Truth Page #8

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COLONEL CHARLES:

(not looking up)

Many things are crazy. Tell me what

specifically you feel is crazy.

LUCY:

The fact they kept this secret for

so long.

Colonel Charles looks over to Mary dozing a few seats away.

COLONEL CHARLES:

You know why Mary didn't get this

story done in 2000, don't you?

Lucy shakes her head.

COLONEL CHARLES (CONT'D)

Her mother died. Right in the middle

of it. So this story never got

finished and the election happened.

An election decided by 537 votes.

(pause)

Sometimes I think if Mary's mom hadn't

died that summer, there's a good

chance Al Gore would be President

right now.

LUCY:

What about her father?

COLONEL CHARLES:

Mary's father is a drunken piece of

sh*t who hated himself so much that

he beat his daughters. The more

outspoken they were, the harder he

hit them. How do you think she fared?

Lucy looks at Mary's sleeping form.

LUCY:

She'd get beat up for asking

questions?

48.

COLONEL CHARLES:

That's right.

LUCY:

And this is what she does for a

living.

Dan retakes his seat next to a sleeping Mary as the Colonel

and Lucy watch.

COLONEL CHARLES:

People are funny sometimes. That's

part of what it is between her and

Dan, I think. Why they work so well

together. Why they need each other.

(shakes his head)

Fathers and daughters.

Lucy doesn't know how to respond. Pan to Mary. The plane

flies on through the night.

INT. CBS NEWS -- LOBBY -- MORNING

September 6th - 2 Days To Air. The lobby of 555 West 57th.

Our team strides across it bleary eyed.

MARY:

Tell me about the document examiners.

LUCY:

There are four. We have Marcel Matley

coming in from San Francisco today

to do on-camera. Linda James in

Texas wants to see the originals-

MARY:

So would I, but we don't have them.

LUCY:

That's what I told her. Jim Pierce

in Los Angeles just got started today

and Emily Will in North Carolina

wants you to call her...

As they step into the elevators

EMILY WILL (O.S.)

I think you have a problem.

49.

INT. MARY'S OFFICE/EMILY WILL'S OFFICE -- DAY

Mary sits at her desk unpacking her carry-on, on the phone

with Emily Will - Document Examiner. INTERCUT:

EMILY WILL:

I've been doing some internet

research. The President was in

Alabama when these were written, so

there's no way they could be true.

MARY:

Have you found anything wrong with

the documents themselves?

EMILY WILL:

No, but-

MARY:

Do they appear forged in any way?

EMILY WILL:

Without the originals to ink test-

MARY:

Let me worry about the investigational

side of the story.

EMILY WILL:

I always work the whole thing.

(pause)

Do you know where these originated?

Establishing exact chain of custody

would go a long way towards

determining authenticity.

MARY:

We're working on it...

INT. BURKETT HOME -- DAY

Burkett, on the phone with Mary. INTERCUT:

BURKETT:

I give you the memos, you verify

them, that was the deal. You call

the Kerry campaign for me yet? They

can't lie down on this swift boat

sh*t.

50.

MARY:

If I could just confirm where you

got the memos, we would be home free.

BURKETT:

I told you, I can't go on the record-

MARY:

You wouldn't have to. Just give me

the name. That's all I need.

A beat. Burkett exhaling. Then:

BURKETT:

George Conn. Buddy of mine in the

Guard. He was there for the

scrubbing. But you call him and

he'll deny it.

TIME CUT TO:

Through Mary's phone:

ANSWERING MACHINE (O.S.)

You've reached the Conn Residence,

please leave a message at the beep.

MARY:

Colonel, this is Mary Mapes, I'm a

producer at 60 Minutes. If you could

call me back at your earliest

convenience, it's regarding a story

we're airing Wednesday night.

She hangs up as Colonel Charles pokes his head in.

COLONEL CHARLES:

Matley's ready.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM -- DAY

Now set up for an interview. Several ENLARGEMENTS of

signatures hang on a board. Marcel Matley - Document Examiner

stands taking Dan through them as the CAMERA ROLLS.

MARCEL MATLEY:

I would say based on our available

handwriting evidence, yes, this is

the same person.

(MORE)

51.

MARCEL MATLEY (CONT'D)

Now, this signature on the June 24th

document shows some conspicuous

differences, but it also shows what

I call inconspicuous similarities to

Colonel Killian's handwriting.

DAN:

Why might differences like that exist?

MARCEL MATLEY:

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 penstrokes.

Dan just stares at him.

DAN:

Would you give us a moment?

He turns and walks over to where Mary stands.

DAN (CONT'D)

It's like listening to someone

describing paint dry-

MARY:

He said it, though. It was in there

somewhere. Can you get the bite?

Dan nods and walks back to Matley.

DAN:

Are you saying that if I present

these to the American public and

say, to the best of our knowledge,

these documents were all signed by

the same man, I am going to be on

solid ground?

A beat. Everyone leans forward to hear. On Matley.

MARCEL MATLEY:

Yes.

TIMECUT TO:

52.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM -- DAY

After the interview. Matley has departed, the equipment

sits dormant. Dan stands with Mary, Lucy, and Colonel

Charles.

LUCY:

Matley's a yes, Jim Pierce is a yes,

Emily Will's still working and Linda

James wants more documents, but says

she'll defer to Matley.

MARY:

All the dates and content in the

Burkett memos mesh perfectly with

the official record - I'm trying to

have graphics mock something up to

show it visually.

They look to Dan. He shakes his head.

DAN:

We don't have it yet.

Groans from the others. Dan presses forward.

DAN (CONT'D)

Someone has to confirm the content

of the memos. Someone who knew the

players.

COLONEL CHARLES:

No one from the Guard is gonna step

up for that. Look at what happened

to Burkett - you talk, you get your

head chopped off.

DAN:

What about Killian's family?

MARY:

Super Pro-Bush so they'd never go

for it, plus there was a divorce

there. I don't know if she'd know

anything.

DAN:

Who were Killian's commanders again?

53.

MARY:

Buck Staudt, who has figuratively

and literally told me to go f***

myself, and Bobby Hodges, who I've

left eighteen messages for.

Dan stares at her. His meaning clear.

MARY (CONT'D)

Fine, I'll go do nineteen...

INT. MARY'S OFFICE -- NIGHT

Smith lies on the couch. Colonel Charles tosses a ball back

and forth between his hands nervously. Mary dials her phone.

SMITH:

You want to get pizza?

(to Colonel Charles)

We should get pizza.

The phone is ringing. Picked up. Through the receiver:

GENERAL HODGES (O.S.)

Hello?

Mary blinks, surprised.

MARY:

General Hodges?

GENERAL HODGES (O.S.)

Yes.

Mary snaps her fingers for them to pick up a second line to

listen in.

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