From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,FREEMAIL_FORGED_FROMDOMAIN,FREEMAIL_FROM, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id 2230d87b for ; Fri, 9 Nov 2018 18:47:37 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 3F6A794048; Sat, 10 Nov 2018 04:47:36 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6E5EC93D06; Sat, 10 Nov 2018 04:47:01 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 063E6A22C0; Sat, 10 Nov 2018 01:37:15 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-lf1-f51.google.com (mail-lf1-f51.google.com [209.85.167.51]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 58192A22BC for ; Sat, 10 Nov 2018 01:37:09 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-lf1-f51.google.com with SMTP id d7-v6so1635890lfi.2 for ; Fri, 09 Nov 2018 07:37:09 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20161025; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=zwN3uph3/zwy25Qhzm8bIrt/mrHbM62YsPw4c+800+s=; b=CrvNLuI0J2cVOetlnDmmfGAkcEE6c3KUV8NpHWunWKFtS0tf9LTUTkg1NUI3D4H5Aw jffZBDptLeptyUhGDmJE/RPxEfDJuaYbuvtz6hwOc1x95HfXs/RekprMTM/1GsNfKQyQ /OotZXNWMZcyKrBAMwzgTqUpzUIoqaGHzN+kO/O3wc8rd9Mw1t/VJppaWXvmo/OBL3w5 50aBmmQ9P5lTHUNE1L0w+mI9Nbxmgc+G4a5X4W6Nu3ttgzwiNC19PsTiXlAsJX2rrQMZ 8DcSJiagf2J5lWsH2sJJ8UXrUnDOHlwJDfPtWtA/XXNRIokPZTvzUe6i8AtHPofLt5ka ZVoA== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=zwN3uph3/zwy25Qhzm8bIrt/mrHbM62YsPw4c+800+s=; b=kM5TOhMnmoQKZPeVy1UukzMCFeh6ZmVrfx4Phj6BKW+93UFWk1Dc5mj+kF9D7BXElA cVE72tXtDu3E8iBwNZXZ4d0V5Vn8qE5WT8jFf4GuQXCkRLCCTw7WKD2WOod7dE4nd4n/ bXNsMlekyelmlH9jOX78H9w/AHltlCIfJdWFcJsqMClm8vHZe82J7ivMcmfDIsufvy9r oNtmRNp12byYCFv8Yy2TfkyvetaWY5UWOEbJM8uoJHBhsQdB/3FOcQiGEi18OVw0Cw7P KrbsFp2koa0MmPGyU2ESzptJ5njnOidDx2O2JQJooii34ehBiazXEnbKuNvKkaVtJGER IimA== X-Gm-Message-State: AGRZ1gKNsZfZUUy/KrSQDp7CeKnv4DIa1Ah2gA/JfwSv9MS7z7Njs32C J6TTgWp95RiEZ/y50kKwGXS2PSFeNxG8g+uzIwQ= X-Google-Smtp-Source: AJdET5c2KOYZNHxckSeVdfKcJgsA8hi+5idGvwwf6i8V0B0U/lLDwMJtzURQ44Ca6qn9DPi7RpLP5gRswhJi7mw16lc= X-Received: by 2002:a19:d908:: with SMTP id q8mr5461649lfg.88.1541777827281; Fri, 09 Nov 2018 07:37:07 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: <201811091252.wA9CqYbd059066@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> In-Reply-To: <201811091252.wA9CqYbd059066@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> From: "A. P. Garcia" Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2018 10:36:54 -0500 Message-ID: To: Doug McIlroy Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000b7c3d5057a3d1fbd" Subject: Re: [TUHS] Peter Adams photos X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: tuhs@tuhs.org Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --000000000000b7c3d5057a3d1fbd Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" On Fri, Nov 9, 2018, 10:19 AM Doug McIlroy > My favorite anecdote that I've read regarding Belle was when Ken > > Thompson took it out of the country for a competition. Someone, > > I'm assuming with customs, asked him if Belle could be > > classified as munitions in any way. He replied, "Only if you > > drop it out the window." > > That's not the half of it. Ken had been invited by Botvinnik, > a past world champion, to demonstrate Belle in Russia. Customs > spotted it in baggage and impounded it without Ken's knowledge. > When he arrived empty-handed in Moscow, his hosts abandoned > him to his own devices. > > Late that fateful Friday afteroon, customs called Bell Labs > security, which in turn called Ken's department head--me. That > evening I called Bill Baker, the Labs' presi7, at home, > hoping he might use his high-level Washington connections > to spring Belle. No luck. Ken was in the dark about the whole > affair until Joe Condon managed to reach him at his hotel. > Customs kept the machine a month and released it only after the > Labs agreed to pay a modest fine. I believe Ken's remark about > the military potential of Belle was made in reply to a reporter. > > Doug > That certainly puts a damper on the punchline of the joke, but thank you for sharing this story! > --000000000000b7c3d5057a3d1fbd Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


= On Fri, Nov 9, 2018, 10:19 AM Doug McIlroy <doug@cs.dartmouth.edu wrote:
> My favorite anecdote that I've read regarding Belle was= when Ken
> Thompson took it out of the country for a competition. Someone,
> I'm assuming with customs, asked him if Belle could be
> classified as munitions in any way. He replied, "Only if you
> drop it out the window."

That's not the half of it. Ken had been invited by Botvinnik,
a past world champion, to demonstrate Belle in Russia. Customs
spotted it in baggage and impounded it without Ken's knowledge.
When he arrived empty-handed in Moscow, his hosts abandoned
him to his own devices.

Late that fateful Friday afteroon, customs called Bell Labs
security, which in turn called Ken's department head--me. That
evening I called Bill Baker, the Labs' presi7, at home,
hoping he might use his high-level Washington connections
to spring Belle. No luck. Ken was in the dark about the whole
affair until Joe Condon managed to reach him at his hotel.
Customs kept the machine a month and released it only after the
Labs agreed to pay a modest fine. I believe Ken's remark about
the military potential of Belle was made in reply to a reporter.

Doug

That certainly puts a damper on the punchline of the joke, but thank yo= u for sharing this story!
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