Air America

Air America was a CIA proprietary airline that provided covert transportation services during the Vietnam War, trafficking heroin out of the Golden Triangle region. Its personnel and aviation infrastructure later reappeared in the Contra supply chain during the 1980s, illustrating the continuity of CIA covert aviation from Southeast Asia to Central America.¹²

The Finders Connection

The connection between Air America and The Finders emerged through family relationships. Marion Pettie, the leader of The Finders, had a son who worked for Air America. This family connection to a CIA proprietary airline established a direct link between the leadership of The Finders and the intelligence community. The discovery of this employment record during investigations into The Finders raised questions about whether the group maintained operational relationships with the CIA beyond the known training arrangements through Future Enterprises.¹

Air America's role in heroin trafficking during the Vietnam War was well-documented. The airline operated in Southeast Asia, transporting goods and personnel across the region while also moving opium and heroin out of the Golden Triangle. The CIA's use of proprietary airlines for covert operations provided a model for how intelligence agencies could maintain plausible deniability while engaging in illicit activities. The employment of Marion Pettie's son at Air America suggested that the family had long-standing connections to the intelligence community that predated the formation of The Finders.¹

The 1993 Department of Justice inquiry into CIA involvement with The Finders examined these connections. The Washington Times reported in December 1993 that investigators had uncovered multiple links between the group and the intelligence community, including the Air America employment, the CIA training at Future Enterprises, and Isabelle Pettie's employment with the CIA. The convergence of these connections suggested a pattern of overlap between The Finders and intelligence operations that went beyond coincidence.¹

Nugan Hand Bank

In 1969 four men who gave their business address as Air America were among the shareholders of Australasian and Pacific Holding, which was described as a "tourism" company and through which Frank Nugan and Michael Hand began their business partnership.³ The Progressive described the founders of the Nugan Hand Bank as listing their addresses as "c/o Air America, San Francisco," and described Air America as a wholly owned CIA subsidiary.⁴ The New York Times reported in 1987 that Richard Secord "played a large role in directing Air America's operations" in the period when Hand served in Laos.⁵

From Vietnam to Central America

Eugene Hasenfus, who survived the October 1986 shootdown of a Contra supply plane over Nicaragua that broke open the Iran-Contra scandal, was a former Air America cargo handler. The same networks of pilots, aircraft, and logistical expertise that had supported U.S. operations in Vietnam were repurposed for the Contra war, including the drug trafficking that accompanied both conflicts.²