Previously-Unseen D.B. Cooper Letter Released by the FBI

Previously-Unseen D.B. Cooper Letter Released by the FBI

The FBI has released a typewritten letter that was sent to a number of major media outlets in late 1971 by someone claiming to be the infamous D.B. Cooper.

The mysterious missive, which had been kept classified by the bureau until last month, was made public in response to an FOIA lawsuit filed by filmmaker and recent C2C guest Tom Colbert.

In the letter, the author declares that "I knew from the start that I wouldn’t be caught" and goes on to explain that the heist was not intended to be the theatrical display of high risk that it was portrayed in the media.

The self-proclaimed skyjacker also says that he "can never" be caught because he left behind no fingerprints, wore a disguise during the caper, and is "not a boastful man."

In contrast to that last statement, 'Cooper' finishes by bragging that he has "come and gone on several airline flight already" and even received a speeding ticket since the now-notorious robbery.

According to the FBI, the newly-released letter had been sent to the Washington Post, the New York Times, and a few other newspapers before subsequently being forwarded to the bureau a few weeks later.

Attempts to pull fingerprints off of the letter proved to be futile as did an analysis of the paper by the FBI, but Colbert believes that the missive is a genuine communique from Cooper himself.

His reasoning is that the author knew that there were no fingerprints left behind at the scene, which is a fact that only the skyjacker would know.

In Colbert's eyes, the previously-unseen letter is another indication to him that the FBI covered up aspects of their investigation into the crime, perhaps to protect the bureau from the embarrassment of not solving the high profile mystery case.

Others aren't so certain of that conclusion and argue that law enforcement holding back potential evidence like the letter is standard operating procedure for cases like the Cooper caper.

Regardless of the reasoning for why the message remained buried until now, the seriousness with which the FBI investigated it suggests that they considered it a strong clue in the case.

And, should it be a genuine letter written by D.B. Cooper, it's an incredibly insightful account of both the robbery and the man behind the myth.

Coast Insiders can learn more about Colbert's ongoing investigation into the Cooper mystery, including his prime suspect in the case as well as his fight with the FBI, by checking out this past Saturday's edition of the program.

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Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer