True or not, it fits right in with the stories that are associated with him/them.


https://theaviationgeekclub.co...-cia-u-2-spy-planes/



The weird story of when Kelly Johnson received a bag with $30 million in cash to pay for the first six CIA U-2 spy planes

By Linda Sheffield Miller - Feb 10 2023

100K bills were and still are, not allowed to be privately held and were only used by the Fed for internal use, (transfers) between Fed depositories. At ten bills per million x 30 = 300 individual bills so it would not have taken much more than a lunch bag to carry them. That part of the story seems a bit far-fetched, but who knows?

Dave Peter's, and also Bernie Smith were in my AF ROTC class at University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, Class of 67. Both were SR-71 pilots. Dave was an accomplished instructor pilot in them as well... Brian Shul of "SLED DRIVER" books and inspirational speaker fame, one of his students!!
Only 94 lucky pilots in the Black Bird!!
Interesting story. Thanks for sharing. The Kelly Johnson book is also a good read!!

quote:

Originally posted by lee440:
100K bills were and still are, not allowed to be privately held and were only used by the Fed for internal use, (transfers) between Fed depositories. At ten bills per million x 30 = 300 individual bills so it would not have taken much more than a lunch bag to carry them. That part of the story seems a bit far-fetched, but who knows?

Yes but the money didn’t really go to Kelly personally rather to the Lockheed corporation a rather important defense contractor. Never underestimate the intrigues of the defense procurement business especially back then.

Lee440, wouldn't that be 3000 bills?
Certainly a bag full.

3000 bills wouldn't fit in a grocery shopping Brown bag!!

Cougarz shows the math!! He is right!!

Still alotta jack!!... and that wasn't Zimbabwe bucks back then. either!!

CheerZ,

That was fun.
Ahhh, good old UPS. I tied a lot of square knots during Scout-o-Ramas in the fieldhouse in the 1960s.