Richard Cox
Coburg, Germany
1947
Missing Cadet
United States Military Academy at West Point
Cadet Richard C. Cox
(former Sixth Constabulary trooper)
We would like to request the assistance of some of the more senior
troopers in arriving at a possible final solution to the disappearance
of Cadet Richard C. Cox of the United States military Academy at West
Point. Cadet Cox was a former constabulary trooper stationed in the
Coburg/Bamberg area during the mid-1947. Accordingly if you were a
member of the sixth constabulary squadron and stationed in the Coburg
Bamberg area from about May to November 1947 would you please contact
Irene Moore (web editor) at irmoore@eatel.net
.
The disappearance of Cadet Cox was one of the more famous and mysterious disappearances of the mid-1950s and generated multitudinous media coverage, a book (Oblivion) and finally a “History Channel” like television show. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Army CID and even the CIA were involved in varying degrees in the search for the missing cadet.
Some background on Cadet Cox may be of interest to the readers:
Cox were born in Ohio and volunteered into the Army after High School in 1946. His first duty assignment was to the Sixth Constabulary in Coburg Bamberg arriving in May 1947. He may have been in either the 1st or 2nd platoon and also may have been the company/squadron clerk. PFC Cox was clearly a superior Enlisted Man as was every member of the early constabulary organizations. Major General Earnest Harmon, the original organizer of the constabulary units was a "junior" General Patton and thus a stickler for appearance, discipline and performance. He did not choose veterans with wartime experience but rather accepted only young volunteer enlisted men using as his rationale that he did not want to "occupy” the American zone of West German but rather he wanted the constabulary to "police it". It was reported that the general insisted on reviewing the persons 201 personnel file and receiving his approval before the person could be assigned to the constabulary unit. He was very insistent that the troopers build and established close rapport with the West German population. In this respect, the constabulary was very successful and even today the older West German population refers to constabulary Army with much respect.
During the summer months of 1947, Cox performed the normal patrols and duties of the Sixth constabulary and in about September was transferred to Schweinfurt. Here he played on the regimental basketball team representing the constabulary. While at both Coburg and Schweinfurt he evidently attracted the favorable attention of his superior officers, consequently when he applied for entry to the United States military Academy at West Point, New York he was immediately accepted and departed Germany in April 1948.
He entered West Point in the class of 1952. At the end of 18 months he had established an excellent reputation, academically ranking about 100 out of the class of 550. He was 10 outstanding athlete and was on West Point's intercollegiate Track and Cross Country team and in fact had competed in a National NCAA meet only a month before his the disappearance. In January of 1950, he was invited out to dinner at the West Point Hotel however he disappeared and never returned. His visitor was never positively identified however Cox had told his roommates that the person was “someone he had known from Germany, the person was a bad person and he (Cox ) was "worried about being a witness in a courts-martial involving this person".
During the period 1950 to 1957, the FBI and CID conducted extensive investigations on leads that had been developed about Cox. Despite these investigations by these prestigious agencies they were not successful.
In 1996 a book , Oblivion, was published purporting to document what happened to Cadet Cox. Oblivion stated Cox had secretly ran away from the Military Academy and joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he had worked until his death. This conclusion was not universally accepted. More recently a detailed review of the CID portion of the Cox files has suggested a possible alternative to Oblivion's findings and involves an event in Bamberg Coburg with which members of the sixth constabulary stationed in this area may have some knowledge. It is with respect to this event that we would like to contact these members of the sixth constabulary.
The Cox family has never been satisfied with the Oblivion story. His mother and older brother have passed away however his three older sisters are still living. The primary interest of this inquiry is to bring some closure to the Cox family as to what actually happened to their brother.
April 19, 2007
Back
The disappearance of Cadet Cox was one of the more famous and mysterious disappearances of the mid-1950s and generated multitudinous media coverage, a book (Oblivion) and finally a “History Channel” like television show. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Army CID and even the CIA were involved in varying degrees in the search for the missing cadet.
Some background on Cadet Cox may be of interest to the readers:
Cox were born in Ohio and volunteered into the Army after High School in 1946. His first duty assignment was to the Sixth Constabulary in Coburg Bamberg arriving in May 1947. He may have been in either the 1st or 2nd platoon and also may have been the company/squadron clerk. PFC Cox was clearly a superior Enlisted Man as was every member of the early constabulary organizations. Major General Earnest Harmon, the original organizer of the constabulary units was a "junior" General Patton and thus a stickler for appearance, discipline and performance. He did not choose veterans with wartime experience but rather accepted only young volunteer enlisted men using as his rationale that he did not want to "occupy” the American zone of West German but rather he wanted the constabulary to "police it". It was reported that the general insisted on reviewing the persons 201 personnel file and receiving his approval before the person could be assigned to the constabulary unit. He was very insistent that the troopers build and established close rapport with the West German population. In this respect, the constabulary was very successful and even today the older West German population refers to constabulary Army with much respect.
During the summer months of 1947, Cox performed the normal patrols and duties of the Sixth constabulary and in about September was transferred to Schweinfurt. Here he played on the regimental basketball team representing the constabulary. While at both Coburg and Schweinfurt he evidently attracted the favorable attention of his superior officers, consequently when he applied for entry to the United States military Academy at West Point, New York he was immediately accepted and departed Germany in April 1948.
He entered West Point in the class of 1952. At the end of 18 months he had established an excellent reputation, academically ranking about 100 out of the class of 550. He was 10 outstanding athlete and was on West Point's intercollegiate Track and Cross Country team and in fact had competed in a National NCAA meet only a month before his the disappearance. In January of 1950, he was invited out to dinner at the West Point Hotel however he disappeared and never returned. His visitor was never positively identified however Cox had told his roommates that the person was “someone he had known from Germany, the person was a bad person and he (Cox ) was "worried about being a witness in a courts-martial involving this person".
During the period 1950 to 1957, the FBI and CID conducted extensive investigations on leads that had been developed about Cox. Despite these investigations by these prestigious agencies they were not successful.
In 1996 a book , Oblivion, was published purporting to document what happened to Cadet Cox. Oblivion stated Cox had secretly ran away from the Military Academy and joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he had worked until his death. This conclusion was not universally accepted. More recently a detailed review of the CID portion of the Cox files has suggested a possible alternative to Oblivion's findings and involves an event in Bamberg Coburg with which members of the sixth constabulary stationed in this area may have some knowledge. It is with respect to this event that we would like to contact these members of the sixth constabulary.
The Cox family has never been satisfied with the Oblivion story. His mother and older brother have passed away however his three older sisters are still living. The primary interest of this inquiry is to bring some closure to the Cox family as to what actually happened to their brother.
April 19, 2007
Back