We have noted several times that the most glaring error in the forged documents is not the fonts, etc., but the suggestion that in August 1973, “Staudt” was pressuring “Hodges” to “sugarcoat” Lt. Bush’s evaluation. “Staudt” is Brigadier General Walter “Buck” Staudt, and the reason why the forged memo is obviously inaccurate is that Gen. Staudt retired from the Texas Air National Guard in March 1972.
One omission from the news coverage of the CBS scandal has been the reticence of Gen. Staudt, who, unlike the memos’ purported author, Jerry Killian, is alive and well. General Staudt has now given an interview to ABC News, which apparently will air tonight. Here are the General’s comments as reported by ABC today:
“He didn’t use political influence to get into the Air National Guard. I don’t know how they would know that, because I was the one who did it and I was the one who was there and I didn’t talk to any of them.”
“He was highly qualified. He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given.”
“No one called me about taking George Bush into the Air National Guard. It was my decision. I swore him in. I never heard anything from anybody.”
“He was a well-educated, bright-eyed young man, just the kind of guy we were looking for. He presented himself well. I’d say he was in the upper 10 percent or 5 percent or whatever we ever talked to about going to pilot training. We were pretty particular because when he came back [from training], we had to fly with him.” [Ed.: That’s a heck of a good point, if you think about it.]
Staudt retired from the Guard in March of that year and said he was never contacted about Bush’s performance.
“There was no contact between me and George Bush
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