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American Morning

Interview with George Bush Sr.

Aired September 20, 2002 - 07:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: For the past two days, we have followed George Bush Sr., as he made an emotional trip into his past, visiting the Japanese island where he was shot down during World War II. His personal journey is a model for how things have changed between the two former enemies.
Now, as the U.S. prepares to go to war potentially against Iraq, Mr. Bush predicts that someday, there will actually be peace and friendship between America and Iraq, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It was a heartfelt welcome for a one-time enemy. George Bush returning to the tiny Japanese island of Chichi Jima nearly 60 years after he came as a Navy pilot to bomb the place.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I keep thinking back to then vs. now. And then, any Japanese guy would be an enemy, whether there is a military or not.

Here we go. Thank you.

ZAHN: For the former president of the United States...

BUSH: You're welcome. Look at these young girls.

ZAHN: ... his return to Chichi Jima is a sign of how far he has come...

BUSH: Hi.

ZAHN: ... and how far the U.S. and Japan have come.

BUSH: Good to see you. Nice to meet you, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The carrier readies their attack planes. The men arm them and fuel them.

ZAHN: Fifty-eight years ago, George Bush and the Japanese on Chichi Jima were in the midst of some of the bloodiest combat of World War II. In the summer of 1944, U.S. forces systematically bombed island after island, as Japanese soldiers dug in and kamikaze pilots counterattacked.

On September 2, Bush's Avenger plane was hit by Japanese fire over Chichi Jima. He parachuted into the water, and after nearly three hours in a raft, was rescued by a U.S. submarine. His two crewmembers were lost -- two of the tens of thousands killed on both sides in the war in the Pacific.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gallant men who gave their lives go to their honored graves.

ZAHN: The scale of the losses and the brutality of the Japanese military during the Pacific War made it hard for American veterans and much of the American public to forgive their enemy, and much of the anger was directed at the Japanese emperor, Hirohito.

BUSH: I had been taught that an 18, 19-year-old kid fighting for his country that this was the epitome of all evil -- he and Hitler.

ZAHN: Yet, after the war, Bush says his position softened.

BUSH: Beautiful girl.

ZAHN: Though deeply affected by what he witnessed in combat, he began to see Japan in a new light.

BUSH: Free elections, determination not to arm themselves with nuclear weapons. I began to say, look, there's been a huge C change here. There's an amazing change.

ZAHN: Years later as president, Bush would further acknowledge the changes, and he made a statement when Hirohito died in 1989.

BUSH: We have a strong relationship with Japan, and what I am symbolizing is not the past, but the present and the future, by going there.

I ended up going to his funeral in Tokyo when a lot of heads of state wouldn't do it, because of the brutality of the past. Some of the veteran's organizations didn't like my going there.

ZAHN: A commitment to reconciliation wasn't the only lesson George Bush learned from his experience in World War II.

BUSH: Being in World War II, I think, helped me as president understand what it was like to send somebody's kid into combat.

ZAHN: When deciding to send U.S. troops into Panama, Bush says he felt some of the same pains he had as a 20-year-old Navy pilot.

BUSH: I remember the night before the battle started, before all signals were go, of feeling a physical pain across my shoulders and neck, it was excruciating. I grabbed a couple of Tylenol, and that didn't help a damn bit. And I guess what I'm saying is, there is -- the feeling was not of fear, but of custodianship, of being responsible for someone else.

BUSH: Did it work? Good to see you, fellows.

ZAHN: The wait was even greater during the Gulf War, the largest U.S. deployment since World War II. Fortunately for Bush, Iraq's surrender came quickly.

BUSH: Now, what do I do with him? Just put him down? OK, guy, go get him, Flipper (ph).

ZAHN: Now, as Bush returns to the South Pacific, the nation is at war again, and may be headed back into battle in Iraq.

(on camera): To this day, how much do you regret that your mission didn't take you all the way to Baghdad?

BUSH: I have no regrets about that, because I know what would have happened. I know that the coalition would have shattered. My only regret is that I was wrong, as was every other leader, that in thinking that Saddam Hussein would be gone. We had an objective. We told our military commanders, here is your objective. They saluted from halfway around the world, who said, mission complete sir. And that's the way it was, and that's the way it should have been.

Now, am I happy Saddam Hussein is there? Absolutely not. But am I going to be moved by the Monday-morning critics, who now say we should have done it differently who were totally silent back then? No, we shouldn't have. But should we do something about Saddam Hussein? Well, that's the problem facing the president of the United States of America, not me.

ZAHN: To this day, how much are you haunted by Saddam Hussein?

BUSH: Not at all.

ZAHN: But you hate him.

BUSH: Oh, yes. I hate Saddam Hussein, and I don't hate a lot of people. I don't hate easily, but I think he is -- as I say, his word is no good, and he is a brute. He has used poison gas on his own people. So, there's nothing redeeming about this man, and I have nothing but hatred in my heart for him. But he's got a lot of problems, but immortality isn't one of them.

ZAHN (voice-over): Despite his declared hatred for Saddam Hussein, George Bush remains hopeful about Iraq, in part because of his sense of history. He fought the Japanese in World War II, and lived to see mortal enemies become friends.

BUSH: Someday, you're going to be able to look at Iraq and say what I now say about Japan and Germany, not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And that ends our three-part series, Bill, with the president. He had a lot to say about what his son faces down the road. He told us how he thinks faith will play a huge role in providing strength for his son as he has to make some very tough decisions.

But I thought that it was pretty profound that at the end of the many days we spent with him, the president really believes that someday, as he just said, that the world will be able to look at Iraq and say what they now say about Japan and Germany. And he made it clear that might not happen today, not tomorrow, but he really believes that will happen at some point.

Now, Bill, he was not referring to Saddam Hussein. He made it very clear, "Iraq."

Bill is over there someplace.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I am over here, actually.

It's been a wonderful series this week, Paula. And just to see this man on this personal journey, how much it means to him, how emotional he got with you, especially throughout all of these entire interviews. It was really -- it's a man who has given this incredible thought for so many decades. Great stuff to see, and a great series, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired September 20, 2002 - 07:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: For the past two days, we have followed George Bush Sr., as he made an emotional trip into his past, visiting the Japanese island where he was shot down during World War II. His personal journey is a model for how things have changed between the two former enemies.
Now, as the U.S. prepares to go to war potentially against Iraq, Mr. Bush predicts that someday, there will actually be peace and friendship between America and Iraq, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It was a heartfelt welcome for a one-time enemy. George Bush returning to the tiny Japanese island of Chichi Jima nearly 60 years after he came as a Navy pilot to bomb the place.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I keep thinking back to then vs. now. And then, any Japanese guy would be an enemy, whether there is a military or not.

Here we go. Thank you.

ZAHN: For the former president of the United States...

BUSH: You're welcome. Look at these young girls.

ZAHN: ... his return to Chichi Jima is a sign of how far he has come...

BUSH: Hi.

ZAHN: ... and how far the U.S. and Japan have come.

BUSH: Good to see you. Nice to meet you, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The carrier readies their attack planes. The men arm them and fuel them.

ZAHN: Fifty-eight years ago, George Bush and the Japanese on Chichi Jima were in the midst of some of the bloodiest combat of World War II. In the summer of 1944, U.S. forces systematically bombed island after island, as Japanese soldiers dug in and kamikaze pilots counterattacked.

On September 2, Bush's Avenger plane was hit by Japanese fire over Chichi Jima. He parachuted into the water, and after nearly three hours in a raft, was rescued by a U.S. submarine. His two crewmembers were lost -- two of the tens of thousands killed on both sides in the war in the Pacific.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gallant men who gave their lives go to their honored graves.

ZAHN: The scale of the losses and the brutality of the Japanese military during the Pacific War made it hard for American veterans and much of the American public to forgive their enemy, and much of the anger was directed at the Japanese emperor, Hirohito.

BUSH: I had been taught that an 18, 19-year-old kid fighting for his country that this was the epitome of all evil -- he and Hitler.

ZAHN: Yet, after the war, Bush says his position softened.

BUSH: Beautiful girl.

ZAHN: Though deeply affected by what he witnessed in combat, he began to see Japan in a new light.

BUSH: Free elections, determination not to arm themselves with nuclear weapons. I began to say, look, there's been a huge C change here. There's an amazing change.

ZAHN: Years later as president, Bush would further acknowledge the changes, and he made a statement when Hirohito died in 1989.

BUSH: We have a strong relationship with Japan, and what I am symbolizing is not the past, but the present and the future, by going there.

I ended up going to his funeral in Tokyo when a lot of heads of state wouldn't do it, because of the brutality of the past. Some of the veteran's organizations didn't like my going there.

ZAHN: A commitment to reconciliation wasn't the only lesson George Bush learned from his experience in World War II.

BUSH: Being in World War II, I think, helped me as president understand what it was like to send somebody's kid into combat.

ZAHN: When deciding to send U.S. troops into Panama, Bush says he felt some of the same pains he had as a 20-year-old Navy pilot.

BUSH: I remember the night before the battle started, before all signals were go, of feeling a physical pain across my shoulders and neck, it was excruciating. I grabbed a couple of Tylenol, and that didn't help a damn bit. And I guess what I'm saying is, there is -- the feeling was not of fear, but of custodianship, of being responsible for someone else.

BUSH: Did it work? Good to see you, fellows.

ZAHN: The wait was even greater during the Gulf War, the largest U.S. deployment since World War II. Fortunately for Bush, Iraq's surrender came quickly.

BUSH: Now, what do I do with him? Just put him down? OK, guy, go get him, Flipper (ph).

ZAHN: Now, as Bush returns to the South Pacific, the nation is at war again, and may be headed back into battle in Iraq.

(on camera): To this day, how much do you regret that your mission didn't take you all the way to Baghdad?

BUSH: I have no regrets about that, because I know what would have happened. I know that the coalition would have shattered. My only regret is that I was wrong, as was every other leader, that in thinking that Saddam Hussein would be gone. We had an objective. We told our military commanders, here is your objective. They saluted from halfway around the world, who said, mission complete sir. And that's the way it was, and that's the way it should have been.

Now, am I happy Saddam Hussein is there? Absolutely not. But am I going to be moved by the Monday-morning critics, who now say we should have done it differently who were totally silent back then? No, we shouldn't have. But should we do something about Saddam Hussein? Well, that's the problem facing the president of the United States of America, not me.

ZAHN: To this day, how much are you haunted by Saddam Hussein?

BUSH: Not at all.

ZAHN: But you hate him.

BUSH: Oh, yes. I hate Saddam Hussein, and I don't hate a lot of people. I don't hate easily, but I think he is -- as I say, his word is no good, and he is a brute. He has used poison gas on his own people. So, there's nothing redeeming about this man, and I have nothing but hatred in my heart for him. But he's got a lot of problems, but immortality isn't one of them.

ZAHN (voice-over): Despite his declared hatred for Saddam Hussein, George Bush remains hopeful about Iraq, in part because of his sense of history. He fought the Japanese in World War II, and lived to see mortal enemies become friends.

BUSH: Someday, you're going to be able to look at Iraq and say what I now say about Japan and Germany, not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And that ends our three-part series, Bill, with the president. He had a lot to say about what his son faces down the road. He told us how he thinks faith will play a huge role in providing strength for his son as he has to make some very tough decisions.

But I thought that it was pretty profound that at the end of the many days we spent with him, the president really believes that someday, as he just said, that the world will be able to look at Iraq and say what they now say about Japan and Germany. And he made it clear that might not happen today, not tomorrow, but he really believes that will happen at some point.

Now, Bill, he was not referring to Saddam Hussein. He made it very clear, "Iraq."

Bill is over there someplace.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I am over here, actually.

It's been a wonderful series this week, Paula. And just to see this man on this personal journey, how much it means to him, how emotional he got with you, especially throughout all of these entire interviews. It was really -- it's a man who has given this incredible thought for so many decades. Great stuff to see, and a great series, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.