Interview of Floy Z. Hodgson, Dallas, re Harry Miller's claim of $200,000

FD-302 (REV. 11-27-70) 1

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Date of transcription 3/1/76

FLOY Z. HODGSON, [redacted] Lewisville, Texas, was interviewed at his place of employment, Employers Casualty Company Building, at 423 South Akard, at which time he furnished the following information:

Following his discharge from military service he was still single and he worked for a period of six months for Kenworth Truck Manufacturing in Seattle, Washington. He has a brother, JOE D. HODGSON, who still lives in the Seattle vicinity.

During the six months spent in Seattle, he became acquainted with HARRY MILLER, a white male, who was then about 45 years old. MILLER and [redacted] in a Seattle suburb called [redacted]. He become [sic] friendly with the MILLERs and visited them in their home from time to time. As far as he (HODGSON) knows, MILLER was a law-abiding citizen and HODGSON never knew MILLER to be in trouble with the law or to have any criminal record.

After HODGSON left Seattle, he returned to Texas where he is from and went to work for Texas Technical University in the Maintenance Department in Lubbock, Texas. He worked there for about 12 or 13 years and then moved to the Dallas area and took up residence in Lewisville, where he and [redacted] still reside. Since returning to the Dallas area, he has worked doing building maintenance at One Main Place and in the Employers Casualty Company Building, his current employment.

Since leaving Seattle, he has never exchanged letters or cards with HARRY MILLER and they have never even exchanged Christmas cards, nor have they called one another on the telephone. Then very shortly after January 1, 1976, MILLER made a telephone call to HODGSON's home in Lewisville, which is telephone number [redacted] received this call and then put him on the line, since the call was for him and [redacted] had never met HARRY MILLER.

MILLER explained that he had gotton [sic] FLOY HODGSON's telephone number through FLOY's brother, JOE. HODGSON [this line struck through with strikethrough marks]

Interviewed on 2/20/76 [struck through] at Dallas, Texas [struck through] File # Dallas 164-191 [struck through] Seattle 164-81

by SA JOSEPH J. HANLEY:mam [struck through] Date dictated 2/25/76 [struck through]

This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency.

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mentioned that his brother, JOE, also knows HARRY MILLER and JOE at one time lived in Maple Valley.

When HODGSON got on the line and realized he was talking to HARRY MILLER, he was very much surprised to hear from MILLER and he could tell that MILLER had been drinking. HODGSON stated, to the best of his recollection, the conversation went something like this:

MILLER: "FLOY, do you remember the deal on COOPER?"

HODGSON: "I don't remember any COOPER."

MILLER: "Don't you remember the m[guess: an] that parachuted with $200,000?"

HODGSON: "Yes. I know what you're talking about."

MILLER: "I'll tell you what. I've got $200,000 in silver certificates and it's out here in my driveway. It's burning up my car."

HODGSON: "Do you mean you've got it in the car, HARRY?"

MILLER: "I've got it hid. [REDACTED] don't know anything about it. Do you know anyone in Dallas that would handle this for me?"

HODGSON: "I don't know any of these kinds of people, HARRY, but I will see if I can find out something."

MILLER: "See what you can do for me and I'll call you back."

HODGSON stated he was very much surprised and confused by receiving this telephone call from a man he had not seen at all or corresponded with for a period of fifteen years. He was very much surprised about the subject matter of the telephone conversation and had no idea whether MILLER was drunk and was making an attempt to joke with him or whether there was any substance to what MILLER was telling him.

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He discussed these circumstances at length with his wife, but since she does not know HARRY MILLER, she did not know how to accept this information and how to react to it. The following morning, he told his boss about the telephone call from Seattle and his boss suggested that he make the information available to the Dallas FBI Office just in case there might be something to it.

HODGSON stated that MILLER is of German background. He does not know if MILLER had any military service. He does not know whether MILLER can fly an airplane, nor does he know whether MILLER has ever had any training in parachuting out of aircraft. HODGSON stated that actually, he has no way of knowing whether any of this conversation from MILLER has any substance. He commented that MILLER used to drink pretty regularly and in these fifteen years, it is possible that MILLER has become an alcoholic. He does not recall MILLER as being a practical joker.

One night around 9:00 PM about three weeks ago, MILLER again called the HODGSON's residence and [redacted] answered the phone and informed him (HODGSON) that it was the same fellow calling from Seattle again. HODGSON got on the phone and, again, it seemed obvious to him that MILLER had been drinking. This second conversation with MILLER went something like this, to the best of his recollection:

MILLER: "Listen, I need to talk to you about something but I can't talk to you about it on this phone. Do you remember what we talked about when I called you before?"

HODGSON: "Yes, I remember, HARRY."

MILLER: "Well, I can't talk about it on this phone. If I arrived at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, could I get you at this number?"

HODGSON: "If I'm at home you can get me at this number."

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HODGSON stated MILLER then said something about calling again in two weeks or about being here (meaning Dallas) in two weeks. HODGSON repeated that if he were at home, he could be reached at his telephone number. At this point, MILLER said goodnight.

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During this interview, HODGSON was shown the artist's conception of the unknown subject also known as DAN COOPER, who hijacked Northwest Airlines Flight 350 between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, on November 24, 1971. HODGSON stated, "It's hard to believe how much the artist's conception of COOPER resembles HARRY MILLER." HODGSON commented that the forehead, hairline and hair style very much resembles HARRY MILLER. HODGSON expressed his opinion that the ears on the artist's conception of COOPER strike him as being larger than MILLER's ears and the nose appears to be different from MILLER's, but HODGSON commented that it has been fifteen years since he saw HARRY MILLER and his recollection may be faulty.

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HODGSON stated he believes he had discussed everything that had taken place between himself and HARRY MILLER in the two telephone conversations.

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