George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

Several days after Mierzejewski's interview was published, Bush's office obtained and
released to the press a copy of the (undated) squadron log report. One Donald Rhodes of
Bush's office called Mierzejewksi to offer him a copy of the report.
It is typical of Joe Hyams' hack work for Bush in The Flight of the Avenger that he never
mentions Mierzejewksi's critical account, although he is obviously acutely aware of the
objections raised by Mierzejewski and wants very much to discredit those objections.
Indeed, Hyams totally ignores Mierzejewski as a source, and also studiously ignores the
other witness who would have supported Mierzejewski, that is to say Mueller. Hyams
had the support of Bush's White House staff in arranging interviews for his book, but
somehow he never got around to talking to Mierzejewski and Mueller. This must increase
our suspicion that Bush has some damning cicrumstance he wishes to hide.
Bush himself admits that he was in a big hurry to get out of his cockpit: "The wind was
playing tricks, or more likely, I pulled the rip cord too soon." [fn 9] This caused his
gashed forehead and damaged his parachute.
Concerning the ability of Brown Brothers, Harriman to fix a combat report in naval
aviation, it is clear that this could be accomplished as easily as fixing a parking ticket.
Artemus Gates is someone who could have helped out. Other Brown Brothers, Harriman
assets in powerful posts included Secretary of War Stimson, Secretary of War for Air
Robert Lovett, Special Envoy W. Averell Harriman, and even President Roosevelt's
confidant and virtual alter ego, Harry Hopkins, an asset of the Harriman family.
Bush was very upset about what had happened to his two crewmen. Later, during one of
his Skull and Bones "Life History" self-exposures, Bush referred to Lt. White, the Skull
and Bones member who had gone to his death with the Barbara II: "I wish I hadn't let him
go," said Bush, according to former Congressman Thomas W. L. (Lud) Ashley, a fellow
Skull and Bones member and during 1991 one of the administrators of the Neil Bush
legal defense fund. According to Ashley, "Bush was heartbroken. He had gone over it in
his mind 100,000 times and concluded he couldn't have done anything....He didn't feel
guilty about anything that happened....But the incident was a source of real grief to him.
It tore him up, real anguish. It was so fresh in his mind. He had a real friendship with this
man," said Ashley. [fn 10]
Bush later wrote letters to the families of the men who had died on his plane. He received
a reply from Delaney's sister, Mary Jane Delaney. The letter read in part:
You mention in your letter that you would like to help me in some way. There is a way,
and that is to stop thinking you are in any way responsible for your plane accident and
what has happened to your men. I might have thought you were if my brother Jack had
not always spoken of you as the best pilot in the squadron. [fn 11]
Bush also wrote a letter to his parents in which he talked about White and Delaney: "I try
to think about it as little as possible, yet I cannot get the thought of those two out of my
mind. Oh, I'm OK- I want to fly again and I won't be scared of it, but I know I won't be