Apparently IBM introduced the first proportional font electric typewriter in the early years of WWII! But the question is, which desktop Selectric model might have been available to an Air National Guard Colonel by 1972? and importantly did it use the same 'walnut', or one specially designed - and what did those faces look like? How much did a Selectric like that cost? Could it have been a Wang (a long forgotten name, but also mentioned at the blog)?
superscripts not generally available
Could an expensive proportially spaced Selectric (or Wang or whatever) have included "th", "rd", "st", "nd" as part of an extended superscript typeface?
Curved apostrophes and quotation marks were not available
What if that was the typeface on the 'walnut', for that - whatever - expensive model? I have no idea what the model numbers might have been for such a thing, how much it cost, and what the faces looked like. I would ASSUME that the expert who looked at this had ALL of these Selectric typefaces in his Atlas. I would assume that. And he couldn't make a match. But I wish he would have said which model Selectric he had ruled out.
The fact is, the 10 and 12 fixed pitch 'golf ball'/'walnut' typefaces did include a closed "4" with foot, and without foot. Some didn't, such as that typed onto Kerry's 13 MAR spot report by the receiving operator (probably using a Selectric, fixed pitch). But the 'Times New Roman' was a new designation by Apple, I think, based on industry terms perhaps, when they were light years ahead of the PC in desktop publishing, laser printers etc. If anyone remembers the old dot matrix printers, you could see similar fonts, but they were called, Prestige, or such, just as with the Selectric.
Signature block.
I don't get this. With all respect, it's not the block that matters - it's the signature. If you look at that blog page, the verified Killian signature looks NOTHING like the two on those CBS memos. People's signature change. But not that much. It looks like two different people, right there.
signature looks faked
Oh, you did mention it. Never mind.
no letterhead
Absolutely. I was thinking, though. Assuming you had an expensive and relatively rare proportional font Selectric, or Wang or whatever, these introduced tape 'memories' and punched cards, I believe. They couldn't store much, but maybe enough for half a page, or . . a letterhead? The Colonel showing off?
I have to agree with you, though. It's irregular. It's not military, even for the Guard.
Not signed or initialed
The last two, you mean. I can't imagine what the CBS people saw when they looked at those last two. They're just floating out there. Didn't it raise questions? Where's the other page? Who is it from, to? etc? Are they rough drafts, or something, and for what? I completely agree with you.
My question on SOME of it is - could a typewriter have produced that copy, and how likely is it that such would have been on the desk of an Air Guard Colonel, or even someone down the hall?
I'm not sure that anyone has mentioned this, but at some point, IBM selectrics, had interchangeable "type-balls". Some were more ~refined~ in that the type style was much more clear or 'sharp' than others, and if I remember correctly, some of the 'balls' (sorry) had a few extra symbols than a standard typwriter. Still, having learned to type on both a manual and electric typwriter, then the chance to type on the 'grand-poobah' selectric, and fortunate to obtain the auto backspace, auto correct versions.. even then, the whirling ball spacing was NOT perfect. Age and frequecy of use of the type-ball, made for either clear or fuzzy letters.. though side by side, the models were exactly the same.
Let's put it this way -- HQ USAF/Major Commands got the creme of the crop for typewriters; field organizations got hand me downs a lot of times; Reserves got more handmedowns, and I hate to think what the typewriters in the ANG looked like!