Truth Page #7

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DAN:

Hurricane Frances is pounding Florida

harder than a strong man at a state

fair trying to win a kewpie doll!

INT. MARY'S HOUSE -- KITCHEN -- EVENING

Mary, watching as the wind almost blows him over.

MARY:

I'm gonna kill him.

As ONSCREEN DAN is almost taken out by a flying tree branch...

SMITH:

You may not have to.

(checking his laptop)

I can maybe get him on a puddle jumper

to Austin for the Strong interview.

Got an email from the Colonel about

the documents saying "I feel better".

She scans the email and grabs the phone...

41.

INT. DALLAS BUREAU -- NIGHT

The Colonel scoops up his ringing phone.

COLONEL CHARLES:

Yeah?

INTERCUT:

MARY:

A memorandum for record is a memo to

nobody, right? So why does Killian

file them?

COLONEL CHARLES:

Killian knows suspending a guy this

protected is a big deal. He's trying

to do the right thing here, but wants

a paper trail to insulate himself.

MARY:

Which means W's protection must have

come from higher up than Killian.

COLONEL CHARLES:

You're thinking Hodges, aren't you?

MARY:

He was Killian's direct supervisor...

I'll call you back.

Mary hangs up. Checks her notes for another number -Gen.

Bobby Hodges. Dials. Rings. ANSWERING MACHINE:

GENERAL HODGES (V.O.)

You have reached Robert Hodges, please

leave a message.

MARY:

General Hodges, this is Mary Mapes

from 60 Minutes; I was hoping you

could give me a call back at your

earliest convenience-

SMITH:

You gotta see this!

He hands her his laptop. Onscreen, shaky CELL PHONE VIDEO.

42.

SMITH (CONT'D)

Cell phone video from a Democratic

fund raiser.

A MAN is addressing a CROWD. Mary squints at the screen.

MARY:

Is that Ben Barnes?

ON SCREEN:

BEN BARNES:

Let's talk a minute about John Kerry

and George Bush, and I know them

both. And I'm not name dropping.

See I... I got a young man named

George Bush into the National Guard

when I was the Lt. Governor of Texas.

I'm not necessarily proud of that...

MARY:

Holy sh*t.

INT. BEN BARNES' OFFICE -- NIGHT

Barnes, on the phone with Mary, clearly distressed:

BEN BARNES:

I didn't know they were taping me!

Did you see it? I looked like sh*t!

MARY:

(smiling)

I thought you looked wonderful, Ben.

BEN BARNES:

Oh, don't you start.

MARY:

The cat's already out of the bag and

your man Kerry is almost ten points

down. We're airing our piece in

four days. Are you in or not?

INT. MARY'S HOUSE -- FRONT HALL -- NIGHT

Smith, pulling on his jacket. From the other room:

MARY (O.S.)

We got Barnes!

43.

SMITH:

Burkett just called, he's got more

memos he wants to hand off.

He moves for the door as Mary comes in.

MARY:

We need to find out who his source

is. I have to be at the airport in

the morning-

SMITH:

I'll fax you what I get!

And he's out the door.

INT. ROBERT'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT

Mary, dressed in travel clothes. Standing with Wrolstad in

the door of Robert's room, looking at their sleeping son.

MARY:

He's gotten so big.

WROLSTAD:

(nods)

It's a problem.

Mary goes and leans down next to Robert's bed and kisses him

on the cheek. He stirs.

MARY:

I gotta go, kiddo. Big story, gotta

go ask questions.

ROBERT:

(yawning)

With the men with the cameras?

MARY:

(smiles at the question)

Yes, with the men with the cameras.

He rolls over. She kisses him again and rises. Goes to the

door where Wrolstad stands. He whispers to her:

WROLSTAD:

You be careful, okay? This is honor

and duty. This is where they live.

44.

She looks at him.

MARY:

I'll be careful, Mark.

Wrolstad nods. Enough for him. She kisses him and starts

for the stairs. Turns back, with a thought.

MARY (CONT'D)

Maybe you should let him watch this

one.

Wrolstad nods. Okay. She kisses him once more and goes.

INT. DALLAS/FORT WORTH AIRPORT -- ARRIVALS -- DAY

September 5th - 3 Days To Air. An amazingly disheveled Dan

Rather comes down the jetway. Mary holds up a folder.

MARY:

More memos from Burkett.

INT. ARRIVALS -- DAY

Mary and Dan sit in a bank of chairs as travelers swirl around

them. Dan, scanning the new memos. He stops, reading aloud:

DAN:

"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...

He looks at Mary, questioning.

MARY:

Officer Effectiveness Training Report.

DAN:

"Staudt is pushing to sugar coat it.

Bush wasn't here during rating period

and I don't have any feedback from

187th in Alabama. I will not rate."

(pause)

Bush wasn't here during rating

period...

45.

MARY:

They're trying to get Killian to

file a rating for Bush while he wasn't

even on base.

(pause)

This is proof that he was AWOL.

A long beat. Dan looks up at her.

DAN:

Who am I talking to first?

INT. AUSTIN HOTEL ROOM -- DAY

Robert Strong - Former Texas Air National Guard (60's)

sits in a chair. Dan across from him. CAMERA ROLLING.

DAN:

Is there any doubt in your mind that

these memos are genuine?

STRONG:

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.

Off to the side, Mary, Lucy, and Smith stand watching.

DAN:

What do you think Colonel Killian

was trying to do with these memos?

STRONG:

I think he was trying to get a duty

performed and I think he was trying

to protect himself because of the

political environment in which he

found himself.

DAN:

Political considerations were a major

force in the Guard?

STRONG:

It verged on outright corruption the

favors that were done, the power

that was traded.

(MORE)

46.

STRONG (CONT'D)

From a moral and ethical standpoint,

it was unconscionable.

TIME CUT TO:

After the interview. The cameraman is packing up as Dan

bids farewell to Robert Strong. Mary looks to the others.

MARY:

Let's go to New York...

INT. AMERICAN AIRLINES (FLYING) -- NIGHT

A night flight. Most people doze in the dark cabin. Smith

reads. Someone takes a seat next to him.

He looks up to see it is Dan Rather.

DAN:

I didn't get the chance to introduce

myself before. Dan Rather.

SMITH:

(star-struck)

No sh*t. I mean, Mike Smith. I

mean-yes. You are. I'm Mike.

Smith. Hi.

DAN:

Mary says you're the one who calls

me "The Old Man"?

SMITH:

I- wow. Really not happy she shared

that with you.

Dan smiles.

DAN:

I want to thank you for all your

hard work on this. It's important.

Questioning things. People say it

doesn't matter, one side or the other

will always say we're being

partisan... but the day we stop

asking questions is the day the

American people lose. It may sound

hokey, but I really believe that.

47.

ELSEWHERE ON THE PLANE - Lucy and Colonel Charles sit next

to each other, going through documents.

LUCY:

You know what's crazy?

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