Phil A. Koury

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The Treasure Of Victoria Peak

"If the Army will give me a helicopter and thirty minutes I'll go on the White Sands Missile Range and bring out 292 bars of gold (estimated value, $42 million)." Attorney F. Lee Bailey,in July 1974. The Treasure of Victoria Peak presents the true story of a billion-dollar discovery of gold bars and ancient coins at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Since 1937 controversy and intrigue have surrounded this area at the southern end of the San Andres mountains. Originally discovered by Milton E. Noss in 1937, this immense treasure unleashed a series of dramatic events. It drew into its coils a number of major forces-the U.S. Department of Defense, high U.S. Army personnel, the Nixon administration, and State Senators. This struggle has provoked lawsuits between the U.S. government, the state of New Mexico, and various private individuals,-including the widow Noss. n 1939 the treasure rooms of Victoria Peak were sealed by an excessive charge of dynamite and in 1955 the area became part of the White Sands Missile Range and therefore off-limits to all claimants. "The treasure of Victoria Peak" is the fascinating true story of the Noss family's struggle to preserve the secrecy of their discovery, and the fight by Mrs. Noss to hold back strong powers seeking to divest her of her rights. It is told by the attorney who represented the Noss family for almost two decades.