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CNN Live Today

Interview With Jane Perlez

Aired March 21, 2003 - 10:43   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Ryan Chilcote, meanwhile, northern edge of Kuwait, stationed with the 101st Airborne Division, quickly before nightfall tonight, Ryan filed this report from his location there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elements of the 101st Airborne Division have moved out of the camp in Kuwait to an assembly area here in the Kuwaiti desert. I'd like to show you a bit of the assembly area now.

We're going to go into now what is a "hasty". In other words a in other words, a foxhole that the soldiers have hastily dug. That's a defensive position. There is some cover, should there be some kind of incoming missiles.

There have been a lot of SCUD alarms already, three yesterday, one today already. Three confirmed missile attacks. This is to protect the soldiers should there be one on their position, to protect them from any kind of shrapnel.

The soldiers also in their chemical suits now. This is what's called mop one. It's the first of four stages of readiness for a chemical attack, or a chemical threat. It's the jacket that they're wearing, and the pants. Obviously, it's pretty hot here now. We're in midday. And the soldiers are sitting in the shade waiting for action, because it is pretty hot out in the open air.

Ryan Chilcote CNN, with the 101st Airborne in the Kuwaiti desert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Ryan, thanks. And we'll check in later as the events warrant, with Ryan.

Meanwhile, Central Command has moved its command post from Tampa, Florida to the country of Qatar. Jane Perlez is a writer for "The New York Times" and now joins us by way of Doha in Qatar.

And Jane, we want to point out our to the viewers, that part of the multi-media display that we were expecting from the U.S. military was this giant, elaborate $250, 000 Hollywood set where these briefings were expected to take place every day.

In addition to that, it cost $47, 000 just to ship the thing from the U.S. by way of FedEx. To this point, granted, it's early, but it's Friday already, and we've yet to see a single briefing from there. Is there any indication from you as to why we have not seen Tommy Franks and others come to the podium there?

JANE PERLEZ, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, I think there's several reasons. This is a general who is quite different stylistically to General Schwarzkopf in 1991. When everyone will remember that one of the enduring images of the 1991 Gulf War, with Schwarzkopf with his flip charts and his videos.

Here we have this expensive set. But the expensive set is really irrelevant, because the pictures out in the field are speaking for themselves. And the pictures of Walter Rodgers racing to Baghdad with the 7th Cav will be the enduring images of this war.

HEMMER: You seem to indicate that the stars will be the pictures and the scene. I think based on what we're seeing thus far today, I absolutely agree with you. On the information side, though, are you getting it down there?

PERLEZ: I wouldn't say so. I think there's an information policy that's being devised, that the information that comes out of Washington, out of the Pentagon, or the White House. So for information that needs to be filled in on the details of what the embedded reporters are reporting, that's coming out of the Pentagon, not here.

HEMMER: Yeah. And also, about the style on Tommy Franks, you touched on it. At what point do you believe Tommy Franks, because media friendly, or is this a general who simply will not go there?

PERLEZ: I suspect he probably won't go there until it really suits him, which may be when he ends up in Baghdad. I mean, the pictures, as I said earlier, are so much more compelling than Tommy Franks. And furthermore, Tommy Franks does not really feel that comfortable with the media.

He is, in a way, the un-Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf befriended the media, played them to the hilt. Tommy Franks is tries to paint a different picture of a general busy running a very fast-moving war. So I would be surprised somewhat if we even see him here.

HEMMER: Jane, some people have referred to him as the anti- Schwarzkopf. But nonetheless, a very busy man right now, commanding control there in Doha, Qatar.

Jane Perlez, "New York Times", thanks for your time today with us.

Nightfall here in Kuwait. One can only imagine, Tommy Franks with all of his men and women spread out throughout this entire theater right now; 120, 000 strong in Kuwait alone. About a quarter of a million throughout the region. A very busy man hunkered down there in Qatar.

More when we get it live in Kuwait City.

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 March 21, 2003 - 10:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Ryan Chilcote, meanwhile, northern edge of Kuwait, stationed with the 101st Airborne Division, quickly before nightfall tonight, Ryan filed this report from his location there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elements of the 101st Airborne Division have moved out of the camp in Kuwait to an assembly area here in the Kuwaiti desert. I'd like to show you a bit of the assembly area now.

We're going to go into now what is a "hasty". In other words a in other words, a foxhole that the soldiers have hastily dug. That's a defensive position. There is some cover, should there be some kind of incoming missiles.

There have been a lot of SCUD alarms already, three yesterday, one today already. Three confirmed missile attacks. This is to protect the soldiers should there be one on their position, to protect them from any kind of shrapnel.

The soldiers also in their chemical suits now. This is what's called mop one. It's the first of four stages of readiness for a chemical attack, or a chemical threat. It's the jacket that they're wearing, and the pants. Obviously, it's pretty hot here now. We're in midday. And the soldiers are sitting in the shade waiting for action, because it is pretty hot out in the open air.

Ryan Chilcote CNN, with the 101st Airborne in the Kuwaiti desert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Ryan, thanks. And we'll check in later as the events warrant, with Ryan.

Meanwhile, Central Command has moved its command post from Tampa, Florida to the country of Qatar. Jane Perlez is a writer for "The New York Times" and now joins us by way of Doha in Qatar.

And Jane, we want to point out our to the viewers, that part of the multi-media display that we were expecting from the U.S. military was this giant, elaborate $250, 000 Hollywood set where these briefings were expected to take place every day.

In addition to that, it cost $47, 000 just to ship the thing from the U.S. by way of FedEx. To this point, granted, it's early, but it's Friday already, and we've yet to see a single briefing from there. Is there any indication from you as to why we have not seen Tommy Franks and others come to the podium there?

JANE PERLEZ, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, I think there's several reasons. This is a general who is quite different stylistically to General Schwarzkopf in 1991. When everyone will remember that one of the enduring images of the 1991 Gulf War, with Schwarzkopf with his flip charts and his videos.

Here we have this expensive set. But the expensive set is really irrelevant, because the pictures out in the field are speaking for themselves. And the pictures of Walter Rodgers racing to Baghdad with the 7th Cav will be the enduring images of this war.

HEMMER: You seem to indicate that the stars will be the pictures and the scene. I think based on what we're seeing thus far today, I absolutely agree with you. On the information side, though, are you getting it down there?

PERLEZ: I wouldn't say so. I think there's an information policy that's being devised, that the information that comes out of Washington, out of the Pentagon, or the White House. So for information that needs to be filled in on the details of what the embedded reporters are reporting, that's coming out of the Pentagon, not here.

HEMMER: Yeah. And also, about the style on Tommy Franks, you touched on it. At what point do you believe Tommy Franks, because media friendly, or is this a general who simply will not go there?

PERLEZ: I suspect he probably won't go there until it really suits him, which may be when he ends up in Baghdad. I mean, the pictures, as I said earlier, are so much more compelling than Tommy Franks. And furthermore, Tommy Franks does not really feel that comfortable with the media.

He is, in a way, the un-Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf befriended the media, played them to the hilt. Tommy Franks is tries to paint a different picture of a general busy running a very fast-moving war. So I would be surprised somewhat if we even see him here.

HEMMER: Jane, some people have referred to him as the anti- Schwarzkopf. But nonetheless, a very busy man right now, commanding control there in Doha, Qatar.

Jane Perlez, "New York Times", thanks for your time today with us.

Nightfall here in Kuwait. One can only imagine, Tommy Franks with all of his men and women spread out throughout this entire theater right now; 120, 000 strong in Kuwait alone. About a quarter of a million throughout the region. A very busy man hunkered down there in Qatar.

More when we get it live in Kuwait City.

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