Ottawa, March 29, 2000 - National Archives documents are most frequently used for genealogy purposes, exhibitions, television documentaries and films, and historical publications. Occasionally, they are also used for legal purposes. You will have an opportunity to see one instance of such use on this week’s episode of the CBC’s the fifth estate- His word against history.

Two years ago, new information emerged relating to the 1959 Truscott case which raised more questions about its outcome. So nearly 40 years after the verdict, the fifth estate decided to revisit the famous criminal case of Steven Truscott, who in 1959 at age 14, was accused and found guilty of the rape and murder of a young girl. Their research led them to consult, among other sources, military files from the National Archives Personnel Records which shed new light on the case.

the fifth estate will reveal details of its research on this week’s program which raises new questions about the murder investigation. This episode airs on Wednesday, March 29 at 8 p.m. The show will be rebroadcast Thursday at 10 p.m., Friday at 3 a.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBC Newsworld. More details on the program can be found on the CBC’s Web site at http://tv.cbc.ca/fifth/truscott, where some of the archival documents used will also be available following the show.