BruceSmith

Not to worry, Bobby. Sail's trophy wife is coming with us, so I expect Ralphie will be butter in our hands. Kind of like the Beauty and the Beasts.

You going gay on us, Jo? Just askin'.

Hi Everybody - Local News from Cooper World: Sail and I are heading down to Eagle Creek next week to see Ralph Hatley and discuss parachutes, Earl Cossey, Ralph Himmelsbach, and mysterious DZs in southern Washington. Ta Da! Plus, Sail is buying lunch, so all is good. And he's driving and we're taking his Prius, so we can make the gas, I think. Ariel is this Saturday and I'm not sure I can make it, which saddens me as this is my best day of the year for dancing with hot babes. Oh, well. In years past I've ridden with Robb Heady (and EVick), Meyer Louie, and the Formans, and all of them are passing on Ariel this year. Meyer has moved to the Rez east of the mountains where his people are and teaching math full-time at a local community college. Still has beaucoup eye trouble, but he says that the docs have a treatment for him that will work. Just takes time. Not sure what is happening with Ron and Pat, but this will be the first time in many years they are not at the Daze. Bobby has invited me to ride with him to Ariel, but I don't want to take a chance on getting arrested somewhere underneath Victor 23, so... I'm passing on that invite.

Perhaps we already know all the details on how Kenny got his house, as of November 2014. That's because we went to the source. And we have Lyle's DNA profile now. I pointed out that Lyle's opinion is useless on whether his brother was the hijacker for a simple reason. Because it is true. His opinion is useless. Kenny never told him he was the hijacker, nor did he leave any of the ransom bills to him in a Super Secret Squirrel envelope. In fact, Lyle had no idea that people like Helen Jones, Bernie and Margie Geestman, Dawn Androsko, or any of the other people his brother knew even existed, until I updated him. Here's the quote from Mitchell, which is a bit mixed up because I don't think WSHM did the best job on the transcription, as well as failing to ask the right questions anyway. But such as it is: Robert says: Without dye or a toupee, I don't see how a guy in his mid-to-late 40's could have hair without at least a bit of grey in it. Just saying. And by the way...I didn't bring up Kenny 'again'. That was Bruce Smith, simply over a comment I made today at Mountain News. As far as Lyle Christiansen saying he thinks his brother wasn't Cooper, I will point you to his most recent thoughts on that. He has filled our office with files, letters, docs, emails, and pictures over the years. He does so right up to the present day. Latest email is attached.

Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Cooper. 43 years ago tonight your former husband threatened to kill 43 people. He also stole 200K and reportedly traumatized Tina Mucklow. Any thoughts on the subject? Any apologies? Any thoughts on restitution?

This tidbit of fact may be true, Mrs. Cooper, but is not the whole truth. Since the FBI had the cigarette butts and analyzed the DNA from them around 2002, it must be presumed that they have DB Cooper actual DNA and a complete profile. We know this because Seattle KIRO-TV announced it as such in 2002. The bigger question then is, what happened next to the butts and the documentation, both of which now seem to be "lost." It also begs the question of why the butts were stored in Les Vegas and not in Seattle, as has been reported here. YOUR INFORMATION IS WRONG. THEY NEVER DID DNA ON THE BUTTS. WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO DO THAT IS WHEN THEY FOUND THEY WERE MISSING! JUST WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION? FACTS NOT FICTION. THE ONLY POSSIBLE DNA THEY HAD WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE TIE. THE BUTTS WHERE GONE! READ THE POSTINGS OF CKRET! THE FBI NEVER GOT TO CHECK THE BUTTS FOR DNA. THIS SUBJECT WAS DISCUSSED THIS WITH ONE OF THE AGENTS....ALL THEY HAVE IS THE PARTICIAL DNA FROM THE TIE. So, you're saying that the announcement on KIRO in 2002 is false? How do you know that to be true? Further, do you know where the cigarette butts are now? Also, do you take everything Larry Carr said here to be 100% factual? If so, how come he didn't go looking for the butts when they came up "missing" in 2008? Lastly, is anyone looking for the butts now? If not, why not?

Happy Anniversary Everyone! Whew, 43 years.

This tidbit of fact may be true, Mrs. Cooper, but is not the whole truth. Since the FBI had the cigarette butts and analyzed the DNA from them around 2002, it must be presumed that they have DB Cooper actual DNA and a complete profile. We know this because Seattle KIRO-TV announced it as such in 2002. The bigger question then is, what happened next to the butts and the documentation, both of which now seem to be "lost." It also begs the question of why the butts were stored in Les Vegas and not in Seattle, as has been reported here.

Greetings Everyone, Bobby just made a sizeable post about Kenny on the Mountain News. Here is my response: If Kenny Christiansen proves to be DB Cooper, the big story will be why it took so long for the FBI to believe that he was the notorious skyjacker. To that end, I understand from various reports in the Cooper annals that the FBI is not actively considering KC as Cooper, and that their investigations of his brother, Lyle Christiansen, indicated that KC was a false lead. Also, it appears that even Lyle has had strong doubts about his allegations that his brother was DB Cooper and disclaimed the notion on a call-in radio show from Spokane, as reported in the DZ and elsewhere. Remember, that the FBI itself claimed that LD Cooper was their most promising suspect in 2011, long after the essential material on Christiansen had been presented to them and the public. Hence, it would seem that any hope of a forensic inquiry that the Bureau extends to the KC researchers is at best a courtesy, and at worst is a political ploy designed to keep them at arms' length. Lastly, one has to wonder why the Christiansen researchers have failed to place a pix of Kenny in front of Cooper witnesses other than the presentation to Florence Schaffner claimed by Geoffrey Gray, circa 2007. True, GG says that Flo said it was the best likeness she has seen so far in the investigation. Unfortunately, Ms. Schaffner has refused to discuss this assessment with any other researchers, including yours truly, despite repeated attempts to contact her. *************** If you would like to see the article and commentary that Bobby posted on the MN, here is the link: http://themountainnewswa.net/2011/09/01/the-hunt-for-db-cooper-the-resurgent-investigation-into-americas-only-unsolved-skyjacking-an-overview/#comment-25134

Why don't you simply tell us, Mrs. Cooper?

Ralph Hatley (RH-2), Sail, and me: Sail and I are going to visit Ralph Hatley soon in Eagle Creek, Oregon. We're making plans this weekend. However, it has become clear to me that some of the previous information of Ralph we had gleaned in the past has been lost, perhaps in the heady glee of anticipation of Jo's Big Announcement. So, I thought it might be useful to re-post my phone interview with RH-2 from last August. What I find most interesting is Hatley's deep friendship with Earl Cossey and RH-2's authoritative and absolute assuredness of some of the dynamics of the Cooper case. In particular, RH-2 holds that DB Cooper knew what the hell he was doing and was not a jerk who got himself killed. ******* I spoke with Ralph Hatley today, Monday, August 25, 2014. Ralph is a noted, long-time skydiver and owner of a DZ in Eagle Creek, Oregon. He is very familiar with the DB Cooper skyjacking and knows many of the principals in the case. Here are the highlights of the conversation. “Yes, Earl Cossey and I were good friends,” he told me straightaway. “We made many jumps together.” Ralph is a no-nonsense kind of guy so I got right to the point about Coss. “What do you think about his murder?” I asked. “I think he caught a guy burglarizing his house,” Ralph replied. “Do you think his murder had anything to do with the DB Cooper case?” “Absolutely not,” Ralph said, and he began a long soliloquy about Earl Cossey, the rigger and controversial technical expert for the FBI in the Norjak case. Ralph said that he knew Cossey “quite well,” and they had many conversations about DB Cooper. Essentially, they both felt that Cooper made it to the ground successfully, so much so that he was able to truck out of the woods with all of his gear. Hatley said that he and Cooper never doubted that Cooper had made it, and he stated that all “real” skydivers felt the same. “Cossey told me the FBI were just a bunch of idiots,” Ralph said, “But a few of them were decent, such as Ralph Himmelsbach, who is a personal friend of mine. Ralph Hatley continued and said that he had told Ralph Himmelsbach (RH-1) that many of his Norjak theories were “far-fetched,” especially the notion that DB Cooper died in the jump because he was an inexperienced skydiver. Hatley laughed loud and long when I asked him about DB Cooper, although I wasn't sure why. Nevertheless, Hatley launched another commentary on the skyjacking. “The night of the skyjacking I was contacted by the feds,” said Hatley. “’Ralph,’ they said, do you know a skydiver named Dan Cooper?’” “’Sure,” I told them. He’s a guy from Moses Lake.’” RH-2 said that the feds didn't quite believed him and thought that Cooper died in his getaway, or was too afraid to leave his airplane. “I was laughing my ass off when the aircraft landed in Reno, sparks flying, and they couldn't find the skyjacker,” said Hatley. At this point I challenged Ralph about the many statements Earl Cossey made to the media, including during several interviews with me that DB Cooper was an incompetent “no-pull” who cratered into the ground on his getaway jump. “Bullshit!” Ralph roared. “We all knew that the perpetrator made it.” In further discussion, Hatley adamantly claimed that Cossey believed DB Cooper made a successful jump. Along those lines, Hatley said that DB Cooper “had some knowledge.” He said the skyjacking was “well-planned” “Cooper picked a parachute that was not a regular skydiving parachute. He picked an NB-8 or an NB-6, whatever, and that was smart because it had a rigging card and a rigger’s packing pin, so he knew the chute hadn’t been opened and tracking devices put inside.” At this point, Ralph became very coy and challenged me to study the flight path and call him after I had a precise understanding of the details. After much prodding, Ralph relented and told me that he felt DB Cooper jumped over Battleground WA, and this location was very fortuitous because it contained a DZ that was owned by Ralph. “I knew the area very well. I’d made a couple thousand jumps in that area, and I could do it under the same conditions and they’d never find me either.” Ralph also said that he volunteered to simulate the exact jump – weather, clothing and gear, for a “substantial fee” - but the FBI declined his offer. Ralph also said that DB Cooper was not alone. “How do you know that, Ralph?” I asked. “Well, that’s a long story, and I might tell you if we’re face-to-face and I feel like I’m in a good mood,” he replied, laughing. “But I told Ralph Himmelsbach. My story is impossible to verify, though.” Ralph also said that the money found at Tina Bar in 1980 was “tossed into the Columbia at the Washougal Bridge.” At this point I promised to meet with Ralph in the near future to continue our conversations, which seemed to be tip-toeing into delicate areas. © 2014 Bruce A. Smith

We eagerly await your Big Announcement, Jo. Knowing it will be truthful only makes this anticipation more delicious. Ahhhh. 2 Days until Anniversary Day!!!

By the way, Jo, do you ever get the feeling that we bicker here like a married couple? Just askin'.

But, Jo, I always talk about you in the third person, just like you do! As for eating crow, I find that it's all about how it is cooked. I've got a great recipe - got it from a former LE PIO!

Sigh. November 21 and nothing new from Mrs. Cooper. Tragic.

Did someone summon Bruce Almighty? Just askin'.

Why not do both? Do the deal and tell the company that you are continuing your investigation? You seem to be a big Black and White, Either-Or, kind of guy, Bobby. Wassup wid dat?

Big Announcement Update So, Jo, what's the latest on your Big Announ.? Any word from your team? November 24 is coming up quick. For the sweet memory of D-Web, girl, it's time to let us know!

Yes, but it seems to be worth clarifying the Tena canard from time to time.

I'm good for about one of those a week. I think "D-Web" is not only respectful, but also trendy. I have a friend whose last name is Keupper. It's pronounced "Cooper". Has anybody looked into the name "Dan Keupper"? Maybe it was used as an obscure alias? I was looking over photos of those who have been ruled out by the FBI as Cooper suspects and Dick Lepsy and comparing them to the FBI sketches. They all have some resemblance to either sketch A or B. Then something occurred to me. Check the attachment below and let me know if you see a resemblance. Creepy! Only on the DZ would somebody make a connection between DB and Adolph!

Here's another little piece of mid-direction and mis-information from the FBI. The money was found at Tina Bar, not Tena Bar. The signage at the beach clearly indicates the name, "Tina Bar." This begs the question of why the FBI uses the term, "Tena Bar?" Is it to mis-lead investigators from the fact that Tina Mucklow was living seventeen miles upstream in Gresham at the time of the money find? I don't know, but it is curious. Further, why was Tina living only five miles away from the runway where she was hijacked a few years earlier? Nostalgic for the good ole days? Or was she in a daze of her own, and if so, how did she get so dazed and confused? I think these are the real questions of Tina Bar and not what D-Web did or didn't do according to Mrs. Cooper's recollections. Just sayin'. BTW: I love the moniker of "D-Web." Way to go, Rossie!

Big Announcement Update: The anniversary was the dead line and I am the one who said 24th - but leave it to you to make something of nothing...I had hoped for the the 24th so maybe that is why I said 24th other than that is what it was in 1971. JO - I'm confused!!! Are you saying you are backing out from making a Big Announcement?

Another Big Announcement: Galen asked me to post this at the DZ: "Galen has been in touch with Skipp Porteous and they have decided to attend Ariel together. They are collaborating on a new Cooper book, which soundly rejects all prior theories and co-authors." Note: Clyde Lewis has announced that he will be at Ariel as well. As you may know, Clyde was mentored in radio work by Wolfie Gossett, and Clyde's Ground Zero radio show featured a three-hour inquiry into Norjak after last year's Ariel fete.

Jo's Big Announcement is only days away, and I can hardly wait! She promised to break the case wide open by the end of November, and today is November 19th. Whew - Holy Schmoley people; 43 years and counting and now it's just a matter of days. Happy Anniversary Everyone! All Hail the 24th of November!!! Jo, what's the latest? Any tidbits you can give us?

Big Announcement #1: I'm back. Back in Eatonville and back in the saddle, writing about DB Cooper and the other slimey crimes of America. Preparing my book for e-sales at Amazon. More details to follow. Also, looking for a ride to Ariel. Anyone?