[El Gato]

Even the most experienced typist, with the most expensive proportional typewriter, and all of the wiz-bang replacement keys could not duplicate the kerning used in modern word processing software and laser printers. These documents clearly display this kerning.

To let the rest of us know what kerning is see this Adobe kerning explanation

If I may be so bold as to summarize. Kerning is varying the spacing between letters based on what the two lettters actually are, rahter than just how wide they might be. Thus a "T" and an "A" would be closer together than two "A"s or two "T"s, because the "A" has overhead room to accomodate the top of the "T".

From the adobe site:

Kerning

Kerning refers to data included in a font that specifies how to adjust the spacing of a specific pair of characters in a font. The following example illustrates a word that uses kerning, and one with no kerning, using the default spacing in the font.

[newzjunkey]

And the IBM Executive typewriter didn't do kerning. The memo has kerning.

[Buckhead]

great post on kerning.

[muawiyah]

Although I'm convinced the documents show kerning, it's possible some of the effect may be an artifact of successive photocopying.

What persuades me the most, however, is the widow's and son's claim that Col. Killian didn't make memos for the record.

Almost equally persuasive is "W"'s birthday was in July, so the due date for his flight physical was July 31, not some time in May as suggested by this strange bit of unorthodox correspondence.