DB Cooper

[BruceSmith 3]

Auburn Days Update-

Galen just emailed me saying that he had invited Skipp Porteous to attend with him.

I told Galen that if Skippy attends Auburn Days, then I will definitely attend, donning a disguise if need be. Imagine, I might come as Santa Claus! Wouldn't that be something in August!

The last time I put on the red suit was the last time I had my ass pinched by a woman. Sigh. I never knew that Santa was a sex-object for so many women. I remember one gal started talking to saying, "Santa, I need to talk with you. I'm having an affair with my best friend's husband. What should I do?"

I responded that if she was comfortable with what was going on, she should continue. She didn't look satisfied with my reply. Maybe she liked the guilt?

Being a shopping mall santa claus was my first acting job. It was wonderful, but utterly exhausting.

[BruceSmith 3]

Auburn Days Update II

Imagine if Skippy and Bobby were both at Auburn days together, discussing DB Cooper! Wouldn't that be exciting?

Imagine getting a copy of "Into the Blast" signed by both of the authors!!! Now, that might be really valuable.

Perhaps we can start an on-line petition to get Skippy to attend the Auburn Days. I wonder what it would take?

It would also be an opportunity to see the new Mrs. Porteous, the woman who stole Skippy away from the Big Apple! Whew. Not even Bobby B could do that.

Maybe we could get Bobby and Skippy at Ariel in November? We can always dream, right? Robb Heady was there last year, along with EVicki, and it was a Blast.

Anyway, having Skippy and Bobby on stage together in Auburn would make a great visual for the Blast movie. Someone should alert Hollywood!

[377 21]

Drama drama drama.

All this talk about hits, threats, arrest, litigation...

Nothing that dramatic actually happens.

What generates this illusion of importance?

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[georger 197]

377

Drama drama drama.

All this talk about hits, threats, arrest, litigation...

Nothing that dramatic actually happens.

What generates this illusion of importance?

377

Well, 5 to 1 someone is going to show up tonight and tell us
what dolts we are - and the threats are real, substantial, in the
hands of law enforcement, .... the usual pitch. Swat teams and
crowd control specialists meeting and planning tactical
intervention should the Cooperlandt "perp(s)" show up and
ask the wrong question thus instigating their venomous evil plan
of disruption ...

Does 'Buddy' from Decoded plan to attend? Marla?

Maybe Geestman plans to release his own book on the day!

Maybe Blevins' new witness has some Cooper twenties?

[377 21]

G wrote

Quote

Maybe Blevins' new witness has some Cooper twenties?

If he does then the value of my Cooper twenty goes down.

Maybe a hit IS needed.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[BruceSmith 3]

377

G wrote

Quote

Maybe Blevins' new witness has some Cooper twenties?

If he does then the value of my Cooper twenty goes down.

Maybe a hit IS needed.

377

If you keep talking like this, Three-Seven-Seven, you might get yourself into trouble. Especially with your distinctive Mid-Western accent....

Just sayin'.

You wanna come to Auburn with me, Skippy and Galen? Maybe Bobby B and Skippy P could sign your 20 - that would make it totally unique!

Imagine if Mrs Cooper signed it, too! Whew!!!

Even better - how about a video documentary of you traveling around getting everyone to autograph it! - Ralph, Rat, Tina, Lee and Jane, Jo, Sluggo, Flo - the whole gang.

Yabba-dabba-do, baby.

I see a major Road Trip in my future.....ahhhhh.....

[BruceSmith 3]

Quote

"...I'm out of the Cooper Biz for good. I'm starting to feel like I'm pretty much out of it anyway, especially on a public basis..."

I understand perfectly, Bobby. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Via con Dios.

BTW: I'm learning Espanol because I'm thinking of moving to Ecuador. I may be able to live on my 800 dollar social security check down there, plus it's warmer than Seattle.

But I hear it has a lot of bugs. Oh well, that's what cervezas are for.

[skyjack71 0]

Very puzzling why a certain individual or individuals has gone to such extremes regarding Cooper/Weber.

He comes to the thread, he emails my private email....but, over the yrs I would get an occassional session of emails from individuals who are supposedly not this guy....but, as I engage the individuals - they alway revert back on one specific individual personalitiy...in characteristic.

I believe the person is doing this with Blevin and anyone who is remotedly public in the Cooper case, such as myself.

I want to provide these as a study for the thread...I now SUSPECT this person was in touch with Blevins and Galen.... multiple email addresses & with alternate personalities.

This time it took me a little bit longer to filter it out. Why? Because he is a poster here & has mulitple aliases. I have had genuine interested individuals get tiffed because I continually have to keep up my guard.


LEGAL advise - 377 or anyone else.
If I identify this individual and quote the contents (not in their entirety, but phrases and his pushing of a subject)do I create any problems for myself?

This will be a tedious process for me as this has gone on for yrs. How he claims to have in his possession items dug up by Weber...or/Cooper and I expect this ploy is used on the others also....or uses a similar senario to offer "proof". YET, if there is NOTHING among them that PUTs the individual on the PLANE - it is a total waste of time & energy.

His anger at why he could now not give me possession of the items was was probably a ploy used NOT only on me, but others he approached. Blevins I really believe he is behind you presenting KC & continually nudges you to proceed.


Caimed I had exposed him (one of his aliases so now he could not do that).

In a NUT SHELL - I have emails over the yrs from several sources I have found to be ONE source with multiple personalities...I didn't know who to chase.

Some of the personalities exposed during these long yrs...seem to be Teddy Bear versus HUNGRY Bear.
Can I use his email messages to expose him and then the emails I fed him to attempt to get more and just to see what he would do with information. (I would DELIBERATELY provid FALSE information - to get a reacton from him).

Then WAIT! Wait sometime for yrs and he would then INCORPORATE THAT INFO INTO HIS STORY & this train of thought fell along the posting of the OTHERS.

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[BruceSmith 3]

Quote

"...LEGAL advise - 377 or anyone else.
If I identify this individual and quote the contents (not in their entirety, but phrases and his pushing of a subject)do I create any problems for myself?..."

The issue of privacy and the legal protections that stem from those understandings are in flux. I can tell you what my guidelines are as a journalist.

I consider all emails to me to be personal correspondence. Hence, I do not re-publish without the expressed consent of the sender.

However, many people disagree with me, including some who post emails from others here freely without permission.

Then there is the question of hackers, and a bunch of emails between Galen and I were stolen from me and sent to the FBI in NYC as spam via both my server and his, which I find remarkable.

Phone conversations with me, when I clearly represent myself as a journalist, are fair game, as you well know. Much of what I have written about you was told to me directly by you.

Along those lines, I also mine these pages, as anything posted on the DZ or elsewhere in cyber space is considered to be public. Your use of copyright only applies to the specific placement of your words, not the content. To be fair, though, I often take what you and others say here and put them in quotes and publish them as such. This also gives more dramatic weight to what you are stating.

As for legal wrangling over emails and other social media, I suspect that eventually everything you read on a screen will be considered to be a public message. The real question will be who owns it, as Facebook already claims that it owns everything posted by everyone on its pages.

The bigger question is: who owns Facebook, and more specifically, who does Mark Zuckerberg sell his information to, and why.

As for advice, I say post away with reservations. First tell the senders that you are concerned about what they have written you and announce that you intend to make their comments public. Then do it.

This will take an act of courage on your part since you are the quintessential tease and find safety behind the provocative veil. That leaves you vulnerable, and you will have to address that anxiety.

The senders sound like bullies, and teases are easily intimidated into silence. My approach with bullies is to tell them to bring it on. Like Obama says, "So sue me."

I also tell them that I eagerly await their testimonies in deposition. Nothing like getting a bully to go on the record and reveal their sources, etc.

I have been repeatedly threatened here with law suits, physical assault, vacations and character assassinations, but as you can see, I am still here and I haven't really changed my tune.

However, I talk about sex a bit less out of sympathy to those with more delicate tastes.

[377 21]

Jo wrote

Quote

LEGAL advise - 377 or anyone else.
If I identify this individual and quote the contents (not in their entirety, but phrases and his pushing of a subject)do I create any problems for myself?

The best defense against civil lawsuits is poverty. Just stay poor and you'll be OK. Bruce is bullet proof in this regard.

Many people labor under the illusion that they can get a contingency fee lawyer to represent them on personal beef lawsuits. Unless there is insurance coverage or a big pile of money or assets belonging to the potential defendant AND provable libel, slander or some other viable cause of action, then it wont happen.

With all the talk about and fear of lawsuits expressed here over many years, it hasn't happened even once and I doubt if it ever will.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[skyjack71 0]

377

Jo wrote

Quote

LEGAL advise - 377 or anyone else.
If I identify this individual and quote the contents (not in their entirety, but phrases and his pushing of a subject)do I create any problems for myself?

The best defense against civil lawsuits is poverty. Just stay poor and you'll be OK. Bruce is bullet proof in this regard.

Many people labor under the illusion that they can get a contingency fee lawyer to represent them on personal beef lawsuits. Unless there is insurance coverage or a big pile of money or assets belonging to the potential defendant AND provable libel, slander or some other viable cause of action, then it wont happen.

With all the talk about and fear of lawsuits expressed here over many years, it hasn't happened even once and I doubt if it ever will.

377

This is a guy which I know to be one of the other posters present or past in this thread.. Now, his tactic is to email me under another name and throw out the bait.

I am not smart enough (computer savy) to find the postings where he claims the same things or similar things under other names in this thread...I am just fed up with the entire situation.

If he had any involvement with Weber - why sneak around with the information...No matter how many names he uses - it does not take long for him to SLIP Up.

From the things he says - I think perhaps he has pulled this same sham on Galen and Blevins and maybe even you - Bruce!

I am fed up with people pretending to be what they are not...

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[georger 197]

skyjack71

***Jo wrote

Quote

LEGAL advise - 377 or anyone else.
If I identify this individual and quote the contents (not in their entirety, but phrases and his pushing of a subject)do I create any problems for myself?

The best defense against civil lawsuits is poverty. Just stay poor and you'll be OK. Bruce is bullet proof in this regard.

Many people labor under the illusion that they can get a contingency fee lawyer to represent them on personal beef lawsuits. Unless there is insurance coverage or a big pile of money or assets belonging to the potential defendant AND provable libel, slander or some other viable cause of action, then it wont happen.

With all the talk about and fear of lawsuits expressed here over many years, it hasn't happened even once and I doubt if it ever will.

377

This is a guy which I know to be one of the other posters present or past in this thread.. Now, his tactic is to email me under another name and throw out the bait.

I am fed up with people pretending to be what they are not...

Auto makers will cease all advertising and stop all auto
production for a decade, siad a major spokesperson in Saudi
Arabia today! 'Al nahwi shin tuna nodah shop'wi!'

This strategy will force the price of the average 20 year old used
car to over $100,000 within two years! 2013-14 models may well
top $1,000,000.00 ! (Average condo prices will drop to less than
$50 each by 2018!)

Wall Street is proclaiming the new strategy "pure brilliance"!

Prices of mules and donkeys will rise in metro areas likewise.

The Future Farmers of America agree -

O-bama says he will "think it over" - but may ask Congress to
raise the Minimum Wage to $19.56 per hour.

Recession? Who cares .... nobody noticed before!

[skyjack71 0]

***

Auto makers will cease all advertising and stop all auto
production for a decade, siad a major spokesperson in Saudi
Arabia today! 'Al nahwi shin tuna nodah shop'wi!'

This strategy will force the price of the average 20 year old used
car to over $100,000 within two years! 2013-14 models may well
top $1,000,000.00 ! (Average condo prices will drop to less than
$50 each by 2018!)

Wall Street is proclaiming the new strategy "pure brilliance"!

Prices of mules and donkeys will rise in metro areas likewise.

The Future Farmers of America agree -

O-bama says he will "think it over" - but may ask Congress to
raise the Minimum Wage to $19.56 per hour.

Recession? Who cares .... nobody noticed before!



There must have been a write up in one of the major US papers because a friend had a similar conversation with me Thursday. Price of cars is out of sink with the price of homes. Remember what we made per hour in 1958?

Hell, we were in school & those part time jobs paid for clothes, snacks and general spending money. I clerked in a dept store and a dime store - for my spending money. In college I worked in a clothing store.

I also walked to & from work in college and worked the dining room during the week days.

The car thing has gotten to be ridiculous - the cars I have looked at that I can get in and out of cost between 40 and 50K...well, I can't afford that. I can't even figure out how to drive some of them..too damn many gadgets..

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[skyjack71 0]

'He comes to the thread, he emails my private email....but, over the yrs I would get an occassional session of emails from individuals who are supposedly not this guy....but, as I engage the individuals - they alway revert back on one specific individual personalitiy...in characteristic.

I believe the person is doing this with Blevin and anyone who is remotedly public in the Cooper case, such as myself.

Adendum:

Excuse Me! You are saying that ALL the email sent to you are KNOWN to you. I think NOT! Just because they have a local email does NOT mean they are local. There is a Local on my list & then ONE who pretends to be LOCAL, but I had a man check it out an it WAS not coming out of WA.

By Local - I mean individuals and whose backgrounds you have checked out and who you personally have spoke with.

The loonatics have a way of routing the mail...Surely you are awared of this. If you meant you have PERSONALLY had contact with the individual - and I mean FACE TO FACE. That in my book is the only thing that qualifies as KNOWN TO ME! Some public figures such as yourself - I know who I am communicating with - but others take a little investigating.

Did you know the person contacting you supposedly from WA may live on the other side of the world? Have you met the individual and do YOU KNOW and can you verify they are who they say they are?

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[ParrotheadVol 70]

???????

So, people read the book and then ask if you think KC was the guy?

That's a pretty easy question to answer even if they haven't read the book.

"They were saying he was never gonna make it now, now that daylight had set in. But later that night, they were shining those lights back down on that mountain again." - Todd Snider

[yellowoxide 0]

RobertMBlevins

***???????

So, people read the book and then ask if you think KC was the guy?

That's a pretty easy question to answer even if they haven't read the book.

Right. That's funny. If it were an easy question to answer, I would have figured it out by now. Book says: We don't know for sure. Sometimes I say we're working on it, though.

This long after-the-fact, I figure that if Kenny was Cooper the only way to determine this one way or another is through reliable witness testimony that pressures Bernie Geestman or his ex-wife into spilling the beans. Either that, or Bernie explains a few things he's said in the past without those explanations being filled with lies.

This possibility, that Geestman or his ex-wife could be pressured to speak truthfully about 11/24/71 might be closer than you think. As I said, we're working on it.

How , exactly, are you going to "pressure " these two folks? (it sounds like extortion)

[BruceSmith 3]

Since the Great Auburn Rendezvous and DB Cooper Road Trip seems to be having trouble getting off the ground, I think this may be a propitious time to post my latest opening chapter on my Cooper book and get all you FBI lovers into a tizzy!

Yes, despite the clamor to do so many moons ago, despite my two vacations, and despite Miss Amazona's proposed skydiving tutorial, I have persevered and continued to dig, polish and pitch my book.

It has a new title, too:

DB Cooper and the FBI - An Investigation into America's only Unsolved Skyjacking

I'll post it below so it's nice and fresh.

Enjoy, Cooper sleuths!!!

[BruceSmith 3]

Chapter 1

An Introduction to DB Cooper and the FBI’s investigation


The DB Cooper skyjacking and his escape by parachute into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest is a stunning true-crime mystery.

We don’t know who Cooper was or if he survived, and nothing has ever been found of the hijacking – no parachutes, body or clothes, nor the money except for $5,800 in twenties that a kid found eight years later buried on a Columbia River beach. Adding to the complexity, no one knows how the money got there or when.

The Cooper case remains the only unsolved hijacking in the history of the United States despite the hundreds of FBI agents who worked the case along with scores of local police.

Yet, the Cooper case, called “Norjak” by the FBI – an acronym of Northwest Orient Airlines hijacking – also gives us a keen view into the workings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and of law enforcement in general. Simply, the DB Cooper case is a closed shop – the cops only tell us what they want us to know, and only when they want us to know it. Thus, determining the facts beyond the headlines and cursory press releases has been difficult, and the FBI has essentially clammed-up on Norjak.

This dynamic is troubling since it is increasingly evident that the FBI’s investigation of Norjak has been flawed. Arguably, it has been compromised or even corrupted, and possibly subjected to political pressures.

Most damning is the fact that the FBI has lost its most valuable piece of evidence - the eight cigarette butts DB Cooper smoked and left aboard the plane – and these butts were the ideal substances to reveal Cooper’s DNA.

Worse, the butts were not secured in the evidence room at the FBI’s Seattle office, which is the Office of Origin for Norjak and should have been the repository of such important artifacts. Rather, they were stored in Las Vegas due to a bureaucratic turf battle.

Worst, though, the cigarette butts went missing only after their true value was realized.

Additionally, a Norjak FBI agent, Jeremy Blauser, vanished shortly after his placement into the case in 2008.

Most disturbing, though, is the murder of parachute rigger Earl Cossey in 2013. Cossey was the FBI’s de facto technical expert on the case, and over the years he told plenty of lies and half-truths to the media and public, so now many wonder if his loose lips sunk his ship.

Regardless, digging into the FBI’s investigation reveals numerous examples of inconsistency, sloppy police work, and hints of a cover-up in even resolving simple issues of the case, such as the FBI’s inability to pinpoint the plane’s flight path and their inexplicable delay of nearly five months in mounting an extensive ground search.

Yet, to accurately assess the actions of the FBI it is necessary to fully understand the details of Norjak.

Cooper’s skyjacking was straightforward. In November 1971, he commandeered a Northwest Orient jetliner in Portland, Oregon, bound for Seattle, Washington, using a bomb in a briefcase for persuasion. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport he released his 36 passengers in exchange for the $200,000 and four parachutes. After refueling, Cooper ordered the flight crew to head to Mexico and he jumped into the rainy skies of south of Seattle with the money sack tied around his waist. As mentioned, nothing of the incident has ever been found - no body, no parachutes, no bomb, and no money - except for the curious bundles of twenties discovered on the Columbia.

Plus, the skyjacker’s identity is still unknown.

In fact, it is as if DB Cooper came from nowhere and returned there when he jumped.

Thousands of journalists and arm-chair sleuths have looked for Cooper, seeking at least a shred of evidence or an inkling of who he was. Our quest is truly a hunt because it is primal, visceral and impassioned. One researcher told me that he puts himself to sleep at night thinking about the skyjacking, and I have frequently written about the case in the wee hours myself. Whenever my fellow investigators and I gather spittle flies across the room as arguments about Cooper become raucous.

Culturally, millions champion DB Cooper as a man who beat the system – a master criminal who perpetrated a daring and innovative crime, completely outsmarting “the man.”

As for the FBI, the Bureau has investigated over 1,100 credible suspects. Officially, the case is still open, although “inactive” according to the Public Information Officer in Seattle, Ayn Dietrich.

Although the Norjak investigation is troubled, many FBI agents have worked diligently on the case. The night Cooper skyjacked his plane, every G-man in the Seattle field office, over thirty agents, were deployed on the case – either securing the perimeter of Sea-Tac Airport, interviewing the passengers and flight crew, or managing the actual hijacking via radio through the Seattle Center FAA tower.

Several hours later over two-hundred FBI agents and local police awaited Cooper’s plane in Reno as it landed for a second refueling.

In April 1972, hundreds of soldiers and local law enforcement, plus dozens of FBI agents scoured the fields and woodlands around Ariel, WA, the area Northwest Orient Airlines officials declared was the most likely landing zone for DB Cooper.

Nevertheless, over the years Cooper has been cheered by many, including some of the cops looking for him. His exploits are a modern-day Call of the Wild, awaking both the inner sleuth within us and our longing to be Robin Hood by striking a blow against the Powers That Be.

Yet, even though as a youth I’d been aware of Cooper’s iconic status in American folklore, I’d never paid him much attention. When Cooper hijacked his plane I was living in New York and attending college. Over time, I forgot about DB Cooper.

However, after re-locating to Washington I became reacquainted with the story when I covered an air-show for the Pierce County (WA) Dispatch newspaper.

On a hot day in August 2008, I perused dozens of vintage aircraft gathered at Thun Field in Puyallup, Washington. Halfway through the show I was elated to see a beautifully restored Fairchild 24, a single-winged plane from the 1930s, the “Rolls-Royce” of private airplanes for its day.

I loved building model airplanes as a kid and the first balsa wood job I made was a Fairchild. Now, for the first time, I was seeing one for real.

Sensing my appreciation the owner, Ron Forman, came over and we started chatting. But after a few minutes in the broiling sun Ron suggested we retreat to the shade under the starboard wing, where we camped in his lawn chairs and drank ice-cold cokes. Relaxing, I saw a book on the ground next to his chair that was titled, “DB Cooper...something…Legend…something…Death…,” and I said, “Are you into DB Cooper, Ron?”

“Heck, yeah!” he replied. “My wife and I just wrote that book!”

For the rest of the afternoon, Ron regaled me with his story.

“Besides the Fairchild, my wife and I have a Cessna 140, and for years on the weekends we'd fly with a few other Cessna 140 pilots here at Thun Field. One of them, Barb Dayton, confessed to being DB Cooper during one of our coffee breaks in some airport when we were arguing about an aspect of the DB Cooper skyjacking. Our book is about her life and how she did the skyjacking.”

“Barb? I thought DB Cooper was a guy!” I answered.

“Yeah, he was, and Barb also told us that she was the first person in Washington State to get a sex-change operation. She used to be Bobby Dayton before 1969.”

So right at the beginning I knew the DB Cooper story was going to be a wild ride.

As Ron continued, I learned that Barb/Bobby was a sky diver and an exceptionally skilled pilot. In addition, she was also an explosive expert and dare devil – working aboard ammunition ships before her sex-change operation and sailed between San Francisco and Saigon where he killed a VC sapper with his bare hands during a late night sneak attack.

Bobby had also fought in WW II with head hunters in the jungles of Borneo against the Japanese. He was even chased by a grizzly in the Yukon while panning for gold.

Wow, what a story, I thought.

Ron and I spent the rest of the day talking Cooper. From what I gleaned about Barb, it seems she did the skyjacking to prove to herself that she still had cajones.

“Barb would tell us all these incredible stories that we only half-believed, but when she died in 2002 my wife and I started checking everything out and it all proved true – except the DB Cooper confession, which we haven’t confirmed yet, and for that we need a DNA analysis from the FBI, but they won’t even return our phone calls or emails – not a single one!”

I found such resistance very troubling. Doesn’t the FBI want to hear about a confession from DB Cooper?

It didn’t seem right.

So, I decided to launch my own investigation and see what was wrong with the FBI. Plus, I wanted to know the truth of the remarkable Ms. Dayton.

Ron educated me on the basics of Norjak, arming me with the contact information for many of the individuals associated with the case.

Sadly, once I started contacting Norjak principals I encountered more obstruction.

Former FBI investigator, Ralph Himmelsbach, the Cooper case agent in Portland, Oregon and now retired, refused to discuss the case with me unless I paid him $600 per interview.

Additionally, Himmelsbach’s counterpart in Seattle, Ron Nichols, has thoroughly stonewalled me on all phone calls and letters.

The one official I did speak with about the case, Larry Carr, the FBI’s Cooper case agent from 2007-2009, was adversarial – bullying me throughout our twenty-minute phone call.

Organizationally, I have also been rebuffed.

The current case agent as I write this, Curtis Eng, declines to discuss the case with me in any form, nor has any representative from the FBI attended any of the professional gatherings focused on the skyjacking, such as the DB Cooper Symposium in Portland in 2011, or a similar event held in 2013 at the Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma.

As a reporter for the Dispatch, I have covered dozens of murders and major crimes that range from city jurisdictions to country sheriffs, and several cases have involved federal agencies, such as the DEA. From that I have long known that law enforcement is leery of the media. Their public information officers routinely tell us only what they want us to know, when they want us to know it. In effect, the police simply view us as a way to distribute their side of the story, and they rarely discuss complex aspects of a case with reporters.

From those dealings I have learned that the central mission of law enforcement is not to catch criminals or fight crime – if that was the case then half of our country’s cops would be camped on Wall Street. Rather, the primary purpose of the police is to protect the interests of the powerful, and the Cooper case is one of the most egregious examples of public disregard by law enforcement I’ve witnessed.

Further, not only has the FBI withheld information from the media, it has withheld evidence among its own agents and between field offices.

Agents are competitive and the Bureau isn’t very skilled in solving complex cases that involve multiple jurisdictions, as we saw in the 9-11 attacks when the FBI had trouble “connecting the dots.” In Norjak, three main field offices of the FBI shared the case: Portland, where the skyjacking began; Seattle, where the ransom exchange took place and the on-going skyjacking was managed; and Las Vegas, where the retrieved evidence was stored presumably because the lead agents in Reno were based in Vegas.

Later, as the dozen or so of Cooper copycats began hijacking airplanes, other field offices got involved in the Cooper investigation, particularly the Salt Lake City office. So a fourth, major FBI field office landed solidly into the Norjak mix.

In addition, the case is huge – generating rooms-full of documents – so it is understandable that the records are not properly organized. But the information on Cooper is so disorganized, contradictory or confusing that Cooper case agents appear befuddled when they speak publicly. At times agents, such as Larry Carr, have presented a haphazard view of the investigation, particularly when it comes to parsing details such on the role of parachute expert Earl Cossey and his assessment on the type of parachute Cooper selected for his getaway. In fact, it seems that Norjak investigators have not read much of their documents in the case file, and rely mostly on anecdotal narratives passed from agent to agent. Additionally, Cooper case agents are rotated every two years on average, further eroding investigatory consistency.

As a result, the Norjak case appears to be in disarray. The mess is so complete that these days the FBI has to ask journalists for the phone numbers of witnesses to the skyjacking.

In addition, young agents don’t have any personal knowledge of Norjak and they stumble in their efforts to identify the principals of the case.

With such a muddle it is not surprising there are rumors of an extensive cover-up within the Bureau, hinting at a deeper involvement with Big Money and Big Power.

Welcome to one of the greatest American crime mysteries.

Has there been a cover-up? Has the FBI’s investigation has been squashed by powerful sources claiming “national security” concerns? Or is the FBI just sloppy, overwhelmed, or unlucky? Perhaps Cooper outsmarted the FBI and the feds don’t want the public to know?

Or Mother Nature stuffed Cooper into a tiny hole somewhere in the wilds of Washington along with his parachutes, the money, and a bomb in a briefcase?

Even though this book is about the FBI investigation as much as it is DB Cooper, I don’t solve the case or prove a conspiracy. I just offer my findings – who said what, and as far as I can determine, why.

It’s also my effort through truth-telling to deliver a measure of justice to the incompetent, the hubristic, and the power-hungry.

So, follow me through the details of this astounding crime and come to your own conclusions.

Copyright 2014 BA Smith

[skyjack71 0]

Bruce I just did a little prelimary editing for you - comas and such.
As I was going thru it I found some unnessary words - but I lost them trying to do a little suggestive editing for you.

BruceSmith

Chapter 1

An Introduction to DB Cooper and the FBI’s investigation


Arguably, it has been compromised or even corrupted, and possibly subjected to political pressures. Excellent wording.

Most damning is the fact that the FBI has lost its most valuable piece of evidence - the eight cigarette butts DB Cooper smoked and left aboard the plane – and these butts were the ideal substances to reveal Cooper’s DNA. Something about that paragraph seem off.

Worst, though, the cigarette butts went missing only after their true value was realized.

Additionally, a Norjak FBI agent, Jeremy Blauser, vanished shortly after his placement into the case in 2008.

Insert -Explain more about Jerry Blauser - as some of us never heard of him

Regardless, digging into the FBI’s investigation reveals numerous examples of inconsistency, sloppy police work, and hints of a cover-up in even resolving simple issues of the case, such as the FBI’s inability to pinpoint the plane’s flight path and their inexplicable delay of nearly five months in mounting an extensive ground search.

Plus, the skyjacker’s identity is still unknown.

In fact, it is as if DB Cooper came from nowhere and returned there when he jumped.

Thousands of journalists and arm-chair sleuths have looked for Cooper, seeking at least a shred of evidence or an inkling of who he was. Our quest is truly a hunt because it is primal, visceral and impassioned. One researcher told me that he puts himself to sleep at night thinking about the skyjacking, (error - no coma needed) and I have frequently written about the case in the wee hours myself. Whenever my fellow investigators and I gather spittle flies across the room as arguments about Cooper become raucous.

As for the FBI, the Bureau has investigated over 1,100 credible suspects. Officially, the case is still open, although “inactive” according to the Public Information Officer in Seattle, Ayn Dietrich.

Although the Norjak investigation is troubled, many FBI agents have worked diligently on the case. The night Cooper skyjacked his plane, every G-man in the Seattle field office, over thirty agents, were deployed on the case – either securing the perimeter of Sea-Tac Airport, interviewing the passengers and flight crew, or managing the actual hijacking via radio through the Seattle Center FAA tower. (reword that paragraph - seem like the sentences are too long and with inappropriate comas)


Yet, even though as a youth (I’d )been aware of Cooper’s iconic status in American folklore, (I’d )never paid him much attention. When Cooper hijacked his plane I was living in New York and attending college. Over time, I forgot about DB Cooper.

However, after re-locating to Washington I became reacquainted with the story when I covered an air-show for the Pierce County (WA) Dispatch newspaper.

Sensing my appreciation the owner, Ron Forman, came over and we started chatting. But after a few minutes in the broiling sun Ron suggested we retreat to the shade under the starboard wing, where we camped in his lawn chairs and drank ice-cold cokes. Relaxing, I saw a book on the ground next to his chair that was titled, “DB Cooper...something…Legend…something…Death…,” and I said, “Are you into DB Cooper, Ron?” (Are you sure they had a book at that time in 2008)

“Heck, yeah!” he replied. “My wife and I just wrote that book!”

For the rest of the afternoon, Ron regaled me with his story.

“Yeah, he was, (no coma required or reword)and Barb also told us that she was the first person in Washington State to get a sex-change operation. She used to be Bobby Dayton before 1969.”



As Ron continued, I learned that Barb/Bobby was a sky diver and an exceptionally skilled pilot. In addition, she was also an explosive expert and dare devil – working aboard ammunition ships before her sex-change operation (too many ands in this paragraph) and sailed between San Francisco and Saigon where he killed a VC sapper with his bare hands during a late night sneak attack. (reword that paragraph to hold attention)

I found such resistance very troubling. Doesn’t the FBI want to hear about a confession from DB Cooper?

It didn’t seem right.

So, I decided to launch my own investigation and see what was wrong with the FBI. Plus, I wanted to know the truth of the remarkable Ms. Dayton.

Ron educated me on the basics of Norjak, arming me with the contact information for many of the individuals associated with the case.

Sadly, once I started contacting Norjak principals I encountered more obstruction.

Former FBI investigator, Ralph Himmelsbach, the Cooper case agent in Portland, Oregon and now retired, refused to discuss the case with me unless I paid him $600 per interview. (you were agitating him with your un-expected visit)

Additionally, Himmelsbach’s counterpart in Seattle, Ron Nichols, has thoroughly stonewalled me on all phone calls and letters.

The one official I did speak with about the case, Larry Carr, the FBI’s Cooper case agent from 2007-2009, was adversarial – bullying me throughout our twenty-minute phone call. (That is an example of my experience with Carr).

As a reporter for the Dispatch, I have covered dozens of murders and major crimes that range (reword) from city jurisdictions to country sheriffs, (no coma required) and several cases have involved federal agencies, such as the DEA. From that I have long known that law enforcement is leery of the media. Their public information officers routinely tell us only what they want us to know, when they want us to know it. In effect, the police simply view us as a way to distribute their side of the story, and they rarely discuss complex aspects of a case with reporters. (cut the comas)

From those dealings I have learned that the central mission of law enforcement is not to catch criminals or fight crime – if that was the case then half of our country’s cops would be camped on Wall Street. Rather, the primary purpose of the police is to protect the interests of the powerful, and (sub with)the Cooper case is one of the most egregious examples of public disregard by law enforcement I’ve witnessed.

Further, not only has the FBI withheld information from the media, it has withheld evidence among its own agents and between field offices. (lost is more like it)

Agents are competitive and the Bureau isn’t very skilled in solving complex cases that involve multiple jurisdictions, as we saw in the 9-11 attacks when the FBI had trouble “connecting the dots.” In Norjak, three main field offices of the FBI shared the case: Portland, where the skyjacking began; Seattle, where the ransom exchange took place and the on-going skyjacking was managed; and Las Vegas, where the retrieved evidence was stored presumably because the lead agents in Reno were based in Vegas.

Later, as the dozen or so of Cooper copycats began hijacking airplanes, other field offices got involved in the Cooper investigation, particularly the Salt Lake City office. So a fourth, major FBI field office landed solidly into the Norjak mix.

In addition, the case is huge – generating rooms-full of documents – so it is understandable that the records are not properly organized. But the information on Cooper is so disorganized, contradictory or confusing that Cooper case agents appear befuddled when they speak publicly. At times agents, such as Larry Carr, have presented a haphazard view of the investigation, particularly when it comes to parsing details such on wording seem off) the role of parachute expert Earl Cossey and his assessment on the type of parachute Cooper selected for his getaway. In fact, it seems that Norjak investigators have not read much of their documents (wording is off) in the case file, and rely mostly on anecdotal narratives passed from agent to agent. Additionally, Cooper case agents are rotated every two years on average, further eroding investigatory consistency. 9again it appears too many comas)


With such a muddle it is not surprising there are rumors of an extensive cover-up within the Bureau, hinting at a deeper involvement with Big Money and Big Power. Oh so how true.


Has there been a cover-up? Has the FBI’s investigation has been squashed by powerful sources claiming “national security” concerns? Or is the FBI just sloppy, overwhelmed, or unlucky? Perhaps Cooper outsmarted the FBI and the feds don’t want the public to know? (DO NOT seeems more appropriate)

Or Mother Nature stuffed Cooper into a tiny hole somewhere in the wilds of Washington along with his parachutes, the money, (no coma required)and a bomb in a briefcase?

Even though this book is about the FBI investigation as much as it is DB Cooper, I don’t solve the case or prove a conspiracy. I just offer my findings – who said what, and as far as I can determine, why. (question mark)

It’s also my effort through truth-telling to deliver a measure of justice to the incompetent, the hubristic, and the power-hungry.

So, follow me through the details of this astounding crime and come to your own conclusions.

It was actually a pretty good introduction - but, do your proofing.
I caught some double wording on the first read. but you must have corrected them.

To answer your question - about the FBI wanting the truth. NO, THEY DO NOT WANT THE TRUTH BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH does not MAKE THE FBI look very good.

Cover-Up - that word is resounds for the entire 43 yrs they have investigated it. Hands OFF!

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[georger 197]

RobertMBlevins

Since Bruce Smith decided it's okay to post up personal writings, I feel justified in posting up something I just finished editing, a crime book titled 'Revenge Story'. It's about two Iraq War vets who (along with a woman) go from ordinary lives to ending up on the FBI's Top Ten list in less than a week.

Our heroes have just gotten the drop on four cops and left them tied up in a barn. But after the cops free themselves, they put out the alarm on a white Ford pickup. What they don't know is that their perps also robbed an armory and have taken many of these weapons along with them...

Quote

As they raced down Elk River Road for the main highway, Ben shook his head. His face was grim. “First thing we have to do is switch vehicles,” he said. “We need a van maybe, and another car.”

“Do you know where we can get them?” said Ray.

“Over in Fortuna. It’s about thirty miles south on 101. I have some good fake ID in my wallet I can use with the car lots. Then we head back up north to Eureka and find a place to stay until morning.”

Karen reached down and picked up the police radio. “Maybe we should listen in on this, just in case.”

“Good idea,” said Ben. “Just turn that switch on top. It should already be tuned to the frequency they’re using.”

She switched on the radio.

“...last seen in a white Ford pickup truck, direction unknown, but may be heading west toward Highway 101 from the Elk River Road. All available units proceed to the area code three. Suspects are two white males, thirty to thirty-five years old, armed with automatic weapons. Use extreme caution.”

“How the fuck did they manage that?” Ray shouted. “Goddamn it! We only left five minutes ago!”

“They must have gotten loose somehow,” said Ben. “Did you smash their laptops along with the radios in those patrol units?”

“Shit. Didn’t even think of it.”

“Well, that’s it then,” said Ben. “They got loose, went to their cars, and then used the computer to get out the word on us. They got wireless you know. We have to find another vehicle, and quick.”

“What’s ‘code three’ mean?” said Karen.

“Means use lights and siren,” said Ben. “It’s still a few minutes to the freeway. I hope we can beat them there before they set up a roadblock.”

As they rounded the next corner on the old country road, two police cars passed them going the other way with their blue lights flashing and sirens blaring. Smoke poured from their tires as both cars screeched to a halt and made quick u-turns.

“They’re coming back,” said Ray.

“Fuck that,” said Ben. “We’re not running away from them. We stop them right here.” He slammed on the brakes, stopped the truck sideways in the road, and got out.

“What are you doing?” Ray shouted. “Get back in here and drive!”

Ben kept a close eye on the two cruisers as they roared closer. He jerked up a loose corner of the tarp covering the back of the truck and grabbed his BAR. He took cover behind the bed of the truck. “Come on, Ray! Let ‘em have it!” he shouted. “Karen! Get down on the floorboards!”

Pulling the heavy gun to his shoulder, Ben blasted out a full clip into the patrol cars with an ear-splitting roar, splattering their windshields and punching holes in the radiators. Both cars slid sideways and came to a stop about fifty yards away. Anti-freeze gushed onto the ground and steam poured out in a fog from both vehicles. Ben taunted them loudly. “Hey, assholes! How do you like me now?”

The two officers jumped from their cars and took cover behind them, firing back with their pistols. Bullets plinked into the pickup, thunk, thunk, thunk. Karen tucked herself into the space beneath the glove compartment and covered her ears.

Ray ducked behind the front of the truck and took aim with his Uzi, spraying the squad cars with nine-millimeter rounds that tore small bits and pieces from both vehicles. “Ben! Let’s get out of here! Every cop around’s going to show up any second!”

“Fuck that! Keep shooting!” Ben yelled back. He popped the double magazine free on the BAR, flipped it around, and then slammed it back into the gun. He snapped back the bolt and then fired short bursts at the patrol cars until the magazine was empty. As he did, he saw one of the cops stagger back and fall to the ground. He tossed the rifle into the bed of the pickup and reached under the tarp a second time. He came up with a disposable LAWS rocket. “Get down, Ray!” he barked. The one remaining cop had taken a better firing stance and was squeezing off shots one after another. Ben felt a pistol bullet whiz past his face. He aimed the LAW and fired. With a whoosh, the rocket rushed from the tube of the weapon and struck one of the patrol cars, blowing it to pieces and setting fire to both cars. Glass, metal, and rubber rained down from the sky and onto the road with a clatter. The shooting ceased, and it was quiet except for the crackling of the fire that was rapidly consuming both police cars. Ben tossed the empty rocket tube into the ditch and climbed back into the truck. “So much for that. Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said.

As they sped away, Ben spotted a large white house on a hill about a mile ahead. He pointed to it. “You see that place up there?”

“Yeah,” said Ray.

“Let’s hope someone’s home.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re dropping in for dinner. If we stay on this road we’re toast.”

Bruce says in part:

***'Bobby (Dayton) had also fought in WW II with head hunters in the jungles of Borneo against the Japanese..'

Not saying this isn't true, but it's doubtful. Never heard a thing about Americans fighting in Borneo against the Japanese. This is because the five divisions of Borneo were being governed by the British and the Dutch. There was a native resistance force afterward, but they were assisted by only a few Special Forces-type Australians, according to Wiki entries. Japan waged a terrible bloodbath on Borneo during the war, sometimes wiping out entire villages. Maybe you mean BURMA. In fact, it was mostly Australians who actually re-captured Borneo from the Japanese in 1945, not so much the Americans, although MacArthur allegedly planned the invasion.

O F F T O P I K!

[georger 197]

BruceSmith

Chapter 1

An Introduction to DB Cooper and the FBI’s investigation


The DB Cooper skyjacking and his escape by parachute into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest is a stunning true-crime mystery.

. . . . .

So, follow me through the details of this astounding crime and come to your own conclusions.

Copyright 2014 BA Smith

In what sense is the Cooper hijacking 'the greatest unsolved ...
whatever' ?

It was a money crime. No bodies/deaths/national security issues/
issues of national sovereignty/national financial issue/ etc etc
etc . . . No glaring local or State issues. It was a Federal issue
for the air line industry and the FAA with those issues addressed
promptly.

Sure people wanted Cooper caught. Sure the FBI wants their
man. But there were and are larger issues. Would it surprise you
to learn that some officials never did see NORJAK as warranting
the attention it got? Today the case would be a very low to
non-existent priority.

I wonder if you actually know what the FBI does day to day, in
any field office? I am sure you could not keep up with the daily
demands/requirements .....

Glamour should not supplant fact.

If you think Federal authorities are NOT camped out on Wall
Street - you would be wrong! You would be WAAAAAAAAAY
wrong.

[georger 197]

RobertMBlevins

Yeah...maybe so. But you must have liked the excerpt or you wouldn't have re-posted it again in its entirety...

OFF TOPIC AGAIN!

[skyjack71 0]

STAY ON SUBJECT - YOUR BOOK IS NOT ABOUT COOPER...YOU ARE AN EGOTIST! I suggest you DELETE that post NOW!

YOU are so self CENTERED it is ridiculous. YOU just could NOT stand the fact he did a pretty damn good job on that introduction...

YOU act like an 8 yr old SPOILED CHILD!

Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber

[BruceSmith 3]

georger

***Chapter 1

An Introduction to DB Cooper and the FBI’s investigation


The DB Cooper skyjacking and his escape by parachute into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest is a stunning true-crime mystery.

. . . . .

So, follow me through the details of this astounding crime and come to your own conclusions.

Copyright 2014 BA Smith

In what sense is the Cooper hijacking 'the greatest unsolved ...
whatever' ?

It was a money crime. No bodies/deaths/national security issues/
issues of national sovereignty/national financial issue/ etc etc
etc . . . No glaring local or State issues. It was a Federal issue
for the air line industry and the FAA with those issues addressed
promptly.

Sure people wanted Cooper caught. Sure the FBI wants their
man. But there were and are larger issues. Would it surprise you
to learn that some officials never did see NORJAK as warranting
the attention it got? Today the case would be a very low to
non-existent priority.

I wonder if you actually know what the FBI does day to day, in
any field office? I am sure you could not keep up with the daily
demands/requirements .....

Glamour should not supplant fact.

If you think Federal authorities are NOT camped out on Wall
Street - you would be wrong! You would be WAAAAAAAAAY
wrong.


What makes you ask these questions, Georger? Look around - you're at a computer screen reading about DB Cooper, 42 years after the fact. What does that say about this crime?

The bigger question is why do you defend the FBI so vigorously despite their Big Mistake of losing the ciggies right after their got their DNA read on Coop.

Oh, where is that file, now, eh?

[BruceSmith 3]

RobertMBlevins

***STAY ON SUBJECT - YOUR BOOK IS NOT ABOUT COOPER...YOU ARE AN EGOTIST! I suggest you DELETE that post NOW!

YOU are so self CENTERED it is ridiculous. YOU just could NOT stand the fact he did a pretty damn good job on that introduction...

YOU act like an 8 yr old SPOILED CHILD!

Some parts were good, other parts are unsupported opinions devoid of research. And even if I deleted the post...it wouldn't do any good. Georger already reposted the whole thing. If he deletes it in time, I will take mine down too. He'd better hurry. It's 12:30 am here and I have to be in bed by 1:00.

Here's some ON-topic stuff for you. Bernie Geestman's extended family is very large. And they've all seen Decoded, the original KC report, and the book. I have done some in-person interviews with many of them and provided them with the updated PDF in print. Another interview, this time on video, is scheduled for August.

I only found out recently they've been following the whole thing since the first time the Decoded episode aired in January 2011. This is also how I found out that some of them were also in attendance at the Jones' place on Cooper Thanksgiving...when Geestman failed to show and disappeared for a week with Kenny.

Until now, I thought the only witnesses on that were Helen Jones, her daughter, and Margie Geestman.
Boy, was I wrong.

They've studied the updated PDF on Christiansen. They know some of the people mentioned in the document, and have been speaking to them on their own. Some of them knew Kenny Christiansen personally and Bernie is family, of course. They've even been talking to their friends and neighbors (some of them said) who think they should go public. They don't want to do that until they can confront Bernie with the evidence. More about that below.

Recent quote from an interview: "We knew he (Bernie) was lying on Decoded."

When I asked why, they pointed out the same thing I noticed...that Bernie told Decoded that Kenny (a guy they KNOW) could be the hijacker, even though everyone knew Bernie was WITH Kenny that whole week.

What they plan to do is to invite Bernie to drive down and show him the PDF and ask him about its contents. They know he lied on TV, they know he lied about Foss Tugs, they know he called up his sister and told her to take back everything she said in her interview, and they're going to speak to Margie Geestman on the missing logbook and other things. I just don't see how Geestman can weasel his way out of questions by his own family. Like I said, they are a BIG family. Bigger than I knew. And they know Helen Jones, too. They just didn't know where she currently lived or her contact info. I pointed this information out for them in the new PDF. She's only a couple of miles away from where some of them live.

I couldn't figure out where Margie ran off to after she sold her ranch. They found out in five minutes on a phone call to Margie's best friend. These folks are doing better than I'm doing, really...and they know Bernie and Margie a lot better than I do. Try to remember something here. They've seen everything YOU'VE seen about all this, and more.

They first contacted me last summer, and then again about four months ago. It's become a sort of Family Affair to find out the truth about what happened on Cooper Week when Bernie disappeared, and when they saw the testimony from Jones where she says Kenny told her six weeks after the hijacking that he was with Bernie that week, they knew Jones wasn't lying. Because they know Jones and her family, too.

They're going to call up Bernie and have him come down and meet them. They don't know for sure if he was involved in the hijacking, but after meeting with me, following KC stuff since 2011, and seeing that PDF in print, they're starting to wonder. And unlike me, one of them believes she can easily get Margie Geestman to give them all the details, the ones she kept dodging with me in her seven interviews. Quote from recent interview: "Margie will tell me everything..."

Just bring in the family and get them involved. That's the quickest way to get to the truth. I should have thought of it myself. They thought of it first, which is why they contacted me in the first place. Hell, some of them even view the posts on this thread. We had a laugh about all the 'Blevins' attack stuff. They have no sympathy for this at all, because they knew all along that many of the things I said were true. None of them want to talk to you, I can guarantee that. I have to admit I was downright floored by this whole situation, but looking back on it I should have expected it.

This is good stuff. Now, we're getting somewhere.