Howlin, every single one of these memos to file is in a proportionally spaced font, probably Palatino or Times New Roman.
In 1972 people used typewriters for this sort of thing, and typewriters used monospaced fonts.
The use of proportionally spaced fonts did not come into common use for office memos until the introduction of laser printers, word processing software, and personal computers. They were not widespread until the mid to late 90's. Before then, you needed typesetting equipment, and that wasn't used for personal memos to file. Even the Wang systems that were dominant in the mid 80's used monospaced fonts.
I am saying these documents are forgeries, run through a copier for 15 generations to make them look old.
This should be pursued aggressively.
I think Buckhead is right on target. These documents don't pass the smell test.
Copy yours, too.......
I was just looking for people who've posted to me; I know nothing about this (among other things....LOL) and thought it would be good if we can get this information to people on here who do know!
One other thing: It also doesn't pass the smell test that these documents, which are essentially personal memos to oneself from 1972, would be around in 2004, 20 years after the person's death. Family members do not keep those sort of paperwork around for a dead person.
they are obvious forgeries written on a word processor.
Good point. Those documents are absolutely forgeries based on the fonts alone.
The flight exams were and are called "Medicals", too... those forged documents used the incorrect term "physical examination."
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the only way i would think these were not real documents would be if someone on our side did it to make dan rather and the media look bad. something to get back at them for all the outrage over faulty intelligence regarding the niger yellowcake forgeries.
Not all typewriters, as I recollect.
The most popular unit at the time was probably the IBM Selectric. And, indeed, it employed a monospaced font.
Another IBM unit, the Executive, employed proportionally spacing (and was thus hell to correct, requiring perfect transcription). But, as I recall, it was a sans-serif face.
The typeface on these memos appears to be proportional, but it is also a serifed face (Times New Roman or a similar variant). So, I would doubt the machine was an IBM Executive.
Are these documents copies of hard paper originals or are they from a microfilm? Many years have past, it seems that they could have been stored on microfiche and sent to a printer for a paper copy. Mind you, I have no idea of what I am talking about.
In the very early 70's, the military's state-of-the-art word processing was done on IBM MTST Composers. They used a monospaced font printing format but used the same "font balls" (about the size of ping-pong balls and had changeable font types) as the IBM selectric typewriters.
Nicely centered too!.
Cute touch on the one where it says "qualified Vietnam pilots". OK, I though the liberal spin was that the F-102 never served in Vietnam. It did, but not around the date of this letter.
The proportional fonts is a red flag for me, but not for the "journalists" at CBS. Journalism at the major networks is SO embarassing, I rather tell people that I play piano in a whorehouse than admit to being part of "Network News".
I think we're starting to drink the Kool-aid ourselves. I'm not sure waht was available in 1972-1973, but in 1975 I had an IBM Selectric that how proportional Times Roman serifed font.
You are right, commas and periods are too close to the other letters and they are not consistent.
Hmmmm? In the early 70's, I used to have a piece of equipment at work made by IBM. It was a huge electronic typewriter looking machine, with a magnetic card reader which used magnetic cards to store information. It also used a removable ball of different type styles. I was producing technical literature with this system, and there were fonts for everything.
"In 1972 people used typewriters for this sort of thing, and typewriters used monospaced fonts."
I hope you are right about this and these are forgeries. However, I am looking at my own military records from that same time frame 1972-1976 that were done with a typewriter. I cannot see an obvious font problem. My documents from then look the same. Back then, I was a military clerk, and the most predominate typewriter was an IBM Selectrix using a ball with the characters on it. These documents look real to me and consistent with my own
from that time.
The copies of copies look is allfully suspicious though. Also, it was common practice to use preprinted letterhead then - these are not? Did Dan Bather explain where these documents were found?
They probably are forgeries, but I don't know that the font arguement will hold up.
No, there used to be executive typewriters that were out in the mid to late 70's, but you had to be an executive secretary to figure them out. They did proportionally space, but they certainly wouldn't have been in standard use because of the expense. Especially by National Guard units.
The other question is why this squadron didn't have a PRINTED LETTERHEAD. The head on this was typed on the same typewriter. And no, these were not produced with any type of computer. These were definitely done on a proportional typewriter.
As I know from going through declassified WW II documents for a book a while back, all file copies of such documents would have been made with carbon paper. Anyone worth his salt should be able to identify an "original" carbon copy.
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" The use of proportionally spaced fonts did not come into common use for office memos until the introduction of laser printers, word processing software, and personal computers."
Not to throw a monkey wrench into this, the IBM Executive typewriter did have proportional fonts. I used one in the army in 1975-78. It was probably a few years old, as it would have been a hand me down from S-1. Most small letters would have been a full space. The letter "i", a puctuation mark, etc. would have been a half space.
If I remember correctly, and "M" or a "W" was two full spaces, or at least a space and a half.
The type on the memos looks familiar to me. I think that I would find a way to compare it to an IBM Selectric before drawing any conclusions.
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At least on the first memo, it appears as if the name under the signature was pasted on top of another document...fraud?
http://www.selectric.org/selectric/
the above link has reference scans of IBM typewriter fonts from the 70s none of them I can find have the "th" for use in things like "11th" as is in this document: http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/BushGuardmay4.pdf
I am not sure if these scans are of the complete fonts. Any typewriter buffs no if you could get special characters on 1972 (and before) typewriters?
I agree with you, and cannot believe that any person familiar with writing copy before the age of PCs, ie professional 'reporters' as old as Dan Rather, would not instantly see the difference.