Handwritten letter from Salem, Oregon to 'Mother' dated 24 November 1967
Document date 24 November 1967
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Id: Cooper-Part-97:165-166
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-97:165-166 Document: Handwritten letter from Salem, Oregon to 'Mother' dated 24 November 1967 Id: Cooper-Part-97:165-166 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-97%3A165-166 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
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FBI 164-81, Vault Part 97 pp. 165–166 (DB Cooper-43696–43697), Letter, dated 24 Nov 1967 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-97%3A165-166
2605 State Street Salem, Oregon 97310
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24 [guess: November] 67
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Dear Mom:
Well, its been a long time, hasn't it? I could guess it was as hard for you to write that last letter as it is for me to write this one.
Its been about eight years now since I have seen you. Seems much longer. Im 33 now and Im sure Ive lived the life of most people your age. Thats why I can understand the unhappiness in your life. For one person or another Im sure I have been a good part of the unhappiness you have had. I wish it could have been different, what happened?
Up until about six or seven months ago I never took the time to worry or wonder why things turned out as they have. Perhaps now I know. Im probably [guess: closer] now to the man you wanted me to be than ever before. In fact, I don't hardly believe how much my thinking has changed.
You know the only thing that bothers me right now is here I am 33 years old and I don't even have a close friend. I guess up until now I never really wanted one. For one thing if your not close with someone they sure can't hurt you.
You know its one thing not to have compassion for anyone, but its much harder to have compassion for many and not be able to show it. As you can see life hasn't been the happiest for me either. I know who's fault that is, its mine. Was I like that as a little boy?
I can remember when I was small I liked everybody and wanted them to like me. Somewhere I got the idea, and I don't know how old I was when this happened, that I wasn't getting my share in return.
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DB Cooper-43696
So I guess thats why I became the way I have been. I know I was wrong but, Do I deserve all the blame? Maybe this seem childish for me to say at this time, but I dont thinks so. I may be wrong but, I think that you and I looked for many of the same things in life. I cant explain why I think this way but I do. Also I think both of us have missed many of these things. If this is true I really know how much you have suffered. I know when I was small I did some things that made you proud. As easy as [guess: if] everything was for me I'm sure if things would have went right you would be the proudest mother alive. So I guess we cheated you out of many years. I dont wish to cheat you out of anymore. This first half of life has been full of mistakes. Maybe though enough [guess: profit] has been gained to make the next half that much better. I will try to gain from now on all that I have missed. I have no doubt that this will be accomplished. [guess: Ofcourse] I cant undo all the suffering I have caused. I wish there was some way I could. If there was I would do it. You know ever since I was pretty small I was unhappy. Did I seem like that to you? You remember how much I went up into The Bluffs alone? or didn't you know that I went alone? I did because I wanted to be alone. I never seemed to be able to put across how I really felt. So I gave up trying. I told people what they wanted to hear, even when I didn't mean it. Thats how things got so mixed up for me.
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DB Cooper-43697
Serials: 43696