[LEAPSECS] ISO 8601 Z designator improper before 1972?

[Gerard Ashton]

I asked "is it fair to conclude that it is improper to use the 'Z'
designator for any
date/time in the ISO 8601 format prior to 1 January 1972?"

Poul-Henning Kamp replied "No. 'Zulu Time' is much older than 1972 and the
'Z' 
designator goes waaay back."

I must disagree with that reasoning. The meaning of a word with a
long-standing
meaning may be redefined within a particular document. For example, a law
might specify that within that particular act, the word "state" includes
Puerto Rico, even though that defies the ordinary meaning of "state".
Similarly, within ISO 8601, "Z" designates "UTC" and any meaning it may
have had for most of the 20th century outside that standard is irrelevant.

Gerry Ashton