Post by hi224 on Jun 8, 2019 0:57:20 GMT
At 4:45 pm on Saturday, January 7, 1950, a man telephoned Cox's West Point classmate, Peter Hains. Hains was acting as Charge of Quarters in Cadet Company B-2 (part of the North Barracks) and answered incoming calls for company members. He later said the caller's "tone was rough and patronizing, almost insulting."[9] After Hains told the man that Cox was not in his room, the man replied, "Well, look, when he comes in, tell him to come on down here to the hotel. ... Just tell him George called – he'll know who I am. We knew each other in Germany. I'm just up here for a little while, and tell him I'd like to get him a bite to eat."[8] Hains later stated he could not be completely certain the name given was "George", as he had answered many phone calls while on duty and that one had not seemed noteworthy at the time; Cox never referred to the man by name.[8]
At 5:30 pm, a man entered Grant Hall - an area where cadets could meet guests—and asked to see Cox. The cadet on duty telephoned Cox, to tell him he had a visitor. The cadet later described the visitor as slightly under six feet (1.83 m) tall and weighing around 185 pounds (84 kg). He was fair-haired, had a fair complexion and wore a belted trench-coat, but no hat. When Cox entered the Hall, he shook hands with the man; the cadet on duty later recalled he seemed glad to see him.[8] Cox signed out in the Company B-2 Departure Book, indicating he would have dinner off-campus. However, Cox later admitted to his roommates they did not dine, but drank from a bottle of whiskey while sitting inside the man's parked car.[10]
Cox returned to Cadet Company B-2, signed the Departure Book, took a shower, and slept off the effects of the alcohol. (His two roommates later revealed this.)[11] As a prank, his roommates photographed him, slumped over his desk, asleep.[8] At an indeterminate time that evening, Cox altered the military time he had written in the Departure Book, changing "1923" to "1823" to make it look as if he had attended the 6:30 pm cadet supper formation.[12] In fact, he had skipped the formation. This detail was not discovered until two years later, when an agent of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command had the Departure Book examined in a laboratory.[13] If the alteration had been discovered when it was fresh in January 1950, Cox could have been charged with violating the Cadet Honor Code and likely expelled.
The next morning, before attending the Sunday chapel service, Cox mentioned his visitor to his roommates. The man, Cox said, was a former US Army Ranger who had served in the same unit as he had in Germany. Cox said the man liked to brag about killing Germans during the war and had boasted about cutting off their private parts afterward. Another story he told Cox was about having gotten a German girl pregnant, and then murdering her to prevent her from having the baby.[14][8] That afternoon, Cox signed out a second time to meet the man, returning at about 4:30 pm.[8] The following six days were without incident. Cox mentioned his visitor once to his roommates. He remarked that he "hoped he wouldn't have to see the fellow again," giving them the impression he viewed the man with distaste.[8]
On Saturday, January 14, Cox watched a basketball game between the Army and Rutgers University. Afterwards, he was seen talking to a man thought to be "George," although the cadet who saw the two talking gave a description that differed greatly from the description given by the cadet who had seen the stranger in Grant Hall on January 7. According to the eyewitness description from January 14, George was "dark-haired and rough looking." Cox returned to his room and mentioned to a roommate he was signing out to dine with his visitor again, although he appeared "not apprehensive, just sort of disgusted."[8] The two men left the grounds of the academy and vanished without a trace.[15][16]
At 5:30 pm, a man entered Grant Hall - an area where cadets could meet guests—and asked to see Cox. The cadet on duty telephoned Cox, to tell him he had a visitor. The cadet later described the visitor as slightly under six feet (1.83 m) tall and weighing around 185 pounds (84 kg). He was fair-haired, had a fair complexion and wore a belted trench-coat, but no hat. When Cox entered the Hall, he shook hands with the man; the cadet on duty later recalled he seemed glad to see him.[8] Cox signed out in the Company B-2 Departure Book, indicating he would have dinner off-campus. However, Cox later admitted to his roommates they did not dine, but drank from a bottle of whiskey while sitting inside the man's parked car.[10]
Cox returned to Cadet Company B-2, signed the Departure Book, took a shower, and slept off the effects of the alcohol. (His two roommates later revealed this.)[11] As a prank, his roommates photographed him, slumped over his desk, asleep.[8] At an indeterminate time that evening, Cox altered the military time he had written in the Departure Book, changing "1923" to "1823" to make it look as if he had attended the 6:30 pm cadet supper formation.[12] In fact, he had skipped the formation. This detail was not discovered until two years later, when an agent of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command had the Departure Book examined in a laboratory.[13] If the alteration had been discovered when it was fresh in January 1950, Cox could have been charged with violating the Cadet Honor Code and likely expelled.
The next morning, before attending the Sunday chapel service, Cox mentioned his visitor to his roommates. The man, Cox said, was a former US Army Ranger who had served in the same unit as he had in Germany. Cox said the man liked to brag about killing Germans during the war and had boasted about cutting off their private parts afterward. Another story he told Cox was about having gotten a German girl pregnant, and then murdering her to prevent her from having the baby.[14][8] That afternoon, Cox signed out a second time to meet the man, returning at about 4:30 pm.[8] The following six days were without incident. Cox mentioned his visitor once to his roommates. He remarked that he "hoped he wouldn't have to see the fellow again," giving them the impression he viewed the man with distaste.[8]
On Saturday, January 14, Cox watched a basketball game between the Army and Rutgers University. Afterwards, he was seen talking to a man thought to be "George," although the cadet who saw the two talking gave a description that differed greatly from the description given by the cadet who had seen the stranger in Grant Hall on January 7. According to the eyewitness description from January 14, George was "dark-haired and rough looking." Cox returned to his room and mentioned to a roommate he was signing out to dine with his visitor again, although he appeared "not apprehensive, just sort of disgusted."[8] The two men left the grounds of the academy and vanished without a trace.[15][16]