Editing Air America (section)

==Origins==
Air America traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded as Civil Air Transport (CAT) by former American military aviator Claire Lee Chennault, famous for leading the Flying Tigers during World War II, and diplomat Whiting Willauer. Initially named Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (CNRRA) Air Transport, the airline was established to airlift humanitarian supplies and food into war-torn China following World War II. CAT supported Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist Republic of China Armed Forces during the Chinese Civil War against Mao Zedong’s Communist forces.

	•	Early Operations: CAT primarily flew cargo and passenger services, with many of its pilots being veterans of Chennault’s Flying Tigers. Its aircraft, including Curtiss C-46 Commandos and Douglas C-47s, transported supplies to Nationalist strongholds.

	•	Financial Struggles: By 1949, the Nationalists were 
defeated and retreated to Taiwan, leaving CAT nearly insolvent as its primary contracts dried up. Chennault lobbied the U.S. State Department, arguing that CAT’s assets and expertise could counter Communist expansion in Asia.

In August 1950, the CIA secretly purchased CAT through a holding company, American Airdale Corporation, to utilize its air transport capabilities for intelligence-gathering and covert operations. CAT continued to operate commercial flights out of Taiwan while taking on clandestine missions.