Civil Air Transport (CAT) was a CIA-owned airline that supported United States covert operations throughout East and Southeast Asia.

CAT was created by General Claire L. Chennault and Whiting Willauer in 1946 as Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (CNRRA) Air Transport. Using surplus World War II aircraft, CAT airlifted supplies and food into war-ravaged China. During the Chinese Civil War, under contract with the Chinese Nationalist government and later the Central Intelligence Agency, CAT flew supplies and ammunition into China to assist Kuomintang forces on the Chinese mainland. With the defeat of the Kuomintang in 1949, CAT helped to evacuate thousands of Chinese to the island of Taiwan.

By 1950 the airline was facing financial difficulties. The CIA purchased it and integrated it into a larger covert air supply network. CAT maintained a civilian appearance by flying scheduled passenger flights while simultaneously using other aircraft in its fleet to fly covert missions. During the Korean War, CAT airlifted thousands of tons of war materials to supply United States military operations, including support of Kuomintang holdouts based in Burma. CAT also transported supplies and troops for French operations during the First Indochina War.

With the spread of communism throughout Southeast Asia, CAT’s mission changed. In 1959 its assets based in Thailand were organized into new company, Air America, which supported covert operations throughout Indochina during the Second Indochina War, particularly in Laos.

External links

The CAT / Air America Archive (http://www.utdallas.edu/library/special/cataa.html)

Air America web site (http://www.air-america.org/)