Thanks for this Bruce. Very good summary
I would quibble with this one thing:
You say:
"But the exact nature of the parachute DB Cooper used is shrouded in mystery. The FBI's technical expert on parachutes, Earl Cossey, says Cooper had a NB-6 or NB-8. However, Norman Hayden, whom FBI documents reveal delivered these back chutes to NWO and owned them, says he only gave civilian Pioneer rigs containing Steinthals. FBI documents and statements by case agents vary greatly on this subject and Cooper World reels, trying to resolve this dilemma."
The FBI documents do not vary greatly.
The variance that does exist is trivial. The wrong data by the National Guard who inspected the left-behind chute when it was found in Reno.
A poor id when the chutes where being delivered, and noted in a memo by an SA
But there are plenty of memos that are fully consistent.
The inconsistency only comes from Cossey, Ckret, and Hayden's poor memory of what rigs and canopies he had then, when you interviewed him recently.
Yes it is unclear who said it was a NB6 with a 28 foot canopy. It was likely Cossey.
The description of the Pioneer as "civilian luxury" was poor.
But: I don't think the FBI docs have inconsistencies like you claim. The inconsistencies arose from Ckret's interview of Cossey, Cossey interviews for newspapers, and your current Hayden interview.
Don't you agree? I don't think you have much in terms of inconsistent FBI memos, other than the small things (explainable) that I outlined?
"Small things" - ? We still don't know with any substantive degree of certainty what kind of parachute DB Cooper had on his back as he leapt into the sky. But here is my quick take on the inconsistencies, who created them, and what certain documents might tell us.
1. Hayden said he delivered two civilian Pioneers with 26-foot Steinthauls.
2. The FBI summary reports say that Hayden owned the back chutes delivered. This report makes no mention of Earl Cossey.
3. The summary report says that a military chute and a civilian chute were given to Cooper.
4. The notion of a military chute being in this mix comes from Cossey.
5. Cossey said the owned the back chutes, and that Hayden is FOS.
6. Cossey said that he delivered a military chute and a civilian chute, which corroborates the FBI's summary report.
7. Ckret publicly declared that Cossey owned the abovementioned chutes and delivered them to NWO.
8. Early 302s declare that an NB-6 was delivered to NWO.
9. In 2009, Cossey told me that this NB-6 was overstuffed with a 28-foot chute.
10. Later, Cossey told me that the NB-6 story was false, and that he delivered an NB-8.
11. Much later, Cossey told me that this NB-8 had been significantly modified and the position of the rip cord had been changed and the handle hidden under a protective flap. Because of these mods the chute required a two-step process in pulling: out-and-then-up. As a result, Cossey decaled that Cooper was a no-pull and cratered.
12. All through the many interviews with Cossey, he steadfastly held to the tale that he sent these back chutes to Boeing Field in a taxi, and then they went to Sea-Tac via private car. When I asked him why he sent them to the wrong airport, he said "F-U" and hung up the phone. He was murdered two months later.
When I ponder these stories with the new found Cooper bonhomie created by the Conference, I am not too upset with the vagaries of the parachutes. I used to get in a tizzy, but not now. Maybe Cooper jumped with a NB-8, maybe a Pioneer. Who knows? Maybe we will one day...
