Key To Downing Street Fakes? (Can I Be Famous Like Buckhead?)

20 JUNE 05 | Doctor Raoul

[Doctor Raoul]

As has been discussed on Free Republic earlier, Downing Street Memo Originals Destroyed -UGH!, British "reporter" Michael Smith has told Asociated Press that he copied the original on plain paper and then destroyed the originals.

But click here and you see a Reuters Wire Photo Showing a "Seal" on the "copy" offered to the press.



The caption reads, "A copy of the so-called 'Downing Street Memo', produced in July 2002 for Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair on the legality of the invasion of Iraq. Photo by Stephen Hird/Reuters".

Did he really destroy them, type them on plain paper? Don't look like plain paper to me Lucy.....Lucy Rameriz!

Looks like Michael Smith has adopted Dan Rather's mantra, "FORGE ON!"

[Mo1]

FYI

[Luigi Vasellini]

Pretty sleuth-like!!!

[mystery-ak]

Great sleuthing, Doc.....

[NeoCaveman]

Woah.

[Reactionary]

It sure looks like an official seal to me, which brings up the question as to the legitimacy of the entire story.

After all, if the document was "retyped" it wouldn't have been done on official stationary. If the document was going to be passed off as legitimate, it stands to reason that the official seal would have been forged as well.

[Lovebloggers]

Yeah how could he have typed the seal? makes less sense everyday.

[tiredoflaundry]

bumpity bump!

[Petronski]

VERY eenteresting.

[Fred Nerks]

could lead to something very interesting...

[Doctor Raoul]

What "font" is that "Seal"?

[NewMediaFan]

Yes we must get Dan Blather and his crack team at 60 Minutes to investigate this.

[dead]

I like the goofy glasses highlight on Secret and Prime Minister.

It looks like a still from Court TV's "Forensic Files".

[Haru Hara Haruko]

Yeah how could he have typed the seal?

Harrrumph! LOTS of Selectrics could do that. I know! Anybody who does not believe me is a pot smoking Libdopian UFO sighting freak.

[Steely Tom]

Any idea as to the significance of the shadow of a pair of eyeglasses? Which, by the way, anyone with a working knowledge of optics can tell are fake.

(steely)

[expatpat]

The seal may be the seal/letterhead of an organization he works for -- they are big on that kind of thing over there.

[Cicero]

What font is that seal?

That's no font, that's my daddy!

[Perdogg]

It's a Father Downing mystery!

[real saxophonist]

bump

[CyberAnt]

Today on Rush .. he was discussing the name of Michael Smith and Rush was questioning whether or not there was a Michael Smith who worked with Mary Mapes in Texas. I think Rush established that there is such a person who had some connection to Burkett .. but Rush is investigating whether or not it's the same Michael Smith involved with this story.

And .. it is really the DOWNING STREET MINUTES - it's not a memo. It's the minutes from a meeting.

[postaldave]

what i find funny is that lack of interest in the fact that this might(IS) just be another fake. it would seem Conservatives just expect fraud and fakes now. should we at this time bring up all those senators who had the downing street memo impeach bush meeting on treason charges? one would think you would vet such things before calling for the head of a country. probably not, same old dumb nice guys.

[thchronic]

The seal may be the seal/letterhead of an organization he works for -- they are big on that kind of thing over there.

NOPE. That's the Downing Street seal:

Example:

[TheForceOfOne]

It says "Secret" above the seal but I can't make out what appears to be three letters on the seal itself.

[RGSpincich]

Got a real memo from HERE

Maybe the secret memos are different.

[Doctor Raoul]

Yes we must get Dan Blather and his crack team at 60 Minutes to investigate this.

THey're busy. They've got Lucy Ramirez cornered. As soon as the Viagra takes effect, Mike Wallace is going to break down the door.

[pushforbush]

bump

[Lovebloggers]

Actually now that I think about it I am sure Michael Smith was provided with blank letterhead from Downing Street as opposed to actual documents -- much easier that way to type up anything he needs.

One size fits all type of deal.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From a link on the other thread we have a video on Hardball explaining....

Video -- 'Hardball' Reports On The Downing Street Memo

[ReignOfError]

Yeah, and plain paper doesn't usually have diffuse shadows of eyeglass frames on it. And rarely is part of the page crisp and the other rest blurry. No one uses courier any more. Etc. If the seal was the only thing you noticed, you have a particularly narrow form of tunnel vision.

It's a graphic. It's an illustration. The fact that it's labeled a "photo" indicates that something is dicey wth the way Reuters labels its images or the way Yahoo reads the labels. If you want to read some kind of conspiracy into that, knock yourself out.

[kcvl]

On July 23, Michael Smith, a freelance journalist in Texas who was working on the story along with Mapes, sent her an email that began: "I am close to something that the Bushies are worried about..." Mapes responded: "I desperately want to talk to you....Do NOT underestimate how much I want this story."

Mapes and freelance journalist Michael Smith (who worked on the piece with Mapes) had different recollections of how Burkett came into custody of the documents. Smith told the panel that Burkett “received them anonymously in the mail”, while Mapes said Burkett identified a warrant officer named George Conn (which Burkett would later admit was a lie).

[SevenofNine]

OFFF COURSE Dr Raoul go for it

Smack around BBC LOL!

[Texas Eagle]

I hereby nominate Doctor Raoul to be an Honorary Buckhead entitling him to all the perqs and privileges and television interviews that come with it and all that jazz.

[Doctor Raoul]

Notice that is signed by "John Holmes". And they say he was dead.

No big deal, he's still #2.

[Lovebloggers]

"A copy of the so-called 'Downing Street Memo', produced in July 2002 for Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair on the legality of the invasion of Iraq. Photo by Stephen Hird/Reuters"

Go to the link - this is what is written next to the picture.

[Reactionary]

You know, the available image (as poor as it is) looks photocopied. The "seal" lacks optical definition; it has no detail at all, even under magnification.

Is this supposed to be the original "retyped" document?

[Doctor Raoul]

I hereby nominate Doctor Raoul to be an Honorary Buckhead entitling him to all the perqs and privileges and television interviews that come with it and all that jazz.

I'll settle for being half as good looking as Buckhead...

[TheForceOfOne]

That seal looks slightly different to me at the bottom but it is hard to tell.

[Doctor Raoul]

"Every party needs a Pooper, that's why we invited you!...Party Pooper...Party Pooper..."

[Texas Eagle]

I'll settle for being half as good looking as Buckhead...

Come on. I'm not God.

[Congressman Billybob]

Tell Powerline about your find, asap. They are the ones who made Buckhead famous. But I don't think you'll get as famous as him. LOL.

John / Billybob

[RGSpincich]

Reverse image? Black is white plus a circular black border in the top one.

[tubebender]

Any comments on this...

[SmithL]

I got the very same seal on a message offering me great rewards for my participation in a discreet scheme to transfer funds into the Country, via my Credit Union account.

[Howlin]

Is it the same Michael Smith?

[Texas Eagle]

British "reporter" Michael Smith has told Asociated Press that he copied the original on plain paper and then destroyed the originals.

Nuh-uhhhhhh.

[Bushbacker1]

Looks like another Dan Blather wannabe!

[TheForceOfOne]

There is an arc below the seal with what appears to be three letters (BEI ????) that I don't see on the post #24 document.

[Billthedrill]

Doc, you're already famous. See Here.

This is, however, a very interesting development. The fellow's story gets a bit more stretched by the hour - he claims to have tried to "protect his source" by destroying the originals after having his legal secretary retype them...on plain paper...on an old typewriter. Why? And now they have a seal. The story stinks like a mackerel that's been dead for three days in the hot Louisiana sun.

[TheForceOfOne]

Who does this Michael Smith work for now?