FLYJACK

It is in the FBI files part 43 p 172 also talk about here..

There was the famous Quantas bomb hoax in Australia... May 1971.. it is in the FBI files as well.. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-23/qantas-bomb-hoax-1971-the-great-plane-robbery-australia/10807510 These things may not be exact copies but a logical advancement... Cini..

The very thing that has frustrated the Cooper investigation for 50+ years also attracts people to this mystery.. That is, we have very few 100% facts, try listing them. This case is the ultimate bayesian example. We take a few facts, some conflicting and lots of inferential info and try to reconstruct the crime, it is a fascinating intellectual challenge where we as individuals utilize our own unique experiences, history, education, logic and reason. The Cooper case is the ultimate intellectual puzzle challenge.. a test of our own minds.. The problem is there may not be a 100% provable conclusion.. without forensics.. so, we do the best we can with what we have and that includes consistently re-examining the evidence and exploring new theories that fit within the information we have. It is like having a 10,000 piece picture puzzle with 300 confirmed pieces and only 1,000 more pieces that may or may not even belong to that puzzle.. We try to put enough pieces together to establish the full picture... lots of pieces fit that may not even belong..

Yes, it is a single data point.. If I remember the case, not all the money was passed. But, what is interesting is that it wasn't caught on the first transaction by the extortionist... If bills get initially passed they still circulate over and over for years.. The Cooper bill serial numbers were entered into the NCIC database..

This is interesting, there was an airplane extortion for $25,000 claiming a bomb would go off if a plane dropped below 10,000 ft. The plane was Seattle bound and the extortion in $20's was paid in Anchorage. The guy got caught in Portland when a bill showed up in a bank. That bill was tracked back to a German mechanic in Portland.. I had researched this case before and know that the rest of the money was not recovered. but, it is a case of a marked bill being caught by a bank.. within 5 weeks of the ransom and found in Portland while paid in Anchorage..

anybody ever find this,, first big spread on Cooper LA Times West Magazine March 19, 1972

No it isn't, they are trying to depict a slightly pouty protruding lower lip in the sketches, very tough to do, heavier than the top lip but not heavy or fat.

Flo noted "thin lips" in Gray interview. I just took exception with the "fat lip" description.

yes, thicker in the middle, the first Cooper description said thin lips,,,

I know.. everybody has that same reaction.

I am not saying it isn't.. I just couldn't match the cover text to any version of the cover I could find online..

Great episode and good job both of you,, wow 3 hours.. and you didn't cover everything. Darren, you should do another panel show with 2 or 3 guests.. those are good too... I agree with almost all of it.. it may have been recorded before some of the discussions here.. I also believe the bomb may have been real, we don't know either way but Cooper saying he won't be taken alive,, the electric fuse radio comment and the vulnerability of somebody not accepting the bomb as real.. he could have been shot dead. Plus, there is red dynamite. There is no evidence indicating it was fake. So, it is possible it was real. The evidence strongly suggests Cooper was right handed, not left. Try carrying a flat case to the "restroom" unlatch the door and turn on the tap.. you will carry it in your non dominant hand. Plus, cig stains on right hand and Mitchell. My theory is that the dummy chute was tossed because it didn't have a seal or card and would have appeared to be tampered with. The other three had seals and cards. Cooper wasn't stupid. TBAR, no way somebody buries money next to the river. There are so many better places to bury money if needed. I have some good TBAR theories but it will never be solved.. One of my theories is actionable. Rataczak said "American currency" and Tina said Cooper told her "U. S. currency", so we have two instances.. For both to say this supports Cooper actually using a unique descriptor for the currency. Forget about the uncirculated part that is not the issue. Tina said she didn't see his face straight on but she had input on the sketches and screening suspect images.. She is being evasive/dishonest for some reason. Lips were not "fat", they were thin with a protruding lower. I also believe Cooper had dyed his hair.. or had some black greasy/slick product in it. Hahneman, you make the same classic error everyone else has, but that is OK, you are in good company and no I can't elaborate now. Gag order. Witness's ability to ID Cooper is unreliable. Check. Himmelsbach and the FBI developed a strong bias within a year to push the Cooper died in the jump narrative.. they needed to explain why they failed and needed a public narrative against hijacking. Tom Kaye told me 14 partial DNA profiles on the tie,, so yes, tie DNA is a crapshoot.. Cooper's DNA may be contaminated or not even be one of them. Tom Kaye's DNA was on the vacuum filter that was tested not the tie. Fingerprints are also a problem, FBI files say "no good" or "no value" they are not confident any are Cooper. BTW, Club moss (lycopodium clavatum) powder is yellowish tan and was used for latex gloves but was eliminated for the medical industry due to reactions,, In videos Larry Carr is handling the tie with yellowish tan gloves, he or earlier FBI agents agents may have contaminated the tie with those gloves.. I believe the tie belonged to Cooper since about 1964/5.. but I do have an alternate source,, both strongly match the tie particle environment. Heisson store.. one thing that gets overlooked is that the Heisson store is not actually named in the FBI files, we assume that was the store based on the area identified and it probably is but it isn't 100%.. Wikipedia,, I hate Wikipedia, it is riddled with misinformation, political bias and ideological cults, some subjects more than others and trying to correct misinformation sounds worse than waterboarding torture. Christiansen,, a joke all around. The Seinfeld suspect,, a suspect case about nothing. Reca,, an even bigger joke, they got everything wrong. Cooper spoke intelligently, Reca not so much.. complete waste of time. McCoy,, eliminated, does not fit the evidence. Calame and Rhodes lied about the tie clip. Peterson,, not even close, even Ulis has dropped him as a suspect. RIP Petey. Braden,, overqualified badass, easily recognizable, unique look, Cooper was not a badass. Barb Dayton,, stop, no way, just no... LD Cooper, no, no evidence just a childhood story, Sorry Marla.. a smile and a pretty face only gets you so far in the Vortex. Weber,, no way, not even close. How do we even know he claimed he was Cooper, Jo lied about everything.. IMO, Dwayne was the victim in that relationship. Rackstraw,, nope, everything is out about him now. Lots of speculation, no evidence. Gossett was always a good suspect and there are others who we just don't have enough evidence to evaluate.... But, we will never get this solved beyond circumstantial without new forensics and that may be impossible now..

How do you know it is the Book of Mormon,, that would interesting but when I google images of the book I can't find a version that matches the one in the pic.. Is it part of an article?

Don't see Gunther replicating the letter with typos and spelling errors, he would also have to replicate the group letter with the matching typewriter.. too risky. If it was Cooper he was probably an avid reader of True and Playboy and the article resonated with Cooper's real life.. he could have had a stack of mags in his basement. Since he mailed the letter to Gunther's old address he may have even written to Gunther previously. If it was a hoaxer he just researched Gunther and padded the letter with flattery..

NO way Gunther would take the risk.. He wasn't your average struggling writer. He had a legit career for decades including Business Week and Time magazine, he wrote many books. The Cooper book didn't solve anything so what was he really accomplishing.. most readers thought it was a hoax or fiction. He didn't even claim it to be Cooper, though he believed it was. The book did nothing for his career and was outside his lane. But, when you think about it, Gunther replied to the letter in the Village Voice in 1972, spoke to and named others that were contacted and gave info to the FBI when contacted by Clara.. that is some foresight and time lag to create a hoax book in 1985.. not to mention the risk to his reputation if caught/charged. I just don't see Gunther committing a hoax here. IMO, he was contacted by Cooper/Clara. Now, were they hoaxing him,, possibly.. that is what we are trying to determine. IMO, the question is,, was he contacted by the real Cooper or hoaxers. Who would do a hoax like this,,, originally asking for money, disappearing for 10 years then not asking for money. It is bizarre even for hoaxers. IMO, initially somebody wanted money then 10 years later somebody wanted Cooper to be dead..

The Cooper letter and Clara letter were typed on different models,, the numbers are different, specifically the 5. So, the Cooper typewriter wasn't repaired.

But the o is over the D not after.. Do wasn't typed. This will never get solved.. IMO, it was far too risky for Gunther to perpetuate a hoax and take it to the FBI... if there was a hoax it was Cooper/Carla but why didn't Carla also ask for money... the agenda was to say Cooper was really a nice guy and he was dead.. Who gains from that.. the real Cooper or the FBI or ???? The "Cooper" motivation for a hoax is possible,,, money But what hoax motivation is there for "Clara"??

Gunther and the others he talked to thought the "Cooper" contact was a hoax.. it wasn't until "Clara" that he thought it might be legit. So, they really didn't have anything to go on at that point. That "Cooper" suddenly disappeared would support the hoax idea. For males, typing was taught in college and used in the military,, not for combat but "bureaucratic" personnel... lots of those. The FBI Cooper profile was some college and military.. Remember, Cooper was described as 45-50, intelligent and possibly some management.. lots of opportunity to learn to type. But, yes, the "Cooper" letter writer seemed to be a trained typist though poor spelling. Typewriter: I read it as newer condition not necessarily age.. newer age is obvious being 10 years later. The Cooper letter was done on a very worn out typewriter that needed repairs.. a piece of junk somebody had kicking around.

If Gunther typed the letter as an elaborate hoax and made an incriminating typo, why not just type another letter. That is not Do, it is a double strike x and o over the D, it is possible the typist began D B Cooper in error. Whoever made the error did not see at as incriminating in any way. The contacts Gunther noted are the ones he knew of.. there could have been others he didn't know. The tab set/indentation is different between the "Cooper" letter and "Clara" letter.. I think that is user set,, lots of places to access typewriters,, Hotels, Schools and Libraries.. Of course, Max examined the letters to determine if they were done on the same typewriter. When I was a little kid we had an old typewriter in the house.. rarely used. Keys always got stuck.. That Clara letter has a faded capital M... I need to check the letters in the FBI files..

yes. But I got it mixed up,, it is 371's not 317's... so it doesn't apply 3(71's)-684(*) I have been trying everything to figure our that code.. whether it was Cooper or a hoaxer.. One idea.. super long shot but cool. One of the Cooper bills is L 71717573 B The code on the Cooper letter is 717171684* shift cypher.. 71717 (shift -1) 684 = 71717573 another idea was that it was a MGRS code.. the code points to a spot near Eugene Oregon.. But it could be anything...

I found that the IRS in WA DC uses the numbers 317-684(x), I found many of them between 0-9.. The code 171717684* was in the Cooper letter,, = 3(17's)-684* BUT, and a big BUT... I can't tell if those numbers were used back in 1971,,

Remember, Gunther submitted his notes and the letters to the FBI for evaluation,, no way he would use a unique typewriter that ties a letter to himself. He was a successful writer, no reason to risk a criminal charge and his career for a mediocre book. Even Gunther admitted there is no proof it was Cooper and may be a hoax.

I don't think it is Do.. the o is half way over over the D not a regular spacing. It looks like a D then an x over it and a half space o with the x double struck. That suggests the x and o was typed to cover the D..

Not sure, what was the NCFund awareness in 1971-72 for NYTimes readers?? I don't really know anything about New York life circa 1972,,, It supports other evidence for "Cooper" being in New York.. Did the NYTimes have a personal message section? or were there any other New York publications with a personal message section other than Village Voice??

It does make sense if Cooper for some time wanted to leave his family and disappear.. another clue is that the letter was sent to Gunther's old address, suggesting perhaps the writer had written to Gunther in the past.. an avid reader of True Magazine. but I still believe if it was a hoax it wasn't Gunther but Cooper/Clara... It is really hard to figure this out since you can't take anything too literally.. all participants have a motive to deceive or embellish.