Editing American International Underwriters Corporation (section)

==CIA’s Use of Commercial Cover:==
A 1975 New York Times article by John M. Crewdson and Nicholas M. Horrock details how the CIA used “commercial cover agreements” with American multinational corporations to place operatives abroad. The article notes, “These relationships between the C.I.A. and American-based multinational corporations, known as ‘commercial cover agreements,’ have resulted in the placing of career C.I.A. officers in the overseas offices of legitimate companies”. The source lists over 20 companies across industries like petroleum, banking, and travel. However, AIU’s global operations in strategic regions align with the profile of firms attractive to the CIA, as smaller overseas offices or companies with dominant executives (like Starr or Greenberg) were preferred for cover.