Return-Path: Received: from web5203.mail.yahoo.com ([216.115.106.97]) by hazard.mail.mindspring.net (Mindspring Mail Service) with SMTP id t4inq7.mov.37kb01i for ; Tue, 26 Dec 2000 22:17:26 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <20001227031725.20110.qmail@web5203.mail.yahoo.com> Received: from [152.163.197.193] by web5203.mail.yahoo.com; Tue, 26 Dec 2000 19:17:25 PST Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 19:17:25 -0800 (PST) From: MPCgram Subject: MPC Gram 207 To: mpcgram@yahoo.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ==================================================== MPC Gram ==================================================== Covering the Entire World of Military Numismatics ---------------------------------------------------- Series 002-Number 207 Tuesday - 26 December 2000 Russian Naval Base at Cam Ranh Bay by Howard A. Daniel, III Since 1978, the Soviet Union, and now Russia, has leased a portion of Cam Ranh Bay in Viet Nam. The Russians first used Cam Ranh Bay when their fleet stopped there before engaging the Japanese at the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. After most of the U.S. Forces departed from Cam Ranh Bay in 1973, and the last contingent left in April 1975, the Vietnamese allowed the Soviets (Russians) to return. They built a large intelligence listening post there, repaired and used many of the large docks for their warships, and repaired and used one of the runways for their long-range bombers, recon planes, and a few fighters. Hundreds of Soviets worked on this base, and except for Vietnamese with special passes, no one except the Soviets could enter their base. When the Cold War ended in the early 1990s and the Soviet Union broke up, the Russians continued to use the base, but with much less activity, and it is now a rare sight to see a Russian naval vessel at a dock and/or aircraft on the runways. But the large intelligence listening post is operating seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day with a full staff of about 30 personnel!! For many years I have been hearing rumors the Soviets, and now the Russians, used a special scrip there and maybe chits and/or tokens. The special scrip was supposed to be a version of their international travelers’ check in various denominations and with a special overprint much like what was used in Afghanistan. But I have heard no details concerning the possible chits and/or tokens. I have corresponded with former Soviet military personnel, and current collectors and dealers in Russia, about Cam Ranh Bay, but no one has found anything for me, to include a publication or regulation about them. As many of you know, in a communist and/or former communist state, everything is considered a state secret until a higher up says it is releasable. I strongly believe I am running up against this state secret mania and that is why I am not given any information or illustrations of what circulated, or currently circulates, inside Cam Ranh Bay from 1978 to date. If any of you come across something about Soviet/Russian Cam Ranh Bay checks, chits and/or tokens, please contact me at Howard@SEAsianTreasury.com. ==================================================== Editorial ---------------------------------------------------- Yesterday was even more historic than I had thought. It was the first day in the history of the planet that there was a solar eclipse on Christmas day when a gram was delivered! Remember, we need your forecasts for the Jan 1 Gram. ==================================================== Mail Call ---------------------------------------------------- Dear Gram, Well, at least we have a year to respond to your request on a Christmas "sort of" related item to military numismatics. Yes, we do have some menus, short snorters and etc., related to the military. We even have a Holiday Greeting with engraved signature of Patton. We will get you something for next year and possibly let one of you make copies of them for an attachment, etc. In any instance we want to wish all of you a great Holiday Season, and best wishes for a Healthy, Happy, Prosperous and Fantastic 2001. Hope to see some of you at the FUN show soon. Yours in Numismatics, John and Nancy Wilson ==================================================== Departments --------------------------------------------------- WWII numismatics seminar at ANA Summer Seminar 2001 --------------------------------------------------- Not only does the scholarship fund have an official identity but also has a bank account! Any further donations should be paid to the order of "Military Numismatists Scholarship" and sent to: Military Numismatists c/o Marcus Turner 8103 East US Highway 36 Suite 163 Avon, IN 46123 THE UPDATED LIST OF SCHOLARSHIP BENEFACTORS 11/22/00 Mike Cummings Ed B. Doug Bell R. A. Medina Harold MPCKid Kroll Bill McNese Marcus Turner Larry Ski Fred PK6 Joel Shafer World Wide Ventrues John & Nancy Wilson Neil Shafer ----------------------------------------------------- MPC Fest II ----------------------------------------------------- MPC Fest is the annual feast of MPC. After some difficulties of coordination we have not changed the dates and tentatively scheduled 9-11 March 2001 for MPC Fest II. If these dates cause a problem, please write the gram immediately. ==================================================== Post/Base Exchange (PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale will be run here for free. Send your ads to the gram. The point is to make the gram more interesting. Send in a list of items for sale and we will list them here in the gram. In all cases confirm your order via email first. MPC Series 591 50c CU, $255, David Seelye, coinman@rochester.rr.com. Nice uncirculated MPC series 611 $1, $111. Confirm at fred@papermoneyworld.com. ============================================== Staff: publisher and editor: Fred Schwan - fred@papermoneyworld.com; assistant editor - Phil Goldstein critic: Harold Kroll - MPCKid@papermoneyworld.com; index manager: Ed Beaman webmaster & technical advisor: Doug Bell - (Wiz): doug@papermoneyworld.com; The Boss: Judy Schwan ===== MPC Gram is published by BNR Press and papermoneyworld.com as a free service to the community of military money collectors. Your suggestions, criticisms, complaints, editorial contributions, letters, and even praise are very welcome. The entire contents including linked illustrations are copyright protected by the publishers. In the case of contributors, the copyright is protected on behalf of the creators. Please send all correspondence regarding the gram to MPCgram@yahoo.com. Thank you very much for your participation. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/