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American Morning

Administration Debates Release of Latest Bin Laden Tape

Aired December 10, 2001 - 08:06   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: Now onto that 40-minute videotape that features Osama bin Laden discussing the September 11 attacks. The tape was found in a private home in Jalalabad, not far from Tora Bora, where bin Laden is believed to be hiding.

Unlike like other tapes issued by bin Laden, this was apparently not a propaganda tape, but made casually and not very well, apparently taped over a dinner.

The Bush administration is now debating what to do with that tape, and Senior White House Correspondent, John King, has more on that for us.

So, John, I don't know whether you were with us in our first hour, but a previous guest said part of the reluctance, on the White House part, is that the tape is done in such an amateurish way, the camera starts, it stops, it starts again. They are fearful that they will have to defend the charge the tape was doctored in some way. Is that the chief concern?

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's one of many concerns, Paula. There are some in this administration, who believe from a communications standpoint, releasing this tape could be a bonanza, if you will, for the administration, especially perhaps in the Arab and Muslim world, where there have some doubts about the U.S. evidence against Osama bin Laden.

But others who put a premium on secrecy in this administration say that it could compromise intelligence gathering, and just how that tape came into the possession of U.S. officials. A very select group in the government, we are told, has seen this tape -- a larger group, but still a relatively small group, have been privy to the transcript of it.

Now, U.S. officials say in the tape, Osama bin Laden has information about the attacks that lead them to believe he had to have been responsible -- that he knows too much about what had happened in these comments to religious clerics. The No. 2 man at the Defense Department, Paul Wolfowitz, saying over the weekend that the administration already had evidence, in his view, that Osama bin Laden was responsible. But Mr. Wolfowitz says this new tape leaves no doubt at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: We had absolutely clear-cut evidence before that tape turned up. In this case, we -- yes, he has admitted on video that -- in fact, bragged and boasted about it. But he has bragged and boasted in ways that made it absolutely clear that he was responsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, that the tape -- now, that the fact the tape exists is public knowledge, there is pressure on the administration to release it. Again, some believe there could be a political public- relations gain by making it public, but the quality of the tape is poor, as you noted. That is one concern. Others simply think this kind of information should not be put out in public. One senior official I spoke to this morning said that in his view, it would not be public anytime soon -- Paula.

ZAHN: John, what I was struck by was the part of the tape that's been described where Osama bin Laden, so cynically, talks about the men who hijacked those planes, that later slammed into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and made it quite clear they didn't even know they were to become martyrs. They just were told they were going to hijack these planes.

KING: Well, U.S. officials say that is one of the operating procedures Osama bin Laden has used in past attacks as well -- that many of the men recruited -- again, these are U.S. allegations. But the U.S. administration says that many of the men recruited are simply told basics about the mission, but not about the risks or the dangers. And in this particular case, as they go back and retrace all of the steps, U.S. officials are convinced that only a very small group of the hijackers actually knew exactly what was going to happen, and that these hijackings were, indeed, suicide bombings -- Paula.

ZAHN: When you've got senators, like Senator Hagel and Senator Biden, putting pressure on the administration to release this tape, where does that take the debate?

KING: Well, certainly here in Washington...

ZAHN: Will a decision be made here within the next several days?

KING: Certainly here in Washington, there will be a public debate about whether it should be made public. The question is: Will it then be made at least available to the members of the intelligence committees? There was a debate early on about the sharing of information. Certainly, we do expect at least the transcript to be made available to key members of Congress.

This is an administration already in a debate over those proposed secret military tribunals. The president, his vice president and the defense secretary, especially, put a premium on secrecy, and senior officials say they are leading the debate right now. Some say yes, put it out in the public; others say (ph) this campaign is still ongoing -- the investigation is still ongoing. Don't release anything that might compromise the investigation on the military campaign. ZAHN: All right. Good to have you with us in the morning, John. We know you're pulling some very long days. Again, thanks for that update.

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