[BJungNan]

How exactly does a typewriter in 1968 type this?

Bush wasn’t here during rating period and I don’t have any feedback from 187^th in Alabama.

Wouldn’t it be more like this?

Bush wasn’t here during rating period and I don’t have any feedback from 187th in Alabama.

On the typerwrites that some are saying could do superscript, did it require changing the print ball or key rack? And would anyone go to this trouble just to make the "th" in superscript? ^th Sure seems like a lot of trouble to go through.

[PhiKapMom]

Not to mention the chances of the Air National Guard having an updated typewriter in a personnel shop is not very high. They got the leftovers from the AF when we replaced our typewriters.

[Congressman Billybob]

Only the very top of the line IBM machines, that were quite expensive and were not used by any field units in the US Military, could have done this. And it would have involved the following steps, even in an office which had such a machine:

1. Type up to the point where the "st" or "nd" or "rd" or "th" appeared after a typed number. Roll the platen up half way. (Normally that would be 6 points, but these documents are 13 pitch, which was not available on any machine in the 70s.)

2. Remove the type ball and insert another one with a smaller type face on it. Type the "st" or whatever follows the number in question. Then roll the platen back to normal.

3. Continue with the typing until the next number with following letters, crops up. Repeat steps 1 - 3 until the document is finished.

All this assumes that Lt. Col. Killiam could type his own memos in addition to having access to such a specialized machine and the extra typing ball. Killian's widow, and his son who followed him in the Guard and retired as Captain, asset that Killian did not type. The standard practice is that the typist puts his/her initials at the end of the document -- to identify who made the mistakes, if mistakes were made.

Here's the format for that in civilian life: JCA/kh The first initials are the person who wrote the letter, the second are the typist. IIRD, the military standard then was to reverse the order and use a colon: kh:JCA Since no initials appear, either Killian typed these himself, or the typist used did not follow the rules, or these documents are forgeries. There are no other options.

Congressman Billybob / John C. Armor

[GailA]

The keystrokes need to be examined, computer or word processor wouldn't leave keystroke indentations like electric, manual or selectric typewriters did. Also what was paper size back then, and what is the rag content of this paper in comparison to today's paper. Were the keystrokes smooth and the same indention depth a professional typist would do or were they the un even ones produced by a hunt and peck typist who did not apply the same pressures on each keystroke.