Your Incredible Neighbors: Former CIA staffer tells of role in ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’

Rarely does the secretive work of a CIA staffer become part of a book, or a movie, but Tim Burton’s 32-year career with the CIA isn’t ordinary.

After graduating from high school in Montana, like many of his friends, he joined the Army and after being discharged heard that the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia was hiring.

Burton applied and went through a long four-month vetting process that included psychological and polygraph tests plus a plethora of personal lifestyle studies. He called it “a daunting process” but says that’s what had to be done.

Passing CIA scrutiny, he spent 32 years in what he calls “a dream job.”

Burton describes the key levels within the CIA as Director of Operations, Director of Intelligence, Director of Science and Technology and Director of Support, which focuses on logistics and communications.

Describing himself as one who could “always get things done,” he worked under the Director of Support where his talents and abilities were used to their full extent.

“My mission was to get the right things to the right people at the right time,” he says after 11 years of retirement in Green Valley.

Having spent several years abroad in Turkey, Thailand during the Vietnam War, and Greece his most memorable missions were between 1984 and 1988 in the Afghanistan Covert Action Program when the Afghans were at war with the Russians.

It’s the basis of the George Crile book and current movie “Charlie Wilson’s War.” starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Looking back at more than three decades of highly classified and secretive missions, Burton says he was successful at the personal challenge of maintaining his cover and not being noticed; he says he loved his work for its importance and in supporting the policy of the United States government.

“It was public service work that we couldn’t talk about… I can’t imagine a better job or career. I worked with the best and the brightest in government; it was an outstanding career.”

Asked why he’s talking openly now Burton said, “It’s the book; there are a lot of misconceptions, but there are more in the movie.”

He says the book got its start when Crile, a former producer of “60 Minutes,” was allowed into the CIA where it was assumed he was writing a TV segment or an article, not a book. “Crile didn’t have to go through a CIA review; they thought it would be a good review of the agency… they didn’t figure on the inaccuracies.

“He gave a pretty good description of what the agency did, but Gust Avrakotos (an American operations officer who pulled the Afghan Covert Action Program together) was not portrayed accurately. He’s described as slovenly, and he dressed impeccably.”

A New York Times book review says the man Avrakotos most strongly relied on to acquire and move staggering quantities of ordnance was CIA longtime veteran Tim Burton… “that never in the Agency’s history had there been such a challenge for the Office of Logistics, and it would be up to Burton to move millions of ammunition rounds, thousands of AK-47s… all through hidden channels from a dozen countries into one of the most inaccessible lands in the world.”

“The book says Tennessee mules were shipped to Afghanistan; it didn’t happen. Tennessee mules wouldn’t be able to adapt to the Himalayas,” Burton said.

What really happened was 1,000 horses that were born and bred in the Andes in South America and could adapt to the elevation of the Himalayas were transported to help move ordnance and supplies in Afghanistan.

“The movie shows that things just happened, but it took a lot of work… It shows good actual footage, but the timeline isn’t correct; in the book it’s pretty close,” Burton said, realizing that movies are made to sell tickets.

Of his involvement with the Afghan mujahideen who were fighting the Russians he says, among other countries, the Pakistani’s aided by allowing entrance into Afghanistan.

“Those of us involved in the Program feel that we played as important a role in the collapse of the Soviet Union as anyone… what we did was critically important; it was an opportunity to defeat the Soviets. And we did.”

If he had the opportunity to take part in such a covert operation again, would he do it? “In a heartbeat,” Burton said.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.