FBI report SE 164-81 (pages 2-7) re search, airport canvass and door-to-door canvass after hijacking

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SE 164-81 TJM:kdl

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b6 per FBI and FAA b7C per FBI and FAA

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[REDACTED], Washington, was contacted on November 29, 1971 and he stated he did not fly on November 24, 1971. He fur- nished information on having met [REDACTED] who has a white car at McClellan airstrip on November 23, 1971 when he flew in there in his 150 Cessna, registration number [REDACTED].

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It was further determined that the Federal Aviation Administration fan marker beacon at a point directly east on Kalama, Washington on Vector 23 was not operating on November 24, 1971. Further information was secured from Melridge Aviation, Vancouver, Washington, a distributor of portable receivers known as marker beacon receivers which are small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and can pick up a signal on the ground on which a fix from a plane may be obtained.

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On November 30, 1971 [REDACTED] b6 per FBI and FAA [REDACTED] advised SA THOMAS J. MANNING that his depar[t-]b7C per FBI and FAA ment had received a telephone call from [REDACTED] [REDACTED], Washington who advised that he had rented a [REDACTED] in an isolated area to a man meeting the general physical description of the subject in this matter.

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[REDACTED] advised he and [REDACTED] physically checked the house out on Confer Road in Kalama and found nothing which would indicate anything about the man who rented the house other than that furnished already by [REDACTED] pointed out that when he got to the house he found that there was no indication that anyone had lived there and in fact he stated that the condition of the house was such that it would have been a hardship for anyone to live there due to its physical condition.

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He advised that one item found in the house was a cash register receipt from the Tweedy and Popp Store, phone ME 2-2290, dated October 12, 1971 for $23.07. [REDACTED] stated that this store was checked out and it was b6 per FBI found to be a hardware store located at 1916 North 45th, b7C per FBI Seattle, Washington.

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DB Cooper-26930

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SE 164-81 TJM:kdl

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On November 30, 1971 all doctors, clinics, hospitals, and agencies which could render medical assistance to an individual who could have broken limbs or severe abrasions from being in a heavily wooded area were contacted and were also circularized with a composite photograph and description of the subject in Clark, Lewis, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, and Skamania Counties.

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One individual was developed as meeting the physical description of the subject and was identified as

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b6 per FAA b7C per FAA

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A Bonneville Power Administration helicopter and one fixed wing aircraft upon a partial clearing of the weather continued an air search concentrating on the area which has a center point of a circle as furnished by Northwest Airlines. The search took in an area approxi- mately 150 miles square and nothing of a positive nature was found.

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Federal Aviation Administration representatives in Portland, Oregon on November 30, 1971 advised even though the fan marker beacon east of Kalama, Washington was not operational, it would have been possible for someone in the hijacked aircraft to make use of a locator signal from an FAA beacon on Mt. Brynion in Kelso, Washington if a beacon signal receiver had been used in the plane.

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Further house to house canvassing was conducted by Agents in the prime search area near the center of the circle as provided by Northwest Airlines. Nothing of significant value other than that already secured was found.

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On December 1, 1971 a fixed wing aircraft from Woodland, Washington was aloft and covered an area during a slight period of clear weather which encompassed the area from Woodland, Washington north to Silver Lake in Cowlitz County, a distance of 40 miles and a section 10 miles on either side of the flight path of the hijacked aircraft. While this was being conducted, Agents in ground units

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DB Cooper-2693

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SE 164-81 TJM:kdl

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were conducting door to door canvass in the vicinity of the southerly end of Cowlitz County. Total area covered by air was 800 square miles with negative results.

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Information was developed that a hitchhiker in the vicinity of Castle Rock, Washington had been picked up by an individual who was identified as [REDACTED], a resident of Cowlitz County, and this individual had a large number of twenty dollar bills in his possession. Investigation by the deputies of the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office and SA THOMAS J. MANNING failed to show any twenty dollar bills in the possession of [REDACTED] and the identity of the so-called hitchhiker who made the phone call to the Sheriff's Office was found to be false.

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Information was developed at Ridgefield, Wash- ington that a salesman for a soft drink company had infor- mation that an individual of his acquaintance was the hijacker. Appropriate lead was set out to the Portland Division concerning this matter.

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Contact made with [REDACTED] Vancouver, Washington, reflected that the emergency equip- ment on aircraft can be activated automatically upon reaching a gravitational force of 5 Gs.

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On December 2, 1971 ten Agents walked in a defined search pattern the area in the immediate vicinity of the circle of search as set forth by Northwest Airlines. The terrain was found to be composed of fields which are being farmed and a number of impenetrable thickets which have fallen logs, hidden beaver ponds, and creeks and generally hazardous and most difficult terrain to search on foot. It was noted that in getting into the thicket and under- brush growth, it was so heavy that even if an item was five yards from the observer, it could easily be missed due to overgrowth problems. The area covered in this physical terrain search was 1 1/2 miles long and 2/3 of a mile wide and took approximately five hours. Negative results in the search.

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DB Cooper-26932