Truth (2015)
In the months before the US 2004 presidential election, Mary Mapes (producer of the primetime news program 60 Minutes Wednesday) and her crew consisting of Mike Smith, Lucy Scott, and Colonel Roger Charles are seeking evidence to verify whether or not George W. Bush received any preferential treatment during his time in the military. Charles, knowing that the military “is good at what they do,” believes there were no mistakes or errors, despite some claims that Bush’s records were lost or altered, and that Bush had difficulty meeting minimal physical aptitude testing. Seeking leads, Mapes and her crew eventually find Bill Burkett, who says he has documents in the form of memos and letters dictating that Bush did indeed have preferential treatment and went AWOL for one year in 1972. Rather also interviews former Texan Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes who admits he pulled strings which enabled George Bush to join the National Guard. Mapes produces a story that Dan Rather reports on 60 Minutes.
After the airing, Mapes and Rather face questions over the accuracy of the segment. The authenticity of the documents on which the allegations are based is called into question. A controversy is fueled by radio hosts and bloggers and amplified by mainstream media sources, The Washington Post, and by CBS itself. Certain characteristics of the memos, such as their font and letter spacing, indicate they were created on a computer using Microsoft Word, and therefore could not have been typed on a typewriter in the early 1970s. Subsequently, Burkett, who presented the documents, admits that he lied about where he obtained them. Jerry Killian was George W. Bush’s commanding officer in 1972. At the time of the CBS reporting in 2004, Killian was dead. Killian’s supervisory officer Robert “Bobby” Hodges recants an earlier statement that the Killian documents were authentic.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Cate BlanchettMary Mapes  Robert RedfordDan Rather  Topher GraceMike Smith  Dennis QuaidLt. Col. Roger Charles  Elisabeth MossLucy Scott  Bruce GreenwoodAndrew Heyward  Stacy KeachLt. Col. Bill Burkett  David LyonsJosh Howard  John Benjamin HickeyMark Wrolstad  Dermot MulroneyLawrence Lanpher |
In the months before the US 2004 presidential election, Mary Mapes (producer of the primetime news program 60 Minutes Wednesday) and her crew consisting of Mike Smith, Lucy Scott, and Colonel Roger Charles are seeking evidence to verify whether or not George W. Bush received any preferential treatment during his time in the military. Charles, knowing that the military “is good at what they do,” believes there were no mistakes or errors, despite some claims that Bush’s records were lost or altered, and that Bush had difficulty meeting minimal physical aptitude testing. Seeking leads, Mapes and her crew eventually find Bill Burkett, who says he has documents in the form of memos and letters dictating that Bush did indeed have preferential treatment and went AWOL for one year in 1972. Rather also interviews former Texan Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes who admits he pulled strings which enabled George Bush to join the National Guard. Mapes produces a story that Dan Rather reports on 60 Minutes.
After the airing, Mapes and Rather face questions over the accuracy of the segment. The authenticity of the documents on which the allegations are based is called into question. A controversy is fueled by radio hosts and bloggers and amplified by mainstream media sources, The Washington Post, and by CBS itself. Certain characteristics of the memos, such as their font and letter spacing, indicate they were created on a computer using Microsoft Word, and therefore could not have been typed on a typewriter in the early 1970s. Subsequently, Burkett, who presented the documents, admits that he lied about where he obtained them. Jerry Killian was George W. Bush’s commanding officer in 1972. At the time of the CBS reporting in 2004, Killian was dead. Killian’s supervisory officer Robert “Bobby” Hodges recants an earlier statement that the Killian documents were authentic.
