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CNN Live Today

Departure of Traditions Taking Place

Aired September 13, 2001 - 14:14   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.
AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN's Bob Franken is at the Pentagon. Bob, good afternoon to you. What do you have?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, I wanted to tell you a moment ago you were talking about how "normal" is changing so much in the United States now. I was fascinated by the conversation you had a while ago with our national security correspondent David Ensor, talking about the different role that intelligence and security might play in the life of the United States.

A departure from the traditions here, and there was another example today of how the face of life in the United States might be changing when the deputy secretary of defense, Paul Wolfowitz, at a briefing, talked about jet aircraft, the combat aircraft we have seen over Washington, D.C. and New York the last couple of days as the country has tried to protect itself.

Military aircraft flying over the United States. Now Wolfowitz put it very mildly, he is an understated man. But he talked about something quite remarkable during the briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are costs already incurred with the combat air patrols that have been maintained over a significant number of American cities including Washington. The cost mount rapidly and will mount more rapidly as this campaign develops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: This has not been something the United States has seen, at least not in what have been called peace time. Of course, many people are saying, what we had here is a declaration of war on the United States. Now you might be able to see over my shoulder the large American flag that has been unfurled over the Pentagon. That was put there by people just trying to express the continuing spirit of the U.S. in the face of the collision with the aircraft right next to it.

Now, one of the people whose office was on the fourth floor under the flag managed to survive. It is Dick Goodman who is a Navy lieutenant, who talked to me a while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we were out in the courtyard there were some people that were injured and having trouble breathing. Helped them out as best we could. The people from the health clinic at the Pentagon hadn't come out yet with equipment yet, so made do with what you could, tried to calm some people down, clear airways.

And I went back with a group of other people that had some medical training and with the security folks, headed back into the building to see if there were other people who needed assistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And you can see the flag that is on the Pentagon. Under that flag on the fourth floor was Lieutenant Greg Goodman's office. Describing what happened after he was able to get away and go out on the courthouse. Now, he was lucky, he was one of the survivors.

We are now being told by various people within the Pentagon, that they are now expecting the final casualty count will be -- not casualty count, but the number of people who are killed by what occurred here, will be approximately 190. And that would include the 64 who were on the American Airlines plane that crashed two days ago into the Pentagon. You can still see the evidence of it there.

Body recovery is still going on and Aaron, we are told that the remains will be taken to Dover, Delaware. That has been the place where the other victims of other wars that the United States has fought, other military actions, have been brought as they've been returned to the U.S. Of course, from this particular case, these are remains of people who died in what many people say is a military action in the United States -- Aaron.

BROWN: The number again, just for clarification, includes the people in the plane that hit the Pentagon and the people in the Pentagon itself who were lost, correct?

FRANKEN: That's right. It is 194, including the 64 on the plane as well as those who they believe that they are going to find inside.

BROWN: And we go back about 24 hours, and I think you might have been in the briefing, Bob, when Secretary Rumsfeld said that the reports that were coming out at the time, which had death toll much, much higher, I believe the number that was being tossed around was about 800, was considerably too high.

One never looks at a number like this, 194 people, and says it is good news, but is certainly better news than what it might have been.

FRANKEN: The people at the Pentagon, to be honest with you, were very irritated that that figure had been bandied about. We made a real point yesterday throughout the reporting to say that that was one estimate, an estimate from a fire chief here who admitted that he was only guessing. The Pentagon people repeatedly said, they didn't believe it was going to be that high.

Then they told us that there were about 150 military people who were unaccounted for who were inside the building and now their estimate and I underline estimate is that there will be about 190.

BROWN: Bob, thanks. Bob Franken at the Pentagon.

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