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 Afghanistan's 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, and the film Charlie Wilson's War, released December 21, 2007.Avrakotos was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania the son of a Greek American 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 his assignments included an anti-terrorist mission in Greece and duty in the CIA's Langley, Virginia headquarters. 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(I) film Charlie Wilson's War by Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. Show less «