Posted on 09/14/2004 10:53:24 PM PDT by ambrose
Sept. 15, 2004, 12:24AM
Ex-staffer: Bush records are fake
Secretary to military officer says she never typed the memos
By ROBERT CROWE and JULIE MASON
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A former secretary at Ellington Air Force Base is challenging the legitimacy of documents used to discredit President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, saying the records are probably fake because she never typed them.
Marian Carr Knox, 86, former secretary to Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, worked at the Houston air base from 1956 to 1979. She is now retired.
"They're forgeries as far as I'm concerned because I didn't type them," Knox said Tuesday at her southwest Houston home.
She said she typed all of Killian's memoranda and office letters during the time Bush served under him in the early 1970s.
Knox said the subject matter in the documents does, however, reflect sentiments Killian expressed to her at the time.
"I did not type those, no, but the information in them is correct," she said.
A longtime Democratic primary voter, Knox said she is not a Bush political supporter.
Hers are the latest claims against the documents, which for several days have been at the center of a tantalizing political mystery within the presidential campaign.
CBS News used documents purportedly written and signed by Killian, Bush's former superior at Ellington, as the basis for a critical report on Bush's guard service in the early 1970s.
Specifically, the documents allege that Bush failed to take a required physical examination and lost his flying privileges. The papers indicate Killian was pressured to "sugarcoat" Bush's record.
Though Bush never took his physical and was honorably discharged, Knox said it was rare for pilots like him to not take physicals under similar circumstances.
"Darn right it was a big issue," she said. "That was one of the things the pilots had to do."
Questions about the president's Guard service surfaced during his first campaign for president and again this year, particularly in contrast to Democrat John Kerry's service in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
With regard to the specific allegations surrounding Bush's failure to take the required physical, White House officials have said the requirement was waived when Bush was transferred to non-flying status in Alabama.
Knox said she decided to report her recollection of the time period to the media after hearing White House press officials say the information in the memos was false.
She said the military jargon in the documents would be used in the Navy or Army and not the Air Force. Also, she said the font used for the documents did not match fonts used on either the manual Olympia or IBM Selectric typewriters she used while working there.
Though some have challenged the use of superscript typeface in the documents, Knox said the IBM Selectric typewriter she used when Bush was in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron did have the capability to type in superscript.
Last week, Knox said she had no firsthand knowledge of Bush's time with the Texas Air National Guard, although she did recall a culture of special treatment for the sons of prominent people, such as Bush and others.
Bush's father, former President Bush, was a member of Congress when his son was a Guard pilot.
Generally, Knox said Killian was anxious about creating a paper trail at the Guard base, and kept copies of his correspondence, which he would write out longhand and give her to type.
Killian died in 1984.
In recent days, questions have been raised by members of Killian's family and others, who challenged the authenticity of documents, in part by saying Killian did not keep copies of his letters.
Knox disputed that claim, saying Killian kept copies to protect himself, although she said she did not retain any copies herself.
CBS has declined to identify the source of the documents. The network, which originally aired the claims on the venerable 60 Minutes news magazine, has stood by its reporting.
Knox said last week she had not seen the disputed documents obtained by CBS, butwas reacting to news reports challenging their authenticity, primarily by countering claims that Killian did not keep copies.
robert.crowe@chron.com
julie.mason@chron.com
Her story seems to shift with each successive story on this angle, though she has remained quite consistent is stating that she did not type them.
I do find it intriguing that:
-She contacted the Chronicle herself last week
-Chronicle did not run her story last week
-Last week, she disclaimed any firsthand knowledge of Bush's time @ TANG
-Her story about Bush's involvement with TANG has suddenly shifted.
wonder what changed her story?
old age, or free drugs and a blow up doll of willie "the sinkjob" clinton?
Bump.
This is a good article considering the quotes that she gave. It further establishes that the documents are fake.
...and it keeps this scandal simmering on slow burn, precisely where we want it.
The AWB Has Expired - Gun Owners Have Won Again For All Americans!
I think it was a simple case of her dislike of W's politics getting the better of her.
Attacking this old bat probably won't do our cause any good, so I hope the usual "Freeps" of Bush Bashers doesn't occur in this case.
I'll go with the son's interpretation. She is just a nice old lady. Probably has no idea and is just trying to be "fair to all" in her telling. I would say that nice little old ladies probably should not talk to reporters without depositions being taken since what she said, and what the press reports, may have different meanings.
Knox is a dubious source at best.
This "sweet old lady" repeats MoveOn.org slogans verbatim.
I hope the usual "Freeps" of Bush Bashers doesn't occur in this case.
It also establishes she has no firsthand knowledge of Bush's time in the Guard. She can only speak of a general culture of favortism to the sons of politicians.
I don't think that is exactly a newsflash to most people.
Nah - I was referring to phone calls.
Her "he was selected, not elected" remark to the DMN reporter gave her away. Wonder if the "sweet old lady" has a Michael Moore poster on her wall?
"I didn't help Bush." who was Bush?
"Oh, it will help Kerry!?" "Oh, it will help Kerry!?"
"Of course, I did." "That was the feeling at the time"
Is Texas having a major epidemic of recovered memory syndrome brought on by the collapse of John/John's campaign?
And she's now in print.
--- whew!!!
dodged a bullet that time...
I have no idea about mrs. Knox and her personality, and you're certainly taking the high road giving her the benefit of the doubt. But not all older women are nice ... many are downright vicious.
bump
I will post this here in case it has been overlooked.. although, I am sure it is already around on a thread somewhere.
But I find it curious the timing of Barnes campaign contributions to the Kerry camp.
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=TX&last=Barnes&first=Ben
If this has been posted, other than by me can someone link me to the page.
Thanks
I wonder if she saw dollar signs?
But in this Houston Chronicle article (and _not_ in the NYT), it asserts she had 'no firsthand knowledge of Bush's time' in the TANG.
Who _knows_ what she was asserting was correct in her quote. Whether the _fact_ that GWB missed a physical (which I believe is not a point of argument), or the _contention_ that he received special treatment.
The latter is the very point the NYT article leaves alive, and it's the leg that Dan Rather is trying desperately to stand on.
I declare "shenanigans"...
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