Part 78, page 83

Transcript

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

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

(Mount Clipping in Space Below)

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Skydiver Questioned In Hijacking

SEATTLE (UPI) — It was a case of mistaken identity, but Bill Whitney admits he was almost a per- fect suspect.

The 33-year-old champion skydiver was questioned over five hours by the FBI in their search for the man who hijacked a plane Nov. 24 and parachuted with $200,000 ransom.

WHITNEY said Sunday that he wears dark glasses, lacked a strong alibi, was coholder of the Northwest Sky-jumping altitude record and looked remarkably like an FBI sketch of the sky- jacker.

"I know a lot of jumpers up and down the coast. I un- derstand a lot of them looked at that sketch and thought of me," he said.

Whitney, interrogated by FBI agents Thursday, said he didn't think the daring skyjacking feat was very difficult.

"I could have done it, yes, but I didn't," said the bach- elor businessman, whose height, weight, age and complexion were different from those given of the aeri- al bandit.

THE SKYJACKER bailed out of a Northwest Airlines 727 jetliner after showing the stewardess what he said was a bomb, and released the passengers in Seattle for $200,000 and four para- chutes. The FBI said the man, who called himself "D. B. Cooper" could have jumped anywhere between Seattle and Reno, Nev.

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(Indicate page, name of newspaper, city and state.)

7 St. Paul Dispatch — St. Paul, Minn.

Date: Dec. 6, 1971 Edition: Evening Author: Editor: H.G. Burnham Jr. Title:

Character: or Classification: Submitting Office: Minneapolis

☐ Being Investigated

164-73-115 SEARCHED ______ INDEXED ______ SERIAL :72... FILED... DEC 13 1971 b6 b7C

DB Cooper-33882