Editing Air America (section)

==Connection to Operation Gladio==
While Air America and Operation Gladio operated in different theaters (Southeast Asia vs. Europe) and had distinct primary objectives, there are a few points where their activities or contexts overlap, largely due to their shared CIA involvement and the broader Covert framework:

1.  CIA Oversight and Covert Operations:
	•  Both Air America and Operation Gladio were CIA-backed initiatives, reflecting the agency’s broader strategy of countering communism through covert means. Air America served as a logistical arm for CIA operations in Asia, while Gladio networks were designed for sabotage and resistance in Europe. The CIA’s use of front organizations, such as Air America’s parent company (Pacific Corporation) and Gladio’s coordination through NATO’s Clandestine Planning Committee, suggests a shared operational ethos of secrecy and deniability.
	•  A 1990 Washington Post article confirms CIA involvement in Gladio, noting that the agency worked with European intelligence services to establish these networks, similar to how it managed Air America through corporate facades like Airdale, Inc.

2.  Alleged Drug Trafficking and Funding:
	•  Some sources, notably Paul L. Williams’ Operation Gladio: The Unholy Alliance Between the Vatican, the CIA, and the Mafia, allege that Gladio networks were initially funded by the sale of smuggled Nazi morphine and counterfeit British banknotes, with later ties to an international narcotics network involving the CIA and organized crime. Similarly, Air America has been accused of facilitating opium and heroin transport in Laos, particularly for Hmong allies like Vang Pao, to fund covert operations.
	•  Williams suggests that the CIA’s drug trafficking model, pioneered in Asia (with Air America as a key player), was inspired by earlier operations in China by the OSS (the CIA’s predecessor) to fund anti-communist efforts. This model allegedly extended to Gladio’s operations, where drug money laundered through entities like the Vatican Bank supported covert activities. For example, Williams claims Air America’s drug operations in Vietnam and Laos were a blueprint for broader CIA narcotics networks, potentially overlapping with Gladio’s funding mechanisms.
	•  However, these claims are contentious. Historian Alfred W. McCoy documents Air America’s role in the Laotian drug trade.

3.  Shared Personnel and Networks:
	•  Both operations involved CIA personnel and contractors who operated across multiple regions. For instance, former CIA Director William Colby confirmed U.S. involvement in setting up Gladio-style networks in Scandinavia, and CIA operatives like Paul E. Helliwell, who worked on OSS drug operations in China, later influenced Air America’s structure. This suggests a continuity of personnel and tactics across CIA covert programs.

4.  Anti-Communist Objectives:
	•  Both Air America and Gladio were part of the U.S.’s global anti-communist strategy. Air America supported anti-communist forces like the Hmong in Laos and the Nationalists in China, while Gladio aimed to prevent communist takeovers in Europe through paramilitary and political means. This shared goal could imply coordination at a high level within the CIA, though no declassified documents explicitly link the two programs operationally.

5.  Alleged Ties to Organized Crime:
	•  Williams’ book claims that Gladio’s operations involved the Sicilian and U.S. mafias, with figures like Licio Gelli (head of the P2 Masonic lodge) facilitating connections between the CIA, the Vatican, and organized crime. Air America’s alleged drug trafficking in Laos also reportedly involved Corsican and Southeast Asian criminal networks.