CBS Document Examiner Speaks Out, Responds to Mapes Book

One of the document experts CBS consulted has written a response to claims made about her by Mary Mapes in her new book. Last year CBS said that document expert Emily J. Will vouched for the authenticity of the photocopied documents.

In a point-by-point rebuttal, Will responds to passages from the fired producer's new book, Truth and Duty.

On Friday, September 3, 2004, I was closing down my office and thinking about the Labor Day Weekend ahead when the phone rang and the caller asked whether I would be willing to work over the weekend on some important, time-sensitive documents. This was the beginning of my involvement in the examination of documents in the Bush National Guard Document/Memo-Gate news story.

This week, the book "Truth and Duty" by Mary Mapes, former CBS producer, was released. The book contains several inaccuracies in the description of my participation. Because the book is a public document, I see it as my duty to publicly state the truth about what I said and did.

At the end of the point-by-point analysis, she describes what happened when she went on rival ABC News.

During the course of these CBScapades, there came a time after the September 8 broadcast when the implications that all document examiners who had seen the documents supported them caused me to speak publicly about my observations and my communications with CBS (Mary Mapes). Following my appearance on ABC television, representatives of CBS made some deprecating statemtents about me and my involvement in the matter. The investigative panel found that CBS had made "harsh accusations" against me, and through the auspices of my personal attorney I obtained a letter of apology from CBS regarding those accusations.