Editing Evergreen International Aviation (section)

===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.