Portland to Director re NORJAK suspect Merlin Gene Cooper
Document date 26 April 1988
Also filed at: Part 49 pp. 66–68 · Part 49 pp. 69–72 · Part 62 pp. 260–263 · Part 97 pp. 127–130
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Id: Cooper-Part-49:062-065
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-49:062-065 Document: Teletype Portland to Director re NORJAK suspect Merlin Gene Cooper Id: Cooper-Part-49:062-065 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-49%3A062-065 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 49 pp. 62–65 (DB Cooper-20151–20153), Teletype, dated 26 Apr 1988 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-49%3A062-065
FORMS.TEXT HAS 1 DOCUMENT INBOX.1 (#747) TEXT: VZCZCPD0008 PP HQ OC SE LA MI DE PD #0008. 1172304 ZNR UUUUU P 262255Z APR 88 FM PORTLAND (164A-41) P TO DIRECTOR (164-2111) PRIORITY OKLAHOMA CITY (MUSKEGO RA) ROUTINE SEATTLE PRIORITY LOS ANGELES PRIORITY MILWAUKEE PRIORITY BT UNCLAS ATTENTION: IDENTIFICATION DIVISION, [REDACTED] NORJAK; OO: SEATTLE.
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. FOR INFORMATION OF BUREAU AND RECEIVING OFFICES, SUSPECT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN CAPTIONED MATTER THROUGH INVESTIGATION AT PORTLAND DIVISION, WHO RESIDED IN PENDLETON, OREGON, IN 1970 THROUGH 1972, LEFT FOR TWO WEEKS DURING TIME OF HIJACKING, NOVEMBER 24, 1971, CAME BACK LIMPING AND INJURED, FIT THE DESCRIPTION OF HIJACKER KNOWN AS "D.B. COOPER," GAVE A PAINTING TO A PENDLETON RESIDENT IN 1972,
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Sur Merylo Gene Cooper
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INDICES MANUAL [checkmark] FOIMS [checkmark] CONFIDENTIAL ______
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164A-81-8915 [stamp] APR 26 1988 SEATTLE [routing] To: [REDACTED] N
PAGE TWO DE PD 0008 UNCLAS
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SIGNING SAME "D.B. COOPER," AND DISPLAYED ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A CON-MAN, INCLUDING MARRYING A WOMAN [REDACTED] OLDER AND SPENDING [REDACTED] OF HER MONEY. AT LEAST TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO KNEW HIM PERSONALLY THROUGH FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS THOUGHT HE WAS D.B. COOPER AT THE TIME THE COMPOSITE SKETCH CAME OUT IN THE NEWSPAPERS IN 1971, BUT WERE RELUCTANT TO CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.
THE SUSPECT RETURNED TO PENDLETON, OREGON, JUST BEFORE THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS IN 1971 LIMPING, INJURED, SOMEWHAT DEPRESSED BUT WITHOUT ANY OBVIOUS EXTRA MONEY; HOWEVER, IT IS FELT THAT THE HIJACKER MAY HAVE LOST THE MONEY UPON EXITING THE BOEING 727 AIRCRAFT IN VIEW OF THE FACT PART OF IT WAS RECOVERED BY BUREAU AGENTS IN THE PORTLAND DIVISION IN THE LATE 1970'S WHEN IT WASHED ASHORE FROM THE COLUMBIA RIVER. THE SUSPECT DEVELOPED WAS 37 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF THE HIJACKING AND COMMITTED SUICIDE AT THE AGE OF 39, ALLEGEDLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET ATTENTION FROM YOUNG WOMEN IN A DORMITORY NEARBY AND FROM HIS ESTRANGED WIFE. SUSPECT HAD BEEN ASSIGNED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL DUTIES IN PAST MILITARY ASSIGNMENT AND HAD SEVERAL PRIOR ARRESTS FOR FRAUD IN OREGON, WISCONSIN AND CALIFORNIA. IN ADDITION, AUTOPSY AT TIME OF DEATH TWO YEARS AFTER HIJACKING SHOWED SUSPECT HAD A CONTUSION BELOW THE KNEE FROM A PRIOR
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DB Cooper-20151
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b6 b7C
PAGE THREE DE PD 0008 UNCLAS INJURY.
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71 34 38
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FOLLOWING INFORMATION PROVIDED REGARDING SUSPECT: NAME - MERLIN GENE COOPER, AKA JOHN T. TITAN, JOHN COOP TITAN; DOB JULY 8, 1934 (WITNESSES DESCRIBED HIM AS 40 TO 48); POB WISCONSIN; FBI NUMBER 115541D; OREGON SID NUMBER 291 33 33; HEIGHT 6'2"; WEIGHT 170 POUNDS; COMPLEXION - PHOTOGRAPHS RECENTLY OBTAINED FROM MUSKEGO, OKLAHOMA, DEPICTS SUBJECT WITH DARKER COMPLEXION; BROWN HAIR (HAD DYED HIS HAIR BLACK IN PAST); BLUE EYES; SCARS - RIGHT WRIST, RIGHT FOREARM, RIGHT LEG; TATTOOS - RIGHT FOREARM; SOC 397-28-6121; OTHER CHARACTERISTICS - CIGARETTE STAINS ON RIGHT HAND.
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THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION IS TAKEN FROM FILE REGARDING WITNESSES' DESCRIPTIONS OF HIJACKER DAN COOPER: WHITE MALE AMERICAN, MID-FORTIES, 6', 170 TO 175 POUNDS, OLIVE COMPLEXION OR MEDIUM TO SWARTHY COMPLEXION, BLACK HAIR, BROWN EYES, AVERAGE TO WELL-BUILT, CIGARETTE STAINS ON RIGHT HAND.
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LOS ANGELES AT SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA. WILL FURNISH ARREST REPORT FROM SANTA ANA SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN 1960 FOR "INSUFFICIENT FUNDS" CHECK AND A PHOTO IF AVAILABLE.
MILWAUKEE AT MADISON, WISCONSIN. 1. WILL FURNISH ARREST REPORT FROM 1959 ARREST BY MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR "FAMILY
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DB Cooper-20152
PAGE FOUR DE PD 0008 UNCLAS
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OFFENSE - NON-SUPPORT". 2. WILL ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON MERLIN COOPER'S FAMILY THROUGH INQUIRY WITH HIS BIRTH RECORD AT DEPARTMENT OF VITAL STATISTICS IN AN ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY COOPER'S PARENTS AND/OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, NOTING COOPER WAS ALLEGEDLY VERY CLOSE TO MOTHER AND MAY HAVE CONFIDED INFORMATION IN HER RELATIVE TO HIJACKING IF SHE CAN BE LOCATED. 3. CONDUCT ANY OTHER PERTINENT INVESTIGATION IN AN EFFORT TO LOCATE ANY OF COOPER'S RELATIVES, NOTING HE WAS BORN IN WISCONSIN AND POSSIBLY RAISED THERE.
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SEATTLE AT SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. WILL FURNISH PORTLAND AVAILABLE KNOWN ADDRESSES FOR WITNESSES IN THIS MATTER AS PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED.
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REQUEST OF THE BUREAU:
THE IDENTIFICATION DIVISION IS REQUESTED TO COMPARE KNOWN FINGERPRINTS OF SUSPECT MERLIN GENE COOPER, DOB JULY 8, 1934, WITH ALL LATENTS TAKEN FROM BOEING 727 AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENT TO HIJACKING IN 1971. THE BUREAU IS ALSO REQUESTED TO FURNISH ANY INFORMATION FROM MILITARY RECORDS AVAILABLE ON MERLIN COOPER, NOTING M.N. USER UMBRELLA NUMBER IN NCIC PRINT-OUT WAS OA-OSP-32061.
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BT #0008 [initials: HM or JM]
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NNNN
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DB Cooper-20153
Serials: 164-2111, 397-28-6121, PD 164-41, SE 164-81-8915