Interview of Los Angeles investigator hired by newspaper to develop Cooper suspect
Interviewed 20 November 1972Dictated 21 November 1972Transcribed 22 November 1972
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Id: Cooper-Part-60:115-118
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-60:115-118 Document: FD-302 interview of Los Angeles investigator hired by newspaper to develop Cooper suspect Id: Cooper-Part-60:115-118 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-60%3A115-118 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 60 pp. 115–118 (DB Cooper-24779–24782), FD-302 interview, interviewed 20 Nov 1972 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-60%3A115-118
FD-302 (Rev. 11-27-70)
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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
1 Date of transcription 11/22/72
[REDACTED], West Los Angeles, California, was interviewed at the Los Angeles Office of the FBI, and advised as follows:
During the latter part of June 1972, or the first part of July 1972, he was hired by [REDACTED] [REDACTED] newspaper, to [REDACTED] [REDACTED] had indicated the purpose of the [REDACTED] was to establish the [REDACTED] of a Northwest Airline's airplane at Seattle, Washington, in November 1971. He was to [REDACTED] [REDACTED]
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[REDACTED] advised that during the course of this [REDACTED] in July 1972, he had conversed with [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. He stated the results of this conversation and the events surrounding same were recorded by him in a report prepared and furnished to [REDACTED]. He displayed a copy of a 21 page typewritten report and pointed out page 17 of this document which he advised contained the results of his interview with [REDACTED] in Bremerton, Washington.
The results of this conversation as set forth in this document by [REDACTED] are as follows:
"INTERVIEW WITH [REDACTED]
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"On July 27, 1972, at 5:30 P.M. I was eating dinner in the bar area of the Melody Lane Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant. Two men came in matching the general description of [REDACTED] and a man walked over to me identifying himself as [REDACTED] and introduced himself. He invited me to bring my dinner into the restaurant portion of the Melody Lane Cocktail Lounge. [REDACTED] was slim, balding and was wearing a flowered sport shirt. He had a [REDACTED]
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Interviewed on 11/20/72 at West Los Angeles, Calif- ornia File # Los Angeles 164-497 - 6[illegible]
by SA [REDACTED] /clp Date dictated 11/21/72
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.nor duplicated within your agency. DB Cooper-24779
2 LA 164-497
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[REDACTED] was wearing a white shirt with tie and no jacket. He was taller than [REDACTED] somewhat and was wearing a full beard that was short. He said that they understood that I was looking for them all over town and I said that I was simply asking questions. They indicated that they had enough publicity about the matter already and that my asking questions around town was ruining their reputations. I then reminded [REDACTED],that in fact he had gone to the Bremerton Sun after he had spoken with you. [REDACTED] was somewhat flustered by that comment and then turned toward [REDACTED] and said that [REDACTED] was certainly not looking for any publicity. [REDACTED] put on a great show of appearing hurt and having his ego damaged. They were quite upset about my asking questions about them around town and they said that [REDACTED] [REDACTED] said that he would see what he could do about stopping me from [REDACTED] and he said that he would do this by asking his attorney what could be done. It should be noted that [REDACTED] was served coffee at the bar and that the waitress who is known as [REDACTED] said to [REDACTED] when he came in I'll get you your coffee. [REDACTED] was served a drink. I asked both [REDACTED] about what had happened in regards to the whole affair. They indicated that they had expected to hear from you since May 2, 1972, and I believe that this is the date that they were both arrested. He said that if you were being watched or felt that you were being watched, he felt that you could have certainly sent someone else in your place to speak with them. I told them that we had contemplated this move but figured that it would not pay off insofar as they were both charged with criminal counts and would not discuss anything with us. They did state, however, that if I would have simply contacted them when I arrived in town that they would have told me everything if I simply would have contacted them first. I then pointed out to [REDACTED] that there were many inconsistencies in [REDACTED] that he had given to you. He said that you had gotten [REDACTED] and I said that I could prove that his background did not match the [REDACTED] comment was, "so what".
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DB Cooper-24780
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b6 b7C
3 LA 164-497
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[REDACTED] then suggested that I should read the July issue of "Moneysworth Magazine" written by Ginsberg. He said there was an article in there about honesty and then went on relating something to the fact that every time a policeman makes an arrest we all feel more honest. He evidently was trying to make some sort of philosophical comment about honesty and lying but I'm sure that [REDACTED] could take his own advice.
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[REDACTED] said that his reputation was at stake and that his family had been in the area for [REDACTED]
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"They also said that I was going around town saying things. [REDACTED] claimed that I said that I was [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and I said that was not the case. I said that I had stated that I was [REDACTED] and that I had made inquiries about [REDACTED] in the [REDACTED] I also told [REDACTED] that I had gotten all of my information from the man at the bank who [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and who [REDACTED] At that point [REDACTED] asked, [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] said, "Oh, you know that [REDACTED] asked if I knew that the case was being litigated, I said yes, that I understood that it was suppose to be in litigation at the present time.
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"They said that they had numerous reports on where I had been and what I had been doing. They said they knew that I was talking with the [REDACTED] that I had been at the Court House and in fact they knew that I was standing waiting for a cab that afternoon.
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"They asked me where I was staying and I gave them the name of the motel and phone number in Seattle.
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[REDACTED] said that the FBI in Bremerton knows both of them by first-name basis. [REDACTED] also complained that the FBI took his sunglasses and dug up his backyard. [REDACTED] said that he had been getting extortion notes and threats and threatening phone calls to kill him.
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DB Cooper-24781
4 LA 164-497
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"On a couple of occasions [REDACTED] told [REDACTED] to keep quiet. [REDACTED] asked if I was principally doing a dossier on him and I said that I was doing one on both of them but the emphasis was certainly on him. I believe that [REDACTED] were tipped off to my presence which had been principally my plan, by a cocktail waitress by the name of [REDACTED]. Her first name was [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] is simply a nickname. She claims to be [REDACTED]
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"The dinner waitress who served us in the restaurant portion of the cocktail lounge was a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and she was the [REDACTED] left at about 6:00 P.M. after they said there was really nothing further to talk about and that I was simply trying to get information on them and I would probably hold everything against them."
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b6 b7C
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DB Cooper-24782
Serials: LA 164-497