Kerry Campaign Touted Forged Doc Info in April

[LRB]

Kerry Campaign Touted Forged Doc Info in April

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 12:17 a.m. EDT
Kerry Campaign Touted Forged Doc Info in April

The Kerry campaign made an explicit reference to information in at least one of four forged military documents broadcast 14 days ago by CBS's "60 Minutes" - in a detailed campaign press release attacking President Bush's National Guard service dated months before the Sept. 8 "60 Minutes" broadcast.

Appearing in Kerry campaign literature on April 27, 2004, under the headline "Key Unanswered Questions on Bush's Record in National Guard" was the reference to "verbal orders" to recommend Bush's suspension from flying because he missed a physical - issued by Bush's commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian on Aug. 1, 1972.


One of the forged Killian memos broadcast by CBS is also dated Aug. 1, 1972, and chronicles Killian's "verbal orders" to suspend Bush:
"I conveyed my verbal orders to commander, 147th [Fighter Interceptor Group] with request for orders for suspension and covening a flight review board IAW AFM 35-13." [END OF FORGED KILLIAN MEMO EXCERPT]

The April 27 Kerry campaign press release cites Killian's "verbal orders" for suspension as a "Fact":

"FACT: The order suspending Bush from flight duty stated: 'Verbal orders of the Comdr on 1 Aug 72 suspending 1STLT George W. Bush from flying status are confirmed Reason for Suspension: Failure to accomplish annual medical examination. Off will comply with para 2-10, AFM 35-13. Authority: Para 2-29m, AFM 35-13. (Aeronautical Orders, Number 87, 29 September 1972)'" [END OF KERRY RELEASE EXCERPT]

In the next paragraph, the Kerry campaign cited a provision in the Air Force Manual that served as a guideline for Killian's decision to suspend Bush:

"AFM 35-13: ... After reviewing the findings of the investigation, the local commander may convene a Flying Evaluation Board or forward through command channels a detailed report of the circumstances which resulted in the officer's failure to accomplish a medical examination." [END OF KERRY RELEASE EXCERPT]

The forged Aug. 1, 1972, memo alludes to the same Air Force Manual provision, with Killian saying he's considering "covening a flight review board IAW AFM 35-13" to handle Bush's case.

Though the information contained in the April campaign release mirrors that in forged memos broadcast by CBS in September, the similarities may be a coincidence.

In a February 2004 document dump, the White House released a batch of President Bush's National Guard records, which included material cited in the Kerry press release.

In a February 12 story headlined "Bush's Loss of Flying Status Should Have Spurred Probe," the Boston Globe covered some of the same material. The Kerry release, however, cited not the Globe report as its source but "Aeronautical Orders" apparently included in the White House document dump.

The April 27 press release does show, however, that the topic of Bush's flight suspension by Killian was very much on the Kerry campaign's radar screen at least four months before CBS broadcast forged military records to further document the story.

[Drbio]

Anyone who thinks that Kerry didn't know about this fiasco well in advance is a moron.