New York to Director, Seattle and Los Angeles re interview of Karl Payne Fleming, Newsweek

NR35 NY PLAIN 850 PM URGENT 4-25-72 FPN TO DIRECTOR SEATTLE LOS ANGELES FROM NEW YORK (164-627)

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NORJAK

KARL PAYNE FLEMING, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE, RESIDING ONE TWO TWO THREE ONE AND ONE HALF GORHAM AVE., LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA, INTERVIEWED AT NEW YORK OFFICE OF NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE IN PRESENCE OF NEWSWEEK [REDACTED] FLEMING IS A WHITE MALE 30 1927 6'1" 175 # BORN AUGUST THIRTY NINETEEN TWENTYSEVEN, SIX FOOT ONE, ONE SEVENTY FIVE LBS, BROWN EYES, GREYING HAIR. FLEMING HAS BEEN CONNECTED WITH NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE FOR ELEVEN YEARS AND HAS FORMED A CORPORATION IN LOS ANGELES, WITH MAX PALEVSKY, AGE APPROXIMATELY FORTY SEVEN. THIS CORPORATION IS UNDER NAME PLATPUS PUBLICATIONS INC. AND PLANS TO PUBLISH A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

FLEMING ADVISED HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE HIJACKING INCIDENT AND HAD PLACED ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, PORTLAND, OREGONIAN AND SEATTLE TIMES INDICATING HE REPRESENTED A NATIONAL MAGAZINE AND ASKING THAT " D. B. COOPER" CONTACT HIM LISTING HIS, FLEMING'S HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER. IN EARLY FEBRU[ARY] END PG ONE

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[guess: Onboard] [guess: J Flewing]

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164-81-2913 APR 26 1972 FBI - SEATTLE

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PG TWO

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FLEMING RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL AT HIS HOME AND REQUESTED CALLER RECONTACT HIM THE FOLLOWING EVENING SO THAT HE COULD SET UP ARRANGEMENTS FOR A SECURE TELEPHONE CALL. THIS INDIVIDUAL THEN CALLED THE FOLLOWING EVENING FURNISHING HIS NAME AS [redacted] AND BASED ON THIS TELEPHONE CALL, FLEMING AGREED TO MEET [redacted] AT A MOTEL AT THE SEATTLE AIRPORT, NAME UNRECALLED, ON OR ABOUT FEBRUARY FIFTEEN LAST. [redacted] CONTACTED FLEMING AT THIS MOTEL AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, KNOCKED ON THE SIDE DOOR OF THE MOTEL ROOM AND ENTERED THROUGH THIS SLIDING PATIO-TYPE DOOR. HE WAS INTRODUCED AS THE HIJACKER D. B. COOPER. AT THIS INITIAL MEETING [redacted] HAD REQUESTED [redacted] THE STORY AND DETAILS CONCERNING THE HIJACKING. THIS WAS TO BE [redacted]

[redacted]

[redacted] WHEN FLEMING WAS CERTAIN THAT HE WAS TALKING TO THE HIJACKER, [redacted]

[redacted]

FLEMING ADVISED THAT NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE WAS NOT AGREEABLE TO [redacted] [redacted] FLEMING OBTAINED [redacted] FROM

END PG TWO

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DB COOPER-49414

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PG THREE

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HIS PARTNER, MAX PALEVSKY, AND THIS WAS [redacted] AGREED ON BY [redacted] AND COOPER TO [redacted] AND TO SUBMIT TO [redacted] FLEMING REQUESTED THAT PALEVSKY WHO RECENTLY HAD A SEVERE HEART ATTACK AND OPERATION, NOT BE CONTACTED DUE TO HIS POOR HEALTH AND IN VIEW OF THE FACT [redacted] PALEVSKY WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FULL DETAILS CONCERNING FLEMING'S MEETING WITH COOPER AND [redacted] COOPER WAS PRESENT ON FEB. TWENTY LAST AT THE EDGEWATER INN SEATTLE, WHEN FLEMING TURNED OVER [redacted]

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[redacted] FLEMING OBTAINED [redacted]

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WITH THE CRIME. FLEMING STATED THAT DURING THE COURSE OF CONTACTS WITH [redacted] HE LEARNED THAT THE TRUE NAME OF [redacted] AND COOPER BECAME EXTREMELY AGITATED AND CRITICIZED [redacted] FOR LETTING HIS TRUE NAME BECOME KNOWN. END PG THREE

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DB COOPER-49415

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PG FOUR

FLEMING ADVISED THAT ALL HIS CONTACTS WITH THE INDIVIDUALS HE KNEW AS D. B. COOPER WERE THROUGH [REDACTED]. HE ADVISED THAT HE INTERVIEWED COOPER ON FEB. TWENTY SECOND AND TWENTY THIRD AND ON THE SECOND

DATE, USED [REDACTED]

[REDACTED] HIS MEETING AND SUMMARY INTERVIEW WITH COOPER. HE DID NOT ALLOW THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH COOPER AND HAD THEM INSTALL EAR PLUGS SO THEY COULD NOT OVERHEAR HIS CONVERSATION WITH COOPER. THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE IDENTITY OF [REDACTED] OTHER THAN [REDACTED] HE IDENTIFIED A PHOTO OF [REDACTED] FURNISHED BY SEATTLE OFFICE AS IDENTICAL TO THE INDIVIDUAL NAMED [REDACTED] HE HAD DEALT WITH INITIALLY USING ALIAS [REDACTED] AND TO WHOM HE [REDACTED] HE IDENTIFIED THE PHOTO OF INDIVIDUAL WEARING A BLACK AND WHITE KNIT CAP AND THE PHOTO OF AN INDIVIDUAL WEARING WHAT APPEARED TO BE A WIG, AS THE SAME INDIVIDUAL HE INTERVIEWED, IDENTIFYING HIMSELF AS D. B. COOPER.

END PG FOUR

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DB COOPER-49416

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PG FIVE

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FLEMING WAS NOT ONE OF INDIVIDUALS PRESENT WHEN WIG WAS PURCHASED. HE DOES NOT RECALL SEEING COOPER WITHOUT A HAT OR CAP WHENEVER HE MET HIM. COOPER DESCRIBED AS A DEVOUT CATHOLIC WHO HAD BEEN MARRIED TO THE SAME WOMAN FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS. COOPER ALLEGED HE OWNED A BOAT, A CAMPER AND THREE AUTOMOBILES. FURTHER DESCRIPTION NOT KNOWN. COOPER INDICATED HE HAD TWO CHILDREN, A MARRIED DAUGHTER AND A SON IN COLLEGE. COOPER INDICATED HE HAD WORKED FOR BOEING AIRCRAFT COMPANY, SEATTLE, FOR FOURTEEN YEARS AND HAD BEEN DISCHARGED AND REPLACED BY A MAN FIFTEEN YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIMSELF, APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN THERE WAS A GENERAL LAY-OFF AT BOEING. COOPER INDICATED HE FORMERLY LIVED NEXT DOOR TO A EPISCOPAL MINISTER. FLEMING DESCRIBED COOPER AS A WHITE MALE ALMOST 50 5' - 9" - 10" 160 - 165 FIFTY YEARS OLD, ABOUT FIVE FOOT NINE TO TEN, ONE SIXTY TO ONE SIXTY FIVE LBS., LARGE EARS, THIN LIPS, SHARP NOSE, WITH BALDING DARK BROWN HAIR, RIGHT HANDED AND A HEAVY SMOKER OF FILTERED TYPE CIGARETTE. COOPER HAS SOME SORT OF TATTOO, FURTHER DESCRIPTION NOT NOTICED, ON THE INSIDE LOWER LEFT FOREARM, NEAR HIS SHIRT CUFF. COOPER HAS A TWO INCH ROUND DEPRESSION ON LEFT SIDE OF HIS FOREHEAD END PG FIVE

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DB COOPER-49417

PG SIX

AND HAS SLIGHTLY PROMINENT VEINS IN THE CENTER OF HIS FOREHEAD WHICH ARE SOMEWHAT OBVIOUS IN THE PHOTO OF COOPER TAKEN ON THE STREET. COOPER HAS TWO FRONT UPPER TEETH WHICH HAVE GOLD CAPS ON APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER OF THEM. HE CONCEALED THESE CAPS WITH MAKEUP PRIOR TO BEING PHOTOGRAPHED ON FEB. TWENTY THREE BY [REDACTED] FLEMING ADVISED THAT HE WAS FURNISHED A XEROX COPY OF THREE TWENTY DOLLAR BILLS AND THE PHOTO OF COOPER ON THE STREET. [REDACTED] [REDACTED], DELIVERED THESE ITEMS TO THE NYO ON APRIL TWENTY ONE LAST BASED ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM [REDACTED] FLEMINGS PERSONAL ATTORNEY (TO FURNISH ALL INFO TO THE FBI). [REDACTED] HAD PREVIOUSLY FURNISHED [REDACTED] FLEMING'S INTERVIEWS WITH COOPER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, ALONG WITH THE PHOTO OF COOPER IN THE BLACK AND WHITE CAP WHICH WAS TAKEN DURING INTERVIEW ON THE BEACH. [REDACTED] INTERVIEWS WITH COOPER, WHICH PROVIDED DETAILS AS TO HOW HE HIJACKED THE FLIGHT AND ESCAPED FROM THE AREA. COOPER ALLEGED HE HAS CONCEALED THE MONEY WHERE NO ONE CAN FIND IT, EXCEPT FOR THREE TWENTY DOLLAR BILLS HE KEPT FOR COMPARISON WITH ANY PUBLISHED LIST. END PG SIX

PG SEVEN

FLEMING ADVISED THAT [REDACTED] AT THE EDGEWATER INN MOTEL, EXHIBITED THREE TWENTY DOLLAR BILLS TO FLEMING AND FLEMING IS " NINETY EIGHT PERCENT" POSITIVE THAT THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF THOSE THREE BILLS ARE IDENTICAL WITH THE XEROX COPY OF THREE BILLS HE RECEIVED FROM [REDACTED] FLEMING DID NOT RECORD THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE THREE BILLS EXHIBITED TO HIM BY [REDACTED] TOLD FLEMING HE MET COOPER WHEN [REDACTED] WAS ATTEMPTING TO [REDACTED] COOPER ASKED [REDACTED] HOW HE COULD INVEST SUFFICIENT MONEY TO OBTAIN A RETURN OF TEN TO TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR. [REDACTED] VISITED COOPER AT HIS HOME AND OBSERVED TWO SKY-DIVING AWARDS ON A MANTLE PLACE AT COOPER'S HOME. COOPER IS ALLEGEDLY UNEMPLOYED AND EXISTING ON INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS FROM OTHER INVESTMENTS HE HAS MADE IN THE PAST. FLEMING ADVISED THAT HE WAS HOPEFUL THAT COOPER WOULD SURRENDER HIMSELF AND THE RANSOM MONEY. FLEMING HAS HAD NO CONTACT WITH COOPER SINCE FEB. TWENTY THREE AND SOMETIME SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, FLEMING CALLED [REDACTED] ADVISING [REDACTED] HE WISHED TO TALK TO COOPER. [REDACTED] SUBSEQUENTLY ADVISED FLEMING THAT COOPER HAS REFUSED TO CONTACT FLEMING UNTIL THE

END PG SEVEN

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DB COOPER-49419

PG EIGHT

STORY IS PUBLISHED. FLEMING ADVISED THAT NEWSWEEK WILL NOT FURNISH THE STORY TO THE NEWS MEDIA OR PUBLISH FLEMINGS CONTACT WITH COOPER. FLEMING ADVISED THAT HE HAD CONTACTED BOOK PUBLISHERS WHO DECLINED TO ACCEPT AND PUBLISH THE STORY UNTIL COOPER IS APPREHENDED AND CONVICTED.

FLEMING ADVISED THAT HE WILL RECONTACT HIS PERSONAL ATTORNEY [redacted] TO DETERMINE IF [redacted] WILL AGREE TO FLEMING FURNISHING [redacted] HIS INTERVIEW WITH COOPER AND [redacted] RECEIVED BY [redacted] FLEMING STATES HE BELIEVES HE TALKED TO THE ACTUAL HIJACKER, WHO IS REVEALING HIS BACKGROUND AND IS WILLING TO CONFESS TO THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF HIS CATHOLIC UPBRINGING. FLEMING STATED THAT BASED ON HIS ELEVEN YEARS EXPERIENCE AS A REPORTER, HE IS MORE THAN NINETY PERCENT CONVINCED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL HE CONTACTED WAS THE HIJACKER.

NYO HAS APPOINTMENT WITH FLEMING AND HIS NEWSWEEK [redacted] AM OF APRIL TWENTYSIX NEXT RE OBTAINING [redacted] [redacted]. BUREAU AND OTHER OFFICES WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ADVISED OF RESULTS.

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FEE

FBI SEATTLE CLR