(c) 1999,2008 Peter McCollum
Miscellaneous Non-radio
Items
This section is a
"photo album" of other items that are related to clandestine operations.
"Air America" Souvenir Fan
This is a Japanese-style
paper fan that was a souvenir of an Air America flight in the late 50's. Air
America was a CIA front airline, used primarily for Agency business, but they
also ran passenger flights to give the appearance of being a legitimate
airline. On this particular flight in the Pacific area, one of these fans was
on each passenger's seat.
Front and rear views of the Air America paper fan.
Author’s collection.
CIA Survival Manual
This is a page from a
survival manual written by the Agency's Office of Training in about 1950. The
author's name was Egbert "Bert" Courage. The manual has a series of
sections, each one accompanied by a classroom lecture.
Minox Camera
The Minox model
"B" was probably the most commonly-used small camera in the
clandestine business. It features a built-in light meter that is self-powered
via a selenium photocell. The self-powered meter is a useful feature since the
camera can be stored for long periods without worry of the condition of the
battery. [Ref. 13]
The successor model
"C" requires a battery, but is very similar otherwise. The
predecessor model III-S does not have a light meter, and is about 3/4"
shorter. It was perhaps the next most popular model for these purposes, because
of its absolute minimum size.
The
standard Minox B camera, open and ready to take a photograph. Author's
collection.
The
Minox B with the flash unit attached. Author's collection.
The
Minox binocular attachment. The device clamps onto one eyepiece of a binoculars,
and positions the camera to shoot through the eyepiece, thus making the
binoculars serve as a telephoto lens. The other eyepiece of the binoculars is
used for sighting. Image courtesy of Bill Howard.
A
Minox developing tank. A film cartridge is visible on the left. Image courtesy
of Bill Howard.
Tear Gas Pen
This is a self-defense tool,
designed to resemble a common fountain pen. It fires a .38 caliber tear gas
cartridge. The "barrel" unscrews from the "receiver" for
loading a cartridge. Shown also is another barrel that can be used instead - it
accepts a cartridge the size of a .22 Short. It's uncertain if the .22 cartridge
is intended to be gas, or perhaps a blank round for noise-making, or perhaps
even a live .22 round. The .22 barrel is chromed steel, while the standard .38
barrel is aluminum. Although the CIA did have similar devices, this example was
probably made for commercial sale. This one actually looks more like a pen than
the CIA model. A gas pen of this type is described in U.S. patent #1775178, designed by Peter Von Frantzius.
Gas Pistol
[Thanks
to Jim Mahaffey for finding this equipment.]
The
original owner was with TSD, and reportedly said that it was an ‘assassination
weapon’ acquired from the Nazis, although this is thought to be unlikely, since
it has been found to be a mass-produced model.
The
maker is "August Schuler in Suhl". The logo on the grips is a
stylized "ASS". This maker is known primarily for sporting firearms
from about 100 years ago.
This model is described in "The German Encyclopedia of Firearms"
(translated) as follows:
"Starting and teargas pistol, by August Schuler in Suhl. Selfloading
pocket-pistol, for a completely rimless cartridge. The pistol has neither
chamber nor extractor. Ejecting the spent case takes place via gas
pressure. Usable as a starting pistol with color cartridges or with gas
cartridges as a self-protection weapon. Before 1939 built in two versions
- 6 or 10 shots. Length 100mm. Weight 270 grams."
Following
is a description of the pistol from a friend in Germany, with an English
translation. Many thanks to Reinhard Brusdeylins for this information, and the
translation:
Hier
handelt es sich um die so genannte "Lacrimae-Pistole". Im
AKAH-Katalog von 1939 ist die Pistole abgebildet. Hersteller war wahrscheinlich
nicht die Firma August Schüler in Suhl, sondern lediglich der Vertreiber. ASS
steht übrigens für August Schuler Suhl. Die „Lacrimae“-Pistole war für eine
Spezialpatrone eingerichtet, andere Patronen passen nicht! Diese Patronen sind
noch bis in die 1950er-Jahre in Katalogen zu finden, die Waffe selbst nicht
mehr. Die Lacrimae-Pistole wird geladen, indem man die Patronen von oben ins
Magazin drückt. Zugeführt wird sie durch eine Feder, die im Magazin von unten
gegen die Patrone drückt. Die Patronen werden durch den Gasdruck seitlich
ausgeworfen. Hier handelt es sich um die so genannte
"Lacrimae-Pistole".
This
is a so-called "Lacrimae pistol" [‘Lacrimae’ meaning ‘tear gas’]. In
the AKAH Catalogue from 1939 there is a picture of this pistol. Company August
Schuler is assumed to be not the manufacturer, but only the distributor. “ASS”
stands for August Schuler Suhl. The Lacrimae was made for a special cartridge,
other cartridges won’t fit. The cartridges were in the catalogs in the 50’s,
the weapon itself not any more. The Lacrimae pistol is loaded by pushing the
cartridges from the top into the magazine. The cartridges are loaded [into the
chamber area] by a spring in the magazine below the cartridges. The cartridges
are ejected to the side by gas pressure.
It
appears that the cartridge for it would be very close to .25 caliber, and the
overall length about 1 inch.
I'm guessing this one is a 6-shot version. The action is interesting: pulling
the trigger causes the slide to move back. If you pull the trigger far enough,
the slide is released and slams forward (rather hard!). The firing pin is
*fixed* to the inside of the rear of the slide. There is a 'port' carved into
the left side of the inside of the bore, where it would meet the front edge of
the cartridge - I suspect this is the ejection mechanism (gas pressure would
push the case out sideways to the right). The magazine is fixed in the grip –
the pistol loads thru the ejection port at the top. There is a spring-loaded
magazine follower. There is a safety lever on the left side, with German
markings for 'safe' and 'fire'. When the safety is on, the slide is pushed back
slightly, which keeps the firing pin out of the way for loading. There is a
plate protruding from the right side, just under the ejection port - presumably
to protect the hand while firing.
There is a stamp on the bottom of the grip that is shaped like a shield, and
has "SUHL" in it, along with an image of a hammer. This is a standard
Suhl marking. Near the stamp is a marking that says "M.33" (perhaps
model of 1933 ??). Also near the stamp is a marking "XX". This is possibly an Agency marking, to mean
'experimental'. I have an early-production RS-6 radio set that also has XX
markings. A firearms expert in Germany said that the “XX” is not a known marking,
and that legitimate German markings are well-documented. An assembly number
“35” is found on the underside of the front edge of the barrel, and also on an
interior surface of the slide. The grips have the "ASS" logo. No
other markings.
Everything is steel, except for the plastic grips, and the trigger, which is
made of a non-ferrous metal (aluminum??). The barrel has a smooth bore, roughly
25 caliber. Sighting down it, there is a slight 'contraction' in the middle
section of the barrel - that is, it becomes slightly narrower in the middle, by
a few thousands of an inch. This contraction may be part of the ejection
mechanism: If the cartridge includes a wad, then this restriction in the bore
would cause a momentary increase in gas pressure, to aid in ejecting the empty
cartridge.
Two
or more other variants of this pistol have been described to me (one is
pictured on the web site of a European museum).
The August Schuler gas/starter pistol. Author’s
collection.
Markings on the bottom of the grip. The “XX” is possibly an Agency marking meaning
‘experimental’.
Coin Knife
This item was made by the
author, based on the "coin knife" that was used in Europe to harass
German forces. It was intended primarily for cutting the valve stems on enemy
vehicles, but might serve as an escape tool, also. With the blade folded, it
may go unnoticed in a pocketful of change. A picture of an authentic example
can be found in Keith Melton's books.
