BruceSmith

Any updates, Jo? I'm holding my breath in NY and mom is getting worried...

So, what is your approach to interviewing FBI agents? Any tips? I'm trying to remember some of your interviews with G-men, but I can't recall any. Did you pay Himms the $2,100 for a video interview, or the $600 for a print job? How did that go? Or Detlor? Johnnie is the last man standing in terms of the Norjak case and is the author of the History of the FBI. I'd be curious to read how you got him to open up. As for Nick, how did he respond to your queries? Calame? Did you ever get through to Bernie Rhodes? When you were researching the money find did you speak with Dorwin Schroeder? Everybody loves Dorwin, and he seems to love me. He even invited me to visit him in Montana, which I plan to do one of these days. Mike McPheters clammed-up on me when I pressed him on shards. He said he found a dozen or so at the tide line, on the surface or just underneath, but there is no documentation that anyone can find, as far as I know. Perhaps you could clear this up for us? I sure hope so. How about Larry Carr? He's a tough guy to interview. Did his tour of duty as case agent over-lap your research on KC in 2008? Is Curtis still case agent? Please let me know. Thanks. Also, rookies-in-1971, George Groetz and Gary Tallis, were pretty chatty, but George bailed when I started pushing him on the details of the ground search. Gary was much more forthcoming. Have you spoken with these guys, yet? I'd love to hear your take on them. How about Jimmie and Jake? Sail thought they were tight-lipped when he spoke with them in Seattle last spring. Maybe you could get them to open up a bit? If you're up for a road trip to Palm Desert, maybe I could watch you interview What's-His-Name, the retired case agent who took over from Charlie Farrell in 1979 and was in charge when the money was found in 1980. Speaking of Charlie, any ideas on how to contact his family? GG says they have a 300-page account of his from the early days of Norjak. Speaking of sweet-talking G-men, what went south between you and Georger? G is an ideal entree into the Bureau since he has family and friends working there. Keep me posted, will ya, buddy? Thanks.

When I asked Nick about you and your hypothesis that Richard McCoy was not shot and killed in Virginia Beach but rather shipped out to covert ops, Nick replied that his "integrity had never been questioned before." I then told him I wasn't questioning his integrity but only asking about a rumor that persists in Cooper World. Nick then informed me that out conversation was over. I told him that I respect his right to be silent but that is how he goes in the book, as clamming up. Nick then hung up on me and has never repsonded to any of my emails or phone calls since. Well...maybe that's because you questioned him on a rumor impolitely and failed to ask him the facts. Nick is a retired FBI agent. And when you shoot somebody in that job, a wanted criminal who was not only an escapee, but a bank robber AFTER the escape as well... There are going to be forms to fill, and people to answer to regarding details surrounding that shooting. Face it, Bruce: You are a lousy interviewer right now. Change your interviewing habits and you'll get better results. Your One-Shot-Only approach just isn't working out for you. Interviewing people is an art, not insulting people or challenging their credibility without evidence. Nick O'Hara, a former FBI agent who went after the bad guys in a distinguished career, deserves your respect unless proven otherwise. And you haven't proven O'Hara is anyone but a guy who served this country well. Same thing with the retired agent down in Shelton you interviewed, Lee Dormuth. Word gets around, you know. There are protocol and manners. Your current method of tossing shit in someone's face, and then being surprised when they don't mold it into a tasty evidence-laden meatloaf and toss it back to you on a platter should not be a surprise. Your methods frankly suck because you don't get answers, news, or results from most of these interviews. Right now, even the Weekly World News would laugh at your application if you applied to be a stringer with them. To make it worse, you come down on some of these people vindictively when they don't provide the answers you believe you deserve. But the truth is that YOU caused this problem all along. Until you stop using people like that, you will never get the results you seek, the answers you want, or the respect you crave. Thanks, Bobby. You are certainly the beacon of Great Journalism. I'll just continue to study your work as a means to improving my own.

Yes, Jo. Good News! A major announcement is coming soon. Not sure it will make it by the 24th, but maybe by Thanksgiving Eve anniversary of the 26th this year. When I last heard from Sid Rubin and John Detlor they sounded very promising about changes in the FBI culture. I hope this is the breakthrough we've all been waiting for. I trust you are in touch with Sid and John, and the others such as Bob S.

Yikes! 12 pages of titles!!! I've got a lot of authors to call when I get back home. Still in NY, hanging in a public library with lots of other lonely men...

When I asked Nick about you and your hypothesis that Richard McCoy was not shot and killed in Virginia Beach but rather shipped out to covert ops, Nick replied that his "integrity had never been questioned before." I then told him I wasn't questioning his integrity but only asking about a rumor that persists in Cooper World. Nick then informed me that out conversation was over. I told him that I respect his right to be silent but that is how he goes in the book, as clamming up. Nick then hung up on me and has never repsonded to any of my emails or phone calls since.

I heard The Chambers Brothers perform Time Has Come Today live at the Spectrum in Philly. '69 or so, too. I snuck in by going to the Will Call window and reading a name upside down from the stack of on-callers.... Janis was also performing. Very cool. I later saw Jim Morrison and the Doors at the New York World's Fair grounds, now known as Louis Armstrong Arena and Tennis etc. Jumped over a cyclone fence. Ya can't do that shit anymore.... As for more cowbell, I love Christopher Walken, too. In fact, Stand Up Guys is one of my favorite movies. "It's time to kick ass or chew gum, and I'm all out of gum," sayeth CW.

Soon, Bobby. Nov. 18th. Love, Cousin Brucie BTW: I live in Eatonville, not Enumclaw.

Thanks, Jo for letting everyone know. I will be returning to WA on the 18th, and thus be able to post here regularly. Also, I'm getting ready to go to Ariel for the shin-dig, and will have books available.

"...just annoying?"

Greetings Everyone- I've been in New York for the past six weeks and away from the Internet. First Sis got married and then I got the flu. Currently, I am at a public library on Long Island. I should be back in WA by next week. Looks like the bashing continues unabated, here, so I thought I'd add some news - Kenny came to me in a lucid dream and said he did it. KC was pretty chatty for a quiet, passive, kind of purser, but here is what he told me: He said that the whole DB Cooper skyjacking affair was part of a much larger mission that may still be on-going, but with less intensity. Specifically, he said that Norjak was one part of a long-standing struggle between gays and straights in the government - that gay feds were being manipulated by their straight colleagues, and Norjak was part of a push-back. Kenny said he jacked 305 for the money, and it was part of building a financial war chest to combat the intrigues of the straight evil doers. KC also said that David Furie was the guy organizing the skyjackings, and that Hahneman's heist was part of this op. To wit, Freddie's money has never been recovered as gay operatives in Honduras snatched it before it got to DC. As for Norjack, KC had a big recovery and get-away team - McCoy and Jake were two of the transporters, along with Duane. Also, about 400,000 grand was transferred from the Seattle bank and some of it was snatched by gay feds and NWO guys at Sea-Tac. KC said he had about 250K, which he stashed in the reserve chute bag and bank satchel. Hence, the "skyjacking" op was much bigger than just taking a plane. Money was being hijacked all along the way. Kenny said that Norjak was just one of many operations, often sabotague-type stuff, frequently involving biological and chemical weapons. For instance, the gay guys would leak information, or threaten to sabotague covert B/C ops in exchange for extended secrecy about homosexual activities or for cash payments that supported those individuals working to defend gays. The infected monkey business at Tulane Medcial Center in NOLA and the "Lime" disease outbreak from Plum Island weapons lab No. 257 were all part of these efforts to expose illegal bio-chem weapon development by straight guys. KC said he was recruited by Furie. and was just a tiny little cog in the much bigger gay-straight wheel. Hence, he went back to work flying at NWO after Norjak, and never talked about it, which is what he did with most of his secrets. I asked him about Bobby and Skippy, and KC replied, "Eh."

B.S., Air T? Be careful, now. Those initials are dear to my heart. BTW, the acting on Leverage was dreadful. Worse than a day-time soap. Whew.

What do you mean "multiple witnesses?" Don't you read what I send you? It's amazing how much time we spend here educating you. The current number of eyewitnesses is three. I have received that from two different sources. How come you don't know that?

Wow. Tina married DB Cooper, who then became an undercover special agent with the FBI, under the direct supervision of the Norjak team? Yikes! One itsy-bitsy problem. Their DB Cooper was a grunt in the Tet offensive and a contemporary of Tina. Not so.

You lack of curiosity and knowledge continues, Bobby. Study the case and you'll know what I know.

Thanks, Air T, I just checked my Netflix file and it's there! Bada-Bing! Good Times Tonight! All those single women in Seattle are just going to have to wait...

Oops. A typo. The information from Rataczak should read: "Rataczak told me that he did not know where 305 was when DBC jumped."

There are plenty of new people to the DZ, and I thought it might be fun to present another Cooper Quiz to get the newbies up to speed: 1. What is PDX? 2. Who is Twisty Butt? 3. Two individuals have directly confessed to being DB Cooper. Who are they? 4. How many people have allegedly confessed to being DB Cooper? 5. Who is the “most promising” suspect, according to the FBI? 6. What did Brian Ingram and his family do immediately after finding the $5,800? 7. What was wrapped around a magnum of champagne the night that Jo met Duane? 8. What is “Into the Blast” reportedly called at FBI HQ in Seattle? 9. Who was the original case officer for Norjak? 10. Can you name any "near confessions" as claimed by family members? Answers: 1. Portland International Airport, where Norjak started. 2. Marla Cooper, as coined by Jo Weber here at the DZ. 3. Duane Weber and Barb Dayton 4. 922 5. LD Cooper 6. The Ingrams went looking for more money, digging up the beach. They found nothing. 7. $100 bill. 8. Into the Trash 9. Charlie Farrell 10. Kenny Christiansen, Wolfgang Gossett,

I see there is a lot of talk about chatting with Rataczak to clarify where 305 was when Cooper jumped. That might be useful, but I also think it would be worthwhile to review what has already been revealed by the principals. 1. Rataczak told me he did know where 305 was when DBC jumped. Later in our 70-minute phone conversation he said that 305 was east of V-23 by a couple miles due to the wind. 2. Himmelsbach told me that Rataczak told him that 305 was over the Washougal. 3. Mrs. Cooper says that Rataczak told her that he could see the lights of Vancouver to the right. Not sure what that means. It sounds like perfect Jo Weber haze. But it could very well be V-23-ish, too. 4. Calame and Rhodes say that Scott told the folks at Himms' retirement party in 1980 that 305 was west of V-23 and over Woodland, WA. 5. Larry says V-23 All the Way to Red Bluff, CA! 6. Marianne Lincoln of Shady Acres Airport in Spanaway, WA says that the transmission from Seattle Center she heard were reporting east of V-23 to Gresham and then up the Columbia River Gorge. 7. Multiple eye witnesses allegedly report that they saw a burning object descend from a low-flying aircraft just west of the I-5 bridge over the Columbia, just about the time that 305 passed over the area. So, what does this mishigas tell us about Norjak? It's just what the FBI likes for public consumption - perfectly mucked up or just another day in the Cooper Vortex?

But are Tina and Kenny on the Yes-Fly list to Japan??? Funny how this question just won't go away, isn't it Bobby, or whomever you would like to be called. I'll make you a deal, Mr. Blevins, you answer the Japan question and I'll address you as Robert for a week. It's called earning respect, and so far you haven't warranted it.

Hiding behind Gayla's skirt is just another dodge, Prince Robert. Tina in Japan with Kenny rules out the hijacking link in my book. Yours?

I've posted my interviews on the three dozen FBI agents I've talked with and principals of the case. What might you be looking for? What would you deem as useful? Further, what drives all the back-biting here, do you think? What does it tell us about the case, if anything? Does Jo Weber serve a purpose here? Blevins? What say you?

Japan, Bobby? Oh well, if you're going to be evasive and deceitful about Tina and Kenny, at least you're talking about me in the meantime.

In my book, Sir Robert, you and Mr. P should be more concerned about what Tina says about Japan, not what Galen says about you and Skippy. You had a couple of weeks to craft a commentary replete with detail, or 'fess up. Wassup?

Update on Tina in Japan The reporter who conducted the interview with Tina for the Eugene Weekly has clammed-up. He is no longer responsive to my emails or phone calls. Perhaps I just wasn't nice enough... ...or maybe his tootsies are warm enough already. Further, I am uncertain how to proceed with Ms. Mucklow, herself.