Bush Guard papers 'forged'

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DALLAS -- New information casts additional doubts about the authenticity of the memos purportedly written concerning President Bush by a former superior officer in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s, as Dan Rather and CBS News doggedly stuck to their guns defending the documents.

"They're forged as hell," said Earl W. Lively, 76, who during the era in question was director of Texas Air National Guard operations in Austin.

Mr. Lively said he had proof that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt -- who supposedly forced an underling to favorably alter reports on Mr. Bush's activities as a member of the Guard in the early 1970s -- had been honorably discharged nearly 18 months before the date of the memos, purportedly written by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian.

After Mr. Lively's revelation, the Dallas Morning News discovered records amid the newspaper's archives, from when the paper investigated Mr. Bush's Guard career in 1999, that show Mr. Staudt had left the Guard on March 1, 1972.

One of the memos concerning Mr. Staudt's supposed pressure to ensure that Mr. Bush's record was to be "sugar coated" was dated Aug. 18, 1973.

Mr. Killian at the time was Mr. Bush's squadron leader.

"And there's no way that Jerry Killian would have written what they've come up with," added Mr. Lively, now one of the most successful real estate agents in Dallas.

Mr. Lively was referring to CBS' "60 Minutes" story Wednesday night that revealed what the network claimed were memos and notes written by Mr. Killian that strongly suggested Mr. Bush got special privileges during his stint in the Texas Guard and failed to perform adequately.

The same claims, without written documentation, were raised back in 1999.

Since last week's broadcast, considerable comment has been forthcoming that casts a dark shadow on the memos authenticity.