Colt .38 Super SN:37256 MFG:1945 - OSS

• Caliber: .38 Super
• Era: Pre-War
• Factory Order Number: 5295
• Finish: Fine Brushed Blue
• Inspector: GHD
• Serial Number: 37256
• Shipment Type: Military
• Shipped To: Fowler Building
• Shipped To: Office of Strategic Services
• Year: 1945

This Colt Super .38 is one of the very rare 400 Super 38's that were under a U.S. Government Contract.  As seen in the factory letter this pistol was shipped to the OSS Fowler Building in Rosslyn, VA.  

This particular pistol was owned by 

Accompanying this pistol is a letter from a former member of the US. Department of State.  It reads....

"In 1965, I was assigned to American Embassy Saigon, Republic of South Vietnam serving as Assistant Regional Security Officer, Foreign Service, U.S. Department of State. My range of duties included protection of the Ambassadors, Embassy staff and physical security operations.

During this period, the Honorable William James Porter was Deputy Ambassador to South Vietnam serving under Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge. He gifted me the Subject Colt 38 Super Serial # 37256. At that time, Ambassador Porter told me he had been given this gun by General William Westmoreland who was in command of the U.S. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV).

I carried this 38 Super as my personal duty gun throughout my Foreign Service career; I retired in 1981. Some of my official personal security assignments in the United States and in foreign countries for the U.S. Department of State included:

• Protection of Astronaut Neil Armstrong in Peru and Bolivia during his world tour following his landing on the moon.
• Joint protection detail with Russian KBG security officer for Astronauts and Cosmonauts of Apollo/Soyuz during their presence in France at the Paris Air Show.
• Protection for former Vice President of United States, Richard Nixon, during his travels in Peru prior to his successful Presidential campaign.
• Protection of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Earl Warren during his official visit to Peruvian President and Justices of Peru's Supreme Court.
• Joint protection details with responsible country security forces for the President of Mexico and his family; family of Shah of Iran at time Shah was overthrown; Imelda Marcos of the Philippines and number of similar protective assignments."

Unlike their commercial counterparts, these pistols had a few specific manufacturing requests.  Note the Coltwood plastic stocks, grooved mainspring housing, grooved slide stop and stamped trigger.