The Real Robert Strong

Powerline Blog ^ | 09/12/04 | Hindrocket

[conservative in nyc]

You may be right. But we're talking about a doctorate in Library Science, which would attract librarians, taking classes at their own leisure.

There was a Robert W. Strong who recently retired as librarian at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. Belton is about 60 miles north of Austin.

[calcowgirl]

Robert Strong is an inoffensive English professor who dislikes, but has never met, President Bush; he has no idea whether the CBS documents are authentic; he never discussed Lt. Bush with Jerry Killian; and he has “no personal knowledge” about President Bush’s National Guard service.

For a man with absolutely no knowledge, he sure throws the word "unconscionable" around lightly.

From National Review (the CBS transcript)

RATHER: Robert Strong was an administrative officer for the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam years. He knew Colonel Jerry Killian, the man credited with writing the documents. And paperwork, like these documents, was his specialty. He is standing by his judgment that the documents are real.

When you read through these documents, is there any doubt in your mind that these are genuine?

Mr. ROBERT STRONG (Former Administrator, Texas Air National Guard): 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. I don't see anything in the documents that are discordant with what were the times, what were the situation and what were the people that were involved.

RATHER: Strong says the highly charged political atmosphere of the Guard at the time was perfectly represented in the newly revealed documents.

Mr. STRONG: It verged on outright corruption in terms of the favors that were done, the power that was traded, and it was unconscionable. From a moral and ethical standpoint, it was unconscionable.

[conservative in nyc]

Could he have attended college and been an administrative officer at the same time?

I don't know. That question would be better answered by one of the Freepers with a military background.

[Poincare]

Date: January 18 1968
Time: 2100
Bob Strong received a strange phone call, urging him to be at "Heaven's Gate," on the Longleat Estate, at 2100 on the 18th. He drove there with Sybil Champion, and they saw a UFO land on the estate. They went to the site & found that the UFO was no larger than a soup plate. Down a fine golden ladder climbed more than 24 4" tall humanoids, which then "grew" to normal size, shook hands with the witnesses, & engaged them in conversation. Strong was invited to take a ride in the saucer; with the crewmembers, shrank to 4" size and climbed up the ladder. The ship rose with a whistling noise, "becoming larger." Sybil waited 8 hours, after which the UFO returned & let Strong out, still diminutive; he regained his normal height as he walked toward Sybil. As to the voyage, all he was "permitted" to tell Shuttlewood was that it concerned "the inner core or central ball of Earth."

Humcat 1968-9
Source: Arthur Shuttlewood
Type: G

Is this the guy?

[conservative in nyc]

Also, take a look at the other students in the UT Library Science program. The second person got her BA in 1971.

Again, I never said this is THE Robert Strong for sure. It's just a working hypothesis for FReepers who want to go down this path. We haven't been able to locate him yet.

[M1911A1]

Yes, reservists attend college while drilling routinely.

[conservative in nyc]

Here is the link to that story.

That would be great if it were THE Robert W. Strong. I'm not sure that we can tell. There are a lot of Bob Strongs in the world, which makes it hard to be certain that any info we find is about THE Robert W. Strong.

But I think Warminster is in England. And the Americans are noted as such in the rest of the article you linked.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

This article is amazing to me. Think about it. A blog reader and contributor... could be your neighbor, a guy you work with... turned man on the street interviewer for the renegade internet press. Wow. Asking more intelligent questions than most MSM would think to ask or print.

[conservative in nyc]

Yes, reservists attend college while drilling routinely.

Even administrative officers/enlisted?

Mr. Strong makes it sound like he had a full time gig in his interviews. It would give his story more credibility.

[M1911A1]

Yes, even admin types. It is very common.

It is also common for folks to be granted an early out or a leave of absence to get an education.

Active duty folks attend night school, too.

[igoramus987]

from link...

Robert W. Strong, 62, was a staff sergeant in the adjutant general's office of the Texas Air National Guard at Camp Mabry at Austin in 1968, when Mr. Bush enlisted. Mr. Strong said in an interview Friday he was quite sure that he and others used Selectrics in the adjutant general's office. He added that he was not sure the typewriters and devices were also in the 147th Combat Support Squadron at the Ellington base in Houston, home of the 111th squadron.

"I'm skeptical that Killian was working on that," Mr. Strong said.

Mr. Strong was a crucial source for CBS News, insisting that the sentiment expressed in the memos were consistent with "the man that I remember Jerry Killian being."

Strong, the CBS "expert" acknowledges that he wasn't even on the same base as Killian. Was he even still in the TANG in 72 and 73?

[conservative in nyc]

He left TANG in the "early 70s", according to some article's I've read. I've never seen a definitive separation date.

[okie01]

We have a Robert Strong I.D.

[conservative in nyc]

Let me caution folks again --- I don't know for sure the St. Edward's University/librarian Robert Strong is the REAL Robert W. Strong. I'm just putting this out to be vetted, since we can't seem to figure out where this guy is a professor.

Jnarcus is right --- certain things just don't seem to fit. And he's not listed as an English professor, as suggested by his neighbor in the Powerline Blog.

But any reporter-type who wants to follow up can use the links I've provided to check. One link would even lead to an office phone number, with a couple of steps.

We know the reporter-types are lurking here.

[calcowgirl]

I found Strong, the librarian, as "Rob Strong" at various edu sites.
In searching for 'Rob Strong', I found the following from BuzzFlash March, 2004:

Subj: Bush at the Emma Booker School 9-11

I do believe it is time to roll out the Pet Goat video to
show the world our War President at his finest moment. The
moment that defined his presidency. Give the world a look
at Bush in action (or actually, Bush's inaction, lack of
reaction, lack of any kind of emotion or anything when Andy
Card told him we were under attack.)

I sent the link to Howard Stern and the New York Times
editorial page in a letter protesting the Ads and Salon.com. 

But if there was an easy way to email the clip so that
BuzzFlash readers could spread the word. I think Bush's 
ads would be quickly pulled.

Keep up the great work!

Rob Strong

And another from BuzzFlash January, 2003

Subj: Questions about impending war...

Dear BuzzFlash,

The problem with anti-war movement is that we tend to be
the accused, not the accusers. We get cross examined,
instead of doing the grilling ourselves.

Well I have stopped trying to defend myself against those
morons who wrap themselves in the flag and question my
patriotism and ask stupid questions like, " Where were you
when Saddam was gassing his people?"

The following are some questions that I ask of any fool
supporting War with Iraq. 

Where was the American Government when Saddam was gassing
his people?

Wasn't it former President Bush who urged these people to
rise up against Saddam and then turned a blind eye to their
extermination?

Wasn't it, in fact, Vice President Bush and President
Reagan, who sold the chemical and biological weapons to
Saddam to use against the Iranians? 

Wasn't it our Government who gave the Iranians the weapons
they used to attack Iraq, in exchange for the hostages?

Wasn't it our government who gave Saddam the okay to handle
his dispute with Kuwait as he saw fit?

Was the whole basis for the Reagan/Bush diplomacy in the
Persian Gulf nothing more than double crossing Iran and
Iraq?

Haven't the Iraqi people been through enough killing and
suffering caused by our disinterest and the sanctions
imposed at America's demand?

Are we not responsible for the tragedy of the last 12 years
in Iraq? 

Will the Iraqi people be that overjoyed to see us after we
bomb them further back into the stone age and then steal
their oil to cover the cost of our bombs? 

Does the President really believe we can be anymore
successful at rounding up Saddam than we were at getting
Osama and Mullah Omar? 

Finally, does the President really think that the war will
be over with our marching into Baghdad and raising the
American flag and implementing a foreign military
government? 

(If he does he should ask the Russians how their Afghan
occupation went. And what about the Chechnya thing? How’s
that going? And what about the Israeli occupation of Gaza
and the West Bank, how is Sharon faring?) 

Rob Strong
Corinth, TX

I reiterate your very wise caution... don't know if this is THE Robert W. Strong

[rebel_yell2]

I have always been a strong backer of the net, but I naively dismissed bloggers as narcissictic and unimportant. I am now in awe of the transparency to the news that bloggers have brought about, and admit the error of my ways.

[conservative in nyc]

Interesting. That Robert W. Strong is NOT a Bush supporter, for sure.

More info:
The Robert W. Strong who is a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin's middle name is Watt. The home phone number listed in the UT directory is his staff number at St Edward's University. Again, this doesn't prove that he's THE Robert W. Strong. It just shows that the two Robert W. Strongs are likely the same person.

I also searched the faculty directories at websites of other Austin schools for Mr. Strong, and googled their websites for mentions of a Robert W. Strong, Robert Strong or Bob Strong. I found no professor by that name at the following schools:

University of Texas at Austin
Austin Community College
Concordia University at Austin
Huston-Tilloston College
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest

There are other Austin Schools I didn't check on a list here, if anyone else wants to check. (I doubt he teaches at Baldwin Beauty School, though):

http://austintx.areaconnect.com/city-colleges.htm

[conservative in nyc]

Robert Strong information PING

[gobucks]

Many thanks for this ping .... I had posted a thread earlier trying to find this guy ... don't know if he is the one, but this latest info is very interesting indeed.


It's odd, really odd, that CBS used this guy. How did they find out about him to begin with? How did they even get the idea to quote this fellow?

[GailA]

btt