Introduction-Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

This book tells the story of the war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the early 1980s. The author confesses that information does not come easily, but what he gathers tells a true story with all the elements of a spy novel.

On June 27 of 1980, Charlie Wilson arrives in Las Vegas with all the fanfare of a very rich man, though he actually makes only a modest salary. Wilson achieves his playboy lifestyle through personal favors owned to him by prominent constituents. In keeping with this, he stays in an elegant suite at the new Caesar's Palace.

The CIA carefully becomes involved when the Soviets attack Afghanistan. They construct aid so that the United States holds no connection with huge stockpiles of weapons, confiscated during previous wars. Many of the weapons are smuggled into Afghanistan through neighboring Pakistan. Worldwide, the...