Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Surveillance Crew Returned Home Safely

Aired April 15, 2001 - 08:00   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It doesn't get much hotter than this on Easter Sunday, a brush with death, an uncertain period of detention in unfriendly territory and then a triumphant homecoming. Perhaps there are no words to describe the profound emotions at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station this Easter.

CNN's James Hattori is at the navy base just north of Seattle, where an exuberant mood still lingers in the air -- good morning to you James.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

It still is a very emotional scene. Obviously, the crewmen, for the crewmen on this holiday morning it's a renewal of sorts because they are trying to get back to some sense of normalcy in their lives. But, of course, it was anything but normal yesterday.

Ten -- thousands of people gathered outside hangar six, which is where the EP-3 crew normally does their maintenance, to welcome home the 24 crewmen as they made the last leg of their flight from Hawaii to Whidbey Island.

Afterwards, there was a ceremony with local officials and military officials lauding the crew members as heroes and obviously there was also a lot of emotion on the part of the families who were in attendance, families who, in some cases, haven't seen their loved ones in a couple of months and went through agonizing moments during those 11 days they were detained in China on Hainan Island.

We also later on heard from many of the crew members themselves of the experience they went through, including the moments of the initial collision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. DAVID CECKA, EP-3E CREW MEMBER: The plane began to bump us and originally I thought possibly he was just playing and maybe bumping the tip of our wing, trying to do whatever he was trying to do. And the next thing I know, it was, there was a real hard, hard bang and then a second and then a very loud bang and we went nose down and I kind of went into automatic pilot after that.

I heard the commander bail out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HATTORI: The crew members all have said that they were treated well and that was well documented but in response to one question they were asked what did they eat during all this time and they answered that they had a lot of rice and a lot of bread and just enough to get, keep them going and keep their spirits focused. Obviously, a lot of stories they will have to tell their families and friends over the coming days -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: I suspect a few cheeseburgers on the menus ahead. All right, James Hattori, thank you very much for being with us. We'll check in with you later -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, with the navy crew back home it's possible to learn firsthand about things many Americans could only wonder about before now. At yesterday's homecoming, Petty Officer Wendy Westbrook, one of the three women in the crew, described their first moments in detention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETTY OFFICER WENDY WESTBROOK, MACHINIST'S MATE ON EP-3E: When we first got there, we were allowed to mingle around and talk with each other and as we went towards the other complex some of us were, all of us were put in different rooms. The three females were put in one room and the rest were put into other rooms and we were pretty much confined to our room unless we were eating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Another crewmen, Lieutenant John Comerford, told CNN's Larry King that being intercepted by Chinese fighters had become almost routine during these surveillance flights over the South China Sea. He said he could not see the Chinese jet from his workstation, but he could tell there was something unusual about this particular encounter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JOHN COMERFORD, CREW MEMBER ON EP-3E: I could tell from the urgency of people's voices on the communications system on board the plane that this was, this was not a typical intercept, that this fighter, the lead fighter was being extremely aggressive. He was gesturing and I could tell from crew members' voices from the observers, that this was out of the norm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The Bush administration is getting high marks from Americans for securing the safe release of the navy flight crew after 11 days of detention. And according to a "Newsweek" poll taken right after the crew's arrival in Hawaii, 69 percent approve of the way President Bush handled the matter. Twenty-three percent disapprove.

O'BRIEN: Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as they say, President Bush and his advisers are focused on getting back the $80 million reconnaissance plane and its sophisticated electronic gear. Whether the Chinese cooperate or not may determine where U.S.-China relations go from here.

For more on that, we turn now to CNN's Kelly Wallace, who is in Crawford, Texas -- good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Miles.

At this very hour President Bush is attending sunrise services for Easter Sunday with his family, including his parents. And the former president, aides say, did provide some advice to administration officials during the 11 day stand-off.

Now, meantime, the Bush administration is preparing for a Wednesday meeting with Chinese officials while the rhetoric has been increasing ever since those crew members started making their way home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (voice-over): Not wanting to intrude on the crew's emotional homecoming, President Bush stayed at his Crawford ranch but offered this salute.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On his holiday, we offer the thanks of our nation to the 24 servicemen and women who are no longer in China and are now home.

WALLACE: Ever since the crew returned to the United States, Mr. Bush and his team have taken a tougher stand against China, releasing evidence such as this tape, accusing the Chinese pilots of using aggressive tactics and causing the collision with the American EP-3.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There's no spin. There's nothing, there's no adjectives involved. It is simply a factual presentation of what took place.

WALLACE: But on China's state run television, Beijing denounced the American version of events. And so the stage is set for what will likely be a contentious meeting with China as the U.S. presses for the return of its $80 million plane and vows to continue its surveillance flights.

RICHARD PERLE, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We have to maintain a tough stand in this negotiation because it's essential to disabuse the Chinese of the idea that they can take Americans into custody and expect to benefit thereby.

WALLACE: Just how the Chinese respond, observers say, will influence President Bush's next move.

NICHOLAS LARDY, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I think he's holding out the prospect of improvements if we have some reciprocity in the relationship. I think he's automatically going to reach out and try to extract a price. WALLACE: But some in Congress want Beijing to pay a price and are urging the administration to sell high tech destroyers with sophisticated radar to Taiwan later this month.

JAMES SASSER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: If the Aegis system is sold to Taiwan, then we're going to see severe turbulence in the Chinese-U.S. relationship.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And senior administration officials say they made absolutely no concessions to Beijing over the issue of Taiwan to secure the release of those 24 crew members and that President Bush will treat this decision of arms sales as an entirely separate matter.

Still, many observers say that China did not do itself any favors and that Taiwan has a greater chance of getting more of what it wants now than before the April 1 collision -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kelly, apparently that would be the potential stick in this negotiation. What might be some of the carrots which would entice the Chinese to allow that plane to come home?

WALLACE: Well, there are some carrots, definitely, one being the issue of trade. As you know, the U.S. has granted China normal trade status. There is a vote that will have to happen in June, again, to renew that, and already there's a movement in Congress to go ahead and revoke that from the Chinese. China has about $80 billion in exports to the United States. Clearly, it wants to keep trade with the United States while, of course, American businesses want to keep that, as well.

So that is one sticking point, as well as human rights, another issue. So clearly the U.S. will go into this meeting saying that there's a lot at stake for the Chinese if they don't cooperate with the plane as well as with the U.S. surveillance flights that the American administration says will continue.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Kelly Wallace in front of a silven (ph) scene in Crawford, Texas. Thanks very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Beautiful backdrop.

WALLACE: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Well, many Americans feel anger toward China over this incident, but elder statesman Henry Kissinger, a veteran of many encounters with communist China, cautions that years of diplomatic progress should not be undone over a single unpleasant episode.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Engaging in a confrontation with China, which some people seem to think is a desirable national policy, takes on one fifth of the human race that has specialized in prolonged confrontations. And this is something we should not do unless we have a clear cut strategic objective and unless we can define what the outcome of it will be and unless we are directly challenged, which we, at this moment, are not.

This reconnaissance plane, I don't like some of the actions of the Chinese government, but both sides were improvising and considering the passions it resolved rather quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: You can hear more today on CNN from the navy pilot of that crippled EP-3. Lieutenant Shane Osborn, credited with saving the crew from that alleged -- or the landing of the plane, and Lieutenant John Comerford will be the guests on CNN LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer. That's at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

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