Frontline: The Man Who Made The Super Gun

The life and death of Gerald Bull, one of the leading ballistics experts of the 20th century, is the subject of this engaging Frontline documentary. Assassinated by an Israeli hit team after ignoring warnings to stop supplying arms and information to Saddam Hussein, Bull was an enigmatic character whose expertise in weapons systems was matched only by his ignorance of world politics. A Canadian, Bull was, at 22, the youngest Ph.D. in Physics in Canadian history, and his abilities were soon tapped by the U.S. military. Obsessed with the idea of a "super gun," one which could conceivably launch a satellite into space (or a long-range accurate projectile), Bull founded Space Research Corporation in the 60s in order to continue his experiments. However, by 1967 the U.S. had lost interest in Bull's work, and he had to look elsewhere for funding. Following a debacle in 1977, involving the sale of his new and improved 150mm shells to South Africa, Bull was sent to jail. Upon his release, he set up shop in Brussels and began the international trade in weapons that would eventually cost him his life. An interesting documentary about a man who literally knew too much--and had no compunctions about who he would share that knowledge with. Highly recommended. (Available from: PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314-1698; 1-800-344-3337.)