Gust Avrakotos

Gust L. Avrakotos (1938 – December 1, 2005) was a case officer and division chief for the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Avrakotos is best known for the massive arming of Afghan Mujahideen in the 1980s in the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Avrakotos's partnership with Charlie Wilson in this operation was chronicled in the book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, by George Crile III.

Avrakotos was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania the son of a small soft drink manufacturer. He briefly worked at Jones and Laughlin Steel mill in Aliquippa before graduating valedictorian from Aliquippa High School in 1955. Avrakotos attended the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated summa cum laude and later attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now a part of Carnegie Mellon University. He joined the CIA after college and assignments included an anti-terrorist mission in Greece and duty in Virginia. Avrakotos retired in 2000 and split time between homes in Virginia and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. He died of a stroke in 2005.

Avrakotos was played in the 2007 film version Charlie Wilson's War by Academy Award winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

References

• Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, by George Crile, ISBN 0-87113-854-9.
• Obituary in the Washington Post
• CIA agent and Aliquippa native helped down the Soviets; Beaver County Times - December 19, 2007