WHITEWASH
"Investigative Reports" "Examines" Vince Foster Death
(Arts & Entertainment cable TV, October 5, 1996)
by Brian Redman, "Conspiracy Nation", October 5, 1996

First PBS's "Frontline" bites the dust. Then "60 Minutes" loses face. Now Bill Kurtis, host for "Investigative Reports," konks out.

A portion of the October 5, 1996 "investigative report" dealing with the late Vince Foster showed the pain that Foster's friends and family are enduring due to a "small but vocal" group of "conspiracy theorists" who keep raising questions. Advised one Foster friend to "conspiracy theorists" -- "Get a life."

"Oh it's the mystery. Americans love a mystery." That's supposedly why Vince Foster is not resting in peace.

Says a representative from the New York Times: "Oh we would love to have a real story about a murder at that high of a level." So, it seems, obviously there's no cover up or else the New York Times would be hot on the trail.

Also seriously put forward by the "investigative report" was the idea that, because there are so many anomalies connected with the Foster death, then obviously there's not a cover-up; if a real cover-up was occuring, so many glaring inconsistencies and supposed screw-ups by investigators wouldn't have happened. Get it straight: only if the case had lacked its doubtful aspects could we assume that something fishy was going on -- real cover-up artists wouldn't have made so many mistakes. Or so, with a straight face, suggests the "investigative report."

Three Park Police were shown at Fort Marcy Park discussing the case. Two of the three, all of whom had been among the first to arrive at the scene that July 20th, wore uniforms. Officer #1 says he took photos that day, but they came out bad. Officer #2 says he took Polaroid photos, but he lost many of them. The doctor who performed the autopsy couldn't take x-rays for some reason; apparently his x-ray machine wasn't working that day. But, according to the view presented by "Investigative Reports," it's all an innocent coincidence feeding the fevered brains of "conspiracy theorists."

Not really covered by "Investigative Reports" was the expert handwriting analysis showing the so-called "Foster suicide note" is a forgery. Not covered was that no skull fragments from Foster's exploding cranium were found at the scene. Not answered for were the carpet fibers on Foster's clothing nor the pristine condition of his shoes.

Why didn't recoil from the pistol throw it away from Foster? Park Police say the thumb got caught in the trigger guard. Why no fingerprints on the pistol? Something to do with the pistol not conducive to retaining prints. Why the lack of blood at the scene? The "investigative report" suggests the heart stopped pumping and also that what blood there was got soaked into the ground. (But why did the trail of blood on Foster's face flow in three different directions, including uphill?)

Given minor air time were Hugh Sprunt, Reed Irvine, G. Gordon Liddy, and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. Given plenty of air time were the Park Police (two in handsome uniforms and all three shot at least once from a camera angle designed to make them appear quite large indeed.) Also given plenty of sympathetic coverage were grieving Foster friends (guitar softly strumming in the background) made to suffer the cruelty of "conspiracy theorists." Conclusion? These "conspiracy theorists" aren't after the truth, they're sickos and sadists.

Congrats to Bill Kurtis on a slick P.R. job meant to persuade amateurs that Foster became suicidal due to Washington stress. To the underinformed (underinformed thanks to "investigative reports" like yours, Bill) your program came across as possibly an honest search for the truth. To this editor, among a minority that somehow has gained access to more of the facts -- facts which indisputably show Foster did not commit suicide where his body was found -- Bill Kurtis has revealed his true colors.