MEMORANDUM: SUBJECT - IDENTIFICATION AND PURPOSE OF CONTENTS OF BOX MARKED 'SPECIAL FIREWORKS'
Originator: CIA
From: TSD/OA/SPECIAL DEVICES BRANCH
To: C/WH/SA
Document date: 07/10/1964
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10180-10081

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

TSD-SDB MENO $92

10 JUlS 1961

MESSORANDUM FOR: C/WHI/SA

ATTENTION

: Mr. Alfonso Rodriguez

FROM

: TSD/OA/Spectal Devices Branch

SUBJECT

:

Identification and Purpose of Contents o1

Box marked

"Special Firedorks"

RETURN TO CIA

Background Use Only

Do Not fenceduce

1s a kit Tor

The nailed plywood box was pried open on 24 June.

makink an incendiary device.

clear piastic, pill type bottles with white plastic tops, filled

with metallic colored powders, a plastic box and lid.

bottles are labeled "Continental Plastics Oklahoma City" on the

bottoms, one marlied 5 drams, the other, 8 drams.

are not maried with a manufactuier's name but are stamped

"P-7" on the bottoms; one has the numbers 23 and 0 opposite each

other on the bottom,

the second has 16 and 0, the trird, 10 and o

the last, 4 and 0.

and the most to a box mense paste onl

either plastic or cellu-

In one end of the box is a round hole sealed on the in-

by a thin plece of celluloid covered with aluminum foil.

A compartment is formed by a thin piece of celluloid, 1/8" from

the end with the hole.

This partition is perforated

with several

holes and covered on

one side with a layer of aluminum foil. The

lid 15 perforated with several noles and sealed on the inside

urface with what appears to be a piece of wide transparent tape.

ith the exception of a stamped number "1" on the inside of th

bottom of the box there are no identifying marks on the box or

from the appearance of the box, covered on the inside

with silvery particles of ponder, it

must have been loaded at

least once.

Glue or rubber cement, probably a sealant with water-

F7

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proofing capabilitles, pas used to seal the lid to dùe box.

purder; the one marked "2" slightly coarser silver surder and

"1" a small amount of coarse pale red granules.

All the bottles contain the followin; substances:

Fe (iron)

K

(potassium)

K7033 Coasta carorale)

KC10₽

(potassium perchlorate)

A traco of l'a

(sodium) is also present in all bottles.

5. The following ratlos have been determined: -

Bottle #1

Bottle 72

Bottle #3

Fe

<

KN03

KC103

1

2

2

<

::

3

1

1

2

KC104

6.

Because of the high oxygen content in each of the three

mixtures they obviously

are used as first fire mixes. i.e.,

casily

Ignitable substances which in turn ean ignite other harder-to-length

anterials fuse.

this case it appears that an ignition device (a

of safety

or incendisry

time pencil) is insersed in the hole

into the snaller compartment.

The pale red sixture, tecause of its

relatively high oxygen content,

is probably used es

3 first fire

mix in this compartment.

Mixed with it may be the contents of

cottle number

"2"

slightly less in oxygen content but higher in

iron and consequently hotter burning.

would be the contents of bottles number

no high i stent, hottest

burning of all three mixtures and relatively sore cifficult

to ig-

niterere

it not for the

boost given by the contents of bottle number

"2" .

As the material in the smaller compartment igaites it burns

through the perforations in the partition igniting the contents of

the main compartment.

The heat from this combustiva nelts the tape

covering the perforations

in the lid thus allowing osygen in the air

to aid and accelerate

the burning.

2

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The device may be used to start fires by surrounding

It rita combustable secondary medla such as paper, oily rass.

wood shavings, paints and turpentine in a ship's paint locker,

small netal shavings in a machine shop, excelsior in a rare-

house, etc. Only when a sufficient quantity of the secocdary

combustible material is burning is there a reasonable chance

The device sight also

8. There is nothing new in the composition of this derice:

it appears to utilize well known principles of incendiary attack

using substances that are readily available and proven as depend-

able in;redients. Great care rould have to be exercised in rater-

proofing an assembled device if it was planned to leave it exposed

for a long period of time; several hours in a hot, damp clinate

would be an example of such an exposure.

mixtures are most effective, how

temperatures and other environmental factors, how it stands up

in storage, etc.

When the plywood box was opened it was observed that the

contents were packed in sawdust.

Protruding fron the sawdust as

a stubbed out filter cigarette.

There was no indication of

scorched sawdust.

03

ROBERT W.

TSD/OA/SDB

RICKER

Distribution:

Orig & 1 - Addressee

3

1/8R

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