Citizen narrative account mailed to FBI Portland alleging a Cooper hijacking conspiracy

Portland OR

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COOPER HIJACKING

A group of men and women meet at a [REDACTED] in Washinton. This group is a group of [REDACTED] They have loan of a place to hold their [REDACTED] This place is at a [REDACTED] site and it is in what looks like an old converted wigman burner (?). The company uses it for their business meetings. Several of the people there at the [REDACTED] are interested in this group and, therefore, they got the loan of this place to hold their meetings and [REDACTED]

One of these men is the boss of some section of the [REDACTED] This boss gives the [REDACTED] a recommendation of a guy he wants to go to work. This man is also a [REDACTED] His name is [REDACTED] screws up the first night on the job and they fire him. It wasn't really [REDACTED] fault that he screwed up. He has a [REDACTED] goes to the [REDACTED] group and tells the man who got him the job that he hopes he did not get into trouble for recommending [REDACTED] for the job. The [REDACTED] man says, [REDACTED] proceeds to go through this [REDACTED] in the evening/day.

After most of the people have left the group, there were only about four or fice remaining (I believe there were four), [REDACTED] tells those remaining that he is sorry but he is not going to be able to keep up the [REDACTED] since he has to find employment elsewhere in another area. He explains to the one person there who was not aware of it that [REDACTED]

He has had quite a bit of money in the past (nice home, etc) in Southern California. He has gone through all of his money. His wife wants to stay in this rest home. She is the type of person who would take everything they had as long as she could stay there. The place where she is staying is a [REDACTED]

[REDACTED] says to this group that [REDACTED] He is dead serious. He is going to have to drop out of the [REDACTED] group. Just at that moment, a man who was an airplane pilot says, in walk- ing by him, [REDACTED]

[REDACTED] says [REDACTED] The pilot said [REDACTED] And, thus, the plan was started right there.

[REDACTED] and the pilot went to two other men there and proposed to them that they go along as witnesses. One of these men's names was [REDACTED] If these men went along as witnesses they could cloud the issue, give false tes- timony and screw the whole thing up so on one could really know what the heck was going on.

There were several other meetings held - same group, same area, same people. [REDACTED] had not really been associated with this group meeting here, so what they decided to do was to sneak in a back way. One of the other people who was approached in this group happened to be familiar with the plan and said he would go along with them.

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164P-81-8698 [guess: Civ]-M ... [illegible]

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DB Cooper-19290

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[illegible smudged text or markings]

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[handwritten notation, illegible] SEARCHED _______ INDEXED _______ SERIALIZED _______ FILED _______

OCT 0 4 1982

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DB Cooper-19291

. The plan that they finally come up with was to demand more than three to four chutes and then take the plane into Nevada. Just as they were coming into Reno they were to bail out. Their plan was to tether the chute to the back of the aircraft, hold it open and jump out when the point was right. In six months, then, they would split up the money.

The group was to throw a benefit over at the hospital in a big clearing down amongst [REDACTED] They would have jugglers and this kind of thing. This would give the group an excuse to be there. They would then divide the money.

The kept changing the plan all the time to make it better. Finally, they figured they would just fill all the seats in the back section. All the guys wanted to get in on it as witnesses, too. It was kind of catching. They would go along and split up their shares. I believe it was split up four ways.

[REDACTED] would take part of the money, cash it around the country and then he would give either the guys or the pilot the clean money six months later.

Part of the plan was that one of the guys who had a car with California plates on it (I think it was [REDACTED]) would park it uptown someplace, or along the road leading into a place where there would be a lot of cars around. The plan got kind of elaborate. It ended up they would get a bunch of green stamps, a certain number, which they would fold up. They would then use the numbers/letters on the green stamps to indicate the license number of the car. The plan they ended up with was simply to take a large number of green stamps where they would be the only ones to have that number/letter on them. One of the guys was able to do that. I think this is important. He was able to get that section of green stamps. I think it was $2,500 or $500, or something of this nature. The plan ended where they wrote with a felt pen the license number of the car that [REDACTED] would be in, then they would go along and get in the car at a later time. He was to leave the window open in his car and then he would stick them in through the window. The meeting ended up that the green stamps actually got wrapped around his windshield wiper and they got together that way.

The pilot and the stewardess also had a part in it. She had control of the seating. She would get on the aircraft early and also they would be seated in the back section. She also had the keys to a locker where they would store the parachutes to make it look like he had parachuted earlier. They had planned to disguise [REDACTED] as a woman because he had [REDACTED] [REDACTED] They disguised him. [REDACTED] did not know whether he could make this jump or not, so they had to bring another man in. They went out and searched for somebody outside the group. They did not like to do that, but they found a guy who would jump out of the plane with the money. This man liked the plan. One of the group brought him in the back way. He came in at the very last minute.

In the end, [REDACTED] decided to go ahead and do it himself. The outsider who was brought in to make the jump was named [REDACTED] He also had Oriental blood in him. [REDACTED] already knew about the plan now. So, [REDACTED] pipes up

and says, [REDACTED] So, [REDACTED] was to take several thousand dollars. He was also to meet [REDACTED] on the ground when [REDACTED] came out of the plane so that if anything happened [REDACTED] could help [REDACTED] get away. [REDACTED] was to take several thousand dollars to a place that one of the guys knew about up along the Columbia. He was to plant it there to be found and to throw everyone off this well laid plan.

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The time now comes down to the pilot's job. He was to take the plane and fly it over to the landing lights. He was to come in across the first beacon (the light on the end of the tall pole), hold to the left side and then they were to bail out, then he was to bring it back in.

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Part of the plan was that [REDACTED] was to have someone on the ground. They were to give his share of the money right away upon landing. [REDACTED] would have that because he did not want to wait the six months. He would have it cashed through his connections in Reno and there would be no trace back to him. It would be done practically before the plan ever got down on the ground. That was another man who was in on it. This man was known to [REDACTED]

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Aboard the plane, they were all seated. They had filled up the back section with their people. At the very last minute two other guys came in just because they wanted to go along for the ride. These other two were not even going to get a share. There were several that knew about the plan. These guys paid for their own tickets and were up in the other section, which made it even better. The plane filled up with passengers. The reason for taking this flight at the last minute - Thanksgiving Eve or whenever it was - was becasue this flight from Seattle to Portland was the only time when the airline would allow a husband and wife team to fly on the same plan. At least one guy at the airline knew the pilot and stewardess were married.

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[REDACTED] came back in the plane and recognized several of the guys. He started talking to one of them sitting in the back section. He knelt down and said [REDACTED] [REDACTED] looks back and saw [REDACTED] sitting in the back seat. [REDACTED] said [REDACTED] [REDACTED] looks at the seat right behind where he is kneeling and said [REDACTED] [REDACTED] What are you guys doing? It looks like you - " It looked like he was going to blow the whole thing right there. and so immediately the stewardess rushes him out. She said "Everybody take their seats back up there. You have to get back up there. We're going to take off." She ran him out and just on the way as she is push- ing him out [REDACTED] comes back. She says "You have to take your seat. You can talk after the flight gets going." He said "[REDACTED] is aboard". [REDACTED] waves at [REDACTED] The stewardess runs both [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] out.

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On taking off, they had agreed that the note was to be given to the stewardess who did not know what was going on because she would act more realistic. They got the money and people started getting off the plane. Some said they would stay aboard. Several in the back section got off the plane, plus the ones in the front section to make it looks more realis- tic. There were those sitting in the back section who remained on the plane. At one point, the co-pilot comes back to see if [REDACTED] has bailed out and they tell him that he had. He says they could take seats up in the other section of the plane. One of them said he didn't want to move and the co-pilot said "Well, that's okay. Just stay in your seat." One

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7Ra.C DB Cooper-19293

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r two of the guys [REDACTED] included, moved up one seat. Everything went off just like they wanted it to.

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When the pilot brought the plane in over that first light they wer to deploy the chutes. One of the chutes, along with the money bag, were thrown into the river. They opened it up and handed [REDACTED] the money. He almost jumped without the money. He released it when they passed the marker they were supposed to. It was tethered in the plane to the back seat with a long strap. The remaining part of that was cut loose with a sharp knife brought along just for that purpose.

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On the ground, [REDACTED] comes down just alittle bit past the marker light. There are two guys on the ground. [REDACTED] comes running over to him and says [REDACTED] says [REDACTED] He takes off running in the direction he had dropped the money. It was in a suitcase. They went over to the edge and from there they proceeded over to the cave. This cave is back away to the left some distance. [REDACTED] went in and turned on a small light he had in there. He had dug a place for the chute and to store part of the money. Their plan was to go around the country and cash it. He had [REDACTED] go out of the cave first and give [REDACTED] share to this other guy because he did not want him waiting around when he came out of the cave.

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There is a place a short distance from the cave where [REDACTED] would hole up and live. He has been there before in making a movie or something of this sort at one time. I would describe it only as being a kind of little crossroad there. They have a little shack, like the sort of thing fruit pickers stay in. It is a dusty place. [REDACTED] stays here with his son. His [REDACTED] and he is about [REDACTED] years old. [REDACTED] called his son because he felt he was having a heart attack and he had his son go over to the cave. He described to the boy exactly what he wanted him to do. The son went in the cave and found the little shelf that his father had dug in the wall of the cave with the dirt packed in it. He has one chute over the top of thie suitcase. The boy pulled the suitcase out. The parachute was also there. He was to cover them back up. The boy did what he was told only when he pulled the suitcase off the ledge he was in a hurry to get out of there and the suitcase edge caught on the parachute and pulled it out on the floor of the cave. The boy threw the suitcase out the opening and brought it back.

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As the boy was coming back to where his dad was, there were some other kids playing around the crossroads. A kid came up and the son opened the suitcase and showed this kid all the money that was in it. There was not that much still in it. His dad called him from the doorway and told him to come on in. They soon took off from that place and the suitcase was left in the attic. It had only a business card in it with some initials, 3-4 sets of initials.

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They then were to go to this meeting. They put on a [REDACTED] etc. in the [REDACTED] did not show at first. Finally he came, but he had not gotten all the money cashed. He thought he should have a bigger share of the money because now the FBI was notified by the guy who found the suitcase and they had spotted all this money. He felt that since the FBI knew who he was, or was on his tail, he should have a bigger share of the money to keep on the run, to keep out of their hands. It was important that he not be caught. I think most of them went along with that idea. Some of them had gotten their shares, but one share had not been passed. They arranged a place to pass money and information.

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TPQC DB Cooper-19294

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in port [guess: alive]

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(circled S symbol)

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[redacted] would sneak in to see his wife on at least one occasion when she would go out in an observation room. He also had a place where he would leave money tucked in this room. At least one other patient knew what was going on.

At a later date, the pilot and stewardess, with two kids in between them, went into the [redacted]. They wanted to get in touch with [redacted] who spent her time in a large clearing where the hospital ran a bus down there. They thought that if they got in touch with her, they could get in touch with [redacted]. They did not want to be seen, so they took a back trail in. They were having a violent argument all the way in. She wanted him to let her have the money for her operation and he wanted his own share. She won out. His money, by the way, was the only money that was wanted in clean money and that is why his was the last to be turned over. [redacted] had not gotten it all cashed and transferred. The pilot and stewardess went into the clearing and passed 1-2 people on the trail going in. Mostly kids playing. There was a man who worked for the Forest Service or for whoever controlled this forest there, and he had a good speaking voice. He gave a perfect speel about the trees and nature. The stewardess and pilot stopped remarking how good his voice was and he should be an actor. The guide replied he was a [redacted] and people hired him for jobs such as this. The guide would tend to remember that conversation and that compli- ment. [redacted] (or something similar) just watching the trees. She spent most of her days there. The pilot took off to the edge of the clearing and was not going to say anything to her. The steward- ess went around the edge of the [redacted] did not know her. The ranger introduced her to the stewardess as [redacted]. He then backed up a few steps. The stewardess started saying "Don't worry about the operation. Everything is going to be okay." She started to blurt out the whole thing. [redacted] got really nervous at that time and the stewardess again said "Don't worry about it." She referred to it as that other thing. The stewardees went around to the foot of the [redacted] and met the pilot. She introduced him to [redacted] and they left the clearing. There were one or two other people in something that may have been a small vehicle at the edge of the clearing.

Later on [redacted] died. The people who came to the funeral picked up a picture album of [redacted] and family. They turned it over to other people who knew [redacted]. These people were also in on it. They knew the drop zone. They took the pictures over to the drop zone and left them. They also picked up the money. They decided they would throw the FBI off. They showed up at the site with a [redacted]. They did not tell [redacted] and did not have any way of getting in touch with him except through this drop zone. The pictures are probably still there.

I made an attempt to get in touch with the FBI in Medford in the first year after this had happened. I was told that the man handling it was in Port- land. At that time, I did not have a phone. I dropped it at that time.

Later on, however, I realized that the FBI was saying that they knew who the person was, but they did not know his name. I instructed my secretary, the woman who was writing letters for me, to turn the information over on [redacted] to the FBI. She told me she took the letter and told the local FBI agent in Medford. I waited for some time and I never heard anymore about that. They never questioned me. I thought possibly they would.

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Rac

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DB Cooper-19295

Sometime later on, I realized through conversations I had overheard that someone knew about[REDACTED] who had witnessed what went on aboard the aircraft. A couple of men were talking in a group and said that he was the only one who could tie them in with that hijacking. They decided to eliminate him sometime in the future. There also was talk about getting rid of[REDACTED] who was also there. One of them said, "Well,[REDACTED] did not see us. He could not tie us in." They did not say how they were going to get rid of[REDACTED] I knew this guy was now a cop someplace, but I did not know where.

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I tried again to get in touch with the FBI by writing them a letter. I wrote the letter myself - admittedly not a great letter. I related no more than I had to, trying to get them interested. I waited for a response, but got none. I just threw it away finally. Later on, I find out by seeing it in the newspaper that[REDACTED] the only witness, had had an attempt made on his life. His life was spared because he wore a bullet proof vest. With this information, I felt I should write him a letter and try to get in touch with him. I wrote to him in care of the Los Angeles Police Department. I did not hear anything.

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The FBI had three agents out looking for the money after this thing in the field around these lights. I did see them spot the paracute rigging that they had used, the strap which had been thrown over there. One of them started to pick it up and then another said, "Leave it there. We'll pick it up on the way back." There were a lot of parachutes in this area, so they just left it there and I believe they did pick it up later. Also, this same area, later on these guys went back to see if there was any money there. They were just looking around. They knew[REDACTED] They were in on this thing. Possibly this is the gangster, the money changer that[REDACTED] had on the ground. Also, one of these parachutes was found by a young boy and he drug it out. It reached the floor of the cave where[REDACTED] went in to pick up the money. They spotted it later on. These other boys were in there playing with it. The parachutes had a dye mark or some kind of mark printing and there also was a swirl sewn over it, latest model of a colorful parachute. Also, there is another incident in which a couple of apparently FBI agents entered a cave in searching the area and one of them related that this particular cave had an entrance, doorway, in it where you could actually walk right in rather than climb. In this cave, about 10 ft. in there were a couple of real huge foot prints, several inches deep on the floor of the cave. One of the men related "I wonder who those belong to?" The other one said, "Well, if we knew who those belonged to, we'd probably have our man." I go back now in time to when those foot prints were made. They were made by a man named[REDACTED] He was in this cave and he was talking with this guy, who might have been[REDACTED] I don't know, but[REDACTED] was in that area. He was describing the color of[REDACTED] I have never heard of the color of[REDACTED] He kept tapping himself on the chest the way he does, jumping up and down saying,[REDACTED] He could not figure out what he was talking about. Then he explained it to him and he said, "Well, I've never heard of it." At that time, there was a lot of water and the ground was real soft. Apparently another layer of the roof had just come down to make it sandy. He made these big foot prints. [REDACTED] will go back to an incident down in Southern California in which this[REDACTED] who plays the[REDACTED] on TV. At that time, he was struggling as an actor and he also owned a small grocery store. Up above him there was a K-Mart that opened up. Of course, that took all his business away from him. He could not make it in the grocery. [REDACTED] was one of

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his customers. That is the end of that incident. Another incident that happens after the hijacking is that [REDACTED] is hiding out in a rich guy's house in Southern California I believe. There is a guy who plays the [REDACTED] This guy comes in late at night and while this rich guy is gone on vacation he is letting [REDACTED] camp out there at the house until he gets back. I don't think that guy knows what was going on, but he could have. This guy that plays the [REDACTED] he comes in there at night. He know [REDACTED] was having a rough time earlier. He had given him a little help, he thought. He gave him a couple of old johns, a sink and a toilet, that he no longer needed in building his new house because they decided to live in a trailer or something. He apparently knows this guy and this guy apparently knew what was going on. That's the end of that incident. I believe there was a small school bus, an older one, that [REDACTED] He was using that I believe at the time of at least a 6-8 month period. That's all for that. The latest is that I overheard a conversation that was really distressful. In part it had to do with the pilot. He had actually went to his boss or someone high in the airline and explained to him. His boss' reply was, "How could you get mixed up with these people?" Then I think they tried to quiet down the fact that he was married to the stewardess and they recalled the reward which really makes the airline guilty themselves. He also said that, "Well, maybe this FBI agent seems like a reasonable guy. Maybe if we said something to him that we didn't want....."

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[REDACTED] worked for the FBI [REDACTED] At the end of one, on [REDACTED] he and [REDACTED] made a [REDACTED] He was able to buy a copy of this.

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In Virginia City at an Albertson's store a man buys a large snow removal machine. This same man is later told by another man that the air line is not going to prosecute, so stay here and do not spend more money in large sums. He said that all he spent was for the snow machine. He lives in a complex of some kind.

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Pictures [REDACTED] left

Trail to [guess: MRD]

[guess: CLOVER]

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(7)

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DB Cooper-19297