[IP] Bush memo controversey

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Glenn S. Tenney CISSP CISM" <glenn_ip@think.org>
Date: September 29, 2004 12:29:48 PM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Re: [IP] Bush memo controversey

For IP if you wish:

http://imrl.usu.edu/bush_memo_study/index.htm

Toward Identifying the Font Used in the Bush Memos

A Research Project Report
David E. Hailey, Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director
Interactive Media Research Laboratory

ABSTRACT

The following evidence from a forensic examination of the Bush memos
indicates that they were typed on a typewriter:

1. The specific font used is from a typewriter family in common use 
since
1905 and a typewriter capable of producing the spacing has been 
available
since 1944.
2. The characters .e,. .t,. .s,. and .a. show indications of physical 
damage
and/or wear consistent with a well used typewriter.
3. The characters that are seldom used show no signs of damage or wear.
4. The quality of individual characters is inconsistent throughout the 
memos
beyond expectations from photocopying and/or digitizing but quality is
consistent with worn platen and variations in paper quality.
5. Overlapping characters occasionally indicate paper deformation 
consistent
with hammered impressions.
6. Critical indicators of digital production or cut and paste 
production are
missing.

Implications are that there is nothing in this evidence that would 
indicate
the memos are inauthentic. Furthermore, from the point of view of the
physical evidence in the documents (excluding any rhetorical evidence or
external evidence, which is not examined in this study) no amount of
additional research on the part of CBS would have lead them to exclude 
the
documents from their 60 Minutes report.
...

Qualifications of the Lab

Interactive Media Research Laboratory is a small university lab that 
does
scholarly studies and writes about issues involving the impact of 
technology
on communications. Among other things, it is investigates archival and
authentication problems. As the principal investigator and lab director 
I
have researched and written on these topics since 1991, with more than 
50
peer reviewed publications.

In addition, I served in the U.S. military (Army) from 1963 to 1972. For
five of those seven years I was an Army illustrator responsible for 
short
run publications including memos such as those in question. Ultimately, 
I
have a total of almost 35 years experience examining document 
production,
including analyzing and spec.ing type. I have an archive that includes
military documents produced between 1963 and 1984 and have access to a
repository of military documents here at the university. Finally, I have
extensive experience using computers to manage and manipulate images,
including type.
...

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