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CNN Live At Daybreak
Talk with Homeland Defense Chief Tom Ridge; Anthrax Scare Has Lots of People Taking Plenty of Precautions with Mail, But Not Santa Claus.
Aired December 18, 2001 - 05:30 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The anthrax scare sidetracked Tom Ridge before the homeland defense chief could draw up a national strategy. But Ridge has now given his plan to CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: One possibility Tom Ridge discussed terrorist sabotage of a chemical facility.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND DEFENSE CHIEF: It's conceivable and instead of importing chemicals into the United States of America, they might find some way to use a preexisting source right here in the United States against us, as they have done with airplanes and envelopes.
MESERVE: Can you quantify that threat?
RIDGE: Well we know that the chemical industry is one of the most important and largest industries we have in this country. We know that there are chemical facilities all over this country.
MESERVE: Right now there are no federal counter terrorism security standards for chemical plants. I asked Ridge if there should be.
RIDGE: Because of the terrorist attacks, the companies themselves and the part of security community has obviously upgraded, but to date we don't have any standard, but ...
(CROSSTALK)
MESERVE: And isn't that a concern?
(CROSSTALK)
RIDGE: We're going to have to have a standard.
MESERVE: Any idea what that standard will look like?
RIDGE: Not at this point.
MESERVE: One of those things you're working on?
(CROSSTALK)
RIDGE: Standard that was part of an overall national strategy.
MESERVE: Ridge was sidetracked from piecing together that national strategy by the anthrax attacks. The FBI as part of its investigation is reportedly looking at a CIA bio-warfare program. Ridge didn't want to comment on the probe, but I asked him about reports in "The Washington Post" that the FBI only found out about the CIA program in recent weeks.
RIDGE: Now one of the things that the president has commissioned me to do with his executive orders make sure that the gap or delay in information sharing no longer exists as we combat this war on terror.
MESERVE: But does this indicate that the gap still does exist?
RIDGE: Well I think it indicates that I've got some work to do.
MESERVE: Some Americans have responded to the September 11th attacks by purchasing firearms. Gun and ammunition sales are up. I asked Ridge about that phenomenon.
RIDGE: The casual acquisition - the personal acquisition of a firearm I don't think is necessarily going to enhance national security. It may give a - an individual or family a greater sense of comfort, but at the end of the day, that's not the best anecdote to 21st Century terrorist attacks.
MESERVE: Ridge says better intelligence and intelligence sharing is part of the solution, so is technology. Looking down the road he hopes that Americans will see visible signs that the country is safer and more secure and that they will feel it in their hearts as well.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Of course Mr. Ridge is focusing on new threats to homeland security and anthrax is one of them. And a second attempt to fumigate the Hart Senate Building has been delayed by mechanical problems. No word when the fumigation will be completed now. Meanwhile the Longworth House office building has been cleared of anthrax. But officials say it won't reopen for about a week.
Well anthrax scare has lots of people taking plenty of precautions with their mail, but not Santa Claus. The letters he gets have all the characteristics of contaminated mail. Crude, block letters, incomplete postage, and no return addresses. But boys and girls don't worry, CNN's Beth Nissen says old Kris Kringle is getting your wish list.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The signs are in post offices and mail rooms across the country, warning those who receive mail and those who deliver it to be on the alert for suspicious letters and packages. That's something of a challenge for the post office in North Pole Alaska. This time of year they get 3,000 pieces of mail a day for Santa Claus and almost all of it fits the United States Postal Service description of what's suspicious.
DONNA MATTHEWS: Some of them do not even look like letters. They just - they just seem to find their way here.
NISSEN: Most of the letters to Santa are written in crude block printing and addressed simply to Santa Claus, North Pole, except for this one from a geographically-challenged child. Thousands of letters to Santa have no return address or incomplete return addresses. Senders may assume a return address is unnecessary since Santa already knows where everyone lives. According to the U.S. Postal Service, it can be a warning sign if the letter is mailed from a foreign country or if the letter carries excessive postage.
Many letters to Santa have the wrong postage or no postage. The sender of this Santa letter made his own stamp from an (INAUDIBLE) post-it note. Postal employees are also told to keep watch for packages sealed in an unusual way with excessive tape or string, for instance.
MATTHEWS: Like this isn't even an envelope. It's just stapled together. No postage. No nothing.
NISSEN: How is the North Pole post office handling all of this suspicious mail?
MATTHEWS: Business as usual. Everything is exactly the same. We are still getting the mail and handling it exactly as we have for many, many years and getting it to Santa.
NISSEN: To confirm that CNN went to Santa Claus' house in the North Pole. It says it's his house right on the side, and checked with the man to whom all those letters are addressed. It says his legal name is Kris Kringle right on his driver's license. Santa Claus reports no fall-off in the number of Christmas wish lists he is getting in person.
KRIS KRINGLE: (INAUDIBLE) anything and everything that you liked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well I kind of like the (INAUDIBLE) octopus and I think I could bring them into the water with my shark.
NISSEN: But what of requests for toy sharks and accompanying octopi (ph) that might come by post. Are you getting your mail?
KRINGLE: You know I'm definitely getting a lot of mail. I got quite a few of these. This one here is in from U.K., Oregon, New York, Illinois.
NISSEN: He has stacks full - sacks full of officially suspicious mail. It's blocked letters. There's only a partial return address.
KRINGLE: Right. NISSEN: Even this envelope got to you.
KRINGLE: Right.
NISSEN: Santa is even receiving the most alarming kinds of suspicious mail - the packages described as lopsided or uneven, with a strange odor or with oily stains. What do children send you in addition to Christmas lists?
KRINGLE: Candy, cookies, ribbons, bows, oats, wheat - a little bit - anything and everything.
NISSEN: Oats, wheat.
KRINGLE: Well they bring that for my reindeer.
NISSEN: These two reindeer identified as Donner and Blitzen by unnamed sources are said to have received a few mailed carrots just days ago. Santa says he'll be reading his mail right up until Christmas Eve.
KRINGLE: Here is my Christmas list. (INAUDIBLE) roller skates and computer and the markers and the Barbie house.
NISSEN: What does he say to the very idea that new postal precautions will delay or disrupt mail to Santa this year.
KRINGLE: Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Ho. Merry Christmas and I'll see you soon.
NISSEN: Beth Nissen, CNN, North Pole, Alaska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: So your letters will be treated with gloves by Santa - kid gloves.
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