So today, on the evening news, CBS tried to explain the documents they showed on 60 Minutes this last Wednesday which have been the source of much scrutiny on the web (since they align perfectly with a default Word document). Basically, they said that typewriters back then could do superscript (as seen in some manuals from the time) - however, they don't mention the fact that the superscript used in the documents was also a smaller font (who has a typewriter sitting around right now with a smaller font?). Basically, there would have had to been a key exactly for the "th" in the superscript - however, the typewriter being claimed by many to be the one used to create the documents, as it has the font spacing needed, doesn't have any special characters for superscript.

So...can you produce the machine these documents were made on? If so, over $25,000 is waiting for you. Remember, the typewriter must:

1) Use a proportionally spaced font with advanced kerning and proportional spacing identical to Microsoft Word

2) Have a left-curled apostrophe key

3) Have the ability to superscript not just in position, but also a decrease in font size from 12pt to 7-8pt

4) Have sentence breaking identical to Microsoft Word default rules

5) Have 13pt vertical spacing identical to Microsoft Word defaults

6) Have the ability to center text on the page identical to Microsoft Word defaults (this one I hadn't even thought of and, yeah, pretty much helps close the lid on this case -- unless you think Killian had the ability to eyeball-center a line of text to the millimeter.)

Now...even if a typewriter like this DID exist in 1972 or 1973, certainly, one would still exist now. Typewriters as a whole just don't disappear - especially in government work.

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