Bush Guard Memos Scrutinized (Kerry's lying pals at CBS begin a slow back-peddle)

CBS supposed "News" ^ | Friday, September 10, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

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Bush Guard Memos Under Microscope
NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2004


Questions were raised Thursday about the authenticity of newly unearthed memos purporting to have been written by one of President Bush's National Guard commanders in 1972 and 1973.

The memos, which were publicized on CBS News' 60 Minutes, say Mr. Bush ignored a direct order from a superior officer and lost his status as a Guard pilot because he failed to meet military performance standards and undergo a required physical exam.

The network defended the memos, saying its experts who examined the memos concluded they were authentic documents produced by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian.

But Killian's son, one of Killian's fellow officers and an independent document examiner questioned the memos.

Gary Killian, who served in the Guard with his father and retired as a captain in 1991, said he doubted his father would have written an unsigned memo which said there was pressure to "sugar coat" Mr. Bush's performance review.

"It just wouldn't happen," he said. "No officer in his right mind would write a memo like that."

The personnel chief in Killian's unit at the time also said he believes the documents are fake.

"They looked to me like forgeries," said Rufus Martin. "I don't think Killian would do that, and I knew him for 17 years." Killian died in 1984.

Independent document examiner Sandra Ramsey Lines said the memos looked like they had been produced on a computer using Microsoft Word software. Lines, a document expert and fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, pointed to a superscript — a smaller, raised "th" in "111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron" — as evidence indicating forgery.

Microsoft Word automatically inserts superscripts in the same style as the two on the memos obtained by CBS, she said.

"I'm virtually certain these were computer generated," Lines said after reviewing copies of the documents at her office in Paradise Valley, Ariz. She produced a nearly identical document using her computer's Microsoft Word software.

In the Wednesday broadcast, 60 Minutes said the purported memos were "documents we are told were taken from Col. Killian's personal file. The program says it consulted a handwriting analyst and document expert who believes the material is authentic.

"As is standard practice at CBS News, the documents in the 60 Minutes report were thoroughly examined and their authenticity vouched for by independent experts," CBS News said in a statement. "As importantly, 60 Minutes also interviewed close associates of Colonel Jerry Killian. They confirm that the documents reflect his opinions and actions at the time."

The White House distributed the four memos from 1972 and 1973 after obtaining them from CBS News. The White House did not question their accuracy.

Robert Strong was a friend and colleague of Killian who ran the Texas Air National Guard administrative office in the Vietnam era. Strong, now a college professor, also believes the documents are genuine.

"They are compatible with the way business was done at the time. They are compatible with the man that I remember Jerry Killian being," says Strong. "I don't see anything in the documents that is discordant with what were the times, what was the situation and what were the people involved."

The documents were described in a 60 Minutes that featured a retired Texas politician's claim that he pulled strings to get young Mr. Bush, then a college graduate at the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, into the Guard — a posting that made service overseas unlikely.

Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes — then the 29-year-old speaker of the Texas House — told CBS News Anchor Dan Rather that he used influence on Mr. Bush's behalf at the request of a Houston businessman friendly with the Bush family, oilman Sid Adger.

Mr. Bush has denied he received special treatment. The White House ascribed Barnes' remarks to political motives. Barnes is an adviser to Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry.

The president's service record emerged as an issue during the 2000 race and again this winter. The Killian documents revived the issue of Mr. Bush's time in uniform after weeks in which Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, has faced questions over his record as a Navy officer and an anti-war protester.

In May 1968, Mr. Bush signed a six-year commitment to fly for the Air Guard. Mr. Bush was honorably discharged from the Guard in October 1973 and left the Air Force Reserves in May 1974.

Early in his military career, Mr. Bush received glowing evaluations from Killian, who called Lt. Bush "an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot" who "performed in an outstanding manner."

Documents released this week show Mr. Bush with scores of 88 on an airmanship test, 98 on aviation physiology and 100 on navigational abilities.

The questions about Mr. Bush's service center on how Mr. Bush got into the Guard and whether he fulfilled his duties during a period from mid-1972 to mid-1973.

After taking his last flight in April 1972, Mr. Bush went for six months without showing up for any training drills.

That May, Mr. Bush skipped a required yearly medical examination. In response, his commanders grounded him on Aug. 1, 1972.

In September 1972 he received permission to transfer to the Alabama unit so he could work on a political campaign there.

What the Killian memos purported to show is that Mr. Bush defied a direct order to appear for the physical, that his performance as an officer was lacking in other ways and that Mr. Bush used family connections to try to quash any inquiry into his lapses.

In a separate revelation, the Boston Globe this week reported that Mr. Bush promised to sign up with a Boston-area unit when he left his Texas unit in 1973 to attend Harvard Business School. Mr. Bush never signed up with a Boston unit.

Bartlett claimed in 1999 that Mr. Bush had joined a Boston unit. Bartlett told the Globe this week that he "misspoke."



©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[FireTrack]

"If it was the KERRY people"

I would suggest that Kerry himself probably gave the final go ahead for his handlers to have CBS run with this.

[Kryptonite]

Agreed. I had similar thoughts about the CNN reporting last night.

As I see it, repeating the lies with knowledge that the document is a fake shows the actual malice necessary to win a defamation claim against a media source on behalf of a public figure.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"Writing forgeries to match your lies?"

Apparently so, as the talking points about the memos are closer to what the Democrats have been saying, than they (the talking points about the memos) are to what the memos actually say.

IOW it is all spin.

They couldn't even make the memos PROVE their talking point allegations, as they had to make the memos believable . . .

[Kryptonite]

They might as well have written the damned thing in crayon.

So true. I'm not satisfied with just having CBS investigate itself.

[Servant of the 9]

Robert Strong was a friend and colleague of Killian who ran the Texas Air National Guard administrative office in the Vietnam era. Strong, now a college professor, also believes the documents are genuine.

There's a likely suspect for producing the forgeries.
Only a college professor wold be too arrogant to bother selecting mono-spaced Courier typeface on Word, to produce period compatible documents.

So9

[AMDG&BVMH]

"It might be one of the reasons that the documents are not on Military stationary. The jail time will be shorter."

LoL!!

Of course, it would also have been difficult to get old letterhead of that unit. The old 10" forms and letterheads were used up and any later ones would have been 11" -- even IF the letterhead would be identical in other ways -- Posters say the address is also questionable, or at least changed.

[cricket]

Mega thanks, JH2, and a bump!

[azkathy]

I agree, here is my response to CBS

To Dan Rather, CBS and Various News Organizations,
The American public depend on people like Dan Rather and CBS to present factual information. Your news organization is rapidly losing Credibility with the American public.
I challenge ALL news organizations who picked up your story of Bush Guard Duty Questions to demand an apology from CBS and Dan Rather.
I find it despicable to watch you promote books that bash our President, yet ignore popular books that support him. This is just one example of the biased news you present for the American public. Did you think we don't notice?
This use of forged documents to promote your political preferences is reprehensible. I plan to contact all of your advertisers and voice my displeasure with your obvious agenda to defeat the sitting President.
How many Grandmothers and naive young people watched that piece and were influenced by your incredibly shoddy journalism?
Patriotic Americans are determined to provide factual information for our naive neighbors, family members and associates. After all, we know we cannot count on Dan Rather and CBS.
This is not the 1st time we have witnessed Biased news reports from CBS but it may be the last.

Kathy Boatman
hlphzarrived@earthlink.net

[JulieRNR21]

Yep....I'm John Kerry and I approve this forgery......LOL

Probably true....afterall a man who betrayed 2.5 million Vietnam Vets....wouldn't have a problem with a fake memo!

[azkathy]

Darn, my superscript on the 1st at the end didn't show when I posted my response to CBS. I made sure the st was in superscript when I emailed them.:)

[serpentineshel]

James Rosen just reported on Fox News that Killian's son also stated that President Bush volunteered to go to Vietnam twice. Rosen said that they will be reporting more on the story in a little while.

I had not heard that before...I will be watching to see if I can get more on it.

[FractalMan]

FOX News just reported that Killian's son said that Bush TWICE volunteered to go to Vietnam!

[crushelits]

MS word to forgerer

[serpentineshel]

Hey there!! We watch, we report!! Good for us!

[MamaK]

I wish to thank each person who had anything to do with helping to expose this shame of a news report. You have truely done Gods work exposing CBS' fraud on the people. It will take more than this to tarnesh President Bush's Gaurd duty for me.

[Sacajaweau]

That's interesting. of course, now the Dems will accuse the son of being a Bush loyalist and that his statement can't be proved so he should either forge two more memos or shut up.

[EdReform]

If you hear more, please post the info here and ping me. Thanks!

[serpentineshel]

They are also discussing right now the false report from the AP that went out about the crowd supposedly "booing" when the President gave heartfelt wishes for Clinton's recovery. A general discussion regarding false stories in the media...

I don't know how to "ping" ...just joined about a week ago.

[EdReform]

LOL!

[Grampa Dave]

This whole documentforgerygate/ ratherforgerygate mess is another great example why all of us should be monthly donors to Free Republic.