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List of Experts Mounts Against CBS Memos

Blogs for Bush has a summary of experts who believe that the Bush Guard Memos are likely not authentic. From my list of sources I would add the following:

New York Times: Robert A. Rahenkamp, a former I.B.M. manager who wrote a scholarly history on its typewriters for a company journal in 1981, said, "I'm not aware that we had any superscript technologies back in those days'' on standard proportional space typewriters.

He and other engineers quoted in the article didn't make a direct judgement about authenticity but he does give a clear opinion about "standard" typewriters.

One interesting aspect about this debate that should be noted is that the burden of proof is on CBS to show that the documents are real. In this respect there should be no burden on the accused (Pres. Bush). CBS has asserted the authenticity of the guard memos but do not have the originals. Dan Rather claims to have numerous experts but has only identified one. In a recent development CNN's Howard Kurtz stated on the air:

KURTZ: Although I have interviewed Rather and Andrew Heyward, the president of CBS News, and I said, well, look, who are your document experts? So they finally gave me the name of a handwriting expert in San Francisco, and I called him, and he says, I am muzzled, I can't talk, CBS has asked me not to talk to the press.

Rather also suggests that contemporaries of Killian, the alleged memo author, were aware of Killian's sentiments. The main individual quoted by CBS (Hodges), has now said he believes the documents to be fabrications.

The benefit of the doubt goes to the accused and the burden of proof is on the accuser. Where's the proof?

Posted by tim at September 12, 2004 5:24 PM

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