The Subfile Project

🗃This month I've been examining 30 very useful pages recently released by the FBI of their "Sub[ject]File Project" collating all their numbered leads in the Cooper case.😎

This master list of numbered subject files, released in Part 106 of the FBI's D. B. Cooper Vault, appears to have been compiled in 1999.

🕶Most are suspects listed by name and number, so we can easily see, for instance: which number was assigned to each suspect lead; cases where a suspect's numbers later got changed; what suspect names match with what aliases; and which suspects are crossed out as eliminated leads. We can see that lots of Coopers got elimiminated! Dan Cooper, D.B. Cooper, Darryl Bruce Cooper, Daniel L. Cooper, and many, many more....❌️

👥️Of course, many other names are still completely or partially redacted - in fact more than half the names and probably closer to two-thirds have not been disclosed. In addition, many leads are listed as Unsubs, unknown subjects: e.g. Unk. man observed at Susanville; Unknown Subject near Eugene; UnSub entering Mexico 11/29/71; UnSub possibly used payphone near La Center 11/24/71; and UnSub stranger in a crowded cafe. Unnamed Suspect hiding aboard aircraft was my favourite!😉

🪂Not all numbered subjects are suspects, either. Some are objects, such as Raleigh cigarettes; Airplane seen near Yakolt; Anonymous note to Reno newspaper; White cloth observed near Kalama; Parachute remnants in Skamania County; Human skull found in Ripple Brook; and Illuminated object near Benton Airport, to name just a few. I can't be sure whether Subject # 641, Rear door step assembly (UnSub.) refers to a Boeing worker who assembled aft airstairs, or to an unidentified latent print found on the aft stairs of Flight 305.✈️

🕵‍♂️A lot of familiar suspect names are in this list! Peterson, List, Langseth, McCoy, Catalano, Weber, Rackstraw, etc. Also it's interesting to see all the leads in order, with Joseph H. Johnston as Sub. # 1, and Ted Mayfield & Fred Barnowsky as very early leads. This master list gives us an idea of the order that files may appear in subsequent Vault releases.👀

🔎Overall, this document is very interesting for insight into how the FBI's investigation progressed, as well as who and what they considered significant leads. Certain of the FBI's subjects may appeal to some of us for further research, too... though a number don't look promising! For instance, I'm much more interested in the UnSub Tacoma bank robbery, though not much inclined to research the UnSub Trousers found near Amboy 11/23/76. Happy hunting, fellow investigators!👖

~ D. B. Cooper Investigator 😎🔍🐊

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