The Incredible Disappearing Service Record: Holes in Microfilm Story

[Elidor]

Gaping Holes at that. First, a bit of context from the New York Times:

The disclosure that the payroll records had been destroyed came in a letter signed by C. Y. Talbott, chief of the Pentagon's Freedom of Information Office, who forwarded a CD-Rom of hundreds of records that Mr. Bush has previously released, along with images of punch-card records. Sixty pages of Mr. Bush's medical file and some other records were excluded on privacy grounds, Mr. Talbott wrote.

He said in the letter that he could not provide complete payroll records, explaining, "The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has advised of the inadvertent destruction of microfilm containing certain National Guard payroll records."

He went on: "In 1996 and 1997, DFAS engaged with limited success in a project to salvage deteriorating microfilm. During this process the microfilm payroll records of numerous service members were damaged, including from the first quarter of 1969 (Jan. 1 to March 31) and the third quarter of 1972 (July 1 to Sept. 30). President Bush's payroll records for these two quarters were among the records destroyed. Searches for backup paper copies of the missing records were unsuccessful."

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/print.php?sid=16934

This story falls apart under even the vaguest scrutiny:

First is the deceptive implication that only one copy of these records exists. Indeed, even if the original documents have been destroyed (something they have not adequately addressed), there are undoubtedly duplicates of the microfilm in question. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission of the National Archives specifies at least three copies shall be made of any microfilm record, as follows:

3. Category and Number of Microforms to be Produced

3.1 Security Copy (One)
The security copy is preferably the original camera negative (silver-halide), which will be stored under special archival conditions and used only to generate the duplicate negative or its replacement.

3.2 Duplicate Negative (One)
The duplicate negative is the copy (diazo or silver-halide) from which all positive and negative user copies and sale prints will be made.

3.3 User Copies (One or more)
In every instance, at least one positive or negative user copy of the microfilm should be made on silver-halide, diazo, or vesicular stock. The degree of expected research interest in the microfilm should govern the number of other copies that are produced. In general, the Commission encourages all preservation microform projects and requires all publication microform projects to create a second user copy for interlibrary loan.

(The above document can be found at:
http://www.archives.gov/grants/how_to_apply/microform_guidelines_supplement.pdf
These guidelines were in place before 1986, though the document notes they had been revised. Nevertheless, duplicate copies are hardly a new concept at the National Archives.)

It is almost inconceivable that only one copy of these records existed.

It's also somewhat dubious that records from the early 70's should already be in such bad shape. There are 3 main types of microfilm: Silver Halide, Diazo, and Vesicular.

Silver microfilm (the preferred format for archival purposes) has a shelf-life of 75 - 100 years.

Diazo film is a cost-effective alternative to Silver with a shelf life of about 40 to 50 years.

A third possibility is Vesicular microfilm, but this is a cheap copy made from a Master film.

Just some random thoughts on the latest bullshit story about Dubya's Incredible Disappearing Service Record. If I was a well-financed news organization, I'd be doing a quiet end-run around the FOIA hassle at NARA.

[acmavm]

1. If it's true that there are dupes, then Kerry/Edwards need to point this

out as soon as possible. The more and earlier that it can be proven that the bush* crowd is lying about EVERYTHING, the better. Pile it on, leave no doubt about what a bunch of crooks they are. Then when they try to declare martial law to prevent the election, the s*** will hit the fan because there will be no doubt about their motives.

[PurityOfEssence]

13. Absolutely not; it needs to be done by proxy

The candidates stay above this fray; have we learned nothing from the forces of evil?

This is a job for Max Cleland or Henry Waxman or maybe even a Robert Byrd.

Going after things like this are interesting, but with less than four months to the election, it's more important to go after the many substantive performance abuses of this mob.

[Elidor]

37. I like the way you think, Purity Of E

A sound strategy.

[LittleApple81]

2. This does not have anything to do with National Archives I hope?

They removed Keys (I think that was his name) as the Archivist and replaced him with a repug a short time ago, to better deny access to information to Americans.

[skooooo]

18. Bush has made political appointees..

...to some of these librarian positions, is what I've been told. Some clever librarian would be able to figure this out, or say what really happened...and I'm sure one is out there.

[cosmicaug]

3. The records exist, they said.

Not to mention the fact that last month, in response to the AP FOIA suit, it was claimed that the records do exist.

From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5127-200...

The AP Lawsuit on Bush's Service

Here's a copy of the lawsuit filed by the Associated Press on Tuesday seeking access to microfilm of all of Bush's military service records.

From
the argument: "A significant controversy has arisen in the ongoing
campaign over the President's military service during the Vietnam War,
and specifically whether he performed his required days of service
during a period between May 1972 and May 1973. Allegations have been
made that the military personnel file for George W. Bush released to
the press earlier this year is not complete. The public has an intense
and legitimate interest in knowing the validity of these claims, which
may well be answered by reviewing the microfilm copy of the personnel
file in the Texas archives."

Associated Press Assistant General
Counsel Dave Tomlin told me yesterday that AP reporters began trying to
get the documents back in February, but hit roadblock after roadblock.

Tomlin
said the AP has been informed that the microfilm in question does
indeed exist. Tomlin said that because paper records can vanish and be
tampered with, the microfilm "would erase any questions."

It's always possible that they said the records existed (why wouldn't they?) without actually having gone to the trouble of looking for them in the first place (they just assumed they existed) but I have my doubts (for one thing I suspect the Bush team has probably looked for this sort of information before and if it didn't exist they would have known this fact a very long time ago).
If it wasn't because of the fact that this is the administration which brought back honor and integrity to the White House I might be downright suspicious right about now.

[Shopaholic]

4. So why aren't the press all over this? n/t

[ClassWarrior]

5. Because we net to GET them all over it.

The Kool Kids of our valient press corpse need a kick in the ass. As usual.

:kick:

[lanparty]

6. Oh shudks ...

Thats just like all those Roswell records that were destroyed. Funny how all those records end up being destroyed just when you need them.

[Old and In the Way]

7. Great post Hardhead!

This is why I love DU......I'll be reading this story again in 2 weeks when your post here finally breaks mainstream! I'm nominating for front page!

Thanks :-)

[Elidor]

8. Wow. I've been nominated.

Thanks! I'll spare us all my Sally Field impersonation.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. One Can Hope, but...

No, you probably won't.

I've read lots of explosive things here that were "just about to break".. Most of them never do, because the media is in the pockets of some powerful folks who don't want them out there.

[Old and In the Way]

11. In the past true, but

things are different now. The implosion of the Bush administration is well underway and we the campaigns are underway. I suspect that this is a great story to run with...if true. It keeps hammering on Dimson's secrecy about his past. There are some journalists who'd like nothing more than report the story that broke the back of this administration.

This could also be picked up and amplified by the internet blogosphere which is fast becoming a great antitode to the corporate media.

We all know that the facts will prove the AWOL story....not particularly helpful when running as a "war president" and "leader".

[buycitgo]

34. I'd like to think you're right, but.........

I heard Sibel Edmonds on the radio yesterday.

here's what she had to say about her case:

she was told by someone in the know told her that a prominent reporter from one of the major major papers (read Times/Post/WSJ) that had assured the Bush junta that Edmonds' story would NEVER appear in that paper

that seems to me a more likely occurrence than what you posit; again, I hope you're wrong

look at today's BS on TV WRT the senate CIA report

isn't the most important aspect of that the addendum by the dems about how the classified version of the NIE from 2002 was edited, and otherwise ALTERED to fool the public, when it was put out in its unclassified version

did you see the LBN article about that?

NOBODY talked about that today, did they? any other stories coming up on it?

hope so, cause it's a blockbuster

the CIA won't even say WHO altered the report; they claim not to know who did it. pretty funny, huh?

kinda like Condi forgetting when Tenet said in October not to mention the African uranium again

[buycitgo]

35. here's a story about it

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=3&u=/latimests/20040710/ts_latimes/keyrevisionsweremadetociadocument

[niceypoo]

15. Oh they break alright......

in a year or two....

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Second That Nomination, BTW

:hippie:

[Old and In the Way]

12. Indeed..........like your avatar,too....

What I'd give to see Jerry and Ron bluesing it up again....

[Warren DeMontague]

19. Yeah, Pig sounds Pretty Fired up

on that "Rockin' The Rhein" CD they just released, especially considering it's '72.

Like on his extended rap during Good Lovin'- whew!
"remember me-a-when-I'm gone"

[gatorboy]

14. Here's the excuse that I hear over this

http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records/fire_1973.html

On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at NPRC (MPR) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The affected record collections are described below.

<snip>

Only thing is, the AP were suing for his records stored in the Austin Archives. Why would they store material that is damaged beyond use?

[Unperson 309]

16. There Are Other Dupes! To wit:

The Social Security Office in Baltimore MD keeps copies. They have to, because that's how they calculate what you earn when you retire!
If not copies of the records, themselves, at LEAST copies of the AMOUNTS paid and WHEN and WHERE!

The IRS. That is, they would have W2's and Tax filings, if * paid taxes!

Bush's own tax records!

C'mon, it's NOT like there's only ONE film!

Sheesh!

309

[Elidor]

17. The Pentagon must think Americans are as stupid as the news media

And perhaps we are. But now that a loyal party hack is in charge of the Archives, I'd guess that by the time the question of duplicates is raised, the other copies will have been magically disappeared.

[farmbo]

30. I've heard that Bush* NEVER filed tax returns until the early 80s...

Which is, in and of itself, a scandal, insofar as he was running a Saudi-financed Texas oil company at the time...and would have been legally required to file.

Anybody have the skinny on this?

Google ...alas...reveals nothing.

[Inland]

33. excellent point

I assume that his ANG pay included payroll taxes?

[TacticalPeek]

20. Paul Lukasiak's excellent, excellent basic reporting and analysis on aWol.

DESERTER

THE STORY OF GEORGE W. BUSH AFTER HE QUIT THE TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD


SUMMARY

An examination of the Bush military files within the context of US Statutory Law, Department of Defense regulations, and Air Force policies and procedures of that era lead to a single conclusion: George W. Bush was considered a deserter by the United States Air Force.


Waaaayyy more:
http://www.glcq.com/bush_at_arpc1.htm

----------------

Just a reminder to reporters that seeking the truth pays off. Add the "coverup" sauce, and you have stories of the decade.

[raysr]

21. I gotta wonder

what else besides the obvious deserter-cocaine links is in those docs? This is alot of cover-up by alot of people for just that, not to minimize it.

[Elidor]

25. Thanks, TP

Very good stuff there.

[Bolo Boffin]

22. We have the 3rd Quarter payroll info from other records

See my blog for details, but the payroll records reprint all information for a year back. Only when the 3rd quarter rolls around again is the old quarter overwritten.

The Guard Record Bush Doesn't Want You To See

[skooooo]

23. wow ..you've been busy..

...I dont understand all of the details of this yet, but thanks for posting this info.

[Elidor]

24. Excellent detective work, boloboffin

I'd not seen your blog before. The only real news in the latest chapter is that after 3 years, the Bushies are no better at lying than they were to begin with.

I wish we could turn some of these mainstream "reporters" onto your blog. Seeing it laid out so clearly makes for a very damning case against our Coward-in-Chief.

[Bolo Boffin]

26. Almost...

I didn't get Bush's date of entering the service right. It blunts the post a little, but that May 72 - April 73 calendar is still worth looking at, because that's what Bush's superiors had to work with when they brought Bush in for his little talk...

Thanks for the kind words.

[stickdog]

27. It's obvious bs. The question is how to press the issue. (nt)

[skooooo]

28. kick

[midwayer]

29. Al Martin

Al Martin, IF I remember correctly,

says Dubya was flying & running covert operations down into South America for Daddy (verify as it has been a while since I heard him say something to this effect)

You may be able to find this in the Tony Trupiano archives dated around Feb 16 at the whiterose society

http://www.whiterosesociety.org/

or at the Al Martin Raw pay site http://www.almartinraw.com/

George Bush AWOL: The Untold Story of Joe Allbaugh and Lt. Colonel Bill Burkett


He also said, back in Feb. "the documents had been shredded"

[midwayer]

31. Well sorry folks

the files going back that far have been rolled out of the archives, they were there a few weeks ago but....oh well

I am not a subscriber right now to Al Martin but he does discuss this in his release around Feb I'm pretty sure

soooo..sorry about that

Is he an evader? Or wrapped up in other "covert criminal missions" for Daddy Bush

Patriots ask questions

[Inland]

32. Forget about it

The real story is that Bush needs payroll records to prove he was even in the ANG. That wouldn't be necessary if anyone remembered him, or even if he remembered anybody, or if he did one damn thing worth noting. What do I care that he drew a check on top of it? Conclusion: Thanks to his life of privilege, the country asked damn little of Bush during wartime, and the best he can say is that he gave the nation just that much.

[Elidor]

36. *UPDATE* Paul Lukasiak has posted at The Poor Man

In the comments section, that the microfilm in question is not even covered under the AP lawsuit.

In the comments, paul lukasiak offers that the destroyed documents were not those covered by the AP lawsuit, and, after reading everything over a few times, we think he is correct about this.

http://www.thepoorman.net/archives/002917.html

If true, the Pentagon's story is even weaker, pathetically so.