Editing Safari Club (section)

==CIA Connections to the Safari Club==
===Formation as a Response to CIA Restrictions===
Post-Watergate Constraints: Following the Watergate scandal and investigations by the Church and Rockefeller Commissions, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution (1973) and the Clark Amendment (1976), restricting CIA covert operations. President Jimmy Carter’s CIA Director, Stansfield Turner, further limited the agency’s scope. The Safari Club was formed to fill this gap, allowing anti-communist operations to continue outside U.S. oversight. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former head of Saudi intelligence, stated in a 2002 Georgetown University speech that the Safari Club was established to compensate for the CIA’s inability to “send spies, write reports, or pay money” due to congressional restrictions.

U.S. Strategy of Proxy Operations: Henry Kissinger, as Secretary of State, is credited with implicitly supporting the Safari Club to achieve U.S. objectives by proxy, avoiding direct responsibility. This aligned with the U.S. need to counter Soviet influence without violating new legal constraints.
===CIA’s Informal Involvement===
Coordination with U.S. Intelligence: The Safari Club coordinated with American intelligence agencies, including the CIA, through an informal division of labor. Saudi Arabia provided funding, France supplied technology, and Egypt and Morocco contributed troops and weapons, often aligning with U.S. and Israeli intelligence goals.

Key CIA Figures: Former CIA Director Richard Helms, U.S. Ambassador to Iran (1973–1977), and CIA operative [[Theodore Shackley]] maintained connections with the Safari Club. Peter Dale Scott describes the group as part of a “second CIA,” an autonomous network of agents continuing covert operations outside official channels. Shackley, his deputy [[Thomas Clines]], and agent [[Edwin P. Wilson]] (involved in the “Arms for Libya” deal) secretly worked with the Safari Club and BCCI, despite Turner’s reforms.

George H.W. Bush’s Role: As CIA Director in 1976, [[George H.W. Bush]] had a personal account at BCCI and supported its transformation into a global money-laundering network, with Saudi intelligence chief [[Kamal Adham]], a Safari Club member, playing a key role. This network financed covert operations, including those aligned with U.S. interests. Bush’s tenure saw the CIA open accounts with BCCI, facilitating off-the-books operations.

===BCCI as a Financial Conduit===
BCCI’s Role in Safari Club Operations: The Safari Club used BCCI to launder money for its activities, with Saudi Arabia’s [[Kamal Adham]] and BCCI founder [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] overseeing the bank’s expansion into a “worldwide money-laundering machine.” A 2001 Time magazine report described BCCI as a “vast, stateless, multinational corporation” with its own intelligence and enforcement units, known as the “black network,” which supported the Safari Club’s objectives.

CIA’s Use of BCCI: The CIA used BCCI accounts to funnel money for covert operations, including support for the Afghan mujahideen through [[Operation Cyclone]]. This allowed the agency to bypass congressional oversight, with Adham and Abedi facilitating intelligence sharing and financing for groups like the mujahideen.

===Specific Operations and CIA Links===
Afghanistan and the Mujahideen: The Safari Club’s networks, particularly through BCCI, played a major role in supporting the Afghan mujahideen against the Soviet Union. While Ayman al-Zawahiri claimed [[Osama bin Laden]] refused CIA funds, the CIA, under George H.W. Bush and later [[William Casey]], funneled money through BCCI to mujahideen recruitment offices in the U.S. and abroad. The Safari Club’s infrastructure, including Saudi funding and Adham’s connections, facilitated these efforts.

Iran-Contra Affair: Some Safari Club actors, including Adham and Saudi arms dealer [[Adnan Khashoggi]], were later linked to the Iran-Contra affair, where BCCI facilitated funds for arms deals. CIA operative [[Theodore Shackley]] and others from the Safari Club network were involved, indicating continuity between the group’s activities and later CIA operations.

Shaba I and Ogaden War: The CIA benefited indirectly from the Safari Club’s actions in Zaire and Somalia, as these aligned with U.S. anti-communist goals. Shackley reportedly acted as a CIA liaison to the Safari Club, maintaining contact with Israeli intelligence after Turner restricted direct CIA support to Israel.