Director FBI to all offices re NORJAK press-release summary and suspect description
Document date 5 May 1978
Also filed at: Part 41 pp. 424–427
Copies may differ in what was redacted.
Report a problem
Email this to [email protected]
Id: Cooper-Part-62:150-153
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-62:150-153 Document: Teletype Director FBI to all offices re NORJAK press-release summary and suspect description Id: Cooper-Part-62:150-153 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-62%3A150-153 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 62 pp. 150–153 (DB Cooper-25717, DB Cooper-25718, DB Cooper-25720), Teletype, dated 5 May 1978, serial 64-4177-971 (as read from the transcript) — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-62%3A150-153
TELETYPE ROOM MAY 5 1 42 AM '78
---
VZCZCHOQ950
R AFD
DE HQ 0030 1250837 ZNR UUUUU
R 050424Z MAY 78 FM DIRECTOR, FBI —7 [164-CIT] TO ALL FBI FIELD OFFICES ROUTINE BT UNCLAS NORJAK (A), OO: SEATTLE.
THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY OF FACTS REPRESENTS WHAT SEATTLE CONSIDERS THE ONLY INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE RELEASED TO THE PRESS:
"A LONE WHITE MALE BOARDED NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES FLIGHT NUMBER 305 AT PORTLAND, OREGON, ON NOVEMBER 24, 1971. AT APPROXIMATELY 3:22 PM, WHILE THE FLIGHT WAS EN ROUTE TO SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, HE INDICATED TO A STEWARDESS THAT HIS BRIEFCASE CON- TAINED A BOMB WHICH WOULD BLOW UP THE PLANE UNLESS HIS DEMANDS WERE MET.
"THE HIJACKER DEMANDED $200,000 AND FOUR PARACHUTES IN
---
[64 - 4177 - 971] SEARCHED......INDEXED...... SERIALIZED......FILED......
Alston (INFO) DB Cooper-25717
PAGE TWO DE HQ 0030 UNCLAS EXCHANGE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE 36 PASSENGERS ABOARD THE PLANE. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT SEATTLE, NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES COMPLIED WITH HIS INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER HE RECEIVED THE PARACHUTES AND MONEY, THE HIJACKER ALLOWED ALL PASSENGERS AND TWO OF THE AIRLINES STEWARDESSES TO DEPLANE.
"HE THEN ORDERED THE REMAINING CREW MEMBERS INTO THE FIRST CLASS SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND INFORMED THEM HE DESIRED TO FLY TO MEXICO CITY. THE HIJACKER INSTRUCTED THAT THE PLANE PROCEED IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION AND FLY AT A LOW ALTITUDE AND SLOW SPEED WHICH ENABLE THE REAR DOOR OF THE PLANE TO BE OPEN DURING THE FLIGHT.
"THE HIJACKER APPARENTLY BAILED OUT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SEATTLE AND RENO, NEVADA, WHERE, WHEN THE PLANE LANDED, IT WAS DETERMINED THE HIJACKER, AND THE RANSOM MONEY, HAD DISAPPEARED.
"ARTIST CONCEPTION DRAWINGS OF THE HIJACKER WERE PREPARED BY THE FBI EXHIBIT SECTION. HE IS DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
"WHITE MALE, AGE MIDDLE 40S, HEIGHT 5'10" TO 6'0", WEIGHT 170 TO 180 POUNDS, COMPLEXION OLIVE, LATIN APPEARANCE, MEDIUM SMOOTH, HAIR DARK BROWN OR BLACK, PARTED ON THE LEFT AND COMBED BACK, EYES POSSIBLY BROWN. DURING LATTER PART OF FLIGHT HE
---
DB Cooper-25718
PAGE THREE DE HQ 0030 UNCLAS
PUT ON DARK WRAP AROUND SUNGLASSES WITH DARK RIMS, VOICE LOW, SPOKE INTELLIGENTLY, NO PARTICULAR ACCENT, POSSIBLY FROM THE MID-WESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES; CHARACTERISTICS SMOKER OF RALEIGH FILTER TIP CIGARETTES, WEARING APPAREL: BLACK OR BROWN SUIT; NARROW BLACK TIE, BLACK DRESS SUIT; BLACK RAIN-TYPE OVERCOAT OR DARK TOP COAT; DARK BRIEFCASE OR ATTACHE CASE, CARRIED A PAPER BAG 4 X 12 X 14 INCHES; BROWN SHOES. REMARKS: VERY POLITE AT ALL TIMES.
"ANYONE HAVING ANY INFORMATION OR KNOWLEDGE BELIEVED TO PERTAIN TO THIS INDIVIDUAL, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE NEAREST FBI FIELD OFFICE, THE TELEPHONE NUMBER OF WHICH APPEARS ON THE FIRST PAGE OF MOST LOCAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES."
THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE AT FBIHQ ADVISED SEATTLE THAT THEY DESIRED TO BE PRECLUDED FROM RESPONDING TO PRESS INQUIRIES CON- CERNING THIS MATTER.
ANY ADDITIONAL PRESS INQUIRIES CONCERNING THIS HIJACKING, SHOULD BE REFERRED TO THE SEATTLE DIVISION. SEATTLE IS ESPECIALLY DESIROUS TO LIMIT ALL SPONTANEOUS PRESS RELEASES BY OTHER FIELD DIVISIONS OTHER THAN SEATTLE BECAUSE IT IS DURING THESE PRESS RELEASES THAT CONTRADICTIONS OCCUR AND CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE FOUR DE HQ 0030 UNCLAS INFORMATION IS MOST LIKELY TO BE RELEASED INADVERTENTLY. ARMED AND DANGEROUS. BT 0030
---
NNNN
---
DB Cooper-25720
Serials: 64-4177-971