ADIC Los Angeles to Director re Bryant Coffelt as NORJAK suspect and 'Still at Large' documentary
Document date 24 January 1977
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Id: Cooper-Part-39:126-132
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-39:126-132 Document: Airtel ADIC Los Angeles to Director re Bryant Coffelt as NORJAK suspect and 'Still at Large' documentary Id: Cooper-Part-39:126-132 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-39%3A126-132 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 39 pp. 126–132 (DB Cooper-15293–15299), Airtel, dated 24 Jan 1977, serial SE 164-81-7327 (as read from the transcript) — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-39%3A126-132
FD-36 (Rev. 2-14-74)
FBI
Date: 1/24/77
Transmit the following in _______________ (Type in plaintext or code)
Via AIRTEL AIR MAIL (Precedence)
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TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (164-2111) ATTN: Identification Division
FROM: ADIC, LOS ANGELES (164-497) (P) (13)
RE: NORJACK OO: Seattle
RE: UNSUB; [REDACTED]
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[guess: part] 8/09 b6 b7C BRYANT COFFELT [illegible] b6 b7C
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Re Los Angeles airtel to Seattle dated 11/15/76; Seattle letter to Bureau dated 12/20/76; Minneapolis letter to Seattle dated 12/22/76; Los Angeles airtels to Seattle dated 1/7/77, and 1/19/77; Los Angeles telephone call to Las Vegas dated 1/12/77; and Las Vegas letter to Los Angeles dated 1/18/77.
Enclosed for each receiving office are two copies each of photographs of BRYANT COFFELT reportedly taken in 1974.
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3 - Bureau 2 - Alexandria (Enc. 2) 2 - Honolulu (Enc. 2) 2 - Kansas City (Enc. 2) 2 - Las Vegas (164-60) (Enc. 2) 2 - Portland (164-41) (Enc. 2) 3 - Seattle (164-81) (Enc. 2) [handwritten checkmark/notation] 2 - Washington Field (Enc. 2) 2 - Los Angeles
(19) crs/lac
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164-81-7327 SEARCHED _____ INDEXED ____ SERIALIZED ___ FILED ___ JAN 28 1977 FBI — SEATTLE Sent _______ M Per _______
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Approved: [signature] Special Agent in Charge
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GPO: 1975 O - 594-090 DB Cooper-15293
LA 164-497
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For the information of the Bureau and receiving offices, information has recently come to the attention of the Seattle, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles Divi- sions concerning a television documentary, "Still at Large" by Alan Landsburg Productions, Los Angeles, concerning the skyjacker as D. B. COOPER. It has recently been ascertained through investigation at Las Vegas and Los Angeles that this production is based [REDACTED] [REDACTED] currently residing [REDACTED] Nevada.
[REDACTED] has been interviewed in Las Vegas and ad- vised [REDACTED] [REDACTED] whom he refused to identify. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] During 1974, while [REDACTED] [REDACTED] During conversation, [REDACTED]
Subsequent investigation by Las Vegas revealed that [REDACTED] had made inquiry through [REDACTED] to confirm the death of one BRYANT COFFELT in Honolulu.
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Subsequent investigation at Los Angeles reveals [REDACTED] believes to be D. B. COOPER is one BRYANT COFFELT, also known as Bryant Jack Coffelt, J. C. Ross, John Hardy, Jr., a white male, born 2/20/16, at Carthage, Missouri, or 2/20/25, at Picher, Oklahoma.
On 1/17/77, [REDACTED] [REDACTED] were interviewed by SAs [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] in the presence of their attorney, [REDACTED]
[REDACTED] advised he has purchased exclusive rights [REDACTED] of a story based on the activities of "D. B. COOPER," [REDACTED] [REDACTED] stated he is convinced that [REDACTED] genuinely believes [REDACTED] named BRYANT COFFELT is the skyjacker known as COOPER.
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DB Cooper-15294
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b6 b7C b7D b6 b7C b7D b6 b7C b7D b6 b7C b7D 7) b6 b7C b7D
LA 164-497
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While making references to notes which [REDACTED] explained were taken during interviews [REDACTED] and infor- mation related to him by [REDACTED] related as follows:
During the 1940's, [REDACTED]
[REDACTED] was a man named BRYANT COFFELT. Following their [REDACTED] and COFFELT maintained [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and in 1974, COFFELT related to [REDACTED] On one occasion in 1974, [REDACTED] with COFFELT to [REDACTED]
[REDACTED] had indicated that COFFELT had received [REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
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[REDACTED] related the following information, which allegedly [REDACTED] by COFFELT in 1974:
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
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DB Cooper-15295
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b6 b7C b7D
LA 164-497
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[REDACTED]
Making references to his notes at this point, [REDACTED] stated he had noted that one of the parachutes was inoperable and possibly was thrown out at this point too, but he was not certain of this. COFFELT, due to losing his balance and having troubles with the wind while in the door, had left the airplane some ten to twelve seconds later.
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[REDACTED — multiple lines and blocks fully obscured by black bars]
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[REDACTED] advised that they did not understand [REDACTED] at this time.
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It is recognized that a great deal of public infor- mation is available concerning this matter and that some license has possibly been taken with the facts set forth
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DB Cooper-15296
LA 164-497
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above between the time they were allegedly provided by BRYANT COFFELT, who allegedly died in Honolulu in 1975, [REDACTED] and in turn related to [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and the Los Angeles FBI.
However, as actual activities of the skyjacker in some areas closely parallel the facts provided by [REDACTED] the following investigation is being recommended by the Los Angeles Division to ascertain if COFFELT is pos- sibly identical to the unknown subject in this matter.
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REQUEST OF THE BUREAU
The Identification Division is requested to com- pare all unidentified latents in this matter with the known fingerprints of BRYANT COFFELT, FBI number 590 868, Atlanta Penitentiary number 69305, and advise Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles of the results of this comparison.
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ARMED AND DANGEROUS
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LEADS
ALEXANDRIA
AT ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Conduct appropriate investigation at Northern Virginia Doctors Hospital, 601 Carleen Springs Road, Arlington, where COFFELT was allegedly em- ployed as a surgical technician during the time of 12/8/71, through 3/3/72, and 4/24/72, through 9/29/72, it being noted that the date of 12/8/71, is a very short time after the skyjacking which occurred on 11/24/71, and if in fact COF- FELT was seriously injured during the jump, such injuries should be a matter of record at this institution.
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HONOLULU
AT HONOLULU, HAWAII: Check records at Bureau of
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DB Cooper-15297
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b6 b7C b7D
LA 164-497
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Vital Statistics in an effort to verify the death of BRYANT COFFELT noting that [REDACTED] displayed a xerox copy of a Honolulu State Bulletin obituary indicating COFFELT died at age 59, on June 25, 1975. Obtain any pertinent infor- mation regarding cause of death and next of kin.
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KANSAS CITY
AT PITTSBURG, KANSAS: Will check records of the Pittsburg, Kansas, Police Department, number A9860, for JACK BRYANT COFFELT as FBI identification records indicate he was arrested 9/29/74, for felony theft. Obtain any per- tinent information, for example, any obvious scars or data at time of arrest indicating COFFELT suffered a crippling injury in 1971 in the groin or leg area.
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LAS VEGAS
AT LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Reinterview [REDACTED]
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PORTLAND
AT PORTLAND, OREGON: Conduct investigation as set forth in Las Vegas letter dated 1/4/77.
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WASHINGTON FIELD
AT WASHINGTON FIELD, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Check employment records and display photographs of COFFELT to owners or managers of Hoffman Furniture Company, 1824 18th Northwest, Washington, D.C., which firm COFFELT listed as his prior employment from 1963 to 1970 on the records of the Northern Virginia Doctors Hospital. It is noted that [REDACTED] claims [REDACTED] determined this place went out of business in 1970, all records were destroyed, and the owner of the firm, [REDACTED] could not recall COFFELT.
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DB Cooper-15298
LA 164-497
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LOS ANGELES
AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Will maintain contact with [REDACTED] for any additional pertinent b6 information regarding this matter. b7C b7D
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DB Cooper-15299
Serials: 164-2111, LA 164-497, LV 164-60, PD 164-41, SE 164-81, SE 164-81-7327