YOUR LUNCHEON WITH REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES WILSON (D., TX)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90M00005R000400080005-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: September 19, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

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2 Charles Wilson (D)
Of Lufkin - Elected 1972
Born: June 1. 191':. Trinity. Texas.
Education: Attended Sam Houston State l .. 1950-51.
I-S Naval Academy, B.S. 1956.
Military Career. Navy. 1956-66,
Occupation: Lumberyard manager.
Family: Divorced.
Religion: !Methodist.
Political Career. Texas House. 1961-67: Texas Senate,
1967.73.
Capitol Office: 226. Rayburn Bldg. 2051151: 22:1-2401
In Washington: Wilson's reputation for
high living long has obscured his image on the
inside as one of the better lobbyists and vote
traders in the House.
Now approaching his mid-50s, Wilson still
struts as he moves his lanky frame across the
House floor. with a quick. Aide grin and a
handshake ready for whoever is handy. But
there is usuall a serious purpose lurking be-
hind his roguish friendliness.
One of his purposes in the 99th Congress
was to gain a seat on Intelligence. where he
could pursue his favorite foreign policy cause of
the 1980s - the rebels fighting against Soviet
occupation in Afghanistan. Earlier. Wilson had
exacted a promise from fellnu-Texan Jim
Wright to place him at the top of his list for
Intelligence when Wright became Speaker.
Wright agreed to honor the commitment.
But when the time came for making assign-
ments. the new Speaker found some liberal
Democratic colleagues very upset: they felt
Wilson's hard-line anti-communism would lead
him to cote with the panel's Republicans and
undermine the Democratic majority.
The deal. however. stood. Wright added
another Democrat to join Wilson. diluting his
potential influence as a swing vote
However he chooses to vote on intelligence
matters. Wilson is unlike] y to tone down his
rhetoric. which has always tended to be bellig
erent. During the 99th Congress. he told a
closed meeting of the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee that he wanted to help the Af-
ghanistan rebels because "it's the only place in
the world where we are killing Russians."
The Afghan guerrillas certainly have bene-
fited from having Wilson as a member of the
Foreign Operations Subcommittee. the Appro-
priations panel that doles out most foreign aid.
"I don't know anybody who wants to be against
Texas - 2nd District
backing religious freedom fighters against the
atheistic horde from the north." he has said.
Wilson has visited Afghanistan seyera: times
when his safety could not be guaranteed
Wilson's Afghan crusade led to a somewhat
embarrassing incident in 1984. when he
amended a supplemental spending bill to in-
clude 440 million worth of supposedly secret
aid to the rebels. The parliamentary procedure
he used to offer the amendment made the item
readily identifiable, and the news leaked out.
Wilson later said -there were enough inaccura-
cies" in the press to protect the program's
secrecy. But he added. "I learned a lesson."
Wilson also pushes hard for aid to Paki-
stan. Afghanistan's next-door neighbor. Help-
ing Afghan rebels will do no good. he says,
unless there is -confidence and stability in
Pakistan." In 1985, Wilson won $575 million,
for Pakistan after reaching an agreemen*. with
Foreign Operations Chairman David R. Obey
of Wisconsin. who had originally proposed re-
ducing Reagan's request. Wilson, frustrated by
Obey's opposition, had considered trying to
organize a coalition to vote against Obe_c, but
the two men reached a compromise.
Wilson is a strong supporter of U.S- mili-
tary aid to numerous countries and movements
he sees as crucial to the global struggle against
communism. He lobbies for aid to Egypt and
Turkey, and to the Cambodians who are fight-
ing Vietnamese forces occupying their country.
Wilson was a militant defender of Somo-
za's regime in Nicaragua. As a member of
Foreign Affairs early in the Carter administra-
tion, he sometimes made his support for overall
foreign aid programs contingent upon inclusion
of money for Nicaragua. When the administra-
tion proved unfriendly to Somoza, Wilson be-
came increasingly unfriendly to its requests.
Once leftist guerrillas seized power in Nicara-
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Texas 2
Traditionally poor. isolated and depen-
dent on timber. the east Texas. piney woods
2nd took on a new look in the 19"Os with the
growth of the nil industry. But oil has
proven to he a fickle economic generator.
The downturn in oil prices has brought hard
time- to mane here for much of this decade-
Lulkin. the district's largest city. once
h,,)-ted some 2 sawmills. testimony to the
importance of the local lumber industry.
The cit' still relies or. a large paper mill for
many of its lobs, but steel mills and fac-
tories making oil and gas drilling equipment
now compete in the local economy.
Orange. located to the southwest, used
to draw its revenues from timber. cattle and
rice. Today. it is the domain of petrochemi-
cal facilities that have been forced to lay off
workers Goodyear. Gulf Oil and Du Pont
all maintain plants along Orange's major
industrial corridor. known locally as
"Chemical Row.` A maior shipyard in Or-
ange closed recently. helping push unem-
ployment in the city toward 20 percent.
Orange has the 2nd's only significant con-
centration of union members.
Independent oil outfits that have
sprung up throughout the district in recent
years have altered the 2nd's landscape. But
the district has not entirely lost its Deep
gua. Wilson militantly opposed U.S. aid.
Wilson is a fairly safe vote for Reagan's
military aid requests for Central America.
though he sometimes can throw the adminis-
tration a curve. In 1964. the subcommittee
declined to spend more than 81- million to run
a military training center in Honduras. The
panel accepted a Wilson motion that Honduras
first settle a claim by an American citizen
whose land was expropriated for the center.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Wilson has been a foreign policy hawk his
entire congressional career. and spent several
years on Appropriations working his way up to
a place on the Defense Subcommittee. He made
it there in 1950. During the Carter years. he
advocated developing the neutron bomb and
the B-1 bomber. both of which President Car-
ter opposed. Wilson has supported the MX
missile. and in 198.5 gave a blunt warning to
liberal Democrats who oppose such weapons.
"If the perception persists in this country
East -
Lufkin; Orange
South woodland feel Big chunks of the area
are designated as national forest land. along
the fringes. there are places resembling
Louisiana's bayous.
Like all of east Texas. the 2nd is con.
servative territory with strong ties to Dixie.
The 2nd's Deep South character was evi-
dent in 1966. when it was the only district in
the state to back George C. Wallace. Its
character is further evident in the slow
progress blacks have made in local elections.
Although they comprise 15 percent of the
district's population. blacks are seldom a
significant political force.
Bolstered by a residual populist streak
in the rural counties. Jimmy Carter received
a favorable reception in the 2nd in 1476:: he
took nearly 60 percent of the district vote.
Even in 1980, when Carter .lost the state by
a decisive margin. he carried the 2nd.
By 1984. however, the national Demo-
cratic Party's liberal tilt had alienated even
some of the most staunchly Democratic
voters. Of the 16 counties wholly or partially
in the 2nd. only two voted for Democratic
presidential nominee Walter F. Mondale.
Population: 526.772 White 433.363 182`?4! Black
81.820 (16%) Other 2.862 (1%1 Spanish ongm 16.906
(3%) 18 and ove? 372.792 (71%). 65 and ove? 62.165
(12`) Median age 30
that the Democratic Party is the party of
isolation and ... weakness on defense.- he said.
"we are flat through in the South and West.
and we can forget about winning presidential
elections."
Wilson has proved to be a good friend of
Texas defense interests and contractors: he
stays in close touch with them by telephone
when the Defense Appropriations Subcommit-
tee marks up its annual funding bills In 1981
Wilson lobbied strongly for funding for the A:-
K attack plane. which has relatively few friends
at the Pentagon but was manufactured by the
-ought Corp. of Dallas. He led an Appropria-
tions Committee attempt to block the Penta-
gon from moving Army helicopter maintenance
facilities from Texas to Pennsylvania.
To make it onto Appropriations at all.
Wilson had to use some of his best. Texas
lobbying skill. He made his move in 1977, after
two House terms, upsetting a more senior col-
league endorsed by the Texas Democratic dele-
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gouon Once he joined Apprc priation ht paid
his dues by spending a term a- chairman of the
I)tstnct of Columbia Subcommittee. where he
argued frequently with city officials.
"1 think this cite is a basket ease." he said
of one point "In Washington. it takes 14::
people to dowhat it takes 101 )people to do any-
place else. and I aim to do something about it.'?
He. views brought him into frequent conflict
with District Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr.. a-
\Wils,m refused to support as large a federal
subsidy for the financiall.\ plagued city as
Ham wanted.
Wilson made his earliest mark in the
House. however. as an ally of his state's inde
pendent oil producers. Some members wh,,
initially thought of him only as "good-time
Charlie' were surprised one day earls in hi-
second term when they listened to him leading
the defense of the percentage depletion allow
once for independent oil producers. Instead of
the Wilson they were used to. wisecracking his
way down the aisle. they watched him in the
well of the House presenting charts. graphs.
statistics and a flood of effective rhetoric.
Without his amendment preserving deple-
tion for the independents. Wilson said. "the
petroleum industry of the United States will he
controlled by the eight men who head the eight
major oil companies in the United States."
It did not quite work. The House rejected
his amendment. 216-19. But depletion was
preserved for independents in the bill that
emerged from conference. which they still have.
That depletion debate in 197; wa, a deci-
sive moment in Wilson's career. Since then. he
has become known as the most persistent
House defender of independent oil interests. As
public clamor against the major oil companies
has grown in recent years. the independents
have surpassed the majors as a lobbying force
to Congress and as a source of money for
conservative congressional campaigns. To a
certain extent. the industry's greater clout has
increased Wilson's influence. In 1979 Wilson
use,', some of his vote-trading skill to work a
favorable deal for independents on windfall
profits tax legislation.
In recent years, Wilson's support for oil
has broadened into a defense of Texas and
other Sun Belt states against the claims of the
Frost Belt region that it is discriminated
against in federal spending formulas. In 1981
he became the head of a new "Sun Belt Cau-
cus" of 90 members. aimed' at resisting Frost
belt arguments with counterstatjstics "What's
wrong with those states." he said of the Frost
Belt in 1982, is the weather. the business
climate and the tax policy. They can't pass bills
to make it warmer up there"
\\ ils,?n ha- successfully managed t, corn
hine his active legislative career with the pus
suit of pleasure in Washington He ha= never
seemed embarrassed about being labeled a
plash, or a smiling Texas rogue: he seem- i,
entoy it For a time he dated a woman whose
picture had appeared on the cover of P(o.h:;,.
In recent years. health problems have
slowed down the pace of Wilson's social life
somewhat. but he shows no signs of haytnc
ahand~-ned his conviction that Washington t, a
place f,r play as well as work. "I love what I m
doing.'' he once told a reporter. "\Wh% shouid I
go around looking like a constipated h??und
dog' I'm haying the time of my life."
At Home: Wilson found him=elf in praiti
cal trouble in l9N for the first time in hi- i_
year House career. The previous year he had
been the target of a federal grand fury invest
gation into whether he had used cocaine. and
while the charges were eventually dropped f?..r
lack of evidence. the controversy attra:tec a
wealth of unwanted attention to \\ ilson. and
encouraged primary challenges from four con-
tender- who would never have taken on the
popular incumbent in an ordinary year. \\ il-
son's problems were compounded in Augu=t of
1983, when, he was ticketed for a hit-and-run
auto accident on a Washington. D.C.. bridge
The candidate hest-positioned to take ad
vantage of Wilson's troubles was Nacogd?she-
bank executive Jerry K. Johnson, who was
making his first hid for public office after ions
tenure as an activist in the' local GOP. A far-
,--bred Baptitsi church deacon and Sunday sc ,-o!
teacher. -Johnson projected a clean-cut image
that contrasted with Wilson's flamboyance.
Like all of Wilson's primary opponent
Johnson avoided overt mention of the drug
issue. But he was not shy about painting the
incumbent as a man whose taste for glamour
had superseded his interest in the concerns of
the district. "l nlike the incumbent. I wor.'t go
into the Washington real estate and nightclub
business and forget where I come from or who
I'm working for." a Johnson release read.
But Wilson was well-prepared for the
fight. Tapping his close ties to defense contrac-
tors and the independent oil industr'.. he
amassed a substantial treasury. using some of
his money to run TV ads that showed him
talking vyith laid-off blue-collar workers and
trumpeting his support for domestic content
legislation. He also deployed phone banks for
the first time in his electoral history.
Wilson sought to defuse controversy over
the Justice investigation by attacking the de-
partment. vehemently denying allegations
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Charles Wilson, D-Texas
against him and accusing the Justice Depart
ment of prolonging its investigation solely be
cause he was a member of Congress He told
constituents that he was "set up" by an emhit-
tered former business partner who had embez-
zled money from I1im.
If the investigation hurt Wilson among the
district's Democrats. the damage was limited
on primary day. Johnson. the only challenger to
dear 10 percent, carried his home base of
Nacogdoches County. But the rest of the dis-
trict stayed by Wilson's side. Squelching specu-
lation that he might be forced into a runoff.
Wilson captured 55 percent of the primary
districtwide. and won handily in November.
By 1986. Wilson was back on track. He
went unopposed in the primary. and clinched
re-election by a comfortable margin.
Wilson's outgoing. likable nature has al
ways helped him at home. and his loyalty to the
independent oil industry has bought him some
freedom on other issues. Those factors have
Committees
Appropriations 115th o! 35 Democrats)
Defense. Foreign Operations. Military Constructor.
Select Intelligence (10th of 11 Democrats)
Legislation. Overs,oht and Evaluation
Charles Wusor. (DI 78.529 Julian Gordon (Ri (30 )
3r ..98E (30%'
??)
enabled him to spend most of his pulit,cel
career eomewhere to the left of his constituent,
In 1960. when most Texas Democrats werr
backing Lyndon R. Johnson for the Democrat,
presidential nomination. Wilton was for .John
F. Kennedy. In the Texas Legislature. r
crusaded against high utility rates. fought fc
Medicaid and tax exemptions for the elderi?,
and sponsored bills to remove a ceiling on
welfare spending. He was commonly identified
as "the liberal from Lufkin." advancing hi,
career with the help of Arthur Temple. a ma,.
erick lumber millionaire who treated him as a
protege and helped with campaign financing
During his successful congressional race ir,
1972. Wilson softened his liberalisrr somewhat
opposing school busing and gun control. But he
still drew the support of blacks and labor and
easily defeated the wife of Rep. John Dowdy in
the Democratic primary. Dnwdy'5 husband had
been sentenced. to prison earlier in the year f,,r
bribery. conspiracy and periury..
Voting Studies
Presidential Party Conservative
Support Unity Coalition
Year S 0 S 0 S 0
1906 38 50 61 it 72 12
1905 40 43 63 15 60 22
1904 36 32 49 21 59 15
1903 45 37 53 2E 66 13
1902
47 30 51 33 63 15
1901 57 34 54 36 6E 24
S = Support 0 = Oppos^ on
Charles Wiisos (D) 113.225 (59%1
Louis Duaas Jr. (RI 77.842 (a 1%)
Precious Winning Percentages: 1902 (94%) 1900 (69%;
1979 (70%) 1976 (9E%! 1974 (100%) 1972 (74%)
District Vote For President
1984 1980
D 81.989 142%) 0 86.056 (50%) D 85.850 (59%1
R 114.915 (58%! R 81.093 (48%) R 59.163 (41 / )
Campaign Finance
Receipts Expend-
Receipts from PACs itures
Wilson (D) $367.602 5265.20E (72%) 5339.873
Gordon(Ri 559.13E 0 547.660
1964
Wilson (Di $607.575 $285 15E (47%) $597.330
Dugas(R1 $27.764 $700 ( 3%) $25,96E
Key Votes
Produce MX missiles 11985)
Cut federal subsid. to' wale, projects f t,985!
Weaker: our control laws (1986,
Cu! back publr hou5mo construct on (19861
Aid Nicaraguan contras (1986
Impose textile import limits over Reagan veto; 19851
Block chem ca' weapons production r 1986)
Impose South African sanctions over Reagan vets i 19861
Year
1986
1905
1964
1903
1982
1961
Interest Group Ratings
ADA ACU AFL-CIO CCUS
35 50 92 27
40 55 75 44
35 26 73 3E
45 48 75 50
25 47 47 56
20 50 50 58
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