Part 54, page 200

Transcript

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FD-350 (Rev. 7-16-63)

(Mount Clipping In Space Below)

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If alive, he'll be 'free' Nov. 24 Time is on D.B. Cooper's side

By Bud May Daily News Senior Staff Writer

If he's still alive, and there's some suspicion he's not, the mysterious skyjacker known as D.B. Cooper need stay hidden only 22 weeks longer to avoid prosecution under a federal law pertaining to air piracy.

It was on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 24, 1971, that Cooper vanished with $200,000 ransom after para- chuting, apparently over the Lewis River area east of Woodland, from a jetliner he had hijacked with a bomb threat.

The statute of limitations on the widely publi- cized crime expires this coming Nov. 24, meaning he will not be subject to arrest and prosecution after that date.

It does not mean, however, that Cooper can feel free to surface and start spending the money. The Internal Revenue Service has determined he owes the government back taxes totaling more than $218,000 on his plunder, including interest and penalties. A Longview FBI agent, however, feels the IRS will never collect—he believes Cooper plunged into Lake Merwin and drowned.

Regardless of what happens, Cooper remains the most celebrated, if that's the proper word, of American air pirates.

On the date, a man calling himself Dan Cooper (it somehow became D.B. Cooper in news stories about the crime) bought a ticket in Portland for a flight to Seattle.

After boarding a Northwest Airlines jetliner, the man—described as calm, middle-aged and well-dressed, gave a stewardess a note shortly after takeoff.

The stewardess, Florence Schaffner, then 23, of Minneapolis, Minn., said later, "I thought he was trying to hustle me. I stuffed the note in my purse, and he motioned that I should read it."

The note, according to officials involved in the hijacking investigation, said the man had a bomb, and wanted to go to Mexico.

While the jet circled Seattle, the skyjacker also ordered that $200,000 cash and four parachutes be brought to the aircraft, demands to which North- west Airlines agreed.

Authorities said 36 passengers and two of the plane's three stewardesses were allowed to leave

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(Indicate page, name of newspaper, city and state.) Page 5 The Daily News Longview, Washington

— — Sue B — — —

Date: 7/12/76 Edition: afternoon Author: BUD MAY Editor: TED M. NATT Title: NORJAK 164-81-[guess: 3ab]B Character: CAA-Hijacking or Classification: 164-81 Submitting Office: Seattle

☒ Being investigated

COPY SENT TO BUREAU SEARCHED.......... INDEXED.... SERIALIZED....... FILED......

JUL 23 1976 b6 b7C TTLE [illegible]

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DB Cooper-23129