ACR RPTR THINKS HE RECEIVED A CLRNC TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. CTLR DENIES IT. NO CONFLICT.

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ACFT CALL SIGN WAS ACR X; AN LTT FROM MKE TO FNT. CAPT (MYSELF) CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC FROM GATE AND RECEIVED CLRNC FROM GND CTL TO TAXI TO RWY 19R AT MKE. CAPT PROCEEDED TO TAXI TO THE RWY AND THE FO PROCEEDED WITH THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. CAPT FLIPPED RADIO TO TWR FREQ AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME AND SPOKE THE FOLLOWING 'MILWAUKEE TWR ACR X READY 19R.' CAPT HEARD THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE. 'ACR X TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD' CAPT PROCEEDED TO TURN THE CORNER AND TAXI ONTO THE RWY 19R AND CALLED FOR THE 'FINAL ITEMS CHKLIST.' CAPT VISUALLY CONFIRMED THERE WAS NO TFC ON APCH END HEARD NOTHING ON THE TWR FREQ. CAPT TAXIED ONTO POS ON THE RWY AND APPROX 15 SECONDS ELAPSED WHEN TWR CTLR SAID THE FOLLOWING: ACR X MAKE 180 AND TAXI OFF RWY; TFC ON FINAL. CAPT PROCEEDED TO THE END ABOUT 1/2 MIN LATER AN ACR LGT CAME INTO VIEW ON APCH. CAPT QUERIED THE CTLR AND STATED HE HAD RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI ONTO THE ACTIVE AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC BEFORE TAXIING ONTO THE RWY. CTLR SAID THAT WAS NOT WHAT HE SAID AND REISSUED TAXI ONTO ACTIVE RWY CLRNC. CAPT PROCEEDED TO DO THIS AND A NORMAL DEP ENSUED. NO EVASIVE ACTION; PRIORITY; DELAY OR CONFLICT TOOK PLACE AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT. CAPT WAS AND STILL IS SURE HE WAS GIVEN THE CLRNC TO TAXI ONTO THE RWY AND VERBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIPT OF THE CLRNC. THE FO SAID HE WAS BUSY WITH THE CHKLIST AND WAS NOT REALLY LISTENING TO THE COMS TAKING PLACE. SOME PROBLEMS BROUGHT FORTH BY THIS INCIDENT ARE AS FOLLOWS: CAPT ASSUMED THE FO WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED WHEREAS IN REALITY HE WAS NOT FOLLOWING THE EVENTS. THE CTLR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE CAPTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CLRNC IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SECONDLY; COULD HAVE ISSUED A CLRNC TO HOLD SHORT IF HE HAD NOTICED THE ACFT DOING SOMETHING AS CLOSELY AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THIS COULD HAVE POSSIBLY CHANGED THE COURSE OF EVENTS.