Truth (2015) Movie Script

What are they saying about Bush?
Does he deserve reelection?
And here are the numbers.
Forty-five percent say yes...
0,49 percent say no.
Democrats, 84 percent say no.
Eighty-four percent of Republicans
say yes.
Independents, 51 percent now say
he does not deserve reelection.
- That's a red ag.
- And what about for John Kerry?
- Is that good news?
- It should be.
Look at John Kerry's numbers, Tom.
Positive-negative.
Positive 38 percent,
negative 38 percent.
This thing is still a toss-up.
Mr. Hibey will see you now.
Thank ya...
Ms. Mapes.
I'm Dick Hibey. What can I do for you?
Oh, I think you know.
- You knit?
- You don't expect a woman like me...
- ...to knit?
- No. But it's good. It's helpful.
Yeah. You mean it blunts
my radical feminist agenda.
- Do you have a radical feminist agenda?
- You meet a lot of radical leaders?
Do you have
a substance abuse problem?
I'm working on developing one.
- I'm serious.
- Oh, so am I.
You came to me.
If you're not up for this...
I've been in news for 20 years.
Won two Emmys, broke Abu Ghraib...
done jail time for not revealing sources.
I have neither a feminist agenda...
nor a substance abuse problem.
Though I'm gonna take a Xanax...
because this
is really freaking me out.
Get any water?
- Thanks.
- You have to be ready...
- ...for questions like that.
- I'm up for this.
There's an interesting recurring theme...
- ...to the stories you cover.
- Mm-hm.
- People abusing their power.
- I don't like bullies.
Tell me about your work.
You wanna know if I'm responsible
for what happened.
- Aren't you?
- Look, I did my job. Believe me.
I don't have to believe you.
What matters is that they believe you.
Now, tell me about your work.
I'm the producer. I find the story.
I put the team together.
I write and cut the piece.
I work at 60 Minutes.
And what's that like?
Which one of you ordered the duck?
- That would be Tom.
- Napkin.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Fatso.
- They're gonna run it this time?
- They're gonna run it.
- Because you said that last week.
- They're gonna run it, Roger.
Hey, uh, you want me
to paint it out like this?
Oh, Jesus, no, it makes his genitals look
like they were attacked by mad cubists.
Um...
Maybe you could just
kind of darken the area.
Okay. Ahem.
Like that?
Okay, now it just looks like
there's a black hole there.
From which no light can escape.
They're really gonna run it?
Because Sy Hersh has this...
and he's gonna write a story
about how we've sat on it.
Dana, can you tell Roger they're gonna
run it, then hit him for me, will you'!
I gotta go grab him.
Can you finish it? Mm-hm.
He was the first journalist to report
John F. Kennedy had been shot.
He described the Zapruder film in detail
to a nation...
that was not allowed to see it.
Became White House correspondent
at the age of 33...
chief London correspondent
a year later...
and brought the Vietnam War into
American living rooms for the first time.
He covered the Russians in Afghanistan,
the hostages in Iran...
and in 1981, became anchor
of the CBS Evening News.
He's now anchored
more nightly news broadcasts...
than anyone else in U.S. history.
That's no! Bad for the son of
a ditch-digger from Wharton, Texas.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you my friend...
and the reason I have this job,
Dan Rather.
Long enough to give us
a great market share, I'll tell you.
- It's been a real pleasure. Real pleasure.
- Hey, Andrew, I need him.
- Well, you're not taking him.
- You say that, but here I am.
- You got him?
- Mm-hm. In a hotel two blocks up.
- Let's go.
- Dan, you can't leave your own party.
- I got 50 affiliates and their wives...
- I know.
- ...waiting to talk with you. Goddamn it.
- I know.
You wanna finish this off'?
I've had three.
Mary.
I'll take that for you, Mr. Hayward.
You know?
General. This is Dan Rather.
- General.
- Sir.
Thank you for doing this.
Let's start from the beginning.
Americans did this to an Iraqi prisoner.
According to the Army,
the man was told to stand on a box...
his head covered with wires
attached to his hands.
He was told that if he fell off the box,
he would be electrocuted.
It was this picture
and dozens of others...
that prompted an investigation
by the U.S. Army.
Yesterday, we asked
General Mark Kimmitt...
deputy director
of coalition operations in Iraq...
what went wrong.
Every day we love our soldiers,
but frankly...
some days we're not always
proud of our soldiers.
The military says six American soldiers...
have been charged so far...
and could be court-martialed.
Others higher...
min the chain of command
will likely be disciplined.
I remember when you used to say
"courage" at the end of every broadcast.
- You remember that?
- I remember. Do you remember'?
You must be very old.
- Why'd you stop?
- They made fun of him, that's why.
- No.
- No, they did.
- Seriously. Imagine?
- Oh, yeah.
Go on, give us a "courage," Dan.
- No, come on. Mary.
- Come on, just one.
- For me.
- I don't think so.
- For me, for me.
- Come on.
Just a little one.
Cum-Ha, ha.
- Come on, please.
- Come on.
- You really want it?
- I want it too, yeah.
Courage.
- Well, it worked at one time.
- It did. It did.
Hey. Here's to a great story.
Yeah, once they finally ran it.
- Yeah.
- F.E.A.
F.E.A.
We're sitting here with Mommy.
Thank you for being here.
No. Thank you for having me.
Mommy, you were away
for a long time again.
- Mm-hm.
- What were you doing?
I was in New York working on the news.
And what does that entail?
I was asking questions.
Questions help reporters get to the truth.
- Were you with the men with the cameras?
- Mm-hm.
Interesting.
Can I have a new
camera, please?
We'll have to talk to
your dad about that.
I'm trying to get to
the truth here, Mommy.
Mm-hm.
Answer the question.
I think this interview is over.
- Okay.
- Nice try.
President Bush said today...
he was disgusted
by pictures of Iraqi prisoners...
being abused by American soldiers.
Caused a bit of a ruckus, didn't you?
Who, me?
You didn't let Robbie watch it, did you?
Yes, because
I'm the worst parent of all time.
And the damage to U. S. interests...
in the rest of the world
is hard to calculate, but...
- You wanna take a walk?
- Here's Martha Raddatz.
No, I think I have to work.
Mary, thanks for coming in.
Look, no big preamble.
We love you.
We love what you've done. It's...
Let's talk about the new season.
What are you thinking?
I might have something
for the election.
There's this Houston businessman
named Bill White...
who claims that he has documents
that show the bin Laden family...
were investors in Arbusto.
Arbusto? Bush's oil company?
You know, could just be lots of sound
and fury, but Vanity Fair is into it too.
You know,
that whole time period for Bush is funky.
Funky how?
Well, I did some work on it
back in 2000.
- You know Ben Barnes?
- No.
Oh, he's an old Texas pol.
Barnes says when he was
the speaker of the Texas House...
in '68 during Vietnam...
Sid Adger, this big oilman,
comes into his office...
and asks for help
getting George Bush...
into the National Guard as a pilot.
And Poppy Bush at this point
is a congressman...
and Barnes figures
he can use the connections.
So he says that he called General Rose,
who runs the Texas Air National Guard...
and gets Bush his slot.
Barnes told you this?
Off the record. He's been dining out
on the story for years.
I call Buck Staudt,
Bush's squadron commander...
and he starts screaming at me,
saying how Barnes is full of shit...
because everybody knows he's the one
who got Bush into the Guard, not Barnes.
Anyway, while Bush is in the Guard,
he meets this guy named James Bath.
And they become running buddies.
And after they get out, Bath,
with no rsum to speak of...
becomes
chief financial representative...
for the bin Laden family's interests
in Texas.
Bush starts up Arbusto,
Bath writes him a $50,000 check.
Which your guy, White,
claims is bin Laden money?
Okay. Okay, run it down.
But if we go with this, we gotta go early.
We can't October surprise them.
All right. If you're into this, I'd like
to bring in some other people to help.
Who?
Colonel Roger Charles.
Worked Abu Ghraib for us.
Naval Academy grad.
Two tours at Vietnam,
then the Pentagon.
When he's not working for us, he's trying
to get better armor for troops in Iraq.
Who else?
Well, since Dana's on maternity leave...
I'd like Lucy Scott to run point.
She's a CBS veteran,
journalism professor in Dallas.
What about this man, Mike Smith?
Mikey cut his teeth
working for Molly Ivins.
He was a researcher
for us back in 2000.
Last I heard, he was a stringer
for People.com. ..
Sneaking into parties
to find out who's sleeping with who.
Now, when you say "sport-fucking,"
he was just putting it to her for fun...
or he's like actively attempting
to compete at it?
It is a crack team.
Trust me.
You really gonna do it this time?
Your evil corporate overlords
will let you?
Good to see you too, Mikey.
CBS is talking
about closing foreign bureaus...
moving into more
of a bullshit infotainment direction.
They won't touch the news division,
as long as Dan's there.
Dan's not gonna be there forever.
They'll find a way to get the old man out.
Why did he even get into journalism
if he's not gonna do the tough stories?
How you doing, Mikey?
Heh, heh...
Um...
I'm eating ramen three meals a day...
stealing cable.
I could use a job.
Come in, meet everybody.
Well, hell's bells,
you brought me a hippy?
This is Mike Smith,
we worked on this together in 2000.
- He has no social graces whatsoever.
- That's true.
Your Arbusto tip, it's for shit.
Bin Laden money
never got near Bush.
Okay. un...
What am I doing here?
What you're looking at
is George W. Bush's...
entire Texas Air National Guard file.
- You mean what's left of it, right?
- That's affirmative.
Wait, wait, wait.
You guys are doing a paper trail.
Let me show you what we've got.
It starts right here.
May 1968.
Bloodiest month of the Vietnam War.
Bush is accepted into the Texas Air
National Guard for pilot training.
And if you believe Ben Barnes,
he got Bush onto the waiting list.
If there ever was a waiting list.
Some say yes, some say no.
Bush says he got in quickly
because they were looking for pilots...
which is bullshit with the pilots
rotating back in from Vietnam.
And that's another thing.
Training a National Guard pilot
from start to finish, that's a huge rarity.
- Why?
- It's not cost-effective.
Air National Guard jocks...
they're former Air Force pilots
who wanna maintain their ratings.
Why spend a million bucks
training some new pilot...
when you can get some guy
the Air Force taught how to y.
Only thing that makes Bush an attractive
candidate is who he's connected to.
Well, either way, he's in.
He signs on for a six-year commitment.
He does his pilot training at Moody...
then he's assigned to the 111th
Fighter Intercept Squadron in Houston.
Now, the record shows
that he does really well here.
High marks at every rating period,
until the spring of 1972...
when he is suspended in writing
for missing a routine physical.
How does someone go
from being a top-notch pilot...
to not even taking a physical?
Well, not only that, but he requests
and he is granted...
a reassignment to Alabama where he
helps a friend on his senate campaign.
Wait, so he disobeys an order
and then they let him transfer?
Oh, hey, it gets better.
From May 1972 to May 1973...
the record shows there are no points
registered on Bush's record.
Points. They're like hours on a time card
in the Guard.
What it basically means
is that Bush never even showed up.
The Alabama commander,
he has no recollection of him.
No eyewitness can place him
on that base.
Find there is no paperwork
to prove that he was ever there.
So you're telling me that
the president of the United Slates...
may have gone AWOL from the military
for over a year?
We have no proof of that.
- What does the White House say?
- That Bush served honorably...
and military records go missing
all the time.
Military records do not go missing
all the time.
They're the military.
They are good at shit.
Now, the next time Bush appears on the
official record is in July of 1973...
when he shows up for drills.
And then in September of 1973...
he requests and he is granted
an early discharge. Why?
So that he can attend
Harvard Business School.
So he asks to quit nine months early
and they just let him.
So, what are the questions
we're looking to answer?
One, did Bush go into the Guard
to avoid going to Vietnam?
Not to be cynical, but who didn't try to get
into the Guard to avoid 'Nam back then?
Me.
Bush's trainer in the 147th
said he wanted to go to Vietnam.
There's only one document that deals
with that in the official record.
On the question
of desiring overseas transfer...
Bush checked no.
Bush's trainer said
that must have been a mistake.
- Because that's a question you get wrong.
- Two, why did he skip his physical?
Well, ifs not like he had a drug problem.
He just liked the way it smelled.
Okay, three.
If someone did get him into the Guard,
then who?
How the hell do we get them
to go on the record?
Forty-one percent say...
they want Mr. Bush reelected,
while 51 percent don't.
Is it that time of year again already...
when I have to fend off the advances
of a beautiful woman such as yourself?
Governor, you got the president of the
United States into the National Guard.
I mean, my God,
I find that very impressive.
Ha. It is impressive, isn't it?
Come on TV, tell us all about it.
Oh, we both knew if I ever said that...
"about Texas' favorite son on camera,
I'd be run out of Austin on a rail."
No, sorry, Mary.
Johnny's gonna win this thing, anyway.
Barnes is still a no. Who's next?
Colonel Jerry Killian.
Bush's CO in the 111th.
If anyone will know what really went on,
he will.
Small problem there.
- Which is?
- Killian's dead.
Huh.
- That's a pickle.
- Who's next?
General Buck Staudt.
Former CO
of Bush's 147th Interceptor Squadron.
George was
one of the best pilots I ever had.
So Tm gonna respectfully invite you
to go fuck yourself.
General Bobby Hodges...
succeeded Staudt as commander
of the 147th, Killian's direct supervisor.
My husband says...
no strings were pulled for him.
Now, please stop calling our house.
Maurice Udell, Bush's ight instructor.
No strings were pulled for him.
I thought he'd be a great American
and a great fighter pilot.
Tom Honeycutt.
No strings were putted.
Albert Lloyd.
No strings were putted.
Motherf...
Bill Hollowell.
No strings were putted.
And even if they were, it's a non issue,.
Hey! Hey! Move, you son of a bitch!
It was like they were given talking points.
He was
a great guy, no strings were pulled.
Well, devil's advocate, Mary.
What if no strings were pulled?
You know who else was in the 147th?
Lloyd Bentsen's son...
John Connally's son,
both of Sid Adger's sons...
H.L. Hunt's grandson,
the heirs to the Sakowitz fortune...
and half the starting line
of the Dallas Cowboys.
Yeah, I'm sure ifs just a coincidence.
So, what's our next move?
I have no idea.
- I served with John Kerry.
- I served with John Kerry.
Kerry has not been honest
about what happened in Vietnam.
He is lying about his record.
I know John Kerry is lying
about his first Purple Heart...
"because I treated him."
John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star.
I know, I was there,
I saw what happened.
His account of what happened
and what actually happened...
are the difference
between night and day.
Who is that?
My secret lover, go back to sleep.
Have you ever heard of Linda Starr?
Mm-hm.
She runs this website, it's like
a Gearing house for anti-Bush stuff.
She's hinting documents
are gonna be leaked soon.
What kind of documents?
Mary Mapes is on line two.
Thank you.
- Mary.
- I think we've got something.
Anti-Bush, Internet rabble-rouser.
Oh, God, I talked to her for three hours,
but she put me in touch with her source.
A colonel
who says he may have access...
to missing documents
in Bush's purged Guard file.
Sounds promising.
I got Mike Smith talking
to him right now.
- Milk?
- Get a look at those documents.
And do some background on the colonel,
make sure he isn't nuts.
Thank you.
- Enjoy.
- Thank you.
Ahem. No. I saw it.
I saw it with my own two eyes. Those
parts of Bush's file they didn't like...
- ...they tossed in the wastebasket.
- Do you have these?
Bill tried to talk about this in 2000,
someone ran us off the road one night.
- I ain't scared of them.
- Well, I am. I am scared.
All right, uh, let's say
I have the documents.
Why should I show them to you?
Why not one of the newspapers?
- Because nobody reads newspapers.
- One of the other networks, then.
Don't know if you've noticed,
there's not too many people...
who actually do
what we do anymore.
We're 60 Minutes.
We're the gold standard.
We can help you.
Look, you come on camera...
No. No. No cameras.
Our name stays out of this.
They will destroy us for this,
don't you understand?
Nicki, listen.
I know what ifs like to be bullied.
To feel like they're too strong,
and you're small and powerless.
But you're not.
And doing this will show them that.
Now, I promise...
we will protect you.
- These are signed by Jerry Killian.
- Yes, they are.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
The first one says
that Bush made no attempt...
to meet his training certification.
That is a big difference
than just missing his physical.
And the second one
refers to his pilot position as critical.
Well, Bush said he stopped ying
because they no longer needed pilots.
Mm-hm. But this document
would prove that statement untrue.
Can you think of anybody
who'd wanna fool you with these...
like a political dirty trick?
I can't think of anyone
who would hate me that much.
And do you have the originals
of these?
No. No, I was only given copies.
And don't ask me where I got them,
I'm not gonna tell you anything else.
You get your own experts if you want to,
you have them look at them.
We will.
September 15th,
we don't have a show.
CBS is running
The Billy Graham Crusade.
What about the 22nd?
Preempted again. Dr. Phil special.
So our air date is decided
by an unholy conuence...
between Billy Graham
and Dr. Phil McGraw?
- Jesus.
- News doesn't pay the bills.
There is one more option.
- The 8th.
- As in five days from now?
- If you don't think...
- I need interviews.
I need to get the whole team to New York
and I need... First, I need Dan.
Where is he?
Hurricane Frances
is pounding the Florida coast...
harder than a strongman trying
to win a Kewpie doll at a carnival!
I'm gonna kill him.
You may not have to.
Maybe I can get him on a puddle jumper
to Austin for the Strong interview.
I got an e-mail from the colonel about
the documents saying, "I feel better."
- Yeah?
- A memorandum for record...
is a memo to nobody, right'?
So why does Killian file them?
Well, Killian knows suspending a guy
this protected is a big deal.
He's trying to do the right thing here, but
he needs a paper trail to insulate himself.
Which means Bush's protection
must've come from higher up than Killian.
You're thinking Hodges?
He was Killian's direct supervisor.
I'll call you back.
You have
reached the Hodges' residence.
Please leave a message.
General Hodges,
Mary Mapes from 60 Minutes.
I was wondering
if you could give me a call back.
Holy shit!
Oh, ho, ho, you gotta see this.
It's a video from a cell phone...
at a Democratic fundraiser.
Now... Thank you. Thank you.
Now, let's talk about John Kerry
and George Bush...
- Is that Ben Barnes?
- And I'm not name-dropping.
You see, I got a young man
named George Bush...
into the Air National Guard
when I was...
- . "lieutenant governor of Texas'"
- Oh...
Now, I'm not necessarily
proud of that, but...
Holy shit!
I didn't know they were taping me.
Did you see it? I looked like shit!
- I thought you looked wonderful, Ben.
- Oh, don't you start.
The cat's already out of the bag
and your man Kerry's 10 points down.
We're airing this piece in five days.
Are you in or not?
- We got him! We got Barnes!
- Burkett just called.
- He's got more memos to hand off.
- We need to find his source.
- Okay.
- Be at the airport in the morning.
- I'll fax you when I get there.
- Yes!
"Bush wasn't here during rating
and I don't have any feedback..."
"from 187th in Alabama. I will not rate.
Austin is not happy either."
"Bush was not here
during rating period."
They're trying to get Killian to file a
rating for Bush while he wasn't even on base.
This is proof he was AWOL.
Who do I talk to first?
Is there any doubt in your mind
that these memos are genuine?
Well, they are compatible with the way
business was done at that time.
They are compatible with the man
that I remember Jerry Killian being.
And what do you think Colonel Killian
was trying to do?
I think he was trying
to get a duty performed...
and he was trying to protect himself
because of the political environment.
So political considerations
were a major force in the Guard?
It verged on outright corruption,
the favors that were done...
the power that was traded.
From a moral and ethical standpoint...
it was unconscionable.
Let's go to New York.
I didn't get a chance
to introduce myself.
- Dan Rather.
- No shit.
I mean, I'm Mike Smith. I'm familiar...
I mean... I... I... I'm... Hello.
You know, Mary tells me you're the one
that calls me "the old man."
Well, I... I really wish
she hadn't shared that with you.
Look, I appreciate the hard work
you're doing on this.
Asking questions, that's important.
Some people are gonna say
it doesn't matter.
One side or the other's always gonna say
you're being partisan.
But you stop asking questions,
that's when the American people lose.
Now, that may sound hokey,
but I believe it.
So keep it up.
Y- Yeah-Or no. Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Heh.
You know what's crazy?
Many things are crazy.
Tell me specifically
what you feel is crazy.
The fact that they kept this secret
for so long.
You do know why Mary didn't get
this story done in 2000, don't you?
Uh-uh.
Mary's mother died...
right in the middle of it.
And then the story never got finished
and the election happened.
An election that was decided
by 537 votes.
I think...
that if Mary's mother
hadn't died that summer...
there's a real good chance that
Al Gore would be president right now.
And what about her father?
Mary's father
is a drunken piece of shit...
who hated himself so much,
he beat his own daughters.
The more outspoken they were,
she says, the harder he hit them.
- So how do you think she fared?
- She would get beat up...
- ...for asking questions?
- That's right.
And this is what she does for a living?
People are funny sometimes.
It's part of what's between her and Dan,
I think.
Why they work so well together.
It's why they need each other.
Fathers and daughters.
Whatever it takes.
Tell me about the document examiners.
There are four. Marcel Matley is coming
from San Francisco to do on-camera.
Linda James in Texas
wants to see the originals.
- Yeah, we don't have them.
- I told her.
Jim Pierce in Los Angeles
just started today...
and Emily Will in North Carolina
wants you to call her.
Right. Got it.
I mink you have a problem.
I've been doing Internet research.
President was in Alabama when
these were written, they can't be true.
Okay. Have you found anything wrong
with the documents themselves?
- Well, no, but...
- Do they appear forged in any way?
- Without the originals...
- That's okay.
You just let me worry
about the investigational side.
I always work the whole thing.
Look, do you know
where these originated?
Establishing chain of custody
would go a long way...
"inward determining authenticity."
Yeah, believe me, we're working on it.
I give you the memos, you verify them,
that was the deal.
You call the Kerry campaign
for me yet?
They cannot lie down
on this Swift Boat shit.
If you could just confirm where you got
the memos from, we would be home free.
- I told you I cannot go on the record.
- I know.
I know. You wouldn't have to.
You just give me the name.
All right? That's all I need.
George Conn.
- Buddy of mine in the Guard.
- Right.
He was there for the scrubbing.
But you call him, he will deny it.
- Thank you.
- Goodbye.
You have reached the Conn residence.
Please leave a message.
Colonel, this is Mary Mapes
with 60 Minutes.
Was wondering if you could give me
a call at your convenience.
It's regarding a story we're airing
on Wednesday night. Thank you.
- Matley's here.
- Yeah.
I would say, based on
our available handwriting evidence...
yes, this is the same person.
This signature on the June 24th document
shows some conspicuous differences.
But it also shows
some inconspicuous...
similarities
to Colonel Killian's handwriting.
Right, and why might
differences like this exist?
The content of the memo
is highly stressful...
Killian telling a higher-up that he
cannot rate Bush during his absence.
This is enough to explain differences
in the pen strokes.
Would you excuse me a moment?
It's like watching
paint dry. What am I gonna do?
That was in there
somewhere. Think you can get the bite?
- Did I have lint on my jacket?
- Two bottles of whiskey.
Okay.
So, sir, are you saying...
that if I present this
to the American public...
and say that to the best
of our knowledge...
these documents are all signed
by the same man, am I on solid ground?
Yes.
Matley's a yes. Jim Pierce is a yes.
Emily Will's still working.
Linda James wants more documents,
but she'll defer to Matley.
Dates, contents of the Burkett memos
mesh with the official record.
And I'm having Graphics
mock something up to show it visually.
We don't have it yet.
Somebody has got to confirm
the content of those memos.
Somebody who knew the players.
No one in the Guard is gonna step up.
Look what happened to Burkett. You talk,
you get your head handed to you.
Who were Killian's commanders?
There's Buck Staudt, who figuratively
and literally told me to go fuck myself...
and Bobby Hodges,
who I've left 18 messages for.
Fine, I'll do 19.
You guys feel like pizza?
I really feel like we should
start thinking about pizza.
Hello?
- General Hodges?
- Yeah.
Uh...
This is Mary Mapes with 60 Minutes.
I'd like to speak with you
about some old memos...
I've come across from the 187th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron.
They, uh, appear to...
from the personal files
of Jerry Killian.
Well, I'd like to read them to you,
if that's okay'!
All right.
Okay. Uh, the first one
is dated June 24, 1973.
And the subject is Bush, George W.,
first lieutenant.
"Sir. I got a call from your staff
concerning the evaluation..."
of First Lieutenant Bush
due this month.
His rater is Lieutenant Colonel Harris.
Neither Lieutenant Colonel Harris or I
feel we can rate First Lieutenant Bush...
since he was not training
with the 111th FIS since April 1972.
His recent activity
is outside the rating period.
"Advise me how we
are supposed to handle this."
Okay, um, the...
This one is August 18, 1973
and the subject titled CYA...
which I believe means
"cover your ass"?
Okay. "Staudt has obviously pressured
Hodges more about Bush."
I'm having trouble running interference
and doing my job.
Harris gave me a message today
from Group regarding Bush's OETR...
and Staudt is pushing
to sugarcoat it.
Bush wasn't here
during rating period...
and I don't have any feedback
from 187th in Alabama.
I will not rate.
Austin is not happy today either.
Harris took the call from Group today.
I'll backdate but won't rate.
"Harris agrees."
Sir, are these memos familiar to you?
They are.
But using someone's personal notes,
that's going overboard.
You're trying 10 make news, create
a story here where there ism one.
No, sir,
we're not trying to create anything.
Hold on a minute. Hold.
We have it.
Tell me the truth...
and the whole truth
about what happened...
with George W. Bush
and the draft and the National Guard.
Sid Adger, a friend of the Bush family,
came to see me...
and he asked me
if I would recommend...
George W. Bush
for the Air National Guard.
And I did.
I'm concerned about
the sheer amount of story we have.
You know, what if we split it?
You know, run Barnes tomorrow...
and the documents
on the Sunday broadcast.
Sunday's show won't give us the real
estate. Where are we with the rest of it?
Well, I just got an e-mail
from Emily Will.
She has some concerns
about the superscript thing.
Superscript?
It's the raised "th" after the 111.
She was worried that function wasn't available
on military typewriters in the '70s.
But I spoke to Matley,
he said they were available then...
so Emily said she'd defer to him.
Good, all right.
Uh, White House will have someone
for on-camera in the morning.
I can't send Dan
because of the storm.
That fucking hurricane hates me.
Well, I don't think that I had the right...
to have the power that I had.
To choose who was gonna go to Vietnam
and who was not gonna go to Vietnam.
That's a power in some instances
when I look at those names...
of maybe determining life or death,
and that's not a power I wanna have.
Too strong or not,
to say you're ashamed of it now?
Oh, I think that that would be
an appropriate thing.
I'm very, very sorry.
What's it running?
It's 60 minutes, at least three over.
Some of the document stuffs a little slow,
you can trim there.
How about flipping it, open with Barnes,
then do the documents?
Keep it chronological.
- Mmhm.
- You've got three hours.
Right.
Now, this
signature, on the June 24th document...
shows some
conspicuous differences.
But it also shows
some inconspicuous...
No. Go back. It's still too long.
- Go back to the bit where he's...
- You've gotta lose Matley.
We're 40 seconds over,
and he's a shit interview.
The meshing graphic doesn't work.
It shows where the new documents fall in
with the originals. If we lose that...
Poorly. Look, we're out of time.
It's your call. What do you wanna do?
Cut it.
- We need to output in two minutes.
- I know.
If we don't start outputting,
we're not gonna have a show.
- Lock it and start outputting.
- If there's a computer hiccup...
- Tom, I worship you, but shut the fuck up.
- Heh. Okay. All right.
Eighteen new castaways...
will face their toughest challenge yet.
Vanuatu premieres Thursday
at 8, 7 Central. Only on CBS.
Somebody's gonna get burned.
The military records of the two men
running for president...
have become pan'
of the political arsenal in this campaign.
A tool for building up or blowing up...
each candidate's credibility
as America's next commander-in-chief.
While Senator Kerry has been targeted
for what he did in combat in Vietnam...
President Bush has been criticized
for avoiding Vietnam...
by landing a much sought-after spot
in the Texas Air National Guard...
and then, apparently, failing to meet
some of his obligations in the Guard.
Did then Lieutenant Bush
fulfill all his military commitments?
And just how did he land that coveted
slot in the Guard in the first place?
Tonight, we have new documents...
and new information
on the presidents military service.
And the first interview
with the man who says...
he pulled the strings
to get young George W. Bush...
into the Texas Air National Guard.
The president's time
in the National Guard reemerged today.
He enlisted in Texas,
transferred is Alabama...
- ...and got out early to attend...
- This is what our business has become.
Reporting on reporting. I mean,
why go to the trouble of breaking news...
when all you have to do is just talk
about other people breaking news, huh?
Thirty minutes from now, someone
somewhere is gonna be doing...
a story about this guy
doing a story about us.
You know what?
They're all gonna get Peabodys.
This one mattered.
It was great. Even the kid liked it.
Oh, really?
Yeah. Yeah, you're a hell
of a reporter, babe.
All right, well, I'll be home tomorrow.
Okay, y safe.
- All right, I love you.
- Bye.
- Hey, Mary?
- Mm-hm?
Um, what's going on? Because these...
These blogs are saying the memos can
be re-created exactly in Microsoft Word.
- Who's saying this?
- Well, it's a conservative website, but...
"Every one of these memos
is in proportionally spaced font."
It's probably Palatino
or Times New Roman.
In 1972, typewriters
used monospaced fonts.
Proportionally spaced fonts
did not come into use...
until the introduction
of personal computers.
They were not widespread
until the '90s. Before then...
you needed typesetting equipment.
That wasn't used for personal memos.
I'm saying these documents
are forgeries...
run through a copier
for 15 generations...
"...to make them look old."
Okay.
Mary?
What the hell is going on?
"Spacing is not just similar,
it is identical in every respect."
Notice that the date lines up perfectly,
the line breaks are in the same places...
all letters line up
with the same letters above and below.
And the kerning is exactly the same.
And I did not change a single thing
from Word's defaults.
"Margins, type size, tab stops, etcetera,
are all using the default settings."
What the hell are we gonna do?
Due respect, did you fuck up?
We had four document examiners
and not one said the memos weren't real.
Did any of them try typing them
into Microsoft Word?
I don't know,
I'm not a document examiner.
But I'm assuming their job is to make
sure these things weren't whipped up.
- Just because guys on the Internet...
- It's not just the guys on the Internet.
ABC News is going after this.
- Nightline.
- You mean they're going after Dan?
Yes.
Tell them about the superscript.
It's the "th" that pops up
after you type a number.
- Like 111th.
- Yeah. I know what it is. What about it?
Bloggers are saying it's a big red flag
this was done on a computer.
They say it didn't exist
on typewriters in the 1970s.
- Well...
- One of the examiners...
did raise that concern as well.
Emily Will.
Yeah, but Matley said they did
have them, and she deferred to him.
They will kill us on that alone.
- I don't understand, what do they want?
- They want us to say we're wrong.
Because if we're wrong...
all the questions we've asked
about the president's service go away.
Look. Okay.
We have the document examiners,
okay?
Bob Strong,
who worked at Guard headquarters...
says the memos are written
in the vernacular of the Guard at the time.
And we have Bobby Hodges,
Killian's commanding officer...
who confirmed both the content...
and that they reected
Killian's state of mind at the time.
We have this story.
Well, make sure.
Reconfirm with everybody.
And find us another goddamn "th"
in the official record.
We need to find that "th."
- Hi.
- Yo.
- You heard?
- Yeah, yeah. It's bullshit.
Pardon my French.
People have attacked me for 30 years,
it's not about to start bothering me now.
Now, are you okay?
We're gonna be in a fight here, Dan.
- I still got a few good ones left in me.
- Did you get your contract sewn up yet?
I got the head of the news division
his job, I'm gonna be fine.
You gonna give me something
to hit back with?
Yes, sir.
The blast went off at 10:30 local time
at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta...
killing nine people
and wounding 180.
Jemaah Islamiah,
the Southeast Asian terrorist group...
claimed responsibility for the attack.
"but several document
experts contacted by ABC News..."
have raised serious questions about
the authenticity of these new documents.
They point to the typeface, spacing and
perfectly even imprint of the letters...
that look more like the creation
of a computer than a typewriter.
And there's this,
the little superscript th. .
That's something very few typewriters
could do in 1972.
You have
reached the Hodges' residence.
Please leave a message.
General Hodges...
this is Mary Mapes. We need
to get in touch again. Can you call me?
Thank you.
Avoid Vietnam has followed him...
since he ran for governor of Texas...
wand Mr. Bush has always denied it.
I enjoyed it and I enjoyed my service...
Nothing.
You done with these?
- Never were mine.
- Okay.
That he was a person who did n...
Staudt was already out of the Guard.
What are you talking about?
The CYA memo,
dated August 18, 1973.
"Staudt has obviously
pressured Hodges more about Bush."
Staudt left the Guard in 1972.
So how the fuck
can he still be pressuring?
Listen, when a commanding officer...
- No, the bloggers are having a field day.
- When a general leaves his posting...
and goes to work for Quantico
on the same base...
he still wields an enormous amount of
influence. It doesn't matter when he left.
- Back me up, Roger.
- She's right.
Yeah. Right, well, uh...
Forgive me if I don't think everyone
is gonna see it the same way you do.
This is bad.
No, when they start asking
to talk to our source...
then it'll be bad.
They're coming for us, Roger.
Mm...
I've got one.
What?
I have a superscript "th" here.
Ha-ha-ha.
Josh!
Call Dan,
tell him we just got in the fight.
So can the experts say...
George,
positively that these weren't typed...
and couldn't have been made
in the early '70s?
They say all the
clues indicate that. They're not making...
an absolute 100 percent guarantee,
and CBS is still standing by its story.
And in fact, they're also
pointing to another source...
a Colonel Robert Hodges...
who was an immediate superior
of Mr. Killian,.
They say they read these documents
to Colonel Hodges.
He said, "Sounds like what Killian
was telling me at the time."
Hodges is not speaking to anyone yet.
Because we can't get him
on the fucking phone!
Those raising questions
about the documents...
have focused on something
called superscript.
A key that automatically types
a raised "th."
Critics claim typewriters didn't have
that ability in the 1970s, but some did.
In fact, other Bush military records
released by the White House itself...
show the same superscript.
Here's one from 1968.
Some analysts outside CBS...
say they believe the typeface
on these memos is New Times Roman...
which they claim was not available
in the 1970s.
But the owner of the company
that distributes this typing style...
says it has been available since 1931.
Document and handwriting examiner
Marcel Matley...
analyzed the documents
for CBS News.
He says he believes they are real...
but is concerned about
exactly what is being examined...
by some of the people
now questioning the documents.
Because deterioration occurs
each time a document is reproduced.
And the documents being analyzed
outside of CBS had been photocopied...
faxed, scanned and downloaded...
and are far removed
from the documents CBS started with.
Matley did this interview with us
prior to Wednesday's broadcast.
We look basically at what's called
significant or insignificant features...
to determine
whether it's the same person or not.
So I have no problem identifying them.
I would say based on our available
handwriting evidence...
yes, this is the same person.
Matley finds the signatures to be
some of the most compelling evidence.
We talked to him again today
by satellite.
Are you surprised questions come about
these? We're not, but are you surprised?
I knew going in this was dynamite,
one way or the other,.
And I knew that potentially this could do
far more damage to me professionally...
than benefit me.
And... And I knew that.
But... But we seek the truth.
That's what we do.
You're supposed to put yourself out,
seek the truth...
and take what comes from it.
Fax he CBS Evening News...
Dan Rather reporting.
Good night.
And we're clear.
- I told you I had it in me.
- I'm calling Andrew right now.
- F.E.A.
- No kidding.
- What'd you think?
- I think you parked it.
Bobby Hodges is on the phone.
General Hodges? This is Mary Mapes.
I've got Dan Rather on the line with me.
Why is The Washington Post...
describing me
as your trump card in this?
Did you tell them that, Dan?
I did not, sir.
It says a highly placed CBS source
referred to me as your trump card.
Well, sir, that was not me
and it was not Dan.
Well, good, because I'm not.
I've seen all the coverage.
And I have to say
I think these memos are fake.
You...? Excuse me?
I do not believe Jerry Killian
wrote those memos.
Sir, when we spoke on...
September 6th... I'm sorry,
I'm just going through my notes.
When we spoke, you said the content
of the memos was familiar to you.
- Is that correct?
- Yes.
And that they reflected
Colonel Killian's mind-set at the time.
And they do.
Bu! I hadn't physically seen them.
So, what physically about the memos
makes you now doubt their authenticity?
Jerry's family says
he didn't write them.
Uh...
General, the thrust of our story
was about what happened...
with the president's Guard service.
Now, if as you say...
Colonel Killian really did feel
this way...
and the things described
in the memos are true...
we'd like to talk to you about that.
I'm just telling you
I now believe the memos are forgeries.
Forget the memos, sir.
Is what we presented
about President Bush accurate?
- I don't wanna get in the middle of this.
- Get him to go on camera.
Would you be willing if I came to see you
to talk to me on camera?
No, Dan, I'm sorry.
Maybe after the election.
- General, if you...
- Look, the family says they're fake.
And I'm supporting the family, okay?
I'm sorry.
Shit!
All right, what are we doing
about Hodges recanting?
We say we respect General Hodges...
and believed him the first time
we spoke with him.
Uh, ABC is reaching out
to two of our examiners.
Emily Will and Linda James. They say
they never authenticated the memos.
Of course they didn't.
- Why?
- They...
They... They couldn't.
Well, because they're copies.
There's no original ink or paper
to, you know, test.
No one can say with 100 percent
certainty they're real or forgeries.
That's why they can attack us.
Except on the Internet,
they are certain...
- Those are lousy wannabe analysts.
- We get lousy analysts of our own.
Our story was about whether Bush's
connections got him into the Guard...
and covered for him
when he missed commitments.
Research we found backs that up.
The documents, they were a small part.
They were not the point of the story.
It doesn't matter what the point
of the story was. We have to...
- They do not get to do this.
- Do what?
They do not get to smack us
just for asking a fucking question.
Monday morning...
I want analysts backing us up.
Let's go.
- Hey.
- Hey.
When did you get in?
I was worried there might
be cameras at the airport.
Didn't want Robbie to see that.
God, what are you doing in here?
- Working.
- Why don't you take a break?
I'll go get dressed,
we can take a walk.
No, I don't need to take a fucking walk.
I wanna sit here and do this, okay?
This... Okay.
I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
- No, it's not.
It's just-No matter what I say,
no matter what I do, I'm gonna get hit.
This...
This is not that.
When my dad would start in on me,
I would think:
"I am not gonna cry."
I am not gonna ask him to stop.
"I'm not gonna give him the satisfaction
of seeing how much it hurts."
And he would just go in harder.
And I would think,
"Someday, I am gonna fight you."
And I never did.
Now.
You have to fight now.
Everything that's in those documents
that people are saying can't be done...
as you said, 32 years ago,
is just totally false.
Not true. Like I said,
proportional spacing was available.
Superscripts was available
as a custom feature.
Go back to the beginning of the list.
I think that's useful, don't you, Roger?
Word's come down from Andrew.
They wanna talk to your source.
Well, what if my source
doesn't wanna talk to them?
Then you'll convince him.
You're good at convincing people
to do things, aren't you, Mary'?
I just want you to know how important
your support has been...
throughout this entire process.
Call your fucking source, Mary.
Now...
it's bad.
- You said he wouldn't have to.
- I know, just...
You'd verify the documents
and he wouldn't have to do anything else.
Well, it didn't work out that way, did it?
Oh, I'm sorry, Nicki. I'm just...
I'm ti... I'm just tired.
Bill did nothing wrong.
No one's saying he did.
I just need to get him on the phone
with my boss...
and tell him what he told me.
It would mean a lotto Dan.
Would you, please?
Bill, this is Andrew Heyward,
I'm the president of CBS News.
Is Dan there?
I'm here, colonel.
Well, I heard Hodges
turned tail on you. Heh.
All these guys run from it.
You know I got health problems.
I had heard that, which is why I don't
wanna take up too much of your time.
I was wondering if you could fill me in
on a few things.
Shoot.
Well, how you came to be in possession
of the documents.
You told Mary it was from a man
named George Conn?
Well, she was bugging me so much
about it, I had to tell her something.
So that's not accurate?
- No, sir, it is not.
- Fucking...
Would you mind telling us
what really happened?
"I got a sail in March from a guy."...
who said a woman
named Lucy Ramirez...
wanted to get in contact with me.
He told me to call the Houston
Holiday Inn between 7 and 10...
wand ask for a specific...
so I did.
This woman told me
she was supposed to be a go-between...
a person to deliver
a package of documents to me.
And I was supposed to copy
the documents...
and then burn the originals, which
were also copies, and the envelope.
- Bullshit.
- Destroy the DNA evidence...
of where they come from, you see?
Yeah, of course.
"So she says, " When are you gonna be
in Houston next?
I tell her, "We're coming to
the livestock show in a few weeks."
We sell Simmental cattle.
The show is en excellent way
to advertise our bull semen.
So the first day at the show,
a dark-skinned fella comes up...
mend hands me an envelope
and walks away.
Inside are those memos.
I burned the rest like he said,.
Done and done.
And was this the same man
who talked to you on the phone?
No idea, Maybe.
And you didn't tell Mary
all this before because...
Well, I-I said I'd keep it quiet.
Mary did a good job on this.
Don't judge her too harshly.
Thanks, Bill.
Well, Bill, this is, uh...
This is pretty amazing stuff.
I wonder if you'd be willing to come down
and sit and talk about it for us.
Help clear the air for everyone.
I don't know. What do you mink, Dan?
I think they can't hit us any harder
than they already are, colonel.
I'd go on the record and tell the truth.
Be done with it.
Okay.
My office will make
the necessary arrangements.
- Thank you for your time.
- Goodbye.
We need him on the air soon.
Yep.
Mary, will you hang back a sec?
With Burkett, there needs to be
a line of questioning about his motives.
His political leanings, his views
on the president, why he lied.
People will cover how we cover this.
We need to inoculate ourselves.
Thou shalt always
protect the company.
I want Dan to survive this.
Why wouldn't he survive this?
If Dan feels like this
is corporate positioning, he won't do it.
He won't for me.
He will for you.
He's on oxygen, so...
Uhoh. The vultures are here.
Oh, Jesus.
Dan! Dan!
- Mary, comment?
- Excuse us, folks.
Over here. Right here.
- Excuse us. Pardon me, ma'am.
- Dan, a comment, please.
Dan!
Excuse us. Dan!
You broadcasted those fake memos.
You feel duped?
Can you confirm the memos were typed
on a word processor?
How would you feel
about betraying the people?
Mary!
Who the fuck are you people?
You know anybody?
Yeah, if you could just see if you can
stop it, okay? Just get them to pull it.
- Colonel.
- Yeah. All right. Bye.
- Where are the Burketts?
- Upstairs, getting ready.
Dan?
We need to ask
why he lied to us, okay?
We need to make sure we get that.
I just wanted to come say hello
before we get things going.
Oh, thank you, Dan. I appreciate that.
- How do you do, ma'am?
- Hello there.
Now, look, these things are fairly easy.
We're just gonna sit and talk.
.Okay-.Okay-
Now, I will ask you about why you misled
us. I don't want you to be surprised.
No, I was expecting that.
- I'm happy to set the record straight.
- Great.
Now, if you need to stop, need a glass of
water or anything, that's just fine. Okay?
Okay, if you'll excuse me,
I'm gonna get my war paint on.
That's the worst part
of this job, makeup.
Ha, ha.
The sound's ready when you are.
It's gonna be fine, Nicki. Okay?
Unh. Yep. Unh.
But you told us a different story.
To protect the people
who gave me the documents.
Did they ask you to do this?
They wanted me to burn everything.
They didn't want people to know
that they were the source on this.
This man and this mystery woman.
That's right.
Can I please have some water?
Oh, of course.
We need a better bite on this.
So maybe instead of, "Did they ask you to
do this?" say, "Did they ask you to lie?"
Yeah.
Yeah. Okay.
Ahem. Now, we're gonna go back
for a moment.
Okay.
This man and this mystery woman,
did they ask you to lie to us?
They didn't want me to say
how I got the documents.
I see.
- I see. So that's why you misled us?
- Yes.
Your producer was pushing me
to find out where I got the memos from.
I see.
So then, that's why you lied to us?
Yes.
And I know it caused some...
Some problems. Excuse me.
- Whenever you're ready.
- Yeah.
Okay.
You said you knew that
these memos would cause a problem?
I knew it did,
but I didn't know it at the time.
I see. Now, again...
why didn't you tell us the truth
when you gave us those memos?
To protect people, Dan.
People who were trying to tell the truth
about what really happened back then.
And do you believe those
documents are telling the truth?
Yes. Yes, I do.
I see. I see, So...
- We already have that.
- I need to make sure we...
No, we've got it. I'm moving on.
He's a good guy, you know.
You think I enjoyed that?
We should cut something
for the news...
get it out immediately.
Andrew agrees.
F.E.A.
You know, you guys and Dan always
say that. What the hell does it mean?
It's open.
Excuse me.
How's Bill?
Oh, don't you dare ask how Bill is.
Bill is sick. He's a sick man.
You don't give a damn about him.
You just spent two hours
trying to destroy him.
You made him crawl on camera.
You made him say again and again
that he lied.
And that still wasn't enough for you.
You wanted more.
You wanted to blame him
for all the things you did wrong...
putting this story together.
You wanna wrap it in a neat package,
say "it's Bill Burkett's fault."
Well, it's not, and you know it.
You promised when
we came here to do this...
that we would get a fair shake,
and we got nothing from you but lies.
- Nicki...
- You may think I am some stupid hick...
who doesn't know a damn thing...
and you're so smart
and such a big shot.
But I keep my promises...
and I don't destroy people
to protect myself.
I don't destroy people
and humiliate them...
and then pretend I give a goddamn
about how they are.
To answer your question,
Bill is not good.
But then, you knew that already.
We need to talk.
What are the chances you have
something alcoholic in there?
Better than average.
How long have we known each other?
Oh, Jesus, is it that bad?
They're gonna start an investigation.
And CBS wants to appoint
an independent panel...
to take a look at how the story
was put together.
And I'm gonna announce it.
Tomorrow.
I'm gonna apologize for the story,
on air.
Andrew asked you to apologize?
He didn't ask.
- Dan, that's... It's surrender.
- Ever since Burkett changed his story...
Andrew feels that CBS
cant afford the risk to its reputation...
Oh, God. He knew.
Even before we went down there.
Just wanted to get Burkett on tape.
Mary, you gotta promise
me something.
Stop worrying about me.
Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen.
You gotta protect yourself now.
We all do.
Thank you for the drink.
New, news about CBS News...
wand the questions surrounding
documents we aired on this broadcast...
and on the Wednesday edition
of 60 Minutes on September the 8th.
The documents purported to show
George W. Bush received...
"preferential treatment during his years
in the Texas Air National Guard."
At the time,
CBS News and this reporter...
fully believed the documents
were genuine.
Tonight, after further investigation...
we can no longer vouch
for their authenticity.
I'm sorry this was your first story here.
Well, I was thinking next week...
we just have Dan
shoot the president.
Cause a lot less drama.
Hey, uh... Hey, Mary, USA Today wants
to know if you put Burkett in touch...
with the Kerry campaign
in exchange for documents.
I know what this is about. Josh,
do you remember when I told you...
Burkett wanted to give the Kerry
campaign advice on the Swift Boat stuff?
Remember, I wanted
to do a bullshit check...
after he said he spoke
with Howard Dean.
And you said that I could contact
the Kerry people to check.
Then Burkett wanted me
to give him his phone number...
and you said I could, so...
So... So I did. Do you...
Do you not remember any of this?
I must not have been clear.
You must have misunderstood
what it was you could do.
Oh, Jesus Christ, this is, uh...
This is unbelievable. I mean,
what the fuck else is gonna happen?
- Be... Betsy...
- No.
You know what, Mary?
Maybe it's best if you just went home.
The failure of CBS News...
to properly, fully scrutinize
the documents and their source...
led to our airing the documents
when we should have not done so.
Xi was a mistake.
CBS News deeply regrets it.
Also, I want to say,
personally and directly, I am sorry.
CBS has hired the firm of Kirkpatrick
& Lockhart Nicholson Graham...
to conduct a review panel.
You paper-trailed them.
Of course.
They're a big firm, got about a thousand
lawyers headquartered in Seattle.
They specialize
in internal investigations.
They're the same ones that Bush brought
in last year to rip apart WorldCom.
We're as bad as them?
- Oh, it gets worse.
- The panel...
will be co-chaired by K & L partner
Richard Thornburgh.
He's the former governor
of Pennsylvania, first appointed...
as a U.S. attorney
under Richard Nixon.
Ran for Congress twice.
Defeated both times by Democrats.
His second campaign
was run by Karl Rove.
Yup.
But the crown jewel in his rsum...
is the time served
as U.S. attorney general from '88 to '91
under former president
George H.W. Bush.
Jesus.
Who goes in first?
First Dan, then me...
then Lucy, the colonel, then you.
You're the grand finale.
And why? Why is that?
Because they wanna have
as much as they can on you...
when they sit you down in that chair.
Holy shit.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
She's not speaking to reporters.
- It's Heyward.
- If they put someone else on, hang up.
They can't fire you if they
don't have a witness on the line.
- Thanks for the pep talk. Andrew.
- Mary.
We've hired a private detective
to go back over everything.
I need you to hand over your notes,
your e-mails, everything.
Listen, I was thinking,
if we could find the typewriter...
Stop working on the story.
Well, all work on the Bush-Guard story
has officially ceased.
I can't imagine why.
Hey, what are you looking at, buddy?
The men with the cameras.
Are they friends of yours?
No.
Take him upstairs.
In other news,
CBS' internal investigation...
into their story on George W. Bush's
National Guard service begins today...
with the review panel
convening at Black Rock.
I left my wallet in a cab.
I'm supposed to be in front of the panel.
You can't be here.
- Excuse me?
- You're not allowed in the building.
I'm not allowed in the building
according to who?
Management. You have to go, now.
Uh...
Okay, do you understand
what's happening here?
I understand you're leaving.
Our... Your parent company
is currently lobbying...
a Republican-controlled Congress
for deregulation and tax breaks...
that could potentially save them
hundreds of millions of dollars.
And we just aired a report that
could cost those same Republicans...
- ...the presidency.
- Security to the 10th oor now.
You think Viacom might need
the administration on their side?
You think they might be desperate
to make it up to him right now?
Make up for CBS running stories on
Abu Ghraib, the president, and Vietnam...
and all the other shit that isn't part
of your scheduled programming?
Of course everyone wants it to disappear.
There's a fucking election at stake!
You're supposed to question everything.
That's your job.
We are supposed to question everything,
and, what, you won't even question this?
- Are you done?
- Am I done?
Know when the FCC
repealed cross-ownership laws...
a single company could own 45 percent
of the national market share?
Forty-five percent
of the national market share.
People fucking ipped.
They lost their shit.
They actually sat down
and wrote their local congressmen.
So in the 2003 appropriations bill,
guess what...
Congress overturned it. Woo-hoo!
Hooray for democracy, right?
Nope. The president wouldn't sign it.
Bush threatened to veto the bill unless
a compromise was found at 39 percent.
And why 39 percent?
That's the exact percent Viacom wouldn't
have to sell off any of their stations.
The president of the United States
was ready to take down...
the entire federal budget
so that Viacom wouldn't lose any money!
You're right.
Yeah, we're... We're all evil.
And you're the... You're the...
plucky, misunderstood hero.
It's not that you guys fucked up a story.
No, no, it's... It's...
It's a conspiracy, right?
They're gonna screw you too,
you know.
Hey, I never got to ask you.
Why did you get into journalism?
Curiosity.
That's it?
That's everything.
Why'd you get into it?
You.
Mr. Rather, the panel is ready for you.
It's even worse than we thought.
They asked if you bullied staff or sources.
If you physically intimidated people
to get what you want.
I hope you told them
I beat the shit out of you.
Mary, they... It's...
This isn't a joke, okay?
They asked about your politics.
The deck is stacked, okay?
The game's rigged. Between this...
talk radio and your father,
ifs a fucking lynching.
What about my father?
Nothing. I... Don't... it's... Forget it.
What about my father, Mike?
Look, I'm sorry, I thought you knew.
I'm ashamed
of what my daughter has become.
You are?
She's a typical liberal.
She went into journalism
with an ax to grind...
mend that was to promote
radical feminism.
So would you say
this is a pattern of hers?
Oh, sure.
You know, when I heard
this was a 60 Minutes story...
I figured she would be
the producer of the show.
She and that Dan Rather
have been working on this...
ever since Bush was elected.
She should really be looking at George...
Hello?
You can't talk to the press anymore,
Don.
- Who is this?
- You know who this is.
Just for once in your life, be decent.
I'm expressing my opinion.
I thought you reporters
were a about that.
Okay, well,
if you don't stop talking to the press...
I'll y up there myself
and break your fucking arms.
- How about that?
- Is that him?
- Here, let me talk to him.
- Mar.
- Mark, just give me the phone.
- Mar.
Just give me the phone, Mark.
- Daddy?
- Yes.
Daddy, please stop.
Well, since you asked, I will.
Oh...
I can't anymore.
- Yes, you can.
- No. I don't want to.
They can have my career. I don't care.
God, I never should have asked
the question.
So, what, they're right, you're wrong?
Guess so.
And, um, what about Dan?
That's not fair.
"It's a shame
what that woman did to Dan Rather."
- That's what they're saying.
- Don't.
"How he's going to go down?
Well, it's just a disgrace."
And Robert'll get to see you quit,
that'll be good for him.
Oh, fuck you.
Listen to me. Listen.
You gotta make your case
to the panel, honey.
You have to fight.
- Even if the system's rigged?
- The system is rigged.
It always has been. You know that.
You still have to tell them
what happened.
Why?
Because that's what we do.
So do you believe me?
Do you believe I did my job?
I told you it doesn't
matter what I believe.
It does to me.
If you'd like someone else
to represent you...
Why don't you just tell me
why I shouldn't?
- What do you want out of this?
- Excuse me?
Do you wanna get into a debate
about journalism with them...
- ...or do you wanna keep your job?
- I can't do both?
Not at this point, no.
You're the primary breadwinner,
is that correct?
Yes.
And your son is 7.
This isn't a trial, this is a hunt.
This is about assignation of blame,
who is at fault.
Because somebody has to be.
Debate that with them,
and you're done.
You have one chance here.
Among all the conservative lawyers
on that panel...
there is one former journalist
co-chairing it.
Lou Boccardi, the former head
of the Associated Press.
He's the one man who can
maybe understand what happened.
You convince him,
maybe he can turn the others.
But if you antagonize them...
if you bait them, if you fight them...
you will lose.
You're fucking hired.
You're going to cooperate
in every way.
Follow every request and instruction.
There is no standard here.
No books full of journalistic laws,
no written codes.
There is just opinion,.
And we have to sway it.
That's Thornburgh.
- Which one's the journalist?
- He's just there.
Ms. Mapes, thanks for coming in.
Mm-hm.
I'm Larry Lanpher. I'm lead council
along with Mike Missal here.
Pleasure.
I notice there's no stenographer.
Well, this is an internal investigation.
We're just gonna take some notes
as we go along.
So there'll be no official record?
It's fine.
Would you like to take
a bathroom break before we begin?
You sure?
I'm not that delicate.
- I'd like one.
- Okay.
Start again in two minutes, everyone.
I want you to stay calm in there.
- Don't I look calm?
- Not even a little.
Now, they're gonna try
to catch you off balance.
When they ask you a question,
answer it.
Tell them what time it is,
not how to build a clock.
- But...
- Don't fight.
Okay?
Okay.
Don't fight.
I'd like to talk a little bit
about language.
Absolutely.
This is a printout of e-mails
sent back and forth by your group...
during the investigation.
Mm-hm.
In this one to Mike Smith,
what did the two of you mean...
when you referred
to a piece of "tasty brisket"?
That referred to a piece of information
Mike uncovered...
working on a documentary
for the Germans.
A piece of information
against the president?
I think specifically, it referred to Bush
losing his nerve while flying.
Which you did not mention
in the report you aired on 60 Minutes.
I didn't think we had it nailed down.
Would it be accurate to say...
you were looking for
anything negative about the president?
I'd say it's accurate we were
looking for any information...
on his time in the Guard
that hadn't come to light.
And that's what made it tasty?
Not because it reflected poorly
on the president?
It was tasty because
it had the potential to be newsworthy.
Look, Mike and I are friends,
so we use shorthand.
Sarcasm, jokes. You know.
Is that common in your industry?
I suppose.
When dealing with matters as serious
as this, ifs common to make jokes?
I can assure you,
we take our work very, very seriously.
Hm.
I also wanted to ask you
about this e-mail...
from Roger Charles where he says
he feels better about the documents...
Mmhm.
...because of their formatting.
Colonel Charles originally thought
the documents were fake?
I don't believe so.
Then... Then... Then why would
he say he feels better?
Because it seemed that
what our source was telling us was true.
I have to disagree. Even the subject line
in the e-mail is "I feel better"...
with three exclamation points.
It seems Colonel Charles
initially had doubts.
I think you'd have to ask
Colonel Charles.
Hm. Mm-hm.
But also, um, I would say that he was
coming from the place of not being sure...
if the memos were real or not, and then
becoming confident that they were.
Really?
Forgive me for saying, but your testimony
so far doesn't bear that out.
- How so?
- Excuse me.
This isn't testimony, remember?
If it was impossible
to authenticate the memos...
doesn't it stand to reason that you
initially assumed the memos were real...
- rather than the other way around?
- I wouldn't say that.
Well, what would you say?
It seems you assumed the memos
were real from the outset...
and you looked to make sure
that nothing disproved that.
Essentially, you took the position that the
president was guilty until proven innocent.
We took several steps
to vet these memos.
Mm-hm. Such as?
- Well...
- There were only...
two signatures,
only two sets of initials.
Hardly enough comparison
for a handwriting match.
And you said yourself that no carbon
or ink tests could be performed.
In fact, two of the four analysts you
hired said they had strong reservations...
about the memos' authenticity.
Much of the formatting and terminology
used is consistent with the period...
- ...as is...
- That's debatable.
Consistent with the period,
as is the content of the memos...
which was verified by several sources,
including those close to Killian.
Um, then, uh, what about this?
Um...
"OETR"?
Is this one of the terminologies
that's consistent with the period?
Mm-hm. I believe so.
- What does that stand for?
- Officer Effectiveness Training Report.
Actually, the correct acronym
is OER.
Officer Effectiveness Report. No T.
Isn't it true that "Officer Effectiveness
Training Report" doesn't appear...
anywhere on any official document,
and this is a phrase that you created...
to explain this incorrect abbreviation
in your memos?
- That is not true.
- It isn't?
- I would not do something like that.
- Then prove it.
Official document, top of the page.
Um...
Tab 21.
- Mike?
- Of course.
Oh.
I see that.
I'm sorry, my mistake.
Clearly, you did well.
They're gonna regroup,
call you back in next month.
Next month?
They've decided to delay announcing the
panel's findings till after the election.
Don't look so glum.
Just keep your head down.
You'll make it out of this.
I'm looking forward to
sen/ing this country for four more years.
I wanna thank you for
your hard work in the campaign.
I told you that the other day and you
probably thought I was seeking votes.
But now that you voted,
I really meant it.
I appreciate the hard work
of the press corps.
We all put in long hours. You're away
from your families for a long period.
But the country's better off
when we have...
a vigorous and free press
covering our elections.
And thanks for your work.
Without over-pandering,
I'll answer a few questions.
Hunt?
Mr. President. Thank you.
As you look at your second term, how
much is the war in Iraq going to cost?
Do you intend is send more troops
or bring troops home'?
And in the Middle East more broadly...
do you agree with Tony Blair
that revitalizing the Middle East...
peace process is the single most
pressing political issue facing me world?
Now that I've got
the will of the people...
I'm going to start enforcing
the one-question rule.
Thai was three questions.
I'll star? With Tony Blair's comments.
I agree with him that the Middle East
peace is a very...
Hello.
Mary, it's Dan plus three.
Well, I'm working on
a Chardonnay Xanax cocktail...
- ...if it makes you feel any better.
- Heh.
Did you know that 60 Minutes
was the first news program...
to ever make money?
Before that, all news divisions
operated at a financial loss.
You know, when the government
gave the networks the airwaves...
it was with the stipulation that...
they'd be used in some capacity
for the public good.
And that... That was the news.
They... They made their money
elsewhere on the schedule.
But reporting the news was a duty.
It was...
It was a trust.
You know when Don Hewitt
started 60 Minutes, it was in 1968...
it built to enormous ratings.
God, it was...
God, I! Was wonderful.
I mean, people were really
watching the news. I mean, they cared.
And, God, we figured out
a way to give it to them.
I was there, Mary.
I was there the day they figured out
that news could make money.
Hm,.
After a while it dawned on them,
"How come the evening news..."
isn't a profit center too?
"Why aren't the morning shows
earning more?"
If you interview Survivor contestants
instead of survivors of the genocide...
your ad rates go up.
Pretty soon we won't even run down our
own stories because it's too expensive.
We'll just...
We'll just pay someone else to do it,
then we'll read them on the air for show.
It was a public trust once.
I swear to you it was.
How you doing, Dan?
I'm stepping down as anchor.
When'?
After inauguration.
Oh, Dan.
You didn't cause this, Mary.
Well, you're a shitty liar,
you know that?
Why didn't you ask me?
Because God knows everybody else did
when the shit hit the fan.
Why didn't you?
Ask you what?
Why didn't you ask me
if the documents were real?
Because I knew I didn't need to.
Hey.
When you go back in there,
you hold your head up, you understand?
Yes, Dan.
Okay. F.E.A.
F.E.A.
You're doing great.
Another half hour, and you're done.
What does that mean?
Fuck 'em all.
Well, I'm glad we have clarification
on that.
- Good.
- Well, if there's nothing else...
Thank you, gentlemen, for the day.
Aren't you gonna ask me
about my politics'?
Excuse me?
You asked other people what I believe,
so aren't you gonna ask me'?
What are you doing?
Well, wouldn't you say most of the people
you work with consider you a liberal?
Do you mean, "Am I now
or have I ever been a liberal?"
it's a legitimate question.
Is it?
Well, you brought it up.
No, you did, when you asked
all of my co-workers.
So I'll tell you.
I don't believe in labels. I think
most people have a mixture of views...
That's not what we're talking about.
Then what are you talking about,
Larry?
We are talking about you bringing
your politics into your reporting.
- I did nothing of the kind.
- Nothing? Really?
Is that why when Barnes told you
he got Bush into the Guard...
you believed him without question?
That when Bill Burkett, an outspoken
Bush critic and admitted liar...
brought you memos, you assumed
their authenticity and didn't source them?
That when not one but two
of the four document examiners...
expressed doubts the memos
were real...
you pushed that aside
and rushed this on air?
Or why you personally contacted
the John Kerry campaign...
on behalf of Bill Burkett,
a man who has dedicated himself...
to smearing the president?
Tell me, Mary.
Where exactly does politics
not enter into this?
Or are you just that bad at your job?
Do you know what it would take
to fake these memos?
.Mary.. No, this is important.
It would require the forger
to have an in-depth knowledge...
of the 1971 Air Force manual,
including rules...
and regulations and abbreviations.
He'd have to know
Bush's official record front to back...
to make sure none of the memos
conicted with it.
He'd have to know all the players
in the Texas Air National Guard...
at the time... Not just their names,
but their attitudes, their opinions...
including how
they related to one another.
He'd have to know Colonel Killian
kept personal memos like this...
for himself in the first place.
He'd have to know
how Killian felt at the time...
particularly about his superiors
and then First Lieutenant Bush.
He would have to know
or learn all of this...
in order to fool us
as you assume he did.
Now...
do you really think that a man...
who takes this kind of time
and precision...
then goes and types these up
on Microsoft Word?
Our story was about whether Bush
fulfilled his service.
Nobody wants to talk about that.
They wanna talk about fonts...
and forgeries
and conspiracy theories.
Because that's what people do
these days if they don'! Like a story.
They point and scream.
They question your politics,
your objectivity. Hell...
your basic humanity.
And they hope to God
the truth gets lost in the scrum.
And when it is finally over...
and they have kicked
and shouted so loud...
we can't even remember
what the point was.
But you didn't prove it.
You didn't prove Ben Barnes
got the president into the Guard.
You didn't prove the memos are real.
The burden of proof is on you.
By that standard, The Times would
never have run the Pentagon Papers.
The Post wouldn't have listened
to Deep Throat...
- Ben Barnes is hardly Deep Throat.
- He's confessed to abusing his power...
to keep some of the richest,
privileged sons of Texas...
from getting their asses blown off
in Vietnam.
Ms. Mapes.
Don't you think it's possible,
just possible...
that some of those fine, young...
privileged men, as you call them...
got into the National Guard
on their own merit?
No, sir. No, I do not.
You had to do it, didn't you?
In the immortal words of Popeye,
"I am what I am."
Well. I would have gone with
"To thine own self be true"...
but Popeye works.
They'll have their findings in a few weeks.
I'll call you when I hear.
All right. Thanks.
Hey, Mary.
I believe you.
But I think he needs a helmet.
Have you got a helmet?
- Uh... A helmet?
- He needs a helmet.
- Oh, he hasn't got a head.
- Dang it.
- Can you find a head?
- Um...
No.
- Unless you want to chop his head...
- Chop his head off? Maybe.
Hello'?
Mary, the report is out
and it's very bad. Uh...
I'm putting Jonathan Anschultz
on the fine.
- Jonathan, can you hear me?
- Yeah.
Mary, as I said, the report's bad.
You're being terminated.
It's not something I would've chosen
to do under the circumstances, but...
Hippie scum.
Jarhead fuck.
If you ever need a reference...
What, you can...
tell them how we destroyed
modern journalism together?
I'll see you around.
We've shared a lot in the 24 years...
, we've been meeting here
each evening.
And before I say good night,
this night, I need to say thank you.
Thank you to the thousands of
wonderful professionals at CBS News...
past and present...
with whom it's been
my honor to work over these years.
And a deeply felt thanks to all of you...
who have let us into your homes
night after night.
It has been a privilege,
and one never taken lightly.
To a nation still nursing a broken heart
for what happened here in 2001...
and especially those
who found themselves closest...
"in the events of September the 11th."
To our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen
and Marines in dangerous places.
And to those who have endured
the tsunami.
And to all who have suffered
natural disasters...
and who must find the will to rebuild.
To the oppressed and to those
whose let it is to struggle...
in financial hardship
or in failing health.
To my fellow journalists...
in places where reporting the truth
means risking all.
And to each of you...
courage.
For the CBS Evening News,
Dan Rather reporting.
Good night.
- My God. Heh.
- Heh.
You wanna go for a walk?
Yeah.