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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Michael Weisskopf

Aired April 20, 2003 - 17:06   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.


SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: As the war winds down, two big mysteries remain: Where is Saddam Hussein? And where are the weapons of mass destruction the White House insists are in Iraq?
Joining us from Doha, Qatar is "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf. Thanks so much for joining us.

MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: A pleasure.

CHOI: So, let's start with Saddam Hussein. What do we know about his whereabouts at this point and how is the U.S. proceeding with this hunt for him?

WEISSKOPF: This, of course, has all the memories of the hunt for Elvis, but the latest Pentagon suspicion is that instead of being in the building that was bombed on April 7, he was next door in a white stucco building. The reason they had that suspicion is that after the bombing, neighbors indicated that that building had five telephone lines in it. And also, the military discovered a wooden desk, very much like the one Saddam spoke from behind during the early days of the war.

CHOI: And now, moving on to those weapons of mass destruction, it's proving to be quite a difficult hunt because we're not looking for a big nuclear facility of sorts. It's more vials that may be hidden, buried underground. How are coalition forces, the U.S., specifically, going about their search then?

WEISSKOPF: Well, the Pentagon has loosed 3,000 troops to look just for the weapons of mass destruction. And they hope to be aided by a generous bounty system, which involves about 200 grand for the discovery of any weapon of mass destruction. Local troops are authorized to give out $2500 on the spot for any information leading to such a discovery. So they're hoping that as they continue to search the terrain, and as they seize more and more of Saddam's weapons experts, that those kinds of personal insights will lead them to the weapons they're looking for.

CHOI: Let's talk about both of them now. What is more important, finding Saddam Hussein or finding these weapons of mass destruction?

WEISSKOPF: Well, the Saddam discovery is important psychologically to the Iraqis who won't rest until they know that he's either captured or dead, and that his remains have been confirmed through the DNA the U.S. is supposed to have. The weapons of mass destruction really get at the president's credibility and the credibility of American intelligence. So much was pinned on those weapons and our intelligence claims that they existed as a basis for the president's invasion of Iraq.

Over time, if they aren't discovered, it's going to raise questions about our intelligence. And even in recent days, once again the president and the defense secretary cited American intelligence to note that the Syrians hold weapons such as poison gases and other chemical arms, which, again, is based on American intelligence. The world will begin to ask how good American intelligence is, where the credibility of the American intelligence is, unless we can find the weapons in Iraq.

CHOI: All right, Michael Weisskopf from "Time" magazine. Thank you so much for your insights on this topic.

WEISSKOPF: A pleasure.

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 April 20, 2003 - 17:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: As the war winds down, two big mysteries remain: Where is Saddam Hussein? And where are the weapons of mass destruction the White House insists are in Iraq?
Joining us from Doha, Qatar is "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf. Thanks so much for joining us.

MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: A pleasure.

CHOI: So, let's start with Saddam Hussein. What do we know about his whereabouts at this point and how is the U.S. proceeding with this hunt for him?

WEISSKOPF: This, of course, has all the memories of the hunt for Elvis, but the latest Pentagon suspicion is that instead of being in the building that was bombed on April 7, he was next door in a white stucco building. The reason they had that suspicion is that after the bombing, neighbors indicated that that building had five telephone lines in it. And also, the military discovered a wooden desk, very much like the one Saddam spoke from behind during the early days of the war.

CHOI: And now, moving on to those weapons of mass destruction, it's proving to be quite a difficult hunt because we're not looking for a big nuclear facility of sorts. It's more vials that may be hidden, buried underground. How are coalition forces, the U.S., specifically, going about their search then?

WEISSKOPF: Well, the Pentagon has loosed 3,000 troops to look just for the weapons of mass destruction. And they hope to be aided by a generous bounty system, which involves about 200 grand for the discovery of any weapon of mass destruction. Local troops are authorized to give out $2500 on the spot for any information leading to such a discovery. So they're hoping that as they continue to search the terrain, and as they seize more and more of Saddam's weapons experts, that those kinds of personal insights will lead them to the weapons they're looking for.

CHOI: Let's talk about both of them now. What is more important, finding Saddam Hussein or finding these weapons of mass destruction?

WEISSKOPF: Well, the Saddam discovery is important psychologically to the Iraqis who won't rest until they know that he's either captured or dead, and that his remains have been confirmed through the DNA the U.S. is supposed to have. The weapons of mass destruction really get at the president's credibility and the credibility of American intelligence. So much was pinned on those weapons and our intelligence claims that they existed as a basis for the president's invasion of Iraq.

Over time, if they aren't discovered, it's going to raise questions about our intelligence. And even in recent days, once again the president and the defense secretary cited American intelligence to note that the Syrians hold weapons such as poison gases and other chemical arms, which, again, is based on American intelligence. The world will begin to ask how good American intelligence is, where the credibility of the American intelligence is, unless we can find the weapons in Iraq.

CHOI: All right, Michael Weisskopf from "Time" magazine. Thank you so much for your insights on this topic.

WEISSKOPF: A pleasure.

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