Education==
Edwin P. Wilson was born on May 3, 1928, to a poor farming family in Nampa, Idaho. His father, an unsuccessful farmer, died of cancer in 1940, leaving Wilson to grow up in modest circumstances. After high school, he worked as a merchant seaman, gaining early exposure to international travel.
	•	Education and Military Service: In 1953, Wilson earned a psychology degree from the University of Portland. That same year, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the final days of the Korean War. His impressive military service, despite a knee injury that led to his discharge in 1956, caught the attention of CIA recruiters.
==CIA Career==
Wilson joined the CIA in 1956, leveraging his psychology background and military experience. Over 15 years, he became a specialist in covert operations, particularly in setting up front companies to mask CIA activities.

	•	Early Assignments (1956–1960):
	◦	Wilson’s initial role was in the CIA’s Office of Security, including a stint in 1956 guarding U-2 spy planes in Turkey, a critical early reconnaissance program.
	◦	In 1960, the CIA sent him to Cornell University for graduate studies in labor relations, preparing him for work in the International Organizations Division (IOD). He used his psychology expertise to destabilize communist-influenced trade unions in Europe, employing tactics like collaborating with Corsican mobsters and releasing cockroaches into union leaders’ hotel rooms.
	◦	While on the CIA’s payroll, Wilson worked as an international representative for a major U.S. labor union in Europe and served as an advance man for Hubert H. Humphrey’s 1964 presidential campaign, blending covert intelligence with partisan politics.

	•	Special Operations Division (1964–1971):
	◦	Wilson’s most significant contributions came in the CIA’s Special Operations Division (SOD), where he established front companies like Maritime Consulting Associates (1964) and Consultants International (1965). 

These firms covertly shipped supplies worldwide, including:

	▪	Disassembled boats to Lake Tanganyika to intercept Soviet arms for Congolese rebels.
	▪	Arms to Angola.
	▪	Crowd-control gear to Chile, Brazil, and Venezuela.
	▪	Equipment for intelligence-gathering facilities in Iran.
	▪	Supplies for a planned coup in Indonesia.
	▪	Barges to Vietnam.

	◦	As a contractor running these firms, Wilson amassed significant wealth, investing in properties across the U.S., Europe, Lebanon, and Mexico. By 1967, he listed his net worth at $1 million, growing to $2 million by 1976, far exceeding his CIA salary of $25,000 annually.

	•	Connection to Air America:
	◦	Wilson’s front companies likely interacted with [[Air America]], the CIA’s covert airline, which transported supplies for CIA operations in Southeast Asia and beyond. His shipments to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Angola would have relied on air logistics, and Air America was the primary CIA asset for such tasks during the 1960s. For example, barges sent to Vietnam likely involved Air America’s C-123s or C-130s for delivery. However, no declassified documents explicitly confirm Wilson’s direct oversight of Air America, though his role in SOD and logistics suggests he coordinated with its operations under figures like Ted Shackley, who managed Air America in Laos.

	•	End of CIA Tenure: In 1971, Wilson’s official CIA career ended under disputed circumstances. He received a year’s severance pay and retained ownership of some front companies, suggesting the CIA approved his transition to private operations.
==Office of Naval Intelligence and Task Force 157==
In 1971, with CIA knowledge, Wilson joined the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), working for Task Force 157, a secret unit focused on Soviet naval activity but with a broader espionage mandate. Described as “the U.S. military’s only network of undercover agents and spies operating abroad using commercial cover,” Task Force 157 relied on front companies for logistics.

	•	World Marine, Inc.: Wilson established World Marine, Inc., another front company, to support Task Force 157’s operations. In 1973, he earned a $500,000 fee by delivering a spy ship to Iran under this cover. He also facilitated arms and ammunition shipments, including a 1974 deal with Nugan Hand Bank (a CIA-linked bank) for 10 million rounds of ammunition and 3,000 weapons to southern Africa.

	•	Retirement and Controversy: Wilson retired from ONI in 1976 after a dispute with Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, the Director of Naval Intelligence. Wilson reportedly offered congressional influence to secure ONI’s budget in exchange for leading Task Force 157, prompting Inman to shut down the unit and report Wilson to the FBI. However, Wilson claimed he continued providing covert services to the CIA post-retirement.

Private Arms Dealing and Libyan Scandal (1976–1982)
After leaving government service, Wilson leveraged his CIA-honed skills to become a private arms dealer, amassing a fortune estimated at $20–23 million. His lifestyle was lavish, including:
	•	A 2,338-acre estate in Fauquier County, Virginia, where he entertained congressmen, generals, and CIA officials.
	•	Properties in Geneva, England, Tripoli, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Lebanon, and Mexico.
	•	Three private planes and familiarity with Concorde flight attendants.
	•	Gifts of mink coats and jewelry to his mistress, dubbed “Wonder Woman.”
	•	Libyan Operations:
	◦	In the late 1970s, Wilson claimed Ted Shackley, a high-ranking CIA official, tasked him with going to Libya to monitor Carlos the Jackal, a notorious terrorist. Wilson posed as a wealthy American businessman, advising Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and operating from bases in Libya, England, and Switzerland.
	◦	Wilson’s most infamous deal was supplying 20 tons of military-grade C-4 plastic explosives to Libya in 1977, equivalent to the entire U.S. stockpile. The explosives, hidden in barrels of oil drilling mud, were flown to Libya on a chartered jet. He also provided former Green Berets to train Libyan troops and pilots for Libyan operations.
	◦	A Libyan official requested pistols for Libyan embassies, one of which was used to kill a dissident in Bonn, Germany, in 1980, which Wilson later expressed regret over.
	◦	Another scandal involved a company Wilson formed to ship U.S. military aid to Egypt, which was convicted of overcharging the Department of Defense by $8 million.
	•	Connection to Ted Shackley:
	◦	Wilson’s claim that Shackley directed him to Libya is significant. Shackley, as CIA station chief in Laos and Saigon, oversaw Air America and other covert operations. As Associate Deputy Director for Operations (1976–1979), Shackley had the authority to assign such missions. David Corn, author of Blond Ghost (a biography of Shackley), noted that Wilson was likely framed for actions he undertook on CIA orders, suggesting Shackley’s involvement. However, the CIA denied any post-1971 engagement with Wilson.
	•	Connection to Le Cercle:
	◦	While Le Cercle included CIA figures like Shackley, there is no direct evidence linking Wilson to the group. His involvement with Nugan Hand Bank and arms deals in Africa and Iran aligns with Le Cercle’s interests in anti-communist operations and arms trading, but no guest lists or documents (e.g., from Monique Garnier-Lançon’s papers) confirm his attendance. His association with Shackley and other CIA operatives in Le Cercle’s orbit suggests a possible indirect connection, but this remains speculative.

Arrest, Conviction, and Exoneration (1982–2004)
Wilson’s dealings came under scrutiny in 1976 when a business partner alerted the CIA and FBI. In 1982, he was lured from Libya to the Dominican Republic, arrested, and extradited to the U.S. He faced trials in four federal courts:
	•	Charges:
	◦	Exporting 20 tons of C-4 to Libya (Texas, 1983).
	◦	Attempted murder, criminal solicitation, and conspiring to kill prosecutors, witnesses, and his wife, Barbara (New York, Virginia).
	◦	Overcharging the Department of Defense in the Egypt deal.
	•	Conviction and Defense:
	◦	Wilson was convicted in February 1983 in Texas, sentenced to 17 years and fined $145,000, largely based on a CIA affidavit from Charles A. Briggs claiming Wilson had no post-1971 agency ties. A New York court added a 25-year sentence for attempted murder and related charges, totaling 52 years, much of it in solitary confinement.
	◦	Wilson maintained that his Libyan deals were CIA-authorized to gather intelligence, including on Libya’s nuclear program. He used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents proving 80 post-1971 CIA contacts, contradicting the Briggs affidavit.
	•	Exoneration:
	◦	In October 2003, federal judge Lynn H. Hughes in Houston overturned Wilson’s Texas conviction, ruling that the government used false evidence and suppressed favorable evidence, stating, “America will not defeat Libyan terrorism by double-crossing a part-time informal government agent.” Wilson was released in 2004 after 22 years in prison.
	◦	His other convictions (e.g., attempted murder) were not overturned, and a 2007 civil suit against prosecutors and a CIA official was dismissed due to their immunity.

Later Years and Death
After his release, Wilson lived modestly in Edmonds, Washington, on a $1,080 monthly Social Security check, working to clear his name on remaining convictions. He died on September 10, 2012, in Seattle, from complications following heart-valve replacement surgery, at age 84. He was survived by his sons, Erik and Karl, and sister, Leora Pinkston. In a 2006 interview, Wilson expressed no guilt, stating, “I can’t think of one thing I did that I have any guilt about.”

Connections to Air America, Operation Gladio, Crypto AG, Ted Shackley, and Ray S. Cline
	1	Air America:
	◦	Wilson’s front companies, like Consultants International and World Marine, Inc., supported CIA logistics in regions where Air America operated, particularly Vietnam. His shipments of barges to Vietnam and arms to Angola likely relied on Air America’s transport capabilities, given its role as the CIA’s primary air asset in the 1960s and 1970s. While no documents explicitly link Wilson to Air America’s management, his SOD role and collaboration with Shackley in Southeast Asia suggest coordination.
	2	Operation Gladio:
	◦	Wilson’s work destabilizing European labor unions in the 1950s and 1960s aligns with the anti-communist objectives of Operation Gladio, NATO’s stay-behind networks. His use of Corsican mobsters to target unions mirrors Gladio’s alleged ties to organized crime in Italy. However, no primary sources connect Wilson directly to Gladio’s operations (e.g., arms caches or false-flag attacks). His Le Cercle-adjacent activities through Shackley provide a potential link, but this remains speculative.
	3	Crypto AG:
	◦	There is no evidence linking Wilson to Crypto AG or Operation Rubicon. His expertise was in logistics and front companies, not signals intelligence (SIGINT). While he worked on U-2 security in Turkey (1956), this predates Crypto AG’s CIA-BND ownership (1970). His later arms deals with Libya involved physical shipments, not encryption technology.
	4	Ted Shackley:
	◦	Wilson’s most direct connection is to Ted Shackley, who allegedly tasked him with the Libyan mission to monitor Carlos the Jackal. Shackley’s oversight of Air America in Laos and Vietnam likely involved Wilson’s front companies for logistics. David Corn’s Blond Ghost suggests Shackley’s involvement in Wilson’s Libyan deals, with the CIA framing Wilson to distance itself from the scandal. Their shared Le Cercle membership further ties them to anti-communist networks.
	5	Ray S. Cline:
	◦	No direct evidence links Wilson to Ray S. Cline, but their careers intersected through CIA operations and anti-communist networks. Cline’s role in Taiwan (1958–1962) and leadership in the World Anti-Communist League (WACL) overlapped with Wilson’s front company activities and Shackley’s Le Cercle involvement. Both worked in Asia during Air America’s peak, but no records confirm collaboration. Their shared connections to Shackley and anti-communist forums suggest a loose association.

Legacy
Edwin P. Wilson’s life epitomized the blurred lines between espionage, profit, and betrayal. His front companies facilitated critical CIA operations, but his lavish lifestyle and rogue arms dealing led to his downfall. The 2003 exoneration in the Libyan case, as noted by Judge Hughes and David Corn, highlighted the CIA’s willingness to “frame a guilty man” to protect its reputation. Wilson’s story, detailed in Manhunt by Peter Maas and Blond Ghost by David Corn, remains a cautionary tale of the CIA’s covert world.
If you’d like further details on Wilson’s operations, his Libyan deals, or additional sources, please let me know, and I can explore further!