/  Dr. Katz and Dr. Kussman

In November 2007, CBS News aired a report on veterans' suicides.  Reporter Armen Keteyian found that in 2005 alone, more than 6,250 veterans had killed themselves.

On December 12, Dr. Ira Katz, the V.A.'s head of mental health, stepped before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and attacked CBS's suicide figures, saying they were "not, in fact, an accurate reflection of the [suicide] rate."

Three days later, in private, Katz writes this confidential email affirming CBS's suicide figures as a flat fact.

  /  Dr. Katz and Ev Chasen

In February, Dr. Katz returned to his computer, this time to express dire concerns about the growing number of veteran suicides.  Katz is writing to Ev Chasen, his media advisor.

He tells Chasen that there are "about 1000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see in our medical facilities."  It is information he does not want the public to see.  Katz begins the email by writing, "Shh!" and ends it by asking, "Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?"

In his reply, Chasen ponders whether the suicide figures could be framed for the public as "good news."  Both men do not want Keteyian to broadcast these figures.  Their emails are titled: "Not for the CBS News Interview Request."