i think the annecdote was something like "he approached NASA and they said it was unthinkable. Then he approached the Russian agency, and they said it would be very expensive" so he started to talk with the Russians. I never heard the nuke thing, so i'd be interested if you can find as well.
"""
He was ready to buy three Russian ICBMs for $21 million when the Russians told him that no, they meant $21 million for one. "They taunted him," Cantrell says. "They said, 'Oh, little boy, you don't have the money?' I said, 'Well, that's that.' I was sitting behind him on the flight back to London when he looked at me over the seat and said, 'I think we can build a rocket ourselves.'"
"""
here's the negotiating part: http://www.esquire.com/features/americans-2012/elon-musk-int...
""" He was ready to buy three Russian ICBMs for $21 million when the Russians told him that no, they meant $21 million for one. "They taunted him," Cantrell says. "They said, 'Oh, little boy, you don't have the money?' I said, 'Well, that's that.' I was sitting behind him on the flight back to London when he looked at me over the seat and said, 'I think we can build a rocket ourselves.'" """