Part 64, page 285

Transcript

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

SAC, SEATTLE (164-31) 1/11/72

SA CHARLES E. FARRELL

NORJAK

Re: SEARCH

U.S. AIR FORCE SR-71 AIRCRAFT

The Sacramento Division in a teletype dated 12/3/71 (Ser. 550) advised that Beale AFB, California, had offered, free of charge to the Bureau, use of an SR-71 aircraft to photograph terrain over which the hijacked airplane had flown on its trip to Reno.

This aircraft was described as an extremely sophisticated aerial reconnaissance plane which would photograph a strip 20 miles wide with photographic resolution of detecting objects on the ground 2 feet square. The film strip would then be reviewed by trained and qualified U.S. Air Force personnel.

Due to weather conditions along the route, being inclement at times, the flight never was made.

On 1/10/72 the writer contacted SAC JOHN WILLIAMS, Sacramento, and explained the results of the experiment on 1/6/72. Mr. WILLIAMS was requested to have the Air Force contacted to see if the flight could be made only over the State of Washington and perhaps from the Columbia River to a point some 30 miles north. He was also asked if the Air Force could advise what we could expect of such an over flight in the way of information which would be helpful in the search of this terrain.

In response to the above call, SA [REDACTED] b6 who has been handling the hijacking case at Sacramento, b7C advised he had contacted Beale AFB and made the request for the over flight and that he would attempt to determine if it could be made, noting that weather conditions still [guess: leub]. e are effective. 164-81-1653

Copies of the revised map of the area-to-be-searched were forwarded the night of 1/10/72 to Sacram[REDACTED]

CEF:klb (4)

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SEARCHED___FILED___ [illegible stamps and markings] DB Cooper-27148