[Verax]

After researching the 1972 and earlier model Selectric Composers, if find it VERY hard to believe that it would be used by anyone typing as infrequently as a Lt Col. For starters, you had to type every sentance twice!!

Since it has no memory, the user was required to type everything twice. While typing the text the first time, the machine would measure the length of the line and count the number of spaces. When the user finished typing a line of text, they would record special measurements into the right margin of the paper. Once the entire column of text was typed and measured, it would then be retyped, however before typing each line, the operator would set the special justification dial (on the right side) to the proper settings, then type the line. The machine would automatically insert the appropriate amount of space between words so that all of the text would be justified.

The electronic versions didn't come out until 1975

I'm curious about the font in the "ordered to report" memo, does anyone know which font it is? I have not been able to exactly identify it. According to the IBM Selectric Composer manual, these were the only avaialable type styles...

Aldine Roman
Baskerville
Bodoni
Century
Classsified News
Copperplate Gothic
Journal Roman
Press Roman Symbols
Pyramid
Ruling
Theme
Univers

[RipSawyer]

The Composer is really not even a legitimate suspect because it was a typeSETTER, people did not use typeSETTERS as typeWRITERS. It would be like hunting squirrels with a Barrett fifty caliber sniper rifle.