Editing American International Underwriters Corporation (section)

==AIG’s Strategic Importance:==
The Constantine Report suggests that AIG’s 2008 bailout was partly motivated by its role in covert operations, as a collapse could expose CIA assets or disrupt intelligence networks. This aligns with broader CIA practices of using illicit covert funds to support covert activities, as noted in Historical Documents from the Office of the Historian, which states, “The CIA was assigned this function at least in part because the Agency controlled unvouchered funds, by which operations could be funded with minimal risk of exposure”.

The OSS connection, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, is credible, given Starr’s operations in Asia during World War II and the OSS’s reliance on business networks for intelligence. AIU’s global footprint, especially in Cold War hotspots like Southeast Asia, aligns with regions where the CIA conducted covert operations, such as Project Tiger in Vietnam.

The insurance industry’s access to economic data and international networks makes it a plausible cover for intelligence activities, as seen in CIA’s broader use of commercial fronts.

To understand AIU’s potential ties to covert operations, consider its activities in key regions, as inferred from the Constantine cottages and web results: Asia (1940s–1970s): AIU’s early operations in China and Japan, starting in 1919, coincided with U.S. intelligence interests. During World War II, Starr’s agents allegedly supported OSS efforts. Post-war, AIU’s expansion into Southeast Asia overlapped with CIA operations like Air America, which was linked to drug trafficking in the region (The Politics of Heroin, McCoy, 2003, p. 167).