By all accounts, Richard C. Cox was a model military cadet. Which made his disappearance from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1950 all the more strange. Cox was in his second year at the academy. He had excellent grades and was well-liked and athletic. The only clue as to his disappearance was a mysterious visitor who had come to see him at West Point.
The man, known only as George, had been seen with Cox on West Point grounds. Cox, like all cadets, was required to sign out any time he left his room. He had picked up a pass and was on his way by foot to West Point’s Thayer Hotel, where he had indicated he would be dining with a civilian. Cox never returned to his barracks, and by the next morning was declared absent without leave. He left behind in his room his civilian clothes, a watch and $85 in cash and checks.
Army Intelligence and military police combed West Point’s 15,000-acre campus to no avail. The search went on for two months. Eventually the help of the FBI was enlisted, and efforts were made to track down the mysterious George. Some speculated that Cox had become a secret agent.
See the Lester David papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.