CHINESE COMMUNISTS/NATIONALIST CONFLICT AND THE CIA: CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT ARCHIVE. Chennault, Claire Lee. 1893-1958. and Whiting Willauer. 1906-1962.. Co-Founders of CAT. The partial company archive of the Civil Air Transport Company. China and Taipei: 1946 - 1958. A Company archive, comprising; 1, A collection of manila files, labeled 1940s, covering the period October 1946-December 1949, comprising over 400 leaves, 4to, mostly carbon copies of official company correspondence between Chennault, Willauer and his section heads, covering office business, flight reports, costings account reports, but also including CNRRA's initial contract with Chennault and Willauer, a contract with Yunnan Province to fly out zinc, Company Organizational Diagrams, reports on the sudden evacuation of Nanking and Shanghai, and a personal report from Willauer to Chennault describing the collapse of the morale of the Chinese people, and how the Chinese would begin turning on the Company, as the Nationalists were forced out of China. 2. A collection of manila files labeled 1950s, 1950-57. Comprising over 600 leaves, principally company transactions, mostly carbon copies of correspondence, but including a list of CIA agents , minutes of a small meeting at Willauer's apartment when he breaks the news of the change of ownership. 3.. A collection of 44 issues of the CAT Bulletin, The Company magazine. 1948-1958. Including a few duplicates, just part of the fabrication of their business to outsiders. 4. A collection of c.60 photographs , mostly family shots and company facilities. In total approximately 1000 leaves, relating to the 'Official' and 'Unofficial' activities of a CIA company. Provenance The Estate of Thomas Freeman, Secretary Executive and Personnel Director for CAT from 1946-1958. A fascinating company archive for a Chinese-based air transport company set up in Shanghai, Hong Kong and around China, just following the end of World War II. The company was the brainchild of a leading WWII flying ace, General Claire Lee Chennault, who had established the Flying Tigers in China in 1941, and a business man., Whiting Willauer, who had trained as a lawyer, and from 1941-45 served as executive secretary of China Defense Supplies Inc, in effect shipping in arms to the Chinese Armies in their fight against the Japanese. Together the two old China hands bought old military Cargo planes, C-47 Dakotas and C-46 Commandos, using $2m of funds provided by the UN, who needed air transport to ship Food Aid from the docks of Shanghai around the country. Initially it was established as a humanitarian effort the CNRRA Air Transport Company (Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation, but soon developed into a transport network to supply arms and food for the Chinese Nationalist forces led by Chennault's old friend Chiang Kai-Shek. In all probability Willauer was already an operative for the fledgling CIA which was established in 1947 out of the war time department of the OSS. Chennault and Willauer set up a network of sectors around China operating regular transports for cargos, undercutting the competition as they were in part financed by the US Government. The company proceeded profitably until in 1949 when the nationalists started loosing the fight against Mao's Armies and operations were evacuated from Nanking and Shanghai, and the business started evacuating Nationalist troops and personnel to Taiwan. The pilots, many of whom were old Flying Tigers men, started to be laid off and the business essentially collapsed, forcing the operation to seek an new identity. Not surprisingly the company was purchased directly by the CIA through 'bankers', Chennault partially retired and Willauer stayed on in charge. For the CIA, it provided an ideal platform for CIA operations in South East Asia. The company moved to Taipei, and set up air routes between Japan, Singapore, Bangkok, Philippines and Taiwan, aiding the early French conflict in Vietnam and in Burma. The acquisition of the CAT by the CIA became a blueprint for its operations in South America with the establishment of SAT, an airline based in Miami. The company had been set up as a shell company to supply US Government support to the Chinese Nationalists, and at the same time use the cover of humanitarian aid. The company paperwork comes from the Estate of Thomas Freeman, the Head of Personnel, who had been with the company from October 1946, and likely kept the paperwork after he left the company, as a useful insurance policy. It looks like regular company paperwork with minutes, reports, organizational directives for the executive, but there is no mention of the cargoes moved, just details of flying times and destinations, and every now and then a confidential document mentioning their bankers! and even a list of CIA operatives. Lot to be sold without reserve. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ▲ ¤ ▲ 'Bonhams' owns the 'Lot' either wholly or partially or may otherwise have an economic interest. ¤ Without reserve For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing