Editing Civil Air Transport (section)

==Origins==
[[File:Willauer box. LOC gsc.5a20322.jpg|thumb|The Willauer Box]]
CAT was created by [[Claire Chennault]] and [[Whiting Willauer]] in 1946 as Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (CNRRA) Air Transport. Using surplus [[World War II]] aircraft such as the [[C-47 Dakota]] and the [[C-46 Commando]], CAT airlifted supplies and food into war-ravaged China. It was soon pressed into service to support [[Chiang Kai-shek]] and his [[Kuomintang]] forces in the civil war between them and the communists under [[Mao Zedong]]. Many of its first pilots were veterans of Chennault's World War II combat groups, popularly known as [[Flying Tigers]]. (Other of Chennault's veterans went on to form another air transport company, the [[Flying Tiger Line]]. This was a completely separate operation from Civil Air Transport and the follow-on [[Air America (airline)|Air America]].)

By 1950, following the defeat of Chiang's forces and their retreat to [[Taiwan]], the airline faced financial difficulties. The CIA formed a private [[Delaware corporation]] called [[Airdale Corporation]], which formed a subsidiary called CAT, Inc. The subsidiary corporation purchased nominal shares of Civil Air Transport.  CAT maintained a civilian appearance by flying scheduled passenger flights while simultaneously using other aircraft in its fleet to fly covert missions.

With the spread of communism throughout [[Southeast Asia]], CAT's mission changed.