Schaffner opened the note. In neat, all-capital letters printed with a felt-tip pen, Cooper had written, "Miss—I have a bomb in my briefcase and want you to sit by me." Schaffner returned the note to Cooper, sat down as he requested, and quietly asked to see the bomb. He opened his briefcase, and she saw two rows of four red cylinders, which she assumed was dynamite. Attached to the cylinders were a wire and a large, cylindrical battery.
