'Charlie Wilson's War' Comes To Waco

Charlie Schnabel, former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson of Lufkin and a current lobbyist and government consultant, will deliver the third annual W.R. Poage Lecture from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in the Meadows Recital Hall, which is located in the McCrary Music Building on the campus of Baylor University.

Schnabel will speak to his involvement in "Charlie Wilson's War" during his address. A pre-lecture reception with Schnabel will be held at the W.R. Poage Legislative Library from 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. The reception and lecture are free and open to the public.

In 1980, then-Congressman Wilson learned of the plight of refugees who were fleeing war-torn Afghanistan, as the Soviet Union joined forces with the Afghan leaders to overthrow the anti-communist mujahideen rebels. As a newly named member to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Wilson managed to secure funding to aid the rebels, and his efforts played a role in bringing about the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

Schnabel worked alongside Congressman Wilson throughout this effort, getting the contraband to the rebels to help them prevail against the Soviets. His direct dealings with the mujahideen were invaluable to the success of the campaign.

For more information about the Poage Lecture, contact Ben Rogers, director of the Baylor Collections of Political Materials at Poage Library, at (254) 710-3540.

An online media kit is available here.