Portland to Director, Seattle, Sacramento re Richard T. Tosaw's Cooper search and publicity claims

PD0025 3571417Z RR HQ SE SC DE PD R 2391392 DEC 82

FM PORTLAND (164-41) TO DIRECTOR (164-2111)ROUTINE SEATTLE (164-81) ROUTINE SACRAMENTO (164-59) ROUTINE UNCLAS BT COOPER

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REF PORTLAND TELCAL TO FBIHQ UNIT CHIEF [REDACTED], CID, AND SUPERVISOR SEATTLE, THIS DATE.

PORTLAND DIVISION HAS RECEIVED MANY INQUIRIES INTO THE IDENTITY OF RICHARD T. TOSAW, PRESIDENT OF TOSAW PUBLISHING COMPANY, 2415 A LAWRENCE ST., CERES, CALIFORNIA, RESULTING FROM FREQUENT STATEMENTS HE HAS MADE ASSOCIATING HIMSELF WITH THE FBI, AND CAPTIONED INVESTIGATION. IN FREQUENT PRESS CONTACTS BY TOSAW HE HAS REPORTED BEING A FORMER FBI AGENT, AND ALLUDES TO AN ONGOING ASSOCIATION WITH SAME AND CAPTIONED INVESTIGATION. TOSAW HAS STATED HE IS WRITING A BOOK ABOUT COOPER ENTITLED "D.B. COOPER DEAD OR ALIVE?" WHICH HE HOPES TO RELEASE EARLY IN

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164-41-189[illegible]

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PAGE TWO PD 164-41 UNCLAS 1983. SOME PRESS SOURCES HAVE HEADLINED HIS ACTIVITIES AS "FORMER FBI AGENT CONTINUES SEARCH" AND "SEARCH FOR COOPER GOES ON," TO THE EXTENT WHERE PORTLAND HAS FOUND IT NECESSARY TO CLARIFY THAT TOSAW IS NO LONGER ASSOCIATED OR EMPLOYED WITH THE FBI. (FBIHQ PERSONNEL DIVISION ADVISED SA [REDACTED] ON NOVEMBER 4, 1982 THAT TOSAW WAS A SPECIAL AGENT FROM MARCH 19, 1951 TO DECEMBER 16, 1955, AND RESIGNED 27 YEARS AGO.)

PORTLAND HAS BEEN ADVISED BY LOCAL NEWS MEDIA SOURCES THAT TOSAW IS "USING" THE FBI TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY FOR HIS BOOK AND USING THE PRESS AND HIS "SEARCH" FOR FREE PUBLICITY. FOR THAT REASON MANY LOCAL TV, RADIO STATIONS, AND "THE OREGONIAN" HAVE RECENTLY REFUSED TO CARRY STORIES CONCERNING HIS ACTIVITIES. THE OREGONIAN, PORTLAND'S MAJOR NEWSPAPER, DID NOT CARRY THE RECENT UPI WIRE SERVICE STORY. SOME PREVIOUS ARTICLES WERE CRITICAL ALMOST RIDICULING, AS THE OREGONIAN ARTICLE OF NOVEMBER 24, 1982, WHICH STATES "ALTHOUGH TOSAW CLAIMS TO BE

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DB Cooper-43514

PAGE THREE PD 164-41 UNCLAS SERIOUS ABOUT FINDING COOPER'S PARACHUTE OR OTHER BELONGINGS, [REDACTED] THE RIVER AT A PAINSTAKINGLY SLOW HIS [REDACTED] PACE WITH A LARGE STEEL RAKE ATTACHED TO A ROPE."

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ON DECEMBER 15, 1992, A NEWS SOURCE ADVISED THAT TOSAW RENEWED HIS PUBLICITY EFFORTS, AND THAT A WIRE SERVICE STORY WAS GOING OUT REPORTING FINDINGS OF PORTIONS OF A PARACHUTE AND MONEY SACK, PROBABLY THAT OF COOPER'S. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FINDINGS WERE FURNISHED BY THE SOURCE. THE "EVIDENCE" CONSISTED OF NYLON CORD AND A BRIGHT GREEN PORTION OF NYLON CLOTH SIMILAR TO THAT USED ON SAILBOATS. PARACHUTES FURNISHED TO COOPER WERE WHITE, AND THERE WAS NO MONEY SACK ASSOCIATED WITH THE CASE.

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PORTLAND HAS CAREFULLY CHOSEN TO NEITHER INTERFERE WITH TOSAW'S RIGHT TO PUBLISH A BOOK AND DO RESEARCH ON COOPER, NOR TO INAPPROPRIATELY SPEND GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOLLOWING UP ON MATTERS CLEARLY NOT ASSOCIATED WITH KNOWN FACTS BUT WHICH APPEAR TO BE DERIVED IN THE FURTHERANCE OF A PRIVATE COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE. AS A RESULT, PORTLAND RESPONDED TO THE DELUGE OF NEWS INQUIRIES BY SIMPLY STATING THAT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEMS FOUND DID NOT MATCH THE PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE THAT LEFT THE AIRPLANE WITH MR. COOPER.

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PORTLAND IS CONCERNED THAT THE NEEDS OF THE BUREAU AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS INVESTIGATION OBJECTIVELY BE MET.

PORTLAND IS AWARE OF AND SENSITIVE TO THE NEED TO FULLY RESOLVE ANY PENDING INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING OBTAINING AND ASCERTAINING ANY PERTINENT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE PERTAINING TO SAME.

WE ARE COGNIZANT ALSO THAT MR. TOSAW'S EFFORTS, OR ANY OTHER PRIVATE ENDEAVOR, DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE DISCOVERY OF ANY PERTINENT INFORMATION OR EVIDENCE. HOWEVER, ANY INFORMATION, LEAD DATA, PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, ETC., WILL BE EVALUATED IN THE CONTEXT OF KNOWN FACTS, REASONABLENESS, AND ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION WHICH WILL NOT UNNECESSARILY DIMINISH THE INTEGRITY OF OUR INVESTIGATIVE EFFORTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE KIND OF PUBLIC FORUM GENERATED IN THIS KIND OF CASE.

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SINCE NEITHER THE GREEN CLOTH OR MONEY SACK COULD BE PART OF THIS CASE IT IS RECOMMENDED NO FURTHER ACTION CONCERNING THEM BE TAKEN. IT IS FURTHER THE RECOMMENDATION UACB, THAT ANY LEADS, RESULTING FROM MR. TOSAW'S "SEARCH" BE CLOSELY EVALUATED BY THE RECEIVING OFFICE TO DETERMINE THEIR VALUE IN RELATION TO KNOWN FACTS. ANY RESULTANT ACTION SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CONDUCTED TO AVOID UNNECESSARY PUBLICITY WHICH WOULD INDICATE THE FBI IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH MR. TOSAW, THAT HE IS ACTING IN ANY WAY AS A CONSULTANT FOR THE FBI, OR WHICH WOULD FURTHER SERVE AS AN AVENUE OF PUBLICITY TOWARD HIS PUBLICATION. NO PUBLIC COMMENTS SHOULD BE MADE WHICH WOULD JEOPARDIZE HIS ENDEAVOR; HOWEVER, UPON DEMAND LOCAL SOURCES WILL STILL BE APPRISED OF THE FACTS WHICH HAVE LONG BEEN PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE DURING THIS ELEVEN YEAR INVESTIGATION.

BT

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