BruceSmith

"I had found the Wagner High School alumni web pages. Pete taught English/journalism there, referenced from 9/65 when he had that article in the Stars and Stripes. Quote I read in Petey's work that he had graduated from Kirkland High School, which is now known as Lake Washignton HS in Kirkland, WA, and also, this is where Petey says he taught English and Journalism. LWHS confirmed this week that a Sheridan Peterson taught English and Journalism there from 1962 until 1965. However, they only have a record of a P. Peterson in the KHS Class of 1943, when Petey would have been 18, as he says he was born May 2, 1925. Things are not adding up. Where is Wagner High School?

I am totally out of touch with Gray. Who does he think DBC was? 377 Me too. (orange1)Quote Me three. The last time I spoke with Geoff - Ariel, '08 - he said that he didn't think Kenny was Danny Boy. Nor Barb, even though he extensively researched her. Geoff, kind of, has indicated to me that his book is now a more comprehensive cultural, over view than a suspect selection-type-of-thing, which is where I'm heading, too. Last we talked on the phone, he was asking for references to libraries in Cooper Country and looking for "colorful" stories from locals. Getting copious amounts of information out of Geoff is about as tough as finding Tina or discovering the identity of what's his name? - ya know the guy who jumped out of a plane in the rain. But not in Spain, but on the way to good ol' Mey-he-co.

The latest, Bob says that the pix of Sheridan Peterson we've been circulating around here, provided via Snowmman once upon a time, is not the Dan Peterson he knew in 61. However, the Sheridan Peterson in the Parachutist magazine, where Dan is in skydiving gear and looks at least 75 years old could be the Dan that he remembers. I meet with Bob on Monday to continue the conversation. I could use some photos of Sheridan through the years if anyone can dig them up. Thanks.

AH, Jo, I love Norman Maclean (spelling?). Young Men and Fire is a fantastic book, as is A River Runs through It. Oddly, I don't have a copy of either. Movie is top-notch, too, stars Robert Redford. reply] Redford was the Director & narrator, not an actor in the movie. Here's the cast. Directed by Robert Redford Robert Redford ... Narrator (voice) (uncredited) Writing credits (WGA) Norman Maclean (story) Richard Friedenberg (screenplay) Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Craig Sheffer ... Norman Maclean Brad Pitt ... Paul Maclean Tom Skerritt ... Rev. Maclean Quote Ah, Skerritt - yeah, he was in it. Tom's a great guy. Lives in Seattle. Funny how the memory works. I cudda sworn Redford was in it....

I am reading a book by Norman Maclean born in Carinda, Iowa in 1902, but I am puzzled by something. He worked in the logging camps and for the United States Forest Servcie before beginning his academic career. This goes on to say he was Willaim Rainey Harper Professor of English at the University of Chicago until his retirement in 1973. He also wrote another book called A River Runs Through It and Other Stories This book is called Young Men and Fire and is about the Mann Gulch Fire in 1949 and was actually put together from the manuscripts after his death by the University. Does anyone have a copy of A River Runs Through It. AH, Jo, I love Norman Maclean (spelling?). Young Men and Fire is a fantastic book, as is A River Runs through It. Oddly, I don't have a copy of either. Movie is top-notch, too, stars Robert Redford. I just finished The Big Burn by Tim Egan. Another great book along these lines, although not as gripping as Norman's work. As for Thun Field, Jo, how come you're not reading MY stuff???? Thun Field is the local term for Pierce County Airport, home of Barb Dayton, site of mucho filming by Edge West, and the baliwick of Bruce Thun, son of John, who built the airport in the 40s.

The FBI has twice investigated him. What made them come back for a second look much later? 377 I concur on all points, Three-Seven-Seven. Bruce, you need to ask Bob why Sheridan called himself "Dan" - what that's all about if Bob knows? Dan who? Also more on his letter writing, some of which I guess is documented? I find his book plain wierd. A made up affair, a conversation with himself for some wierd reason, perhaps even a ploy given his mentality, ... I get the feeling even at a young age Sheridan was playing with reality, ..... why? I can see why the FBI might have checked Sheridan out .... same reason they check other wacko's out just to see how serious they are about their 'gests' ... let me just pose these questions and leave it at that. Quote 1. "Dan" is a shortened form of Sheridan, Bob informed me this afternoon. I'm a tad surprised that Bob hasn't posted here yet, introduced himself and answered some of many questions posted, directly. 2. "Letters"? I don't understand this question, G. 3. I'm looking forward to reading Petey's book. 4. Yeah, I got a funny feeling about Sheridan from Bob and Jane's account. Could Petey have been setting them up for a free 30-day inservice into the mechanics of aft stairs on Boeing craft? Petey certainly was an a-moral guy, ie: re-setting fires, non-payment of rent, designing the system to beat the system, etc. 5. I have no knowledge of why the FBI re-initiated their investigation, or why they launched it in the first place. SA Mary Fyrar didn't know, either. She just went on a swab-run a coule days before retirement and brought a newbie with her. Mary didn't even know who initiated the request for the swab. That said, Larry C told me that the Bureau targeted skydiving and private pilot communities right off the bat, and they did a very deep and comprehensive search according to people in the field such as jump master Bruce Thun at Pierce County Airport. (Except for Barb Dayton - of course) (smile.) Thun told me he marveled at how much personal and confidential information the feds had on some people. Bruce told me that everyone at Thun Field were muttering, "How did they know that?"

This outcome bias that Bob has worries me. It could be coloring his memory of earlier events when Sheridan "Dan" Peterson was a boarder. Wonder what led the FBI to target Sheridan as a suspect in 72? Skydiving? Boeing connection? The FBI has twice investigated him. What made them come back for a second look much later? 377 I concur on all points, Three-Seven-Seven.

I concur with Three-Seven-Seven's request. I have the benefit of receiving Snow's PMs but I think the greater good is served here with a wider distribution of information

Sheridan Peterson Interview with Bob and Jane Bob and Jane A contacted me a few days ago to discuss Sheridan Peterson after reading some of my writings on the DB Cooper case in The Mountain News. I interviewed them on Monday, March 21, 2011 in their home. Below is my report: In early 1972, an FBI agent named White showed up at the home of Bob and Jane A. and asked about Sheridan Peterson. White told the A's that Peterson's wife in Richland, WA had given the FBI their address as his last known address, even though it was 10 years old. Here’s what Bob and Jane told Agent White: A young man calling himself Sheridan L. Peterson II stayed in their rooming house for one month in the fall of 1961, until they kicked him out for non-payment. He had been living in a basement apartment. Peterson had presented himself as an English major at the nearby University of Washington in Seattle. He also told them he was going through a divorce and that his ex was living in Richland, WA. The A’s later saw him again in the spring of 1962 as the emcee on the Bubbleator at the Seattle World's Fair. Jane told me that when Agent White came to their home shortly after the DB Cooper skyjacking, she did not remember Sheridan Peterson initially. “I remember him distinctly, now” said Jane. “But, when the FBI came I couldn’t find any records of him, and later realized that was because he had never paid rent!” “He was cool, calm and collected,” said Bob, “even when I kicked him out.” “He was a very interesting guy,” said Jane. “He had done so many interesting things, and gone so many places.” After a brief conversation with Jane, Agent White handed her his phone number and asked her and her husband to call when Bob returned from work, which they did. Bob told Agent White everything that is in this report, and Bob himself has written down much of this material. Much of what they told me was anecdotal types of information, as Bob and Jane had many conversations with Sheridan in his brief stay. Highlights: Sheridan called himself “Dan.” “You can call me Dan,” he told the A's and they did - and still do. They said Dan was tall – “just over six-foot tall, and very slender,” Jane told me. “He had an olive complexion, and looked Greek,” said Bob, adding, “he looked just like the FBI’s composite sketch – a ringer.” They also told me that Dan smoked, and did so outside the house. In addition, Dan did not speak with any discernible accent. “He spoke perfect English,” said Bob. Dan and Bob talked a lot about being fire fighters. Bob is a former member of the Forest Service and Dan was a smokejumper in Missoula. Dan told Bob specifically that he was not afraid to jump at night, in the rain, over water or over forests. “The only thing he said he was afraid of when jumping, was if he landed on a cliff - where the cliff would break his fall and the chute would collapse,” said Bob. I asked Bob if he had any indication that Dan was bs-ing him. “No, he knew too many details about fighting fires,” Bob replied. Bob also told me that Dan announced on one occasion that he could “walk out of anywhere.” “Dan was a very rugged, capable kind of guy,” Bob said. Dan was a bicyclist, as was Bob and Jane. Also, Bob said that one time, or more, Dan confessed to re-setting forest fires in order to get over-time pay. “He was an intelligent, clever guy,” said Bob, “but he had never made use of his intellect or his English degree – if he had one. All the work he told us about had to do with him working with his hands – like smokejumping or digging ditches.” Dan talked incessantly about devising schemes to make money and get ahead, Bob described, and he notes a "DB Cooper letter,” apparently written to the San Francisco Chronicle, in which DBC declared that he had “designed the system that beat the system.” Bob said Dan had used those exact words numerous times in their conversations. Bob also said that Dan used to talk about joining forces to “beat the system.” “‘We’re smart enough to it,’ he used to say,” said Bob. "It was like he wanted me to join him." Bob was working at Boeing on the 737 as a mechanical engineer in 1961. Bob said that Dan pestered him about the aft stair capabilities of the 727s, asking if they could be deployed in flight, how much would they bounce, etc. The 727s had just been put into commercial production. In fact, in 1961 Bob was working on the mechanics of the 737s’ starboard aft stairs deployment. When Bob told Dan that he had not worked on the 727 and didn't know anything about the functionality of its aft stairs, Dan reportedly lost all interest in Bob's work and engineering skills. Bob and his wife live near the UW campus, and they say that Dan told them he got the Bubbleator job because his English Prof had written the script. Bob attempted to contact Agent White after the initial round of conversation, asking for a meeting, but was unsuccessful. Bob said that Agent White had confirmed Dan “was one of our suspects.” In the past few years, Bob has become interested in the DB Cooper case. In addition, he has crafted a list of “predictions” on how and why Dan did the DB Cooper jump, including the money find at Tina’s Beach. In Bob’s speculation it was planted by Dan to convince a book publisher that he was DB Cooper and thus publish a book about him – but more importantly publish what Dan truly wanted in print, a novel that Bob says Dan was sure to write. Along those lines, Bob has sent many emails to Larry Carr, detailing what he knows about Peterson and sharing his “predictions.” Bob has not received a single reply from Larry. Bob has not read extensively on the case, but he has a sizeable newspaper clipping file. He has also read Petey’s autobiography that was written when he was running for Windsor City Council, or some such. I expect that Bob will be joining the DZ shortly. Bob also gave me numerous emotional and psychological observations about Dan. “He seemed like a regular guy,” said Bob. “We trusted him.” “Yeah, he convinced us to break our number one rule – pay the first and last month’s rent before you move in,” said Jane. “I don’t know how he managed to do that!” she said, laughing. “He was a calculating kind of guy,” said Bob, adding that Dan had given them lots of excuses on why he didn’t have the rent. “He said he was waiting to get paid, and hadn’t been.” Bob is utterly convinced that Sheridan “Dan” Peterson is DB Cooper. He also has a nearly unshakeable conviction that his speculative “predictions” about DB Cooper are correct. As a result, Bob had a very difficult time listening to any inforamtion I shared about differing opinions of the case, such as the money find - Bob is adamant that Dan planted the money as part of a literary ploy to get a novel published. Bob also has a passioante view of the recent parachute find in Amboy, WA, and Bob is utterly convinced it is the Cooper chute. I will be continuing my conversations with Bob and Jane, and will have more to report in the near future.

Robert, I'd like to weigh in on suggesting books on DB Cooper. First, surprisingly, there is no comprehensive over view written on the case. What is available are snapshot pieces - from folks who were invovled in some way. Here are my recommendations: 1. Ralph Himmelsbach's NORJAK, the Investigation of DB Cooper. 2. Russ Calame and Bernie Rhodes: DB Cooper - The Real McCoy. 3. Richard Tosaw's DB Cooper - Dead or Alive? They all have some thing valuable to give. Also, Ron and Pat Forman's "The Legend of DB Cooper - Death by Natural Causes" is an interesting part of the Cooper litertaure because - as a psychological study - it shows what kind of person Cooper might have been. Along those lines, some of the books coming out now about the covert ops in VietNam, especially by those of the 5th Special Forces - like Billy Waugh - give a good insight into guys who did Cooper-type jumps and planning every day, for 10 grand a year. Lastly, you can always check out my writings at http://themountainnewswa.wordpress.com.

In case anyone was wondering where Barb fits in with the money find at Tina's Beach, I contacted the Formans. I've been a'wonderin' about Babs. If she talked about burying the money at Tina's beach before it was found there that would put her a good position to legitimately claim being DBC. Here's what Pat Forman sent to me a few days ago: "Actually, Barb never did confess to us about Tina Bar. About a month or two before the money was found she told us she had a dream that the money was getting wet and she could see the ink running. "The day after she told us about the dream, she disappeared and didn't show up at the airport the following weekend (Thun Field; to fly her Cessna 140). "After that, she stopped talking (and) told us she possibly had only dreamed she was Cooper, and when we asked her questions about it she would just say "maybe". "Yet she would still seem excited when more news was published about the skyjacking and want to talk about it, as if Cooper was someone else. "That was also about the time that she started talking about me writing the story of her life and telling me that someday she was going to give me something that would change my life and I would never want for anything. "Shortly after that was when the Ron laid down on her Murphy bed in her apartment while we were talking, and made a comment about how lumpy it was. Her reaction was quite out of character. She got very angry with him and told him to get off his bed. She was so agitated I immediately changed the subject, and we left to tour Seattle with her as our guide. We thought that possibly the money was then hidden in her bed. "When the money was found on Tina Bar, we thought of her change in attitude and came to the conclusion that she had placed a chunk of the money there to "keep the story going". It was something we thought she would do if she had retrieved the money on that trip. Knowing what we know now about the condition of the money and the rubber bands, the timing of the trip fits. "I haven't been keeping up with the story lately. Our daughter has been sick and I've been spending most of my time helping her. "The timing of Tina's breakdown is interesting."

And now, a bit of humor… Posted on March 10, 2011 in The Mountain News WA Editor’s note: The term “flying saucer” was coined in 1947 by local media when Yelm aviator Kenneth Arnold announced that he had just seen seven disk-shaped craft flying near Mount Rainier. This story is dedicated to Mr. Arnold and his fellow denizens of the skies, and to all who love a good story. What To Say When Your Therapist Tells You You’re Her Craziest Patient I have always believed in UFO’s, even as a little kid. In fact, I have always thought it odd that others don’t. My fellow true believers and I have a few theories that we place a lot of stock in, and the main one is that, not only are extraterrestrials real, they’ve been here for a long time. Secondly, we believe there are plenty of alien races crusing around, including one species that looks exactly like us – so much so that the only way to tell them apart from regular human beings is to touch them and see if they are clammy-cold. If they are, they’re aliens. They’re clammy-cold because of a third theory: their bodies have evolved out of emotionality. They are so advanced they no longer have the DNA to carry emotional expression, which is why they’re here on earth, namely to study us and our emotions. ...to read more... http://themountainnewswa.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/and-now-a-bit-of-humor/

Hey watch it there. Oy vey! My ole honey-bun is now the past-president of her shul, so she should know what she's talking about, nu?

I got confusion Bruce. So many different stories about the shards. What I like about your approach Bruce is that you don't stop investigating when you get an answer that fits a particlar hypothesis that you might favor. You keep digging. You present contrary info if you find it. You wear out tires, shoe leather and your wallet. Most of us just wear out keyboards. 377 Quote T'anks, Three-Seven-Seven. One of my ex's favorite expressions is: "Two Jews, three opinions." I think she prepared me well for the Cooper investigation, don't you?

In an effort to rise from the valley of sniping and ascend to the plateau of research, can anyone point to s single written record that substantiates the Fazio's claim that a debris field of currency shards was found at Tena Bar? If something this significant were found wouldn't it likely be in FBI and expert reports? 377 *** Documentation sure would be nice, wouldn't it, Three-Seven-Seven. Let me know when you find some, or get invited to the back room to see the files, or file an FOIA. In the meantime, here's what I know. Everyone I know connected to the money retrieval tells a radically different story. 1. Al Fazio adamantly says that not a single shard was found buried; that every shard was on the surface along the tide line. Al's a great guy, but his comments to me have been inconsistent. Nevertheless, I feel that he is telling the truth as he remembers in the moment. 2. PIO Dorwin says that thousands of shards were found evenly buried to a depth of three feet for a radius of 20 yards from the main bundle, and were collected in plastic baggies. He also says they found part of the briefcase. Dorwin is a sweetheart and I have a standing invite to visit "anytime." I have never seen or heard of any shard-filled plastic baggies in anyone's evidentiary collection, however. 3. Ralph writes that a few shards were found to a depth of three feet. My four requests for an interview to review this information have been denied, and only when I evoked the persona of Jerry did I get any info. 4. SA McPheters (spelling?), former FBI and Anglican bishop but now a published author, says there were dozens of shards along the tide line down to the depth of his shovel, "1-2 feet deep." He clammed up when I pressed for more info. Dat's what I got, dude. You?

Quote Jerry, I don't know what you are talking about. I said something about Duane not being Cooper?

QuoteAt this point I'll take diatoms, borers, anything but camera equipped skunks. The money is indisputably Cooper's loot. We don't have much else that is free from dispute. The tie is a maybe, but the FBI has reason to think it's Cooper's for sure. They are also confident that the tie DNA is Cooper's. Quote Larry told me in our only converstaion that he acknowledged that there was not 100% certainty the DNA material they extracted from the tie-pin was Cooper's.

The tie was NOT found until 4 hours after the plane was on the ground in Reno. It was found neatly folded over and between the two seats. It could have been left there by one of the passengers on prior legs of the flight. As I was told it was the typical tie worn by the pilots and other who worked for the airlines. *** Jo, how do you know this? It is widely reported that Tina stated in the debriefing that she saw DBC take the tie off and place in on the seat next to him. In addition, Calame writes that the tie was not entered into the evidentiary collection in Seattle until four days after the skyjacking, and he has no information on where the tie was during that time. In addition, Calame and Rhodes write that when they interviewed the FBI evidence retrieval team in the 1980s, no agent remembered seeing a tie or hearing any discussion about the tie at that time.

No, G, I haven't seen a thing, and it's been clear for a couple of days. Full moon though, so that might have dimmed things. Also, I'm in the trees, and the Northern Lights that I've seen before were all along the horizon. BTW: Thanks for the update on Zecharia.

Last night was about Planet X (unseen but present in our solar system) and its influence on human moods. Also, did you know that our sun is a binary star, but the other half of the pair isnt visible to us? Also, you can't trust govt funded astronomers to tell us the truth. 377 Ahh, Three-Seven-Seven, you are making me smile. My first paid journalism gig was in 1990 interviewing Zecharia Sitchin at a UFO conference held in the Trenton, NJ Holiday Inn. Got paid 10 bucks. Sitchin is the guy who first got the Planet X thing going, although he called the planet Nibiru. He says he got his information from Sumerian texts, and he wrote extensively about his findings in a series of books he eventaully called The Earth Chronicles. His first book was his most popular and it's titled: "The Twelfth Planet," (I think). Sitchin lived in NYC, and he passed away a few months ago. Even though I interviewed him several times, I had a pretty testy realtionship with Zech. I sensed he wasn't straight with me. Not sure why. Also, not sure about his claims. I loved his wife, though. She was not dupliciitous at all. I wish she was around now so I could talk with her; she passed away several years ago. Zech was more than a bs artist trying to sell his books. His life style, travel, and research efforts clearly indicated that he had a revenue stream independent from his book royalites. When I interviewed him he had sold about 500,000 books - neat, but not enough to pay for all the stuff he was doing.

Bet Sheridan Peterson is glad to be out of the DBC spotlight. If he werent so old he would have been right in the thick of it in Egypt. Zero doubt. Can someone remind me as to why Ted Braden seems to be off the DBC short list? 377 Quote I can explain my perspective on the Braden fade-out, Three-Seven-Seven. My sense is that Snowmman and I were leading the charge on Teddy for awhile, and basically, I ran out of gas. I made all the phone calls to western and eastern PA that time and money allowed, tracking down the latest leads on Braden family and VFW Halls that might have VN vets who could tell me about a SOG trooper new to town. I ran into dead ends in Florida looking for Ted's alledged wife and kid(s). Snow seemed to lose some stream, too. Since I know little about how Snow works his informational magic, I can only surmise that when he runs out of leads he too, has been stumped. Or maybe he just went off to play with his air cannons. I don't know. One thing is for sure, I rely greatly on Snow's leads, big time. I also felt that chasing suspects was a bit like the tail wagging the dog, and that it would be more fruitful to address the principals on what they know or why they were so taciturn, such as Himms, Rataczak, Dorwin, AW, et al. It also makes for a better story, too. That led to the current project of "Looking for Tina."

Then to complicate things further... a long time resident at Portland whose name some would know said: "The PI map was right. There are two sandbars. The PI showed Tena's Bar in the correct location, but thats not where the money was found. There is a Tina bar up at the Fazio's and a Tena Bar near Camas. The money came from the Fazio property and that place is Tina's Bar - its right on the gate. Maybe we need to send Bruce on a paid expedition to straighten this out? 300k max change file type maybe, ... to jpeg ?? would love to see what youve got in photos of the bar etc... Ever heard of a Tena Bar down by Camas??? Nothing through Google that I could ever find ? Nope, never heard of a Tena Bar in Camas, but I'm pretty much a tourist in those parts....

The sign on the gate reads TINA BAR - MEMBERS ONLY. But when the money was found the Seattle PI published a map reading TENA BAR. But the PI location is in the wrong place. I asked my grandmother years ago (she knew the Fazios) and she gave the same story you do - named for the old owners daughter, and she spelled it TINA. I asked old Bob T former head of Dairy Science at the UWash - he knows the Fazios. He gave the same story you and my grandmother gave and he thought it was spelled TINA, also. This TENA stuff may have been started when the Seattle PI used the name TENA on their map. A lot of people saw that and used TENA thereafter. Then to complicate things further... a long time resident at Portland whose name some would know said: "The PI map was right. There are two sandbars. The PI showed Tena's Bar in the correct location, but thats not where the money was found. There is a Tina bar up at the Fazio's and a Tena Bar near Camas. The money came from the Fazio property and that place is Tina's Bar - its right on the gate. Maybe we need to send Bruce on a paid expedition to straighten this out? Quote What? Did someone say pay? Here's what I know: the sign says Tina Bar as G has stated. I'll be attaching a pix as I've gotten them down-sized for The Mountain News. Ug. Not attaching, File still too big.

Greetings All, I am very pleased to announce the launch of The Mountain News, an on-line news magazine that serves the people who live near Mt Rainier, either in body or spirit. Our first pages are up, and this week’s offerings feature the DB Cooper story. Five articles are posted, some of which have appeared in the DZ forum, and they include pictures that are of interest to the DBC community, such as scenes from the annual DB Cooper Daze in Ariel, pix of Galen Cook (and me), photos of the Washougal in summertime, Tina’s Beach and more. Please visit: www.themountainnewswa.wordpress.com and tell me what you think. Thanks, - Bruce

BTW, someone i spoke withg tonight spoke highly of you saying you are a 'very good' investigator - thought I would pass that on. Gee, T'anks, G. I appreciate that.