Charlie Wilson's War: Separating Fact From Fiction
The real Charlie
Charles Wilson was born in a small Texas town on 1st June 1933. Public school educated, Wilson went on to attend Sam Houston State University and later served in the US Navy. During leave from the Navy he became interested in politics and at the age of 27, was sworn into office as a Texas state representative. Twelve years later, in 1972, Wilson was elected to the US House of Representatives from the Second District of Texas.
A divorcee, Wilson never tried to conceal his hedonistic tendencies. He was soon dubbed ‘Good Time Charlie’ and surrounded himself and his office with beautiful women – his ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Wilson was not a hypocrite though and more important still, he was an impassioned anti-communist at a time when anti-red sentiment had yet to thaw. Yet it was his devotion to the Afghan cause that would gain him notoriety.
TOM HANKS TALKS ABOUT HIS CHARACTER
EXCLUSIVE CLIP FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES
According to his biographer, George Crile, Wilson’s interest in Afghanistan dated back to 1980. In the early summer of that year, Wilson read an Associated Press dispatch on the congressional wires that described hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. With a seat in the ‘Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’, responsible for funding CIA operations, Wilson was able to manoeuvre under the public's radar and so, the Congressman placed a call to the Appropriations Committee staffer who handled the CIA funds and demanded the CIA double their budget in Afghanistan.
While this increase was a mere drop in the ocean, it was nevertheless the first notable occasion when someone other than the President had moved unsolicited to increase the budget. Fortunately for Wilson, his demands were met.
Charles Wilson was born in a small Texas town on 1st June 1933. Public school educated, Wilson went on to attend Sam Houston State University and later served in the US Navy. During leave from the Navy he became interested in politics and at the age of 27, was sworn into office as a Texas state representative. Twelve years later, in 1972, Wilson was elected to the US House of Representatives from the Second District of Texas.
A divorcee, Wilson never tried to conceal his hedonistic tendencies. He was soon dubbed ‘Good Time Charlie’ and surrounded himself and his office with beautiful women – his ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Wilson was not a hypocrite though and more important still, he was an impassioned anti-communist at a time when anti-red sentiment had yet to thaw. Yet it was his devotion to the Afghan cause that would gain him notoriety.
TOM HANKS TALKS ABOUT HIS CHARACTER
EXCLUSIVE CLIP FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES
According to his biographer, George Crile, Wilson’s interest in Afghanistan dated back to 1980. In the early summer of that year, Wilson read an Associated Press dispatch on the congressional wires that described hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. With a seat in the ‘Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’, responsible for funding CIA operations, Wilson was able to manoeuvre under the public's radar and so, the Congressman placed a call to the Appropriations Committee staffer who handled the CIA funds and demanded the CIA double their budget in Afghanistan.
While this increase was a mere drop in the ocean, it was nevertheless the first notable occasion when someone other than the President had moved unsolicited to increase the budget. Fortunately for Wilson, his demands were met.
