A Scud in California!

>From another one of the several lists I'm on, I figured someone
might know who the new pseudo-proud owner of a fully-operational
SS-1C Scud missle *WITH* moblie launcher is...

Cheers!

William Knowles
erehwon@dis.org


 Intelligence, N. 86, 5 October 1998, p. 12


 USA

 THE SCUD THAT DIDN'T GET AWAY

 At "Intelligence", we're taking bets that you won't hear about
 the unidentified British firm which used an unnamed British
 freighter to import a fully-operational SS-1C Scud missile --
 complete with launcher, but missing its warhead -- into the
 United States.  According to a 25 September report in the
 "Washington Times", special investigators from HM Customs and
 Excise have been asked to determine how paperwork sent with the
 system came to be falsified, but they're probably going to run
 into ... the Pentagon because the Scud missile and its mobile
 transporter-erector launcher were seized on 2 September by the
 US Customs Service at Port Hueneme, California, about 56 km.
 north of Los Angeles and ... next door to the US Navy Point
 Mugu Pacific Missile Range, and ... the closest military port
 to the Vandenburg US Air Force Base where all classified US
 military launches take place.

 The Russian-designed, Czech-manufactured missile system was
 licensed for importation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
 Firearms (ATF), but ... it was wrongly described.  Although
 addressed to a wealthy -- but so far unnamed (and bets are he
 will never be named) -- US citizen, who is regarded as a bona
 fide weapons collector rather than an arms dealer, the missile
 system had not been made inoperable as required by import
 rules.  This is, of course, of interest to the Pentagon.  "This
 is a full-blown missile," stated John Hensley, a senior agent
 of US Customs Service in Los Angeles.  "The only thing missing
 is the warhead."  The launch chassis is a MAZ-543 truck,
 commonly used by former Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces.  "The
 guidance system was totally intact and the engine was ready to
 go," Mr. Hensley said.  "All you needed to do was strap on a
 garbage can full of C-4 high-explosive and you had a weapon."
 The guidance system and engine would, of course, be of intense
 interest to Pentagon intelligence, and the Israeli Mossad,
 particularly if the weapon is a later date or recent model.

 Hensley said the buyer, who lives in Palo Alto, had previously
 purchased a Scud missile that had been properly demilitarized.
 Under US law, such weapons may be imported, provided they are
 first cut up with a blowtorch so that they can never be
 reassembled.  But in this case, in an effort to fool customs
 officials, a photograph of the first -- cut up -- missile to be
 imported was attached to the illegal -- intact -- system, which
 was seized on 2 September.  If the "buyer" really wanted his
 missile, then the San Francisco Bay, which Palo Alto overlooks,
 is a much better port of entry.  Bets at "Intelligence" are
 also out on the "buyer" being associated with the military-
 funded Stanford Research Institute (SRI) or similar Pentagon-
 dependent firms in nearby Silicon Valley.

 COMMENT  --  The SS-1C Scud is a liquid-fueled missile which is
 among the most widely deployed weapons in the world.  It is in
 service in 16 nations.  Iraq's military forces were able to
 extend the range of the missile ("with baling wire and
 plywood", according to certain specialists), and used it
 extensively during the 1991 Gulf war.  International transfers
 of such missiles, which normally have a range of 300 km., are
 banned under the Missile Technology Control Regime.  Although
 the major media suggested the seizure would embarrass the
 Clinton administration, currently engaged in a major
 international diplomatic effort to halt exports of weapons of
 mass destruction and missile-delivery systems by Russia and
 China to the Middle East, it would seem more likely that the
 affair will "drag out indefinitely" in a California court,
 unless an appropriate "buyer" can be "sacrificed" publicly.

 ---------------------------------------------

 Olivier Schmidt,
 Editor of "Intelligence"
 <oschmidt@francenet.fr>

This sounds like it could be a dis.org project. Maybe Phon-e and HummerMan
are conspiring to rid us of Carolyn in a spectacular way next August.

Anyone know the range^h^h^h^h^h distance from Berkeley to New Mexico?

At 08:37 PM 10/8/98 -0700, William Knowles wrote:
>>From another one of the several lists I'm on, I figured someone
>might know who the new pseudo-proud owner of a fully-operational
>SS-1C Scud missle *WITH* moblie launcher is...
>
>Cheers!
>
>William Knowles
>erehwon@dis.org
>
>
> Intelligence, N. 86, 5 October 1998, p. 12
>
>
> USA
>
> THE SCUD THAT DIDN'T GET AWAY
>
> At "Intelligence", we're taking bets that you won't hear about
> the unidentified British firm which used an unnamed British
> freighter to import a fully-operational SS-1C Scud missile --
> complete with launcher, but missing its warhead -- into the
> United States.  According to a 25 September report in the
> "Washington Times", special investigators from HM Customs and
> Excise have been asked to determine how paperwork sent with the
> system came to be falsified, but they're probably going to run
> into ... the Pentagon because the Scud missile and its mobile
> transporter-erector launcher were seized on 2 September by the
> US Customs Service at Port Hueneme, California, about 56 km.
> north of Los Angeles and ... next door to the US Navy Point
> Mugu Pacific Missile Range, and ... the closest military port
> to the Vandenburg US Air Force Base where all classified US
> military launches take place.
>
> The Russian-designed, Czech-manufactured missile system was
> licensed for importation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
> Firearms (ATF), but ... it was wrongly described.  Although
> addressed to a wealthy -- but so far unnamed (and bets are he
> will never be named) -- US citizen, who is regarded as a bona
> fide weapons collector rather than an arms dealer, the missile
> system had not been made inoperable as required by import
> rules.  This is, of course, of interest to the Pentagon.  "This
> is a full-blown missile," stated John Hensley, a senior agent
> of US Customs Service in Los Angeles.  "The only thing missing
> is the warhead."  The launch chassis is a MAZ-543 truck,
> commonly used by former Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces.  "The
> guidance system was totally intact and the engine was ready to
> go," Mr. Hensley said.  "All you needed to do was strap on a
> garbage can full of C-4 high-explosive and you had a weapon."
> The guidance system and engine would, of course, be of intense
> interest to Pentagon intelligence, and the Israeli Mossad,
> particularly if the weapon is a later date or recent model.
>
> Hensley said the buyer, who lives in Palo Alto, had previously
> purchased a Scud missile that had been properly demilitarized.
> Under US law, such weapons may be imported, provided they are
> first cut up with a blowtorch so that they can never be
> reassembled.  But in this case, in an effort to fool customs
> officials, a photograph of the first -- cut up -- missile to be
> imported was attached to the illegal -- intact -- system, which
> was seized on 2 September.  If the "buyer" really wanted his
> missile, then the San Francisco Bay, which Palo Alto overlooks,
> is a much better port of entry.  Bets at "Intelligence" are
> also out on the "buyer" being associated with the military-
> funded Stanford Research Institute (SRI) or similar Pentagon-
> dependent firms in nearby Silicon Valley.
>
> COMMENT  --  The SS-1C Scud is a liquid-fueled missile which is
> among the most widely deployed weapons in the world.  It is in
> service in 16 nations.  Iraq's military forces were able to
> extend the range of the missile ("with baling wire and
> plywood", according to certain specialists), and used it
> extensively during the 1991 Gulf war.  International transfers
> of such missiles, which normally have a range of 300 km., are
> banned under the Missile Technology Control Regime.  Although
> the major media suggested the seizure would embarrass the
> Clinton administration, currently engaged in a major
> international diplomatic effort to halt exports of weapons of
> mass destruction and missile-delivery systems by Russia and
> China to the Middle East, it would seem more likely that the
> affair will "drag out indefinitely" in a California court,
> unless an appropriate "buyer" can be "sacrificed" publicly.
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> Olivier Schmidt,
> Editor of "Intelligence"
> <oschmidt@francenet.fr>
>

>>>>> William Knowles <erehwon@kizmiaz.dis.org> writes:
>> From another one of the several lists I'm on, I figured someone
 > might know who the new pseudo-proud owner of a fully-operational
 > SS-1C Scud missle *WITH* moblie launcher is...
No shit, Batman -- especially seeing as TCM already discussed it on
this list over a week ago...
-- ScudMonger

At 10:30 PM -0700 10/10/98, Anonymous wrote:
>>>>>> William Knowles <erehwon@kizmiaz.dis.org> writes:
>
>  >> From another one of the several lists I'm on, I figured someone
>  > might know who the new pseudo-proud owner of a fully-operational
>  > SS-1C Scud missle *WITH* moblie launcher is...
>
>No shit, Batman -- especially seeing as TCM already discussed it on
>this list over a week ago...
>
>-- ScudMonger

Hey, don't give free clues to the clueless.

Besides, my interest is not in that obsolete SCUD, but in the 8
shoulder-fired missiles brought in at Cosco's port the week before.

--Tim May


Y2K: A good chance to reformat America's hard drive and empty the trash.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Licensed Ontologist         | black markets, collapse of governments.