Polt said the memos seemed to be from a word processor.
Local Man Called On To Verify Bush Military Records
Polt Examines Documents For Inconsistencies
ChannelCincinnati.com
September 10, 2004
CINCINNATI -- A Tri-State man has been called on to authenticate memos used in CBS' "60 minutes" that are being questioned, WLWT News 5's Courtis Fuller reported.
Richard Polt, a Xavier University professor, was called on to examine documents from the 1970s that could shed new light on information about George W. Bush's service in the military. The documents, used by "60 minutes," said Bush ignored a direct order from a superior officer and lost his status as a Guard pilot because he failed to meet performance standards and undergo a required physical exam.
According to Polt, who owns more than 100 typewriters dating back to 1890, the documents would most likely have been typed on an old IBM selectric.
Local Professor Examines Bush Military Records
Upon examination, Polt said the memos seemed to be from a word processor.
One memo, dated May 4, 1972, raised questions because of the 'th' next to the number 111.
"There are some things that are very easy to do on a computer these days or happen automatically," Polt said. "The superscript ... the 'th' is a smaller font and above the 111."
Polt said it is highly unlikely that someone would change equipment on a typewriter to make the font change, Fuller reported.
A similar difference in another letter, dated Aug. 18, 1973, raises questions as well.
"The apostrophes in the document are curly apostrophes," Polt said. "Typewriters almost always had straight, vertical apostrophes."
Polt also scrutinized another letter's format. He claims the latter is too neatly centered.
"When you think about some of the details of the documents, it just adds up to something recently produced on a computer," he said.
Several national magazines have called on Polt for his opinion. He said the only excuse could be that the documents were handwritten and someone produced them on a computer.
Dan Rather and "60 Minutes" stand behind their story, Fuller reported.
A CBS spokeswoman said it is standard practice at CBS News for each document broadcast on "60 Minutes" to be thoroughly investigated by experts.
She said the network is convinced the memos are authentic.
Stay tuned to WLWT News 5 and refresh ChannelCincinnati.com for additional information. |
