Portland to Director re interviews of finders of the ransom money

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: [X] Teletype [ ] Immediate [ ] TOP SECRET [ ] Facsimile [X] Priority [ ] SECRET [ ] ___________ [ ] Routine [ ] CONFIDENTIAL [ ] UNCLAS E F T O [X] UNCLAS Date FEBRUARY 20, 1980

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251 2300

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FM PORTLAND (164-41) P TO DIRECTOR (164-2111) PRIORITY SEATTLE (164-81) PRIORITY 00642

BT

UNCLAS

ATTN.: PERSONAL CRIMES UNIT NORJAK; OO:SEATTLE.

RE TELEPHONE CALLS FROM SUPERVISOR [REDACTED], PERSONAL b6 CRIMES UNIT, TO PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 19 AND 20, 1980. b7C

IN RESPONSE TO BUREAU REQUEST FOR SUMMARY OF INFORMATION ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS MATTER, THE FOLLOWING IS SET FORTH:

AT APPROXIMATELY 5:00 P.M., FEBRUARY 11, 1980, [REDACTED] b6 [REDACTED], VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, TELEPHONICALLY b7C CONTACTED THE PORTLAND OFFICE TO ADVISE HE HAD FOUND SOME OLD DE- COMPOSED $20 BILLS, AND HE WANTED TO KNOW WHETHER THE BILLS WERE BEING SOUGHT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES. NCIC CHECKS OF THREE SERIAL NUMBERS FURNISHED BY [REDACTED] DISCLOSED TWO WERE ON NORJAK b6 RANSOM LIST. THIRD SERIAL NUMBER FURNISHED CONTAINED TOO MANY b7C

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[stamp] RPI (1)

Searched ____ Serialized ____ Indexed ____ Filed ____

164-41-1791

Approved: [REDACTED] Transmitted 4/001 2307 Per [REDACTED] (Number) (Time)

FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43236

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: ☐ Teletype ☐ Immediate ☐ TOP SECRET ☐ Facsimile ☐ Priority ☐ SECRET ☐ ________ ☐ Routine ☐ CONFIDENTIAL ☐ UNCLAS E F T O ☐ UNCLAS Date ________

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PAGE TWO PD 164-41 UNCLAS

DIGITS AND WAS NOT A HIT. [REDACTED], WHO HAD BEEN CALLING FROM COIN TELEPHONE FROM VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, CALLED BACK AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 P.M. TO DETERMINE RESULTS OF NCIC CHECK AND WAS TOLD FBI WAS INTERESTED IN THE MONEY. APPOINTMENT WAS MADE FOR HIM TO BRING MONEY TO PORTLAND OFFICE, 9:00 A.M., FEBRUARY 12, 1980. AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 A.M., FEBRUARY 12, 1980, [REDACTED] [REDACTED], APPEARED AT PORTLAND OFFICE AND FURNISHED PORTLAND CASE AGENT, SA RALPH P. HIMMELSBACH, WITH PLASTIC BAGGIE CONTAINING SEVERAL CLUMPS OF $20 BILLS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH SERIAL NUMBERS PREVIOUSLY CHECKED, AND ADDITIONAL NUMBERS CONTAINED ON RANSOM LIST AND IDENTIFIABLE AS RANSOM. [REDACTED] STATED THEY HAD BEEN ON FAMILY OUTING ON BEACH OF COLUMBIA RIVER NEAR LAKE VANCOUVER, VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 10, 1980, WHEN [REDACTED] DECIDED TO BUILD A BONFIRE. HE ASSEMBLED SOME DRIFTWOOD, AND AS HE STARTED TO PLACE IT ON THE BEACH SAND TO BUILD A FIRE, [REDACTED] BENT DOWN AND, WITH HIS HANDS, SMOOTHED THE SAND TO CLEAR A PLACE TO BUILD THE FIRE. AT THAT MOMENT, [REDACTED] WITH HIS HANDS, A BUNDLE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MONEY IN THIS MATTER. THE MONEY, AT THAT

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Approved: ________ Transmitted ________ Per ________ (Number) (Time) FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43237

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: ☐ Teletype ☐ Immediate ☐ TOP SECRET (struck through) ☐ Facsimile ☐ Priority ☐ SECRET (struck through) ☐ ___________ ☐ Routine ☐ CONFIDENTIAL (struck through) ☐ UNCLAS E F T O (struck through) ☒ UNCLAS Date ___________

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PAGE THREE PD 164-41 UNCLAS

TIME, WAS IN A PARCEL BARELY HELD TOGETHER BY DECOMPOSED RUBBER- BANDS WHICH CRUMBLED AND FELL AWAY UPON BEING HANDLED. VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY EXAMINED AND HANDLED THE MONEY WHICH THEY THEN TOOK HOME WITH THEM THAT EVENING. THE FOLLOWING DAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1980, [REDACTED] RELATED THE STORY OF THE FINDING OF THE MONEY TO FELLOW EMPLOYEES AT U-CART MANUFACTURING COMPANY, VANCOUVER, WHERE [REDACTED], AND THEY TOLD HIM ABOUT THE COOPER SKYJACKING CASE AND POSSIBILITY THAT THE MONEY MAY HAVE COME FROM THIS RANSOM. HE THEN CONTACTED THE PORTLAND FBI OFFICE UPON GETTING OFF OF WORK THAT DAY.

AT APPROXIMATELY 3:00 P.M., FEBRUARY 12, 1980, [REDACTED] APPEARED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE PORTLAND FBI OFFICE AT WHICH TIME [REDACTED] RELATED TO THE PRESS THE ABOVE STORY RELATING TO THE FINDING OF THE MONEY. ON FEBRUARY 13, 1980, [REDACTED], [REDACTED], VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, TELEPHONICALLY CONTACTED SA HIMMELSBACH AT THE PORTLAND FBI OFFICE TO ADVISE THAT THE STORY OF THE FINDING OF THE MONEY BY [REDACTED] WAS NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE. SHE STATED THAT THE MONEY HAD ACTUALLY BEEN FOUND BY [REDACTED]

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Approved: ___________ Transmitted ___________ Per ___________ (Number) (Time)

FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43238

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b6 b7C

b6 b7C

b6 b7C

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: ☐ Teletype ☐ Immediate ☐ TOP SECRET (struck) ☐ Facsimile ☐ Priority ☐ SECRET (struck) ☐ ________ ☐ Routine ☐ CONFIDENTIAL (struck) ☐ UNCLAS EFTO (struck) ☑ UNCLAS Date ________

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PAGE FOUR PD 164-41 UNCLAS

WHO WERE PLAYING TOGETHER IN THE SAND BY THE FIRE WHILE, AT THE TIME THE MONEY WAS FOUND, [REDACTED] WAS MANY FEET AWAY FROM THE FIRE AND THE PLACE WHERE THE MONEY WAS FOUND AND WAS ACTUALLY NEAR THE WATER'S EDGE. UNDER CLOSE QUESTIONING ABOUT THE ENTIRE INCIDENT, [REDACTED] INDICATED THAT PERHAPS NOT ALL OF THE MONEY HAD BEEN TURNED IN BY [REDACTED]

[REDACTED] SHE AGREED TO DO WHAT SHE COULD TO SEE THAT THE REMAINDER OF THE RANSOM THAT HAD BEEN FOUND WAS TURNED IN TO THE FBI. ON FEBRUARY 14, 1980, [REDACTED], AFTER MAKING AN APPOINTMENT, APPEARED AT THE PORTLAND FBI OFFICE AND TURNED IN FOUR MORE $20 BILLS FROM THE RANSOM. AT THAT TIME, SHE REITERATED HER PREVIOUS ACCOUNT OF THE MONEY BEING ACTUALLY FOUND BY [REDACTED]

[REDACTED]. TELEPHONICALLY AGAIN ON FEBRUARY 19, 1980, [REDACTED] REITERATED HER EARLIER STORY THAT THE MONEY HAD ACTUALLY BEEN FOUND BY [REDACTED] WHILE [REDACTED] WAS QUITE A DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE [REDACTED] BY THE WATER'S EDGE.

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Approved: ________ Transmitted ________ Per ________ (Number) (Time) FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43239

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: ☐ Teletype ☐ Immediate ☐ TOP SECRET ☐ Facsimile ☐ Priority ☐ SECRET ☐ ___________ ☐ Routine ☐ CONFIDENTIAL ☐ UNCLAS E F T O ☐ UNCLAS Date ___________

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PAGE FIVE PD 164-41 UNCLAS

ON FEBRUARY 20, 1980, [REDACTED] TELE- PHONICALLY CONTACTED SA HIMMELSBACH, ADVISING THAT SHE HAD HEARD ON THE RADIO THAT THE FBI WAS MAKING AN AWARD TO [REDACTED] FOR HAVING FOUND THE MONEY. SHE WANTED TO CONFIRM THIS. SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE PORTLAND DIVISION HAD NO SUCH INFORMATION. SHE THEN ASKED IF [REDACTED] HAD VISITED THE PORTLAND OFFICE, WHICH WAS ACKNOWLEDGED, AND SHE ASKED IF [REDACTED] BROUGHT ANYTHING WITH HER, AND THIS WAS ACKNOWLEDGED, AND SHE THEN ASKED HOW MANY, AND WAS TOLD FOUR. SHE THEN SAID THAT SHE AND [REDACTED] HAD KEPT TWO BILLS EACH FROM THE RANSOM MONEY FOUND FOR SOUVENIRS NOT REALIZING WHAT IT WAS, AND THAT WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE EX- PLAINED TO THEM, THEY, [REDACTED], RETURNED THE MONEY TO THE PORTLAND FBI OFFICE. [REDACTED] THEN REITERATED THE ACCOUNT PREVIOUSLY FURNISHED BY [REDACTED] AS TO THE FINDING OF THE MONEY BY [REDACTED], AND STATED THAT [REDACTED] WAS NOT AT THE POINT PLAYING WITH [REDACTED] WHEN THE MONEY WAS FOUND. SHE STATED THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME ANIMOSITY IN THE FAMILY INASMUCH AS [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

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Approved: ___________ Transmitted ___________ Per ___________ (Number) (Time) FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43240

FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-78)

FBI

TRANSMIT VIA: PRECEDENCE: CLASSIFICATION: ☐ Teletype ☐ Immediate ☐ TOP SECRET ☐ Facsimile ☐ Priority ☐ SECRET ☐ ___________ ☐ Routine ☐ CONFIDENTIAL ☐ UNCLAS E F T O ☒ UNCLAS Date ___________

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PAGE SIX PD 164-41 UNCLAS

IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE DISPARITY OF STORIES RELATED BY VARIOUS

MEMBERS OF THE [REDACTED], THE PORTLAND OFFICE FEELS THAT

THE INTRAFAMILY RELATIONSHIP OF THE [REDACTED] WILL NOT BE ENHANCED

BY THE RECOGNITION OF THE BUREAU OF THE FINDING OF THE MONEY BY

ANY WRITTEN COMMUNICATION.

ARMED AND DANGEROUS.

BT

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b6 b7C

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#

Approved: ___________ Transmitted ___________ ___________ Per ___________ (Number) (Time) FBI/DOJ DB Cooper-43241