CORP JET ENTERING THE UNITED STATES HAS FUEL PROBLEM DUE TO BEING KEPT LOW; HEADWINDS AND CHANGE OF ROUTING. DECLARES EMER FUEL CONDITION.

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THE FLT WAS ONE OF SEVERAL FLTS PLANNED TO RETURN THE ACFT FROM GERMANY TO FLORIDA. THE FLT WAS FROM GOOSE BAY; CANADA; TO HARTFORD; CT. ALL MISSION PLANNING AND COMPUTER FLT PLANS POINTED TO A NOMINAL FLT TO HARTFORD'S BRADLEY INTL ARPT FOR REFUELING AND TO CLR CUSTOMS. 4 HRS PRENOTIFICATION TO CUSTOMS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY COMMERCIAL COMPANY BEFORE OUR TKOF. CHAIN OF EVENTS: TKOF AND INITIAL CLB TO CRUISE ALT WERE AS PLANNED. ACTUAL HEADWINDS WERE SOMEWHAT STRONGER THAN FORECASTED; ATC WOULD NOT ALLOW STEP CLB DURING CRUISE PORTION OF FLT BECAUSE OF CONFLICTS WITH FASTER FLYING AIRLINERS. ATC DIRECTED NUMEROUS VECTORS DURING DSCNT INTO BRADLEY WHICH INCREASED THE DISTANCE AND FUEL CONSUMPTION. ATC DIRECTED CHANGE OF ROUTING TO FLY TO BOSTON BEFORE CONTINUING ON TO BRADLEY INTL. THIS CHANGE WOULD HAVE ADDED STILL MORE DISTANCE AND FUEL CONSUMPTION. WE REQUESTED MORE DIRECT ROUTING TO BRADLEY INTL. WE WERE CLRED 'DIRECT ROUTING' WITH ACCOMPANYING DSCNT TO DECONFLICT WITH ARRIVING TFC INTO BOSTON LOGAN ARPT. WE ACCEPTED DSCNT AND DIRECT ROUTING AND I DECLARED 'MIN FUEL' TO INSURE PROPER HANDLING. IT WAS THE COPLT TURN TO DO THE APCH AND LNDG. WE DISCUSSED THE APCH AND LNDG; I AGREED THE COPLT WOULD HANDLE THE LNDG AND APCH SINCE THE WX WAS GOOD WITH 1400 FT CEILING AND 4 MI VISIBILITY. NUMEROUS ARRIVING AIRLINES RESULTED IN ADDED VECTORING AT LOW ALT WITH EXTENDED FINAL AND NEGATIVE EFFECT ON FUEL STATE. WHILE FLYING AN ILS APCH; WE LOST THE GS SIGNAL AND HAD TO CONVERT TO LOC ONLY APCH. THE COPLT WAS SLOW TO REACT TO LOC MINS AND MISSED THE APCH. A RAIN SHOWER MOVED OVER THE FIELD DECREASING CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY. I EXECUTED THE MISS APCH AND IMMEDIATELY DECLARED EMER FUEL FEARFUL THAT THE CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY WOULD DECREASE FURTHER. A REAL PROBLEM IF THE GS SIGNAL WERE TO FAIL A SECOND TIME. I FLEW A MIN VECTORING APCH TO FINAL AND EXECUTED LOC APCH TO UNEVENTFUL LNDG. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED THE COPLT TO FLY THE APCH DURING MIN FUEL SITUATION. I LET THE REQUIRED PRENOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS INFLUENCE MY DECISION ABOUT STOPPING SHORT OF BRADLEY FOR FUEL AND TO CLR CUSTOMS. I RELEARNED A VERY VALUABLE LESSON WHEN IT COMES TO FLYING ACFT AND YOU ARE NEVER 'TOO OLD' OR 'TOO EXPERIENCED' TO FIND YOURSELF IN A DELICATE SITUATION. AFTER OPERATING JET ACFT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND TAKING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE MOST CONSERVATIVE APCH TO RETURN THE ACFT FROM EUROPE TO THE UNITED STATES; I STILL FOUND MYSELF IN A VERY TIGHT SITUATION. PREVENTION: AS CAPT ONE MUST BE VERY ALERT FOR THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF SEVERAL SMALL BUT NEGATIVELY INFLUENCING FACTORS: A LITTLE MORE HEADWIND THAN FORECASTED. UNABLE TO STEP CLB FOR MOST EFFICIENT CRUISE. ADDED VECTORING ON DSCNT AND ARR. ARRIVING AT BRADLEY INTL ARPT DURING 'RUSH HR.' #4 FOR LNDG. WX WHICH DEGRADED VERY RAPIDLY WITH PASSING RAIN SHOWER. CONCERN OVER CHANGING ARR ARPT BECAUSE OF PRENOTIFICATION WITH UNITED STATES CUSTOMS.