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No.

"Mapes was also asked at the meeting whether the original documents were available. At
least two people present at the meeting recalled that Mapes indicated that it was not possible to
get the originals. Mapes said that, if originals existed, they were in the possession of her
source’s source, who was not willing to cooperate. Mapes also said that the documents were not
on letterhead because these types of personal memoranda typically would not be on letterhead.

b. The Source

One or more of the people present at the meeting recalled that Mapes was asked various
questions about the source, such as who he was, did she trust him, what was the source’s
relationship to the documents, where did the “scrubbing” take place and whether the source had
witnessed the “scrubbing.” Several people recalled that Mapes said that her source and her
source’s source had witnessed the purging of President Bush’s files in the 1990s, were offended
by this and had taken other files that they realized might have been purged, including those of
Lieutenant Colonel Killian. One person recalled that Mapes said her source was nearby when
her source’s source took the documents and that the documents remained with her source’s
source, who now lived in Germany and was “unavailable,” until he gave copies to her source.
No one present at the meeting asked Mapes why the source’s source was “unavailable” or
demanded that she find him before airing the Segment. The Panel finds this to be a significant
omission.

Those present at the meeting recalled that Mapes expressed “enormous confidence” in
her source’s reliability and said that he was solid with no bias or credibility issues. In terms of
trust, those present at the meeting also recalled that Mapes conveyed confidence in her source
and did not reveal the source’s name or anything negative about the source. Mapes, on the other
hand, told the Panel that she was “almost certain” that she identified Lieutenant Colonel Burkett
by name when speaking to the group. Mapes also recalled giving them a sketch of Lieutenant
Colonel Burkett, and, in particular, telling them that he was a “difficult,” “moralistic stickler”
who had medical problems, was a disgruntled former Guardsman, and was anti-Bush. Mapes
also told the Panel that she told the vetters that her source had become a controversial figure in
February 2004 when his story about the “scrubbing” was publicized and challenged. Mapes said
that she told the group that she did not think that the source had forged the documents.