Interview re 251st Marine Fighter Squadron photo album resembling Cooper composite
Document date 26 September 1980
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Id: Cooper-Part-45:379-382
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-45:379-382 Document: FD-302 interview re 251st Marine Fighter Squadron photo album resembling Cooper composite Id: Cooper-Part-45:379-382 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-45%3A379-382 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 45 pp. 379–382 (DB Cooper-18704–18707), FD-302 interview, dated 26 Sep 1980 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-45%3A379-382
FD-302 (REV. 3-8-77)
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
1 9/26/80 Date of transcription___________
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[REDACTED] was contacted at his residence, [REDACTED] at [REDACTED] which time he provided the following information:
Sometime during the last week of August, 1980 or the first week of September, 1980 he observed a television program entitled "In Search Of" and it probably was on a weekend when the program was broadcast on local television. The program consisted of a review of an airplane hijacking that occurred between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington in approximately November, 1971. The name of the individual involved in the hijacking was D. B. COOPER and during the program a composite drawing of D. B. COOPER was shown.
Immediately upon viewing the composite drawing of D. B. COOPER it reminded him of an individual he had served with on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. In the past he had seen numerous newspaper articles and television programs concerning the hijacking case but had never seen a composite drawing of D. B. COOPER.
Immediately upon seeing the composite drawing of D. B. COOPER, he began looking through a photo album of the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron that he had served with. On page [REDACTED] of the photo album he located a photograph of a [REDACTED] who is very similar in appearances to the composite drawing of D. B. COOPER shown on the television program. He subsequently obtained a copy of a paperback book entitled "Great Unsolved Crimes" from the public library in Sidney, Montana. The book is published by Scholastic Book Services, New York City, and was written by LOUIS SOLOMON. Page four of the book contains a composite drawing of D. B. COOPER with sun glasses and is also very similar in appearances with the [REDACTED] who served with the 251st Marine Fighter
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SE 164-81- [guess: 8512] 9/24/80 Sidney, Montana BT 164-26 Investigation on___________________at_____________________________File #._________
SA [REDACTED] /eft 9/26/80 b6 by_____________________________________________Date dictated______________ b7C
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-18704
SE 164-81 BT 164-26 2
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Squadron. Further examination of the composite drawing of D. B. COOPER and the photograph of [REDACTED] with [REDACTED] disclosed that they are very similar in appearances.
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[REDACTED] explained that although he vividly recalls [REDACTED] he is unable to recall his first name or any specific background information concerning him. He only recalls that [REDACTED] was from a large city, appeared to be a very intelligent person, and was always very calm and confident in his work. The only really close contact he had with [REDACTED] was on one occassion in Hong Kong when they and several others from the squadron went to a bar. There were several British soldiers and sailors in the bar when [REDACTED] [REDACTED] When several of the British soldiers and sailors appeared ready to fight [REDACTED] because of his remark, [REDACTED] and no fight resulted.
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[REDACTED] further explained that he was on active duty with the United States Marine Corps from [REDACTED] [REDACTED] He does not recall [REDACTED] having been in his basic training unit but does recall that [REDACTED] was assigned to the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron about the same time that he was in the latter part of [REDACTED]
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The 251st Marine Fighter Squadron was originally stationed at the Marine Air Base, El Toro, California, prior to being transferred to Hawaii in about October, 1959. In November, 1959 they were stationed at Atsugi, Japan for several months before being stationed at the Cubi Point Naval Air Station, Luzon, Philippines. They subsequently served on board the aircraft carriers USS Midway, USS Oriskany, and USS Ranger before returning to the United States in January, 1961.
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DB Cooper-18705
SE 164-81 BT 164-26 3
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The photo album of the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron containing a photograph of [REDACTED] was published in approximately [REDACTED] by the DAITO ART PRINTING COMPANY, Ltd., 19.2 Chrome, Shintomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and it is [REDACTED] belief that the number of copies in existence is very limited.
[REDACTED] noted that the photo album indicates and it is his recollection that [REDACTED] was assigned to the Para-Loft (Safety and Survival Section) of the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron. Members of this section were experts on maintenance of fighter plane ejections systems, parachute packing, survival equipment and training. As he recalls, all of them were experts in sky diving and rescue operations at sea and on land.
According to [REDACTED] he is unable to recall the names and background of the members of the Para-Loft Section or identify any close associates of [REDACTED] however, the photo album contains photographs of the following listed individuals who served in the Para-Loft Section with [REDACTED]
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1. [REDACTED] 2. [REDACTED] 3. [REDACTED] 4. [REDACTED] 5. [REDACTED] 6. [REDACTED] 7. [REDACTED] 8. [REDACTED] 9. [REDACTED] 10. [REDACTED]
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[REDACTED] stated that he recalls that LEE HARVEY OSWALD, who assassinated President JOHN F. KENNEDY, was stationed at the Naval Air Station, Atsugi, Japan, in [REDACTED] when the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron was stationed there but he has no information indicating [REDACTED] and OSWALD may have known each other.
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DB Cooper-18706
SE 164-81 BT 164-26 4
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Copies were made of the photograph of [REDACTED] as it appears on page [REDACTED] of the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron photo album and the album was left in the possession of [REDACTED] stated he is sure that [REDACTED] and other members of the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron can be further identified through U. S. Marine Corps records, however, he will make the photo album available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at any time it is felt that it is needed. He is also aware that some of the individuals assigned to the 251st Marine Fighter Squadron at the same time he was, are now deceased and he could possibly assist in identifying these individuals.
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b6 b7C
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DB Cooper-18707