The Sarkis and the Cadillac Gage Vehicle Story

1990

A True Story

Written 10/2011, and rewritten 12/2019* 1,107 Words*

155 By Howard Yasgar

In 1990 I had a new neighbor.

There was a large building for lease not far up the street from my company in Miami.

I just happened to own a fenced in lot that was right across the street from it.

One day an extremely muscular Mid-Eastern fellow, who said his name was Tony, stopped by to inquire about renting my fenced in lot.

Tony said he represented the company that was going to be leasing the larger building across the street from my lot.

After meeting Tony, who said he was from Turkey, I became curious as to who was going to be leasing the big building.

So, one day when I saw the buildings rollup doors were open, I walked over.

As I entered the large building, I was immediately confronted by a large German Shepard that wanted to rip me apart.

Fortunately, a fellow wearing a Military uniform called the dog off just in time.

As I looked around, I could see the entire large warehouse was empty except for someone sitting at a fold up card table in the middle of the building.

The fellow sitting at the table waved me over, and I walked over to meet him.

He was a short pudgy fellow, with fingers so thick I could hardly shake his hand.

We introduced ourselves to each other and he said his name was Sarkis.

Sarkis was about as friendly a guy that you ever would want to meet, and I immediately took a liking to him.

We ended up talking for the better part of the day regarding his intentions to rebuild aircraft engines in the building.

Sarkis asked me what my company did, and I told him we sold military vehicular parts.

He was delighted to hear that, and he walked me into an adjoining warehouse where he had a vehicle covered up with a tarp.

He uncovered the vehicle, and I was amazed, it was a miniature version of the military Hummer, and Sarkis

said he was going to produce them.

Sarkis said he had customers all throughout the Mid-East and he thought we could do some business together, and I agreed.

I left the building that afternoon thinking I had made a new and extremely jovial friend.

The next day I was at the bank sitting in the office of the Vice President.

I mentioned to him that I had a new neighbor named Sarkis.

He said, “I know Sarkis very well, I’m his banker, do you know who he really is”?

I said no, who is he?

He said Sarkis Soghanalian is the second largest arms dealer in the world, he is best known everywhere as “The Merchant of Death”.

Later that afternoon, I was speaking with a business associate, his name was Ted, and his company was in Detroit.

I couldn’t wait to tell Ted who my new neighbor was.

When I mentioned Sarkis name, Ted said, “I Know Sarkis very well, many years ago when I was a salesman for the Cadillac Gage Company, I met Sarkis, and he helped me”.

( In case you didn’t know, Cadillac Gage is a manufacturer of light armored rubber-tired military vehicles and at the time Ted was their new international salesman.)

Ted said that he was in Beirut Lebanon and had been trying to get an appointment with the Minister of National Defense, but after two weeks of trying he was about to give up.

Someone suggested he see a fellow named Sarkis Soghanalian, they said he had good connections and perhaps for a commission he could get Ted an appointment with the Minister.

Ted said he went to Sarkis’s office, it was on the second floor of a building in downtown Beirut.

Ted said, as he entered Sarkis’s office, Sarkis was sitting at a desk with an open safe behind him, the safe was piled high with U.S. Currency.

Ted talked with Sarkis for a while then he asked him if he could get him an appointment with the Lebanese Minister of National Defense.

If he couldn’t, Ted said he was leaving for the States the next day.

Sarkis said he was sorry, but he had no way of contacting the people Ted needed to see.

Sarkis said he felt bad that Ted was leaving, but seeing as this was his last night in Beirut, Sarkis invited Ted to a small party he was having that evening at his home up in the mountains.

That evening Ted took a cab to Sarkis’s home.

Ted said it was no small party, there were a lot of people there.

Sarkis met Ted at the door and took him to the bar to get a drink.

Sarkis said to Ted, there is someone here I would like you to meet, and he then introduced him to the Lebanese Minister of National Defense.

Sarkis said when you are finished talking with him, I will introduce you to the military buyer from Saudi Arabia, he is in the next room.

Ted said that he eventually sold Cadillac Gage vehicles to both countries, and later when he returned to Beirut, he went to see Sarkis to see how much commission he wanted.

Sarkis refused to take a cent, he said he was just happy to assist Ted.

Ted said to me, “Please give Sarkis my very best regards”.

The next day I went over to see Sarkis; I told him I had spoken to Ted and Ted had sent his regards.

Sarkis said, “Teddy, Teddy, yes I remember him well, he was just a young kid trying to sell Cadillac Gage vehicles, and I gave him a little assistance”.

Sarkis said, “Teddy was lucky to catch me, as I had to leave Lebanon quickly right after that”.

Why, what happened, I asked?

Sarkis said, “I had helped supply the Lebanese Moslems, and I also helped the Lebanese Christians.

The Moslems didn’t like it so they issued a fatwa on me and my son Garo. Now I must have Tony the Turk as my bodyguard, and my son Garo has Avi and his dog Kibbutz as his bodyguards.

The day we escaped Beirut, I instructed my men to put 2 pounds of plastique explosives in my office to destroy everything, exactly at noon time.

Because our home was up in the mountains looking down on Beirut, I brought my whole family out on our patio to see the explosion.

“My men had misunderstood me, and they put 20 pounds of plastique explosives in the building.

Sarkis said “The explosion was like an Atom Bomb going off, the whole city block blew up.

He said, “Unfortunately the building’s owner was inside at the time, but he was a no-good bastard anyway”.