Editing Evergreen International Aviation (section)

==CIA DETAIL==
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. had well-documented ties to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through its operations as a contractor and its acquisition of assets from CIA-linked entities. While Evergreen was involved in numerous legitimate aviation activities, including commercial helicopter services, cargo transport, and military contracts, its CIA connections have been associated with several controversial operations that have been characterized as scandals due to their covert nature, ethical implications, or association with human rights abuses. 
===1981-1983:===
From 1981 to 1983, Evergreen Helicopters operated under a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contract to repair war-damaged power lines in El Salvador during the country’s civil war. Evergreen executive Robert D. Fox stated that the contract was secured through a State Department “aviation expert” reliably identified as a CIA agent with experience in Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. During this period, the Salvadoran electrical utility was led by Colonel Nicolas Carranza, former commander of the Salvadoran Treasury Police, which was linked to death squads and human rights abuses. Roberto Santivanez, a former director of El Salvador’s intelligence agency, alleged that the CIA paid Carranza $90,000 annually during his tenure, implicating Evergreen in operations tied to a controversial figure and a conflict marked by significant human rights violations. Although Evergreen’s contract stipulated non-military purposes, pilot Kurt Kindermann reported performing tasks such as flying Salvadoran President José Napoleón Duarte to meetings with rebels and rescuing Duarte’s kidnapped daughter, suggesting involvement in politically sensitive missions.

In 1980, Evergreen transported the deposed Shah of Iran from Egypt to Panama and then to the United States, a high-profile CIA operation. This mission, referred to by Executive Jet Aviation due to their aircraft’s limited range, was part of U.S. efforts to manage the Shah’s exile during the Iran hostage crisis. The operation drew scrutiny for its political implications, as it supported a controversial figure whose regime was criticized for human rights abuses, and it underscored Evergreen’s role in sensitive CIA assignments.

A 1983 CBS News report identified Evergreen Air of Tucson, Arizona, alongside Southern Air Transport and Summit Aviation, as having flown CIA missions to Central America, including a specific April 9, 1983, flight by Southern Air Transport delivering 22 tons of small arms to a Honduran military base. Evergreen’s vice president, Donna Nelson, denied these claims, calling them “totally an untruth” and threatening legal action, but the report contributed to public suspicion of Evergreen’s CIA ties. The company’s involvement in Central America during the 1980s, particularly in El Salvador and Nicaragua, aligned with U.S. support for anti-communist forces, including the Contras, which was later central to the Iran-Contra scandal. While Evergreen’s specific role in these missions is less documented, its presence in the region raised concerns about its complicity in covert arms deliveries and support for regimes linked to human rights abuses.
===1988===
In 1988, Evergreen’s founder, Delford M. Smith, acknowledged an agreement under which his companies provided “occasional jobs and cover” to foreign nationals the CIA sought to extract from or insert into other countries. This admission, reported by The Oregonian, confirmed Evergreen’s role in facilitating CIA covert operations, such as exfiltrating assets or defectors, which often operated in legal and ethical gray areas due to their secretive nature and potential involvement with controversial figures or regimes. Smith’s statement, while downplaying broader CIA ties by claiming ignorance of specific operations, fueled perceptions of Evergreen as a CIA front.

Evergreen’s acquisition of CIA-linked assets in the 1970s, including Montana’s Johnson Flying Service and the CIA’s aviation “skunk works” at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona, further tied the company to the agency. The Pinal Airpark facility, previously part of the CIA’s Air America operation, was used by Evergreen for specialized aircraft modifications, including building Boeing Dreamlifters and servicing NASA’s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Evergreen also purchased assets from Intermountain Airlines, a known CIA front, in 1975, integrating them into Evergreen International Airlines. These acquisitions, detailed in declassified records, positioned Evergreen to inherit Air America’s role in CIA covert operations, particularly in Southeast Asia and Central America, raising questions about the extent of its involvement in activities like arms trafficking or covert logistics that could be linked to regional instability.