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Is It a Hoax?
The Weekly Standard ^ | Sep 9, 2004 | Stephen F. Hayes

Posted on 09/09/2004 4:30:03 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko

DOCUMENTS CITED Wednesday by 60 Minutes in a widely-publicized expose of George W. Bush's National Guard Service are very likely forgeries, according to several experts on document authenticity and typography. The documents--four memos from Killian to himself or his files written in 1972 and 1973--appear to indicate that Bush refused or ignored orders to have a physical exam required to continue flying. CBS News anchor Dan Rather reported the segment and sourced the documents this way: "60 Minutes has obtained a number of documents we are told were taken from Col. Killian's personal file," he said. The 60 Minutes story served as the basis for follow-up news reports for dozens of news organizations across the country. The memos were almost immediately questioned in the blog world, with blog Power Line leading the charge.

And according to several forensic document experts contacted by THE WEEKLY STANDARD say the Killian memos appear to be forgeries. Although it is nearly impossible to establish with certainty the authenticity of documents without a careful examination of the originals, several irregularities in the Killian memos suggest that CBS may have been the victim of a hoax.

"These sure look like forgeries," says William Flynn, a forensic document expert widely considered the nation's top analyst of computer-generated documents. Flynn looked at copies of the documents posted on the CBS News website (here, here, here, and here). Flynn says, "I would say it looks very likely that these documents could not have existed" in the early 1970s, when they were allegedly written.

Several other experts agree. "They look mighty suspicious," says a veteran forensic document expert who asked not to be quoted by name. Richard Polt, a Xavier University philosophy professor who operates a website dedicated to typewriters, says that while he is not an expert on typesetting, the documents "look like typical word-processed documents."


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004electionbias; 60minutes; 60minuts; barnes; benbarnes; brownshirtsforkerry; bush; bushmemos; cbsmemos; ccrm; danrather; dirtytricks; dncliars; forged; forgeries; forgery; fraud; hoax; hoaxmemos; kerrycampaign; killian; libel; lyingliars; mediabias; nationalguard; ratherbiased; rattricks; slander; smearcampaign; snopes; snopesmia; stephenfhayes; texasnationalguard
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excerped, but more than 300 words
1 posted on 09/09/2004 4:30:05 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
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To: Mike Fieschko
The memos were almost immediately questioned in the blog world, with blog Power Line leading the charge.

CBS' 60 Minutes, aka, the Death Rattle of the Old Media.

2 posted on 09/09/2004 4:32:06 PM PDT by My2Cents (http://www.conservativesforbush.com)
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To: Mike Fieschko

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, get down on your knees right now and thank God for TALK RADIO and the INTERNET.


3 posted on 09/09/2004 4:36:59 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: Mike Fieschko
several irregularities in the Killian memos suggest that CBS may have been the victim of a hoax.

Trust me; CBS was the perp here, not the vic.

4 posted on 09/09/2004 4:37:42 PM PDT by umgud (speaking strictly as an infidel,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,)
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To: Mike Fieschko

CUT THE VICTIM OF A HOAX, CRAP, WEEKLY STANDARD AND YOU'D HAVE IT ABOUT RIGHT!


5 posted on 09/09/2004 4:37:47 PM PDT by Lopeover
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To: My2Cents

I don't just want to see Rather and Hewitt fired, Terry McAuliffe outed as the source of the forgeries, and John Fraud Kerry buried under an electoral landslide. I want the next Sunday 60 Minutes devoted to an hourlong apology in which Brother Dan, Brother Mike, Brother Ed, Sister Leslie and Brother Andy are forced to admit that President Bush is an honorable man and commander in chief whom they have done their utmost to knowingly and despicably smear. Then I want to see their show cancelled, and replaced by John Stossel's GIMME A BREAK!


6 posted on 09/09/2004 4:38:02 PM PDT by Argus
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To: Mike Fieschko

"Several irregularities in the Killian memos suggest that CBS may have been the victim of a hoax."

The willing are not victims.


7 posted on 09/09/2004 4:38:49 PM PDT by NRA1995 (I'm a happy Republican goon)
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To: Mike Fieschko
In the August 18, 1973 memo "discovered" by 60 Minutes, Jerry Killian purportedly writes: Staudt has obviously pressured Hodges more about Bush. I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job.

But wait! Reader Amar Sarwal points out that General Staudt, who thought very highly of Lt. Bush, retired in 1972.

This is from NRO's Kerry Corner.

8 posted on 09/09/2004 4:39:24 PM PDT by MamaLucci (Libs, want answers on 911? Ask Clinton why he met with Monica more than with his CIA director.)
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To: Mike Fieschko
This story could be used for the plot of one of those crime investigation TV shows.

Only when the story hits TV, the smart detectives will discover a forgery by some angry white Republican candidate that had been designed to undercut the good-hearted lib.
9 posted on 09/09/2004 4:39:59 PM PDT by 68skylark
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To: Mike Fieschko

Could this have been a Karl Rove trick to get Democrats and Dan Rather/CBS off Bush's back? Pre-emptive strike? Probably not, but some food for thought.


10 posted on 09/09/2004 4:40:05 PM PDT by Cableguy
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To: Argus

...and then I woke up and remembered that the old Media is controlled by socialist scum. Very nice thought, though.


11 posted on 09/09/2004 4:40:49 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh
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To: Argus

Would you settle for an extra 30seconds of Andy Rooney? Because that's all you gonna git.


12 posted on 09/09/2004 4:40:58 PM PDT by mlbford2 ("sycophantic kerry koolaid sucker" -- S. Hannity)
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To: umgud
"Trust me; CBS was the perp here, not the vic."

ROTFLMAO

AMEN!

13 posted on 09/09/2004 4:41:14 PM PDT by Agent Smith (Fallujah delenda est. (I wish))
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To: My2Cents
CBS should fire Rather with extreme prejudice.
14 posted on 09/09/2004 4:41:37 PM PDT by Texasforever (Kerry's new slogan "IT'S NOT THE STUPID CANDIDATE SO STOP SAYING THAT")
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To: NRA1995

READ THE POST RIGHT IN LINE BEFORE THIS ONE!! IT IS A BOMBSHELL...

IN THE CYA MEMO, KILLIAN SUPPOSEDLY **DOES** THE CYA BECAUSE A GENERAL WAS PROTECTING AND RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR BUSH...

PROBLEM IS, THE GENERAL RETIRED IN 1972, THE MEMO ABOUT THE GENERAL RUNNING INTERFERENCE WAS FROM AUGUST OF 1973. ABOUT A YEAR AFTER THE GENERAL'S RETIREMENT!!!

NOW I KNOW THAT GENERALS ARE POWERFUL MEN, BUT THIS GENERAL HAS GOT TO HAVE SOME, **REALLLLLLYYYYY** BIG CAHONEYS!!!


15 posted on 09/09/2004 4:42:06 PM PDT by woodb01 (Start a call, writing, fax, and e-mail campaign to discourage CBS advertisers~)
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To: NRA1995
The willing are not victims.

Co-Conspirators....

16 posted on 09/09/2004 4:42:07 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: Mike Fieschko
See my COLOCALIZATION of one of the "original" ANG documents with a Microsoft Word version in Times New Roman font.
17 posted on 09/09/2004 4:42:52 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: Mike Fieschko

Oh, I wanna see a public apology by "60 Minutes" and a very personal apology from Tan Blather. Oh, I wanna see that very much.


18 posted on 09/09/2004 4:43:00 PM PDT by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: Cableguy
Could this have been a Karl Rove trick to get Democrats and Dan Rather/CBS off Bush's back? Pre-emptive strike?

I admit it. It was my idea. I have since been sentenced to double secret probation.

Was it worth....you decide.

19 posted on 09/09/2004 4:43:19 PM PDT by Focault's Pendulum (I once forged my school report card....Boy!!! Did I get beat!!!)
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To: Mike Fieschko
...several irregularities in the Killian memos suggest that CBS may have been the victim perpetrator of a hoax.

/fixed

20 posted on 09/09/2004 4:43:29 PM PDT by bootyist-monk (<--------------------- Republican Attack Machine)
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