Handwritten noteHandwritten letter from purported D.B. Cooper accomplice claiming Cooper has died (Sub 562)12 September 19721 page
handwritten_noteLegibility: medium

Part 113, page 300

DB Cooper-51872

Document date 12 September 1972

Open in FBI Vault (Part 113, page 300 of the PDF)

FBI 164-81, Vault Part 113 p. 300 (DB Cooper-51872), Handwritten note, dated 12 Sep 1972 — cooper.theunsolved.net/parts/Cooper-Part-113/pages/300

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

Sub 562

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Dear Sirs, [REDACTED] is dead. "D. B. Cooper" passed away [guess: AUGUST] b7C Sept. 12th. Together we both planned the most successful screening to date.

While he was alive, [REDACTED] refused to let me tell the public that he wasn't really bad. He died with the American people thinking he was just another "skyjacking terrorist." But he wasn't.

To me, and those of you who knew him, he was not "a ruthless criminal." He was a kind and gentle human being. He loved life and everything about it. When he found out that he had but months to live, he faced the news very bravely. Thinking did no good. What could I say? Just two years before, he lost his wife and daughter. I could sense a change coming over him. He was faced with death, but something else was on his mind. When he first told me about the job, I thought he was joking. He wasn't. After all, he had nothing to lose and [guess: PLENTY] to gain.

However, money wasn't the object. [REDACTED] b6 knew that he could. Demand almost any amount b7C and he'd probably get it. In fact, we gave almost $168,000 of the ransom money away to charities and families in need. He paid off all of [REDACTED] the hospital bills and gave [REDACTED] [guess: THEN] [REDACTED] we made it big up in Canada last year, but [guess: I'M] sure [REDACTED] guessed the truth. She never said nothing one way or the other. "D.B. Cooper" died thinking that [REDACTED] believed him.

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DB COOPER-51872