White House "Thanksgiving" Lies?: British Airways Spots Air Force One

Hi.

An artical by Elisabeth Bumiller ( New York Times reporter) printed in The Halifax Herald Limited and at ( http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2003/11/29/fJournal237.raw.html ) told us (in part) that:
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On the flight over, Air Force One had come within sight of a British Airways plane, Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director, told reporters on the trip, according to the transcript.

The British Airways pilot radioed over and asked, Bartlett said, "Did I just see Air Force One?" There was silence from the Air Force One pilot, who then replied, "Gulfstream 5."

There was a longer silence from the British Airways pilot, Bartlett said, who, seeming to get that he was in on a secret, then said, "Oh."
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Now over at Washingtonpost.com
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26718-2003Dec1.html ) they are reporting (in part) that:

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Reuters
Tuesday, December 2, 2003; Page A03
 

British Airways said yesterday that none of its pilots made contact with President Bush's plane during its secret flight to Baghdad on Thanksgiving, contradicting White House reports of a midair exchange that nearly prompted Bush to call off his trip. Honor Verrier, a spokeswoman for British Airways in North America, said two British Airways aircraft were in the area at the time and neither radioed the president's plane to ask if it was Air Force One.
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