Interview at Oceanside, CA re possible Cooper suspect known through Essex International

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

11/1/77 Date of transcription

---

[REDACTED] home address [REDACTED] [REDACTED] telephone [REDACTED] was interviewed at his place of employment, Century 21 Real Estate Office, 1906 F Oceanside Boulevard, telephone [REDACTED] He furnished the following information:

After the initial hijacking of an airplane which was a Portland to Seattle flight in which the man bailed out of the airplane which occurred in about 1971, a man came to [REDACTED] attention who he felt could be of possible significance.

The man's name is [REDACTED] (phonetic) and [illegible] his middle initial is possibly [REDACTED] It was in late 1972 or the first part of 1973, at which time [REDACTED] was working for the Essex International Automotive Parts Division, which is a division of United Technology, the headquarters address of which is 6233 Concord Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. As of about two years ago, [REDACTED] was [REDACTED] for the Washington and Oregon areas. He lives in Seattle and works out of his home. He travels for that firm inasmuch as he is [REDACTED] His address could be obtained through the office in Detroit or possibly through the warehouse in Los Angeles which is at 777 Mission Street, Los Angeles.

[REDACTED] was working for Essex when [REDACTED] joined the firm in late 1972 or the first part of 1973 and that is when [REDACTED] met [REDACTED] He worked with [REDACTED] on two occasions for a period of two or three days each and he met him a third time which was at an auto parts convention in Los Angeles.

When they first met, which was in the Seattle area, [REDACTED] had recently become [REDACTED] [REDACTED] He previously had been working for Hastings Company, also an automotive parts firm in the Seattle area, but he had been laid off. If [REDACTED] mentioned why he had been laid off, [REDACTED] does not recall the reason but he does remember that [REDACTED] said it was a surprise to him. In conversation, [REDACTED] said that [REDACTED]

---

Interviewed on 10/31/77 at Oceanside, California File # SE 164-81 SD 164-91

by SA [REDACTED] :M1r Date dictated 10/31/77

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.

---

DB Cooper-16160 164-81-7714

SE 164-81 SD 164-91 -2-

---

[REDACTED] problems occurred while he was between jobs. If he ever mentioned the figures regarding [REDACTED] does not recall what they were but he believes it was possibly in excess of $10,000. [REDACTED] did say he was [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

Also in conversation, [REDACTED] had said that in World War II, in October (year not mentioned), [REDACTED] [REDACTED] He did not say what his status was on the airplane but he was not the pilot. The following October, almost exactly one year later, [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

[REDACTED] did recall that [REDACTED] had a lot of financial problems and also recalled that he was very conservative with money. For example, he did not go to the best motels even though the company paid the motel expenses. He was the type of man that even if he had had a lot of money, he would not have spent it. [REDACTED] used to tease him about his Scotch nationality. He recalled that [REDACTED] which he even carried in his car and [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

He indicated that [REDACTED] was a very nice guy and very polite but he did have a lot of nerve which [REDACTED] could tell from the way [REDACTED] approached customers.

He never saw [REDACTED] with a large amount of cash and [REDACTED] did have a bank account in Seattle because he was observed by [REDACTED] to pay his hotel bill with a check. He does not recall what bank the check was on.

He does not know whether or not [REDACTED] was ever arrested although he did mention being stopped for speeding in California but on that occasion did not even get a ticket. [REDACTED] noted that the Essex Company does usually screen their people fairly well but at that time they were just starting up and needed people fairly rapidly and they may not have screened him closely.

---

DB Cooper-16161

SE 164-81 SD 164-91 -3-

---

He described [REDACTED] as follows:

Race: White Sex: Male Age: [REDACTED] (in 1972 or 1973) He felt [REDACTED] looked more like 47 to 48 years of age. Height: 5'10" to 5'11" Weight: 175 to 180 pounds Hair: Black, straight, starting to thin a little, possibly parted on the left Glasses: Wore black or dark rim prescription glasses. Does not recall whether he had prescription sunglasses or not. Voice: Normal but possibly slightly above average in loudness Build: Stocky; kept himself in excellent physical shape Complexion: Fair; did not appear Latin to [REDACTED] although he does have dark eyes

---

[REDACTED] did not smoke cigarettes but had mentioned that he had smoked at one time. He also mentioned that he once had [REDACTED] [REDACTED] He had no vehicle except the Ford company car. He had mentioned that he once lived in California.

---

[REDACTED] was exhibited the artist conception of the man known as D. B. COOPER and he advised that the artist conception is a good likeness of [REDACTED] except that [REDACTED] has a rounder, fuller face than the artist conception. The glasses are similar and the hairline is similar except [REDACTED] forehead may not have been quite as high as the man in the artist conception. From the bottom of the nose to the top of the eyebrows of the artist conception is very similar to the appearance of [REDACTED]

---

After viewing the artist conception, he believed it was still possible that [REDACTED] could be the hijacker.

---

DB Cooper-16162

---

b6 b7C

SE 164-81 SD 164-91 -4-

---

He has no specific reason to suspect [REDACTED] but since he lived in the Seattle area, does resemble the artist conception, and has bailed out of an airplane (at approximately the same time of year as the hijacking), he thought the possibility did exist that [REDACTED] could be the hijacker.

---

b6 b7c

---

[illegible stamp/text] DB Cooper-16163