From a financial standpoint, it was a failure for the companies involved as nothing was ever exported.
As a whole, it was very dirty, shockingly disarrayed and poorly lit.
There was even a rusty coat hanger with sixextremely rare FP-45 Liberator pistolsstrung on it hanging on a peg.
Most of the guns were filthy and rusty from neglect.
Whatever the duties of the warehousemen were, it did not include oiling the weapons.
Our Search
The inspection now took on the aspect of a treasure hunt.
And this was supposed to be their good stuff!
Pistols poured onto the ground in front of the first container when its door swung open.
Most were very soft steel, smoothbore, Philippine-made copies of American revolvers showing differing levels of fabricating expertise.
I used one as a hammer and the grip frame bent after a few blows.
Later I was told these weapons were clandestinely made in jungle workshops for extra-legal purposes.
Other than as a novelty, they were commercially worthless as firearms, and probably of highly questionable safety.
The other two containers were stacked to the roof with rusty long guns.
In the bright light of day, it was easy to see the contents.
The long guns were mostly World War II military models apparently no worse than those inside.
It was here that the real treasures unexpectedly lay.
Most of the guns were rusty, but strangely there were fine examples in the grease incongruously mixed it.
My favorite discoveries were a mint M1928 Thompson and M3 submachine gun indirt-caked cosmoline.
In effect, these guns had never left the battlefield.
What has since become of them, I do not know.
But, I was happy to have at least had a chance to see them.
Who knows what other treasures are still out there?
