A playboy congressman, an outcast CIA operative, and a socialite steer over $300 million of the United States Government’s money — in an era when Reagan couldn’t raise $19 million for the Contras — to fund a covert war intended to turn Afghanistan into “Russia’s Vietnam.”  Is this a joke? Is this some improbable work of fiction? Who are these wildly eccentric figures? How did they pull it off?  In this special presentation from THE HISTORY CHANNEL® discover the intricate details of this incredible, fascinating and completely true series of events. Learn how Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson allied with CIA agent Gust Avrakotos and Houston philanthropist Joanne Herring to secretly bankroll the Afghan Mujahideen’s resistance to the Soviet Union. Retrace the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to the CIA’s largest and most successful campaign ever. And understand the wide-ranging and long-lasting implications of this little-known episode.

The True Story of Charlie Wilson

Featuring jaw-dropping 3D cinematography, stirring original music, and Africa's original rock star animals. Emmy Award-winning host Hunter Ellis takes viewers on an unforgettable safari that puts them up-close and personal with the wonders of Africa.  With Hunter as your very own personal safari guide, you will run with a herd of graceful gazelles, travel in a hot air balloon to soar with high-flying birds, cross the wide-open plains in an elusive hunt to track down the nearly extinct African black rhino, and scramble up a steep mountain in the rain to meet a pack of gorillas in the mist.