Re Army-FBI ground search planning and procedures, Lake Merwin (Sub E)
Document date March 1972
Also filed at: Part 65 pp. 348–349
Copies may differ in what was redacted.
Report a problem
Email this to [email protected]
Id: Cooper-Part-24:060-061
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-24:060-061 Document: Memo re Army-FBI ground search planning and procedures, Lake Merwin (Sub E) Id: Cooper-Part-24:060-061 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-24%3A060-061 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
A person reads every report. Corrections are made by hand, to the data — titles, dates, names, which pages belong together — never to the scans, and they can take a while to appear.
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 24 pp. 60–61 (DB Cooper-7451–7452), Memo, dated Mar 1972, serial SE 164-81-2534 (as read from the transcript) — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-24%3A060-061
SUB - E.
---
SAC at Army briefing at 10:00 AM
Information on JP-4 supply location
Explore charges for agents eating breakfast at Lake Merwin - charges and also any charge for C ration for noon meal for agents in field with troops.
Mosaic will not be ready until 9:00 AM, 3/20/72 and will not be available for Army briefing but will be at command post on 3/21/72. set up for inspection and coordinating of search.
Copies of blown up map to be given to unit commanders.
Advise Army personnel of following: agent at gate will handle security of Lake Merwin park DO WE NEED 24 hour gate guard?
White tape will be placed on electrical wires per request of helicopter pilot.
Army personnel will have no contact with civilians - ann inquires of army personnel will be referred to Squadron Commander, [REDACTED] who will refer to agent without identifying the agent as FBI personnel.
Permission for fires in field being secured from Dept. of Natural Resources.
SA[REDACTED] will work with [REDACTED] as operations officer.
We understand that the operation is an Army adventure training mission to familiarize Army personnel with training in ground reconnaissance.
All buildings, inhabited or not, army will completely skirt and only agent personnel will search buildings. No army personnel will search any buildings.
Telephone being installed today
Making use of house as command post rather than guard shack
Army starts from Ft. Lewis 0800 3/21/72 and expect in field with some searching completed in afternoon
EXPLORE POSSIBILITY OF SOME AGENTS REMAINING WITH TROOPS IN EVENT NECESSARY TO MAKE CONTACT WITH FBI AND POSSIBILITY TROOPS MAY FIND SOME EVIDENCE.
Search will be made with 3 priorities - Cone area #1 main body of troops South of cone #2 and north of Lewis River #3 Air Rifle platoon will be inserted in vicinity of point A for specific area searches and wherever else needed - insertion by helicopter. 5 to 10 foot intervals between men absolute maximum. keep skirmish search line straight & all stop when one finds something
---
MAR 23 1972 FBI-SEATTLE
---
[guess: don't] [guess: copy] b6 b7C 164-81-2534
---
SEARCHED___INDEXED___ SERIALIZED___FILED___
---
DB Cooper-7451
#2
---
In event body is found agents will immediately take over the area and cordon of Army troops will be set up - procedure will be to immediately air lift coroner of the county to site to pronounce dead and id body and then evidence will be gathered and body removed to county morgue. Point out that positive ID of hijacker will be made before Army is released.
---
In event after four or five days it is felt by FBI that further time other than allotted seven days for Army troop use is necessary this request is to be immediately communicated to [REDACTED] who will then secure permission from 6th. Army.
---
[illegible initials/checkmark]
---
b6 b7C
---
DB Cooper-7452
Serials: SE 164-81-2534