Nukes for Sale, No Money Down

By Janice Castro

In the midst of Soviet disunion, what's going to happen to the nukes? Money- hungry military officers in some hot spots are already renting armored personnel carriers and other weaponry to local militias with turf to protect. But they could probably get much steeper prices from more ambitious troublemakers abroad, especially those looking for really hard-to-find goods. "In this country at this time," says a Soviet historian, "anything can happen. If you can come up with a guarantee of $2 million, hard currency, I wager that I can put you in touch with somebody who would sell you a nuclear missile." But how would the buyer get it out of the country? "Easy," he says. "Launch it."

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart