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Bush military records 'destroyed'
Military records relating to George W Bush's National Guard service more than 30 years ago have been accidentally destroyed, the Pentagon has said.
The New York Times quoted an office of the department as saying the records were lost as staff tried to salvage deteriorating microfilm.
Critics say the current US president used family influence to join the National Guard to avoid the draft.
The White House has released some records in a bid to refute the charges.
But there was no mention of the loss of records in February when these pages were issued.
Doubts were first raised nationally about Mr Bush's service during the 2000 presidential campaign and the issue has resurfaced as Mr Bush fights for re-election.
Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, has said Mr Bush must come clean on what he did.
'Inadvertent destruction'
The loss was announced by the Pentagon's Office of Freedom of Information and Security Review in letters to the New York Times and other news organisations, the paper said.
"The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has advised of the inadvertent destruction of microfilm containing certain National Guard payroll records," the letter, signed by the office's chief C Y Talbott, was quoted as saying.
It added that in 1996 and 1997 the microfilm records of "numerous service members" from the first quarter of 1969 and the third quarter of 1972 were ruined. Mr Bush's records from those two periods were among those lost, it said.
The 1969 period is not contentious for Mr Bush, as it is already known he was training to be a pilot at the time.
But in 1972 he moved to Alabama to work on a political campaign, and opponents say he failed to turn up for guard duties during this time.
The lost records might have thrown some light on whether he fulfilled his legal commitment, the paper said.
In February the release of hundreds of pages from 1968-73 gave no indication of anything out of the ordinary, but equally no new evidence was found to rebut critics.
Then in June, the Associated Press news agency filed a suit in New York to gain access to all the president's military records.
Mr Bush trained as a pilot while a member of the Texas and Alabama air national guard but never flew in combat.
He left the national guard in 1973 with an honourable discharge to attend Harvard Business School. He said that proves he did nothing wrong.
Military records relating to George W Bush's National Guard service more than 30 years ago have been accidentally destroyed, the Pentagon has said.
The New York Times quoted an office of the department as saying the records were lost as staff tried to salvage deteriorating microfilm.
Critics say the current US president used family influence to join the National Guard to avoid the draft.
The White House has released some records in a bid to refute the charges.
But there was no mention of the loss of records in February when these pages were issued.
Doubts were first raised nationally about Mr Bush's service during the 2000 presidential campaign and the issue has resurfaced as Mr Bush fights for re-election.
Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, has said Mr Bush must come clean on what he did.
'Inadvertent destruction'
The loss was announced by the Pentagon's Office of Freedom of Information and Security Review in letters to the New York Times and other news organisations, the paper said.
"The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has advised of the inadvertent destruction of microfilm containing certain National Guard payroll records," the letter, signed by the office's chief C Y Talbott, was quoted as saying.
It added that in 1996 and 1997 the microfilm records of "numerous service members" from the first quarter of 1969 and the third quarter of 1972 were ruined. Mr Bush's records from those two periods were among those lost, it said.
The 1969 period is not contentious for Mr Bush, as it is already known he was training to be a pilot at the time.
But in 1972 he moved to Alabama to work on a political campaign, and opponents say he failed to turn up for guard duties during this time.
The lost records might have thrown some light on whether he fulfilled his legal commitment, the paper said.
In February the release of hundreds of pages from 1968-73 gave no indication of anything out of the ordinary, but equally no new evidence was found to rebut critics.
Then in June, the Associated Press news agency filed a suit in New York to gain access to all the president's military records.
Mr Bush trained as a pilot while a member of the Texas and Alabama air national guard but never flew in combat.
He left the national guard in 1973 with an honourable discharge to attend Harvard Business School. He said that proves he did nothing wrong.
Shrubs lies are getting so obvious it's hilarious. Bush is screwed. the only way we can get reelected is by a rigged vote. Even conservatives I know are ready to give Dear Leader the boot. 
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