CL65 CREW DISAGREES WITH ARTCC ABOUT WHAT THE CLRNC IS. TCASII IS THE RESULT FOLLOWED BY NEW CLRNC.

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ON OUR FLT WE HAD; ACCORDING TO ATC; AN ALTDEV AROUND THE BOWER INTXN ON THE ARR TO CINCINNATI. WE WERE TOLD TO CROSS BOWER AT FL240; WHICH WE DID. WE THEN RECEIVED A CLRNC TO DSND NOW TO FL230 AND CROSS TIGER AT 11000 FT; WHICH I HEARD THE CAPT READ BACK TO THE CTLR. ACCORDING TO THE CTLR; WE NEVER RECEIVED THIS CLRNC. AT AROUND FL230 WE GOT A TCASII TA AND THE CTLR TOLD US TO EXPEDITE THROUGH FL220; WHICH WE DID. WE SAW THE OTHER ACFT PASS ABOUT 1200 FT OVERHEAD AND ABOUT 1 MI AWAY. THE CTLR DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE UNTIL WE WERE PASSING THROUGH FL200. WHEN HE ASKED US WHAT ALT WE WERE CLRED TO; THE CAPT RESPONDED THAT WE WERE 'CLRED TO FL230 NOW AND CROSS TIGER AT 11000 FT.' THE CTLR CAME BACK AND SAID NEGATIVE AND TO MAINTAIN FL200. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR WHO TOLD US TO CALL INDIANAPOLIS QUALITY ASSURANCE. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THESE WERE THE CLRNCS THAT WE RECEIVED. IF AN ERROR DID OCCUR; I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET IT WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WERE ON A CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHT. WE ARRIVED IN MHT AT XA00 AND WENT TO THE HOTEL. WE THEN WOKE UP AT XD15 TO GO BACK TO THE ARPT FOR AN XF00 DEP. TOTAL SLEEP TIME WAS MAY BE 2 HRS 15 MINS. AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE WE WERE ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS INTO THE 2 HR FLT AND WERE BEGINNING TO FEEL THE LACK OF REST. IS THIS TYPE OF OVERNIGHT LEGAL? YES IT IS; BUT CERTAINLY NOT SAFE.