THE LEGEND OF D.B. COOPER AND THE REALITY OF 1971.

“D.B”, or Dan, Cooper, hijacked a plane on Thanksgiving weekend in November of 1971. He got $200,000 and a parachute. Somewhere over Washington State he parachuted from a 727 jet into the cold darkness and into the folk history of America.

Cooper has never been seen alive since the incident. He is either in hiding somewhere, or more likely, a few scattered bones lying around in rural Washington State.

A segment on National Public Radio on 1.4.2008 interviewed the new FBI agent assigned to the D.B. Cooper case. The case is still open, although it is moribund. And the FBI agent acknowledged that the FBI has no new information on the case. However, the FBI has released new information about the case and is asking the public for help. It hopes that people with special skills or access to information will take an interest in the case.

The FBI has only three pieces of evidence regarding the case. A placard from the door of the 727 that Cooper likely parachuted out of was found near the potential drop area in 1978.

The first major break in the story came in 1980 when eight-year old Brian Ingram found about $5,000 of the $200,000 in the Columbia River. The money was slightly decayed but was some of Cooper’s loot. The serial numbers matched the ransom money.

And lastly, the FBI has obtained a partial DNA sample from the necktie that Cooper wore and then took off before parachuting.

MONEY, BUT NO MYSTERY MAN.

Most believe that Cooper died while, or after, descending into the Washington State wilderness. He was only wearing a dress coat and dress clothes when he bailed out. He had no survival gear. And he had no way of knowing precisely where he would land.

The FBI also believes that Cooper perished in the jump but has pursued a few suspects over the years. All have been eliminated, however.

But if Cooper did survive, the present value of his $195,000 is $2,227,668.73, calculated using a conservative return of 7%.

WHAT KIND OF AMERICA DID D.B. COOPER BAIL OUT OF, AND WHAT KIND OF AMERICA WOULD COOPER BE LIVING IN NOW?

Richard Nixon was the president in 1971. Nixon was the last moderate Republican to be elected to the presidency.

But in retrospect, Nixon looks genuinely liberal relative to the Republicans (and the most recent Democrat) that have followed him in that office.

In and around 1971, Nixon introduced wage and price controls to attempt to “control” inflation. He created the Environmental Protection Agency, indexed Social Security for inflation and created the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Nixon also created the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA).

Nixon also abandoned the Gold Standard, allowing the US Dollar to float against world currencies. He was the first president to visit the Soviet Union and would later enact the Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. And Nixon visited China and laid the ground work for the eventual normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Later, in 1974, he proposed a national universal healthcare program using private insurance as the main extender of coverage.

All in all, a massive expansion of government and a somewhat liberal record.

D.B. AND TRICKY DICK. STILL HOLDING A PLACE IN THE AMERICAN ZETIGEIST.

D.B. Cooper holds a place in American folk history. Richard Nixon holds an immutable place in American political history. His denial of “being a crook” is belied by the record. Watergate still serves as part of the portmanteau that defines political scandals, i.e., “Monica-Gate”, “Memo-Gate”, and “White Water-Gate”. Yet his foreign policy successes and the establishment of salutary political institutions and environmental legislation must be recognized.

D.B., it is likely we will never know you. And Dick, it seems we hardly knew you.

MUCH IS KNOWN, YET LESS IS REMEMBERED. IN THE DESERT OF THE REAL!