Term Paper on "Charlie Wilson's War"

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Charlie Wilson's War

In the final days of 1979 the Soviet Union sent in the first of thousands of troops to support the newly established communist government of Afghanistan. Officially the mission of these troops was to provide "international aid to the friendly Afghan people and establishing advantageous conditions to prevent possible actions by the governments of neighboring countries against Afghanistan." (Grau 1) While President Jimmy Carter literally reacted with "open mouthed shock" to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Vice President Walter Mondale publicly stated "I cannot understand -- it just baffles me," there was at least one person in the American government who was able to react to this blatant expansionism by the Soviet Union: Congressman Charlie Wilson. (Sperling) Through his position on several secret congressional subcommittees, Wilson succeeded in providing the Afghan's fighting the Soviets with military support that eventually forced them to leave the country.

Charlie Wilson was born in 1933 and spent much of his life in eastern Texas. After graduating from Trinity High School, in Trinity County Texas, he first attended Sam Houston State University, but shortly thereafter received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. After graduating in 1956, Wilson served as a naval officer until 1960, when he entered politics and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He served in the Texas House and Senate until he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Texas. He remained in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1973 - October 8, 1996, when he resigned his position. ("Wilson, Charles") Wil

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son returned to his home in Lufkin Texas where he lived until his death on February 10, 2010 from cardiopulmonary arrest.

Although known as "Good Time Charlie," and constantly surrounded himself with beautiful women, Wilson was also a member of several important committees including the Appropriations Committee as well as the Defense Appropriations and Foreign Operations subcommittees. (Crile 77) but it was not until he was approached by, as George Crile described in his book Charlie Wilson's War "A Texas Bombshell," that Wilson became interested in the plight of the Afghan people. "It began with a Texas woman, one of Wilson's contributors. She's the one who got him interested." (Crile 64) Her name was Joanne Herring, and she was a wealthy Texas socialite who adopted the cause of Pakistan after a meeting with the Pakistani ambassador to Washington. During the 1970's, Pakistan was extremely poor, not in favor with the United States, and desperate for assistance. Joanne Herring was named an honorary Pakistani consul in Houston Texas, and from that time forth championed Pakistan everywhere she could. It was the fear of the Soviet Union invading Pakistan next, as well as a personal trip to the border with Afghanistan to meet with Afghan freedom fighters (mujahideen) and view the refugee camps that spurred her into action against the Soviets in Afghanistan and sent her to Congressman Charlie Wilson for help. In effect, "Joanne Herring wanted Wilson to become the mujahideen's true champion." (Crile 75)

It was Joanne Herring who convinced Charlie Wilson to go to Pakistan and see with his own eyes the suffering caused by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And it was on this trip that Wilson had the "experience that will always be seared in my memory was going through those hospitals and seeing…especially the children with their hands blown off from the mines that the Soviets were dropping form their helicopters." ("Who is Charlie Wilson") it was these scenes, witnessed up close and personal that provided the incentive for him to act. As Charlie Wilson stated in an interview "I left those hospitals determined that as long as I had a breath in my body, and was a member of congress, that I was going to do what I could." ("Who is Charlie Wilson") but Wilson's attempt to provide the CIA with sufficient resources to supply assistance to the Afghan mujahideen failed because of the CIA's mindset that providing assistance to those fighting Soviet expansion was doomed to failure. It was not until he was introduced to CIA operative Gust Avrakotos that he was able to begin to provide secret assistance to the Afghan mujahideen.

While Wilson held a seat on the Congressional Appropriations Committee, he did not control it; for that one need to speak to Clarence "Doc" Long, head of the committee. When Wilson invited Pakistani President Zia ul-Haq to meet with Long, he… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Charlie Wilson's War" Assignment:

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5 paragraph essay to answer the following question:

***** Wilson is a dynamic man. ***** Wilson, a nonconformist congressman from east Texas, conspired with the CIA in the largest and most successful CIA operation in history. Aa a congressman in a small congressional district of Texas, how was he so influential in getting the United sates government to support and supply weapons to the Afghanistan rebels

Need thesis statement incorporating this statement.

All of the following information has come directly from internet- i need 5 sources all cited. this is just a general outline but if you see it differently change it.

Opening

***** Wilson*****s war*****the one in which Afghan guerillas fought against the Soviet Union in the 1980s*****was filled with bizarre alliances, unusual people, and extraordinary circumstances. Perhaps the biggest of those in terms of height, influence, and unusual bearing was Wilson himself, a Congressman from Texas with no particular reputation at the time who directed billions of dollars to Afghan fighters during the 1980s.

***** Wilson*****'s War takes place from 1979 to 1989 and tells the story of how the biggest covert operation in America happened. ***** Wilson, a Texas congressman, who, with help, raised the necessary funds needed in order to give Afghanistan weapons that could help throw out the invading Soviet Union forces.

***** Wilson is a dynamic man. ***** Wilson, a nonconformist congressman from east Texas, conspired with the CIA in the largest and most successful CIA operation in history . Aa a congressman in a small congressional district of Texas, how was he so influential in getting the United sates government to support and supply weapons to the Afghanistan rebels.*****¨

Paragraph 1- who was ***** Wilson, background and what got him to where he is.

Paragraph 2 :Ladies man surrounded himself with influential people. Joanne Herring- played a significant role in helping the Afghan resistance fighters get support and military equipment from the United States government. She persuaded Wilson to visit the Pakistani leadership, and after meeting with them he was taken to a major Pakistan-based Afghan refugee camp so he could see for himself the atrocities committed by the Soviets against the Afghan people. About that visit, Wilson later said that it *****"was the experience that will always be seared in my memory, was going through those hospitals and seeing, especially those children with their hands blown off from the mines that the Soviets were dropping from their helicopters. That was perhaps the deciding thing... and it made a huge difference for the next 10 or 12 years of my life because I left those hospitals determined, as long as I had a breath in my body and was a member in Congress, that I was going to do what I could to make the Soviets pay for what they were doing!*****" In 2008, Wilson said he had *****"got involved in Afghanistan because I went there and I saw what the Soviets were doing. And I saw the refugee camps.*****"

Paragraph 3 how did he use his position to help Afganistan against Russia

Closing

Have to answer the question posed above. So reacap and conclusion answering the question above.

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“Charlie Wilson's War.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2012, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/charlie-wilson-war/7708. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.

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1. Charlie Wilson's War. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/charlie-wilson-war/7708. Published 2012. Accessed October 4, 2024.

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