BruceSmith

Boy, did I get a surprising phone call this evening - one from Robb's ex wife! Her name is Mary Stevenson, and she's writing a book about her life, including a major section on how she dated Robb before he went to Vietnam, and then continued their relationship once he returned home. After Robb's incarceration they married, and the union lasted seven years. Mary says that she had no inkling that Robb was gonna hijack an airplane, and she heard about it when she called Robb's house later that day and got the news from Robb's sister. She also says that she taught Robb how to meditate once he went to prison, which is how he survived prison and got out after eight years. Unlike some folks at this site, Mary says that she wrote her book in three days. She claims that a writing seminar with Tom Bird really opened her floodgates of insight, passion, and deliberation.

The debriefing in Reno with the crew lasted until 3 am, according to Calame and Rhodes, which puts the debrief at about 4 hours since they landed at 11 pm. In addition, they state that Tina gave a very comprehensive account of what had transpired. She spoke in even, clear, calm tones.

1. Geoffrey writes that Tina actually had some smokes with Cooper and was telling jokes, which caught my eye when I read it. 2. Jack Almstad told me that when he came back to use the lavatory during the air time over Seattle, he made a joke to Tina and Danny and they both laughed. 2. I have never read or seen any documentation on Florence where she says that all the flight attendants were "pretty frightened all the time." Can you tell us where your citation is?

I Just heard, Ayn Dietrich, the PIO and "Media Coordinator" at the Seattle HQ, has a new last name. She is now Ayn Dietrich-Williams.

Today is a very sad day in Cooper World. Bill Mitchell called me today to say that he wants no further contact with me or anyone else in the DB Cooper story. Apparently Jo contacted him this weekend to complain about what I had written regarding what Bill had said about Jo and Duane. Madness must be respected, and I have certainly learned a painful lesson today about how powerful - and destructive - the Vortex can be. As a result, I will be reducing my involvement here.

Thanks, Parrot Head. We're good. Go Vols. (I lived in Nashville for a spell...and one of my favorite athletes is RA Dickey. I loved his book, too. Why the Mets traded him is craziness.)

Wow, Parrot Head. Now you're insinuating that I'm a slanderer, and I DON'T like it. There are a couple elements of slander that you have to consider before you throw the term in my direction. One is malice, the desire to harm someone else through statements verbal or written. I don't think I've written about Kenny with any malice. Some disagree with me, and equate being not nice as basically the same thing as malice. Another element is truthfulness. Is anything I have written about Kenny not true? If so, what is it? As for Kenny's status as a free-lance, ad-hoc foster daddy, well in my judgement he was very irresponsible in how he approached the needs of these kids. Sure they needed a place to stay, and Kenny sounds like a great buddy who brings treats and goodies. But it does sound like classic grooming behavior. Okay, he didn't touch anybody, and I accept that but my eyes are raised and concerned. Just as importantly, where was daddy when Kenny was winging to Tokyo? Who watched out for these kids? Leaving at risk youth unattended is not right. To me, the whole scenario in Bonney Lake does not sound healthy or wise. That's the perspective I write from, and if anyone has a problem with that, well, then live with it. As for Kenny being a hijacker. No way, Jose, and apparently the FBI feels the same way despite what Bobby says that Freddy Gutt says, etc.....

Bill Mitchell talked. If you'd like to read the scoop, head over to the Mountain News: http://themountainnewswa.net/2014/12/07/new-developments-in-the-db-cooper-case-primary-witness-bill-mitchell-speaks-publicaly/

Outrageous, isn't it. (smile). It's almost like calling someone a killer, or a skyjacker...

There has been quite a big stir about what I wrote, what I've written, and what I'm gonna write about Kenny. (And how I should write it...) Rest assured. I have reviewed my chapter on Kenny's alleged confession, and here's what I think are the salient points on his candidacy to be DB Cooper, and the investigation into that possibility: Chapter 18 The near-confession of Kenny Christiansen Kenneth Christiansen did not directly confess to being DB Cooper, but his brother Lyle thinks he might have on his death bed in the mid-1990s. Lyle says that as Kenny lay dying of cancer he motioned for his younger brother to come close. Kenny then reportedly whispered, “There is something that I have to tell you…” but he never finished the message before hovering family members gushed words of encouragement and faith. Lyle didn’t make any connection to DB Cooper until much later, and around 2005 he launched the crusade to learn the truth of his brother by contacting a New York City private investigator named Skipp Porteous. That association led to author Geoffrey Gray, who followed with a profile on Christenson that was published in New York Magazine in 2007, titled, “Unmasking DB Cooper.” Gray followed up his magazine piece with "Skyjack - The Hunt for DB Cooper," which is one of the major works in the Cooper literature. Lyle’s outreach also spurred Porteous to co-author a separate work with Robert M. Blevins. Together they created "Into the Blast- The True Story of DB Cooper." Adding to this interest, in 2011 the History Channel aired a Brad Meltzer’s Decoded episode that posed Christiansen as DB Cooper based upon Blevins’ and Porteous’ findings In fact, Blevins appeared briefly in the telecast. However, by 2014 co-author Skipp Porteous dropped out of the picture due to health reasons, and Robert M Blevins is sole bearer of the torch for Kenny Christiansen. All the written works on Christiansen seem to be based on solid research – certainly Gray’s - but they offer only circumstantial evidence. The central theme is that Ken Christiansen had a lot of money after 1971, but no obvious means of creating the funds. For example, Blevins reports that Ken bought his house in Bonney Lake, WA for $16,500 in cash in early 1972, despite earning only $215 per week working for Northwest Orient Airlines. At the same time, Kenny loaned an additional $5,000 to a friend. Further, at his death Kenny left an inheritance that included a stamp and coin collection valued at over $300,000, plus a checking account with nearly $25,000. His savings account had $186,000, plus his tax returns reveal that he never claimed over $20,000 in income. However, these claims of financial bounty are intensely questioned. Several sleuths at the DZ, such as Mr. Shutter, Robert 99 and Georger, soundly rebuke Robert Blevins for his wildly inaccurate reporting of Christiansen’s wealth. By 2014 Blevins even reduced the value of the stamps and coins to $30,000, and seems to acknowledge that Christiansen did not buy his house for cash. Nevertheless, Lyle Christiansen thinks that his brother is DB Cooper, and used the $200,000 ransom as seed money to buy property, and later reaped the traditional rewards of land development. What is known, however, is that Ken Christianson was a former Northwest Orient mechanic, flight attendant, and in November 1971 a purser who supervised all the flight attendants on his plane, exclusively flying routes to the Orient. Additionally, he had been a paratrooper in WWII, was by most accounts a loner, and had lived alone in the Tacoma suburb of Bonney Lake. However, Christiansen invited runaway boys and young men to stay at his home in Bonney Lake for extended periods of time, as revealed by Geoffrey Gray. Gray interviewed one of the young men, who said that Kenny was generous with his money, returning with gifts from his travels overseas and treating him to meals in restaurants. Despite the eyebrows raised by Christiansen’s questionable parenting skills, the young man who stayed at Kenny’s home told Gray - and Blevins in a follow-up interview - he had never been sexually molested by Kenny and knew no one who had. However, neither author reveals what these at-risk kids did at Kenny’s home when he was gone for extended periods of time. As for the skyjacking, Gray wrote in his article that Flight 305 stewardess Florence Schaffner said the photographs he showed her of Christiansen “were the closest in resemblance to Cooper than any of the suspects she’s ever seen.” Yet, Christiansen was 5’8” and although reported to be 170 pounds in 1971 he appears heavier in pictures. He was also noticeably pale-skinned, and did not possess the “olive” skin tone reported by eye witnesses. Additionally, his eye color was hazel, and not the deep brown as reportedly by Florence. However, he was a Raleigh smoker. Further, no one has been able to corroborate Gray’s claim of what Schaffner has said because Flo refuses to talk to any journalists or researchers since Geoffrey’s announcement. But Blevins writes that Kenny’s best friend, Bernie Geestman, worked at Boeing during the late 1960s when they conducted skydiving exercises with 727s, and suggests that this is how Christiansen learned the parachuting metrics of the airplane. Yet, despite being a paratrooper in WW II, his letters home convey a sense of anxiety about jumping. Adding to the uncertainly, Blevins interviewed a number of Christiansen’s close associates for Into the Blast, and it seems that they were trying diligently to cover-up some secret, especially Bernie. But what that secret may be is unknown. At the very least, Kenny and Geestman were each other’s alibis for missing Thanksgiving Day dinner in 1971. Their whereabouts have never been explained, but Blevins and Porteous espouse that Bernie was the getaway man to Kenny’s skyjacking. Curiously, after the hijacking Christiansen remained at Northwest Orient for over twenty years, flying NWO routes twice-monthly to Asia, mostly Tokyo, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Blevins claims that maintaining employment at the airlines was a clever place to hide, but it’s a scenario that seems implausible to most researchers. In 2012, Tina Mucklow gave an interview with the Eugene Weekly – not about DB Cooper – but about her NWO experiences in general and she said she flew Northwest routes to Asia until 1981, which suggests that she would have met her ersatz hijacker sometime in that period. Kenny also did not seem to be a guy who could convincingly pull off his threat to blow up an airplane. “He’d never hurt anyone,” Lyle told me. Lyle described his brother as a sensitive kid - working in the garden with his mother and avoiding competitive sports, except for long-distance running. It is widely believed that the FBI has ruled-out Kenny Christiansen as DB Cooper, allegedly calling the Blevins-Porteous work, “Into the Trash.” But Blevins, who posts voluminously at the DZ, maintains that the Bureau has not dismissed his suspect. The FBI has not made any public statement regarding Kenny Christiansen as the skyjacker, nor do they seem to be conducting any substantive investigation of this suspect.

One last time: What I said, and what I stand by is this: Kenny Christiansen engaged in "troubling" behavior by inviting at risk youth - runaway boys and young men - to stay at his house in Bonney Lake. He is reported widely, such as by GG, to have given them exotic gifts when he came back from Asia and to take them out to restaurants. I acknowledge that Geoffrey Gary reports that one kid from Kenny's past, McDonald, now a grown man, stated that he had never been sexually abused by Kenny and knew of no one who had been. Bobby, I have repeatedly asked YOU how you would characterize Kenny's behavior, and all I heard was that you thought Kenny was a nice guy who was trying to help out some troubled kids. That minimizes the potential for harm to these young men in my view, and I consider it to be inadequate. Yes, I know that if Hollywood gets a whiff of Kenny's relationship with young men, your hopes of a MEGA DEAL will probably go out the window. As I asked you before, if you had a son and he ran away from you, would you want him staying with Kenny Christiansen? If you would, then plant your flag on that belief. The rest of us will just shake our heads and mutter, the kid was right to run away even if he stayed with a creepy guy. His father is a jerk.

Actually, Bob, the cheapest and easiest thing is to simply make you and Kenny a footnote in my five-hundred page case study of Norjak. Remember, my book is an investigation of the FBI's investigation of DB Cooper, and you sir haven't even talked to a single case agent or investigator, nor do you write about such. So, you don't bring a whole lot to the table, if you catch my drift. DUHH! U BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE WITH YOUR SICK & LUSTFUL AND DIRTY REMARKS ABOUT TINA & HER FAMILY, So whatcha bringing to the table, Jo? How about a pix? There's more room since it looks like Kenny's bit is gonna be pretty skinny.

Thanks for clarifying this. It helps me understand what is going on. I concur with your assessment that your work is more an investigation into KC than DBC.

Actually, Bob, the cheapest and easiest thing is to simply make you and Kenny a footnote in my five-hundred page case study of Norjak. Remember, my book is an investigation of the FBI's investigation of DB Cooper, and you sir haven't even talked to a single case agent or investigator, nor do you write about such. So, you don't bring a whole lot to the table, if you catch my drift. Whatever. Into the Blast isn't about the FBI's investigation on Cooper. It's about our private investigation into Kenny Christiansen. I have sent you a private message on this. You can footnote what you wish. If I see any infringement, or that bullshit child molestation allegation in the final version of your book...I will file complaints about this to Amazon, Barnes and Noble eBooks, Indie, or wherever that book ends up. None of those entities will support you publishing that kind of libelous garbage without proof. They will most likely remove your book and cancel your account(s). The good news is that you will have at least two sales, because I will take a look at both the print (if available) and the eBook version when it comes out. An actual lawsuit won't be necessary. Quoting of passages and a formal complaint will almost certainly do the job. You should smarten up anyway, Bruce. If you subbed that ms to a traditional publisher, they would stop cold on that allegation and tell you that you have to either prove it or remove it. So will Amazon and the others, once a complaint is filed. The only difference being that Amazon and the other online entities might just remove your book and cancel your account(s) and permenantly disallow you from publishing anything further with them. I want to see a public apology from you HERE, and a retraction HERE. At Dropzone. It had better sound sincere. Then...we will talk about licensing you an image or two. I never said I didn't support your book. I have done so publicly before, right here at Dropzone. But you have to be reasonable. Bruce Smith asks: You can add my picture to your book if you want and say I'm the guy, etc. Actually, the REAL answer to your problem is listed above in my post. Use some common sense and do what you think is best for your book and its possible future. Retraction, apology. HERE. At Dropzone. Then we can talk licensing of images perhaps. Bobby, we've been through this a couple of times. Sigh I've never written that Kenny Christiansen was a child molester, so I have nothing to prove. You the only one talking about it. Not me.

Actually, Bob, the cheapest and easiest thing is to simply make you and Kenny a footnote in my five-hundred page case study of Norjak. Remember, my book is an investigation of the FBI's investigation of DB Cooper, and you sir haven't even talked to a single case agent or investigator, nor do you write about such. So, you don't bring a whole lot to the table, if you catch my drift.

How odd. I have posted my entire chapter on you and Duane in these very pages about six months ago. And I sent the manuscript to you about 18 months ago, which you commented upon and corrected some factual errors. (Thank you). So how you can remain in the dark is a mystery. If you like you can call me and I can read it all over the phone. I'm happy to let my little light shine!

Absolutely NOT. All pictures of Christiansen except for the comparison picture posted by Geoff Gray in his New York Magazine article are the intellectual property of Adventure Books of Seattle. All rights to the Kenny Christiansen story, including images, letters, family-provided documents, etc. are owned by Adventure Books of Seattle, as well. On the comparison picture, you will have to talk to either Gray or the New York Magazine. You do NOT have permission to use any of the images provided to us by the Christiansen family, with whom we have a signed contract granting all the above rights I mentioned to...you guessed it...Adventure Books of Seattle. Short, reasonable, text-only excerpts from the book Into The Blast - The True Story of D.B. Cooper ARE allowed under Fair Use rules, but NO pictures. WARNING: If you violate these copyrights either in print or in eBook format, this is what happens: We get a quick judgment against your print provider and/or Amazon for infringment and then (as allowed by law) base any monetary claim solely on what we THINK we might have lost as a result of such infringement. That means either your book will be removed by Amazon and dumped by your print provider...or we will actually get any money you gain from sales directly from Amazon or your print provider. Probably the former. The main aim of infringement suits isn't necessarily money, but the stoppage of such infringement. Since we know you aren't exactly rich, I would proceed with having your book removed in all formats until such infringement ceases, rather than going after money. And now that you have brought this up, I will make sure to check your book in all versions to ensure there IS no infringement. On a side note, if you say in your book that you think KC was a child molester and don't have any witnesses or hard evidence to support such an allegation, I will file complaints with both Amazon and your print provider alleging libel. That is a promise, Bruce. And you should remember that if Amazon removes your book for libelous statements or copyright infringement, they will cancel your account and never allow you to publish another thing at their website, and your book in print form will be permanently banned from Amazon. Your print provider will dump you as well. I have been fairly patient with you on this matter because up until now you haven't done anything except hand out a Word document. But if you go public in print with that crap, I will put a stop to it PDQ. And this is not a difficult job by any means. EDIT: You know, considering that bullshit allegation in your current Word doc, you sure have a lot of nerve asking for permission to use one of our images. Okie-Dokie, Bob. So, how would you like me to inform my readers what Kenny looks like? Another alternative is that I post your pix and let people know you're the guy who doesn't want me sharing a pix of Kenny with them? What would you prefer, sir?

NO you do NOT have permission to print a damn thing - I have not read what you wrote about me or Weber, but I have been told it is all NEGATIVE and probably as distasteful and untruthful as everything you put in this thread. I do not get Ebook or read books on-line ...if you want to send me a printed edition - and it is something that will NEVER be changed - I will talk to you about it. Otherwise spend your time with the CAT subject - you might find that little bit of research helpful - if you want to know about Weber. The 1962 picture looks nothing like the pictures of Duane taken before or after...I have explained that was one the brother scanned to send to me and it is distorted - yet, it is the one I see being used. Think about WHY? If you want a REAL picture of Weber as he appeared in 1970/1972 - I will talk. I have spent 17 yrs trying to explain the 1962 pic was distorted & I have the other pics the brother sent me at the same time to prove this...but NO one CARES - they do not want the truths known. Okay, then. Send me whatever photograph you'd like me to use in my book. You can post it here, or email it to me. Thanks.

This is the first time I heard you mention Bend, Mrs. Cooper. Your Sentimental Journey is more like the Incredible Never-Ending Journey. Your initials are BS and that is what you are.....GO back eons ago in this thread - to a time when Sluggo was here...I am sure I made postings about our route to Tahoe and BEND, OR was of SPECIAL INTEREST. If my memory serves me - I discussed the smorgasborg in Prineville and the fact that JT makes a trip to the area shortly after I made the posting MANY YRS ago. I also spoke about the conversation Duane & I had about the boys flying in & out of Redmond....it was the ONE time I asked Duane specifically who the BOYS or GUYS where & what kind of work they did? I thought perhaps it had something to do with the BALLOON searches (That was about all I knew about OR. at that time other than the places he took me on the way to Seattle). Now EVERYONE knows how little you RESEARCH your questions and how little you validate your sordid remarks. His Reply! "It's something I can't talk about." CAT got you tongue? Well, don't fool with CATS - you might come up with something missing - like the hands you use to type your snide & uninformed postings regarding Weber and the things he told his wife. Speaking of CATS, could I please, purr-ty please, have permission to use the pix of Duane that you posted here in my book. It's taken 1962, I believe. Headshot mostly.

In the meantime, Robert, do I have your permission to post in my e-book the pix of Kenny in his purser's uniform that you've posted here?

Why do you assume that, Bobby? Speaking of being a God, how can we not be Gods - after all are we not of God? Doesn't that make us Gods - everyone of us?

This is the first time I heard you mention Bend, Mrs. Cooper. Your Sentimental Journey is more like the Incredible Never-Ending Journey. BTW: When you were in Bend did you see any of the mandalas drawn in the sand? The pix are cool.

Lots of sand to pick from. Sandy River, Sandy Point and Sandy, Oregon, madam. Speaking of which, the Dalles had a very unique experience with its sand that garnered world attention. Back in the late 1980s their entire Columbia River beach disappeared one night in a matter minutes. The exact dynamics, physics, or the hydraulics of the occurrence is not known, as far as I know. Again, we could use Georger to help us understand our missing sand. Whadda ya think, Duane and his ground men killed Danny Boy and he got his death-bed confession mixed-up???

So many mix-ups this week. Whew. First Bobby: I deleted the post I had placed here because I mistakenly mixed up Bruce Smith and Sailshaw. My apologies. Blush Then me: You have a few mistakes in your write-up of our lunch today, otherwise it is fairly accurate. (From Beaver One) Then Sail Bruce: Thanks for your correction to my statement about Duanes ears being too big to be DB Cooper. So it was a statement you got from your phone call with Bill Mitchell and was not from Ralph Hatley (I got the spelling finally correct). Sorry Ralph for my bad spelling but it was a long day for us and we finally got home around 8 pm having started at 7:30 am that same day. What a great trip with very nice weather and fun to talk with Ralph over lunch. He is a very interesting guy that knows a lot about skydiving and has his Commercial Pilots license too. Bob Sailshaw sailshaw00@gmail.com And now Mrs. Cooper: "...Have a NICE evening & CORRECT your crap! Even Sailshaw corrected you!..." I believe you have your Truth Villains reversed, Mrs. Cooper. It is I, Prince Bruce who corrected Sail's error. As a result of all this confusion, I think I will meditate and give a blessing to all at the DZ. May we all feel peaceful and loved. May we all know truth. Even Georger.

So do I Mrs. Cooper. I always maintain top-notch records of my interviews.