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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Former Scientist Claims Innocence in Anthrax Attacks; Air Traffic Controllers Discuss September 11

Aired August 12, 2002 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, is this man the innocent victim of a witch-hunt?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN HATFILL, FORMER ARMY SCIENTIST: I am a loyal American and I love my country.

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BLITZER: A friend talks about the anthrax allegations against scientist Steven Hatfill.

When the worst-case scenario becomes gently reality, for the first time air traffic controllers discuss September 11th.

Robert Blake's lawyer may have an ace up his sleeve. You won't believe what detectives on the case were saying to each other. We have it on tape, exclusively.

Eight years to the day after Major League Baseball went on strike, players meet to discuss the future. As Yogi Berra might ask, is it deja vu all over again?

Tom Selleck joins us to talk about his friend Charlton Heston, and Heston's battle with Alzheimer's symptoms.

It's Monday, August 12, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

There's new information on the anthrax investigation at this hour. Investigators think they may have found the site where last year's anthrax letters were mailed. Preliminary tests on a mailbox in Princeton, New Jersey show signs of anthrax. Postal officials stress that the test is preliminary and the mailbox has been removed for further testing.

The man whose name has surfaced repeatedly in the anthrax investigation is outraged saying enough is enough. Steven Hatfill has not even been declared a suspect in the anthrax attacks, which killed five people, but he says officials are leaking his name to the news media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HATFILL: I acknowledge the right of the authorities and the press to satisfy themselves as to whether I am the anthrax mailer. This does not, however, give them the right to smear me and gratuitously make a wasteland of my life in the process. I will not be railroaded. I am a loyal American. I am extremely proud of the work I have done for the United States and for my country and her people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now to talk more about this case is a close friend of Steven Hatfill, Pat Clawson. Pat, thanks for joining us.

PAT CLAWSON, FRIEND OF STEVEN HATFILL: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: You're a former CNN correspondent yourself in the 1980s. Let's get right to the issue at hand. Is the FBI justified in trying to find evidence linking your friend, Steven Hatfill, to the anthrax investigation?

CLAWSON: Absolutely, they're justified. He's a member of the bio weapons defense community in this country. It's a very small fraternity. These are guys with specialized knowledge. Absolutely they should be looking at that group of individuals and looking at my friend as well.

BLITZER: There's a lot of weird coincidences out there as you know pointing toward your good friend Steven Hatfill. Let's get to some of them. For example, he had a book that he was writing about what?

CLAWSON: About bio terrorism and something that hasn't come out in the press about that book is I knew about that book a long time ago. That book actually originated through some dinner table conversations going back over the last couple of years about applying his knowledge about the subject of bio terrorism to doing a Tom Clancy type novel.

BLITZER: This was fiction he was writing?

CLAWSON: Total fiction.

BLITZER: Did it include letters being sent to members of Congress involving anthrax?

CLAWSON: Well that was a scenario that was once discussed over a dinner table and not so long ago, several months ago last year, Steve asked me to help him to try to find a publisher with a book. It was just a total work of fiction.

BLITZER: But did Steven Hatfill in his concern for U.S. preparedness as a patriot, as he says he is and as you say he is, did he as some suggest maybe want to become overly out there in trying to get the country as a whole, including the government, more concerned about it?

CLAWSON: I don't think so. The Steve Hatfill I know is a very dedicated patriot. He's an excellent scientist and he's an excellent medical doctor, and he's been very concerned for a long time that the United States is not doing enough to protect itself against the possibility of biological terrorism and he spoke out about it. He was kind of a whistleblower of sorts in government on the issue.

A lot of people didn't like what he was saying because it was uncomfortable, but he was trying to focus attention on the issue in a positive and constructive way, and as far as I know, that's the only way he's ever focused attention on this.

BLITZER: Because you know that one of the profiles that has been created by law enforcement sources is of a patriotic American involved in this issue trying to get interest out there on bio terrorism preparedness but that the experiment that he was engaged in got out of control and people were killed.

CLAWSON: Yes, and I'm not quite buying it and there's been an awful lot of other erroneous information and theories, erroneous in my opinion, floated about him. One that the New York Times reported was that he had some kind of a secret mountain cabin that was an anthrax laboratory and he was telling people that visited there that they should use Cipro.

As far as we've been able to determine through the FBI investigations and also through interviews agents have done and also other press contacts, it happens to be a three-bedroom modern home in a mountain area where people go skeet shooting. It happens to be owned by a lawyer of mine.

BLITZER: You saw that picture in the magazine of him standing in kitchen in front of the refrigerator dressed in that bio terror outfit out there, pretty suspicious.

CLAWSON: That came about through some contacts that he had with a Washington Times reporter who's a member of our social circle who thought a lot of the stuff that Steve was talking about about bio terrorism would make a darned interesting magazine story. He ended up cooperating with Steve to do a magazine story about it and they persuaded him to take a photograph in that biological garb just to help illustrate the story. It's been blown vastly out of proportion.

BLITZER: Very briefly, does he have a suspect in mind who may have mailed these anthrax letters?

CLAWSON: Not that he has told me, but there's one thing that's clear, Wolf, and that is there is someone out there or some group of people that mailed these letters and they're still at large and the truth of the matter is the government doesn't know who they are. I think they're focusing their attention on the wrong man because the man I know is a very dedicated patriot, good scientist, good doctor, who's done everything he can do to help protect America.

BLITZER: And very briefly, I'll let you go right after you comment on this AP story, Associated Press story, just moving, quoting a law enforcement official unnamed as saying that investigators probing, looking for physical evidence against Steven Hatfill have not come up with any but they are not prepared to clear him. CLAWSON: Well, the FBI and the Justice Department have said that he's a person of interest. In all the years I covered the Justice Department for this network, I don't have a clue what a person of interest is. It's not an official term. When in this country do we start casting a finger of accusation at people on national media, when does our government start doing this when it has no evidence to back up any kind of criminal charges? It's just outrageous as an American that he is being subjected to this.

BLITZER: All right.

CLAWSON: If the government has some evidence, let them put it up, but they shouldn't single him out and put his name in the national media as a so-called person of interest unless there's something to back it up.

BLITZER: All right, Pat Clawson, thanks for joining us.

CLAWSON: Thank you.

BLITZER: Let's get another perspective on this story. For that, we turn to the "New York Times" correspondent Judith Miller. She's been covering this and other bioterrorism stories for many years. Judith, thanks for joining us. What's your take on Steven Hatfill and this entire investigation?

JUDITH MILLER, "NEW YORK TIMES": I think that Mr. Hatfill is, as the government has said, a person of interest. He is one of 20 or 30 people -- that list keeps changing -- whom the government has focused on. I think it is most unfortunate, as Mr. Clawson said, that he has been so publicly identified as a suspect in normal parlance when the government says he's not and I can't imagine having watched the news conference yesterday what he is going through and I feel that one has to just empathize with him as a human being.

I know that I first met him at a bio preparedness conference years ago and he was very concerned at the time about the need to protect America against the kinds of attacks that we've now seen. So, it must be ironic and very painful for him if he did not do it to have this kind of focus on him. It must be awful.

BLITZER: Judith, as you note from the very beginning, some sources here in Washington have pointed to a domestic anthrax terrorist, but others still continue to look for some sort of foreign connection. Where do you see this investigation heading, in which direction?

MILLER: I really don't know, Wolf. I mean I think that the people that I've spoken to say that nothing has been absolutely ruled out. It's true that the FBI has put out a profile that would suggest that the perpetrator or perpetrators are domestic. They are American. They live here. They are in our world.

The target of the letters, the fact that it went to two liberal Senators on Capitol Hill, that would suggest a domestic rather than a foreign hand, but I don't think at this point that the FBI can rule out anything, and it must be also very frustrating for the FBI to be pursuing this investigation as hard as they are without having more progress to show, and I think that might have resulted to some extent in the spotlight being thrust on Dr. Hatfill at this time.

BLITZER: One curious question to me, Judith, that I've looked at and still don't have a great answer to is the handwriting. The handwriting in those letters to Senator Daschle, Senator Leahy, Tom Brokaw, others, if it was in fact Steven Hatfill, wouldn't the handwriting alone clear him unless he was involved in a conspiracy?

MILLER: You know, Wolf, I'm not a handwriting expert and I really don't know what the government can say about handwriting, whether or not they can even show beyond a shadow of a doubt that that was, in fact, his handwriting.

No one has alleged that to me and I think that if the government had such evidence, at this point, it probably would have leaked or the government is saving that for a case that they would intend to bring against him if, in fact, they become convinced that the perpetrator was Dr. Hatfill, which I have to say at this time I don't think is the case.

BLITZER: Judith Miller, who's been doing outstanding reporting on this and all issues involving bioterror, thanks for joining us from the New York Times.

MILLER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this very important story. Our Web question of the day is this: Do you think Steven Hatfill has been treated unfairly by the Justice Department? Go to my web page cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, send me your comments. We'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, by the way, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

For the first time, some of the air traffic controllers who were on duty on September 11th are now sharing their stories of what it was like for them on that unprecedented day. Within hours of the first hijacked plane hitting the World Trade Center, they emptied U.S. skies of all private and commercial aircraft, literally thousands of planes. CNN's Miles O'Brien has more now from Garden City, New York -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we've heard from all kinds of heroes who rose to the occasion on September 11th. Now for the first time we're hearing from some of the people who work in the facility behind me and other facilities up and down the East Coast the FAA radar room. What did the controllers know and when did they know it? Well now we know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice over): In dimly-lit FAA radar rooms up and down the East Coast, they track the trails of terror, but like all of us, they were in the dark. There was a stray voice on the radio, "we've got planes" it said, a panic call from a flight attendant to the American Airlines operations center, and then the transponder, which enhances radar signals, went silent on American Airlines Flight 11.

FRANK HATFIELD, FAA AIR TRAFFIC DIVISION MANAGER: When we had a loss of communication and transponder, we considered it at that point in time a possible hijacking, a possible hijacking.

O'BRIEN: American 11 was now losing altitude and heading south. Controllers did what they could to track it, seeing if other pilots saw the plane, at one point asking United 175. It too was hijacked. It too flying fast and low and homing in on New York.

MICHAEL MCCORMICK, FAA AIR TRAFFIC MANAGER: The air traffic controllers in the Eastern Region, out of 6,000 airplanes were able to identify four aircraft whose sole mission in life was to avoid detection, flying low, flying fast, shutting off all electronic means of communication. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the equivalent of finding four needles in a haystack.

O'BRIEN: They assumed the plane would land and the hijackers would make demands, but then Controller Mike McCormick saw this scene on CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew at that time this was, in fact, an attack. We knew that the World Trade Center was a target of a previous attack and this was, in fact, another attack.

O'BRIEN: He also knew in an instant that United 175 was headed the same way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably one of the most difficult moments of my life was the 11 minutes from the point I watched that aircraft when we first lost communications to the point that aircraft hit the World Trade Center. For those 11 minutes, I knew, we knew what was going to happen.

O'BRIEN: Controllers inside Newark Tower watched in horror as the plane turned north over New York Harbor and aimed for the South Tower. Minutes later, in the tower at Washington's Reagan National, they watched as American 77 aimed right at them, took a 360-degree turn, then smashed into the Pentagon. No one left their post.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I think we were all looking at each other in disbelief. Is this actually occurring in the national airspace system? It was unheard of before. But again, we had jobs to do. We were tackling our jobs. We were gathering information, making decision. On a personal note, I had a husband out at Dulles, had a 9:30 flight, did not even enter my mind until about 3:30 that afternoon.

O'BRIEN: These are the controllers who issued the order to shut the entire system down. For two and a half hours, they worked frantically to get every plane in the air on the ground. Who knows what they might have thwarted.

O'BRIEN (on camera): These days, the communication between air traffic control and NORAD has been greatly streamlined. A controller is really only a button push away from scrambling the fighters. What used to take several minutes and several calls, now takes only a matter of seconds.

O'BRIEN (voice over): And more than anything, controllers now have a mindset. They know the radar targets they track made themselves have a target.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (on camera): Being an air traffic controller is a notoriously stressful job. Many of the controllers who were involved on that day had to seek counseling and many of them to this day realize that their job has become all that much more stressful since 9/11. Wolf.

BLITZER: Miles O'Brien, thanks for that excellent reporting and thanks also for filling in for me last week; Miles O'Brien reporting from the scene in Garden City, Long Island.

It's been a rough ride for U.S. Airways since September 11th. Now the airline has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The spokesman says full schedule service will continue while the company reorganizes and passengers should not notice any difference. U.S. Airways was particularly hard hit after the terror attacks with operations at its Reagan National hub in Washington cut back for months because of airport security concerns.

Florida's foster care troubles in the spotlight, how a newspaper tracked down children missing in the system for years. Plus, were L.A. Police seeking fame and fortune when they went after actor Robert Blake? Exclusive audiotapes that may be the key to his defense.

Also, Lisa Marie and Nicolas Cage sneak off to Hawaii. Find out how this happy couple celebrated Elvis Week. But first, our weekend snapshot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): One of baseball's elite clubs took in a new member as San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds hit his 600th homerun before a hometown crowd. Bonds joins the ranks of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron.

Deadly flooding along Russia's Black Sea Coast claimed more lives with more than 55 people confirmed dead. Germany and Austria also were hard hit. The death toll across Europe now stands at more than 70.

Crews battling a wildfire near San Diego ran into an unexpected complication, a dust devil that kicked up right next to their trucks. Dust devils are formed by strong surface heat, in this case from the fire which swirls as it rises.

And Elvis fans around the world this week are marking 25 years since the death of the King. This Elvis impersonator contest in Manila is one of several being held throughout Asia. Finalists will compete this Friday. The winner gets a trip to Graceland, and that's our weekend snapshot. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Florida's Child Welfare Agency is under fire again. A South Florida newspaper says many children declared missing by the agency aren't all that hard to find. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is joining us now live from Miami. Susan, this is an amazing story that gets a little bit more amazing almost every week.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're right about that, Wolf, every week, sometimes every day. Well in this case, the Fort Lauderdale based Sun-Sentinel newspaper decided to do some checking of its own to see whether it could find some of Florida's missing 500 children, and are you ready for this? Of the 24 children the newspaper set out to find, it located more than a third of them, nine of the 24 kids it set out to find. Some of these children had been missing for years.

Now these are kids the State of Florida categorizes as either runaways or a child taken by a parent or some other relative that does not have legal custody, and the reporters did this, they said, by simply using public records, knocking on doors, nothing fancy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALLY KESTIN, S. FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL: One of them, we found in under three hours. The child who was missing for eight years we found by talking to two relatives and a friend, and calling directory assistance, and we found that child in little more than a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI (voice over): Now you remember the State of Florida has been on the hot seat ever since the case of Rilya Wilson came to light. She remains missing. The five-year-old was taken allegedly from a caretaker by a state social worker and the state lost track of her for at least a year and a half.

Today, Governor Jeb Bush has acknowledged that what this Florida newspaper has been able to accomplish is simply unacceptable involving these other missing children. But then he took aim at the newspaper for not sharing its information with the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JEB BUSH (R) FLORIDA: I think the newspaper, your newspaper also ought to give up the information because now that they've written the story and they've got their pint of blood as they get on a daily basis from me on this subject which is part of their job and they have every right to do it, they also ought to be partners in this because if children are imperiled, they have a duty to provide the information. We've asked for it and I hope that they'll give it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CANDIOTTI: However, according to the newspaper's lawyer, he said we are not about to open up our investigative files to Florida officials because, as the lawyer put it, now they decide to investigate. And the lawyer added this, that the paper says that its newspaper reporters have seen most of the children involved in tracking this case down and they have no indication that the children are in any danger. Wolf.

BLITZER: Susan, very briefly, any indication this is going to hurt Governor Bush in his quest to get reelected?

CANDIOTTI: Well already his political opponents on the Democratic side are taking shots at him because of this, as well as child advocates who point out that this is simply unacceptable and in their view the trouble begins at the top, that there are problems at the top of that department in terms of management and that the Florida governor should reconsider his decision to hold onto the woman who heads up that state agency.

BLITZER: Susan Candiotti, thanks for that report.

On the hunt for a serial killer, Louisiana police track the clues to this murder mystery when we return. Also, health officials are calling West Nile an epidemic. We'll tell you where the virus is striking now.

And Charlton Heston in for the fight of his life, actor Tom Selleck joins us live to talk about the Hollywood legend. But first, our news quiz. Tom Selleck and Charlton Heston are friends and colleagues. In what two of the following movies did Selleck and Heston both appear, "Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western," "The Love Letter," "Midway," "Town and Country"? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Law enforcement officials in Louisiana hunting for a serial killer are pouring over every scrap of information in a bid to catch the murderer of three women. They're looking to see if there are links to other unsolved rapes, attempted kidnappings, and murders in the state. Joining us now to talk about the status of the investigation is the Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade. Chief, thanks for joining us. First of all, any headway, any progress in your investigation?

CHIEF PAT ENGLADE, BATON ROUGE POLICE: I just left he command center. It's in full operation right now. They're running down, at last count, about 1,800 leads, which is a tremendous amount of leads to be going through right now. But we feel like we'll be very successful before this over.

BLITZER: Do you believe this serial killer killed more than these three women, because there are plenty of other unsolved cases in your state? ENGLADE: Well I think it's a little too early to predict that at this point. Obviously, we're looking at all the evidence to see if there's any other link between other than the three we have linked at this point. But it's a continuous effort.

The State Police Crime Lab is working around the clock to see if they can come up with some evidence that will link any of the other ones at this point, but it's an ongoing process and I think it's a little too early at this point to predict anything.

BLITZER: What kind of profile have you created of this serial killer?

ENGLADE: Well that's a process that the FBI is assisting us with at this point. They are going through the process now and trying to come up with a profile that will assist us in the near future.

BLITZER: Has the serial killer left, what they say in the trade, a sort of calling card out there, if not his fingerprints, something to say yes I'm here?

ENGLADE: Well, obviously the three cases we have connected, which would be Green, Pace, and Kinamore, have been connected with DNA evidence and that, so far, has been I guess you would call the calling card that he has used.

BLITZER: The Louisiana governor, as you know, Mike Foster has said this and I'll read it precisely. He says: "You have the right to get a gun permit," and he also says "learn how to use it." Is that a good idea for people out there who are scared in Baton Rouge to go get guns?

ENGLADE: Well obviously, Wolf, if you're going to get a gun we expect you to know how to use it and be able to use it. If you're unwilling or unable to use a gun, we don't recommend you get one. We've been doing safety programs around the Baton Rouge area now for about the last month and a half which gives people very good information but a gun is a big step, and as I said, if you're - you should be willing or able to use it and if you're not then we do not recommend that.

BLITZER: And briefly, Chief, a lot of terrified women in your part of the country right now, what advice do you have for those women in particular?

ENGLADE: Well, we tell them as we always do, regardless of if we've got this or anything else going, be aware of your surroundings. Be cautious. Be vigilant. It's all the things that people should use every day to make themselves more protected, and we continue to put these tips out and just be cautious. I think we need to be suspicious of everything at this point, and that's never a bad idea. I think it's always a good idea, especially in these days and times anywhere in this country.

BLITZER: Chief Englade, good advice to our viewers out there, thanks for joining us and we'll have you back hopefully when you break this case. Let's hope that's going to be very, very soon.

ENGLADE: Thank you. I hope so myself.

BLITZER: Actor Robert Blake is going on the offensive to fight murder charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONNY LEE BAKLEY (via audiotape): What happened was this crazy jealous guy was like stalking me and I didn't know it. He was like, that's why I had to move to Little Rock.

BLITZER: Did police ignore other suspects in the shooting of Bonny Lee Bakley. Exclusive audiotapes when we return.

Also, West Nile strikes again. The deadly virus hits epidemic proportions.

Plus, the boys of summer fighting it out over money, but will they walk? We'll go live to Chicago for the latest on strike talks.

But first, we've heard a lot about struggling companies in recent months but despite the uncertainties of current economy, some businesses are growing and prospering. Today, a restaurant chain that fits that description, as we continue our series on Fortune's fastest growing companies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Using only word-of-mouth for its advertising, The Cheesecake Factory is serving up impressive growth numbers on Wall Street. In fact, the company plans to open six new outlets this year, and that's an aggressive move considering the restaurant industry is suffering its worth growth period in a decade.

Experts say America's fast food fatigue is wetting consumer's appetites for a more upscale casual dining experience. And with the company's 19-page menu, giant portions and 36 varieties of cheesecakes, the company may actually be able to maintain its 25 percent average annual growth in revenue and earnings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Coming up, exclusive audiotapes that actor Robert Blake hopes will get him off the hook for murder. But first, some stories making news right now.

Former ImClone CEO Sam Waksal was formally indicted in a New York federal courtroom today. He pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction of justice, bank fraud, securities fraud and perjury, all stemming from alleged insider trading. Waksal is accused of dumping ImClone stock when he learned the FDA would reject the company's new cancer drug. His friend Martha Stewart faces similar accusations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM WAKSAL, FORMER IMCLONE CEO: The past few months have been extremely challenging and emotionally draining for me, my family and friends. I would like to thank all those who have supported me during this time. My attorneys and I look forward to addressing these charges in the appropriate forum, the courts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The CDC is confirming three new cases of the mosquito- born West Nile Virus, one each in Alabama, Texas and Indiana. That one is the first human case in the Hoosier State. It brings the total number of cases this year to 138 in seven states. CDC officials are now calling the West Nile outbreak an epidemic.

Turning now to the Hollywood murder case of Robert Blake -- an unusual defense is being planned to clear the actor of charges he murdered his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake's attorney plans to argue that Los Angeles police officers didn't care who they arrested as long as that person was a star. CNN's Charles Feldman has our exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Blake's defense attorney likes to repeat almost like a mantra that there is no forensic evidence linking his client to the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, something LAPD investigators do not deny. In fact, the case against the former "Beretta" television star relies almost exclusively upon the planned testimony of two Hollywood stunt men who claim Blake tried to hire then unsuccessfully to kill his wife. Police charged, Blake then shot and killed his wife himself.

But Harland Braun, Blake's high-powered criminal lawyer, says investigators never seriously pursued other potential suspects, because they knew that arresting a Hollywood star, albeit a fating one was a better career booster. Braun has provided CNN taped evidence he claims backs up his defense theory. Now, for the first time, here it is.

BONNY LEE BAKLEY, VICTIM: Hello...

ROBERT BLAKE, ACCUSED OF MURDERING HIS WIFE, BONNY LEE BAKLEY: Bonny?

BAKLEY: Yeah.

BLAKE: Hi, this is Bobby.

BAKLEY: Yes, I know.

FELDMAN: Exhibit A, a telephone conversation between Bonny Lee Bakley and Robert Blake, secretly recorded by Bakley in which she tells Blake about someone stalking her. BAKLEY: What happened was this crazy, jealous guy was like stalking me and I didn't know it. He was like, that's why I had to move to Little Rock.

FELDMAN: Bakley made money sending nude photos of herself to men and sometimes also promised sex, a business Blake's lawyer says exposed her to potential harm. But within hours of Bakley's slaying, police had already zeroed in on Robert Blake as the main suspect, searching his home and in an unusual move, taking a book author along as an observer. In fact, the author was also present during police interviews with some key witnesses, although in at least one case the lead detective, Ron Ito initially implies that the writer is a fellow police officer.

DET. RON ITO, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Hi, I'm Detective Ito. These are my partners here.

FELDMAN: Only after the witness repeatedly asks for identification does Detective Ito admit the partner is really a writer.

WITNESS: Do you have a card, sir?

AUTHOR: I don't have one.

WITNESS: Do you have identification?

AUTHOR: I'm with these two guys.

ITO: He's -- he is actually a writer and he's on our case with us.

FELDMAN: Blake's attorney argues that police tape indicates the lead detective was overly concerned with making money off the Robert Blake case.

UNKNOWN OFFICER: When are you going to arrest him?

ITO: Not before we've made enough overtime money.

UNKNOWN OFFICER: We solve no crime before its time.

ITO: What's the saying? September dollars for December dollars.

FELDMAN: We should point out it is not unusual in homicide investigations for detectives to incur overtime. Another police tape, contends Blake's lawyer, indicates Detective Ito was not happy with the lack of publicity he received for his role in the O.J. Simpson investigation.

ITO: I worked a year on that case.

WITNESS: IS that a fact?

ITO: Yeah, yeah. And I worked a year with Vannatter & Lange.

WITNESS: Wow!

ITO: There was only two you saw always on TV was Lange & Vannatter.

FELDMAN: Detective Ito was referring to the two lead detectives who worked the O.J. Simpson case.

HARLAND BRAUN, BLAKE'S ATTORNEY: Robert Blake was a victim of Bonny Bakley. Hundreds of other people were victims of Bonny Bakley. The whole issue in this case is which victim of Bonny Bakley killed her. Was it Robert Blake or someone else? And the police, for their own personal gain and career advancement, focused immediately on Robert Blake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FELDMAN: Now, CNN spoke with Detective Ron Ito in preparation for this story but he refused to comment. Several requests for comment from the official LAPD spokesman went unanswered. And the author who went along for some of the Blake investigation did not return our repeated phone calls -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Charles, does Harland Braun, Blake's attorney, really believe these tapes will be admitted as evidence in the trial?

FELDMAN: Well, he's vowing to get this evidence in, but that could be what I call Blake barrister bluster. But he says he's going to be able to do it and he says he's going to be able to show that the police had an ulterior motive in arresting his client, and that was fame and fortune -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Charles Feldman, as usual, excellent reporting. Thank you very much. And let's gets some reaction now to Charles' exclusive report. Joining me, the sister of Bonny Lee Bakley, Margerry Bakley.

Well, what's your reaction, Margerry, to Charles' report?

MARGERRY BAKLEY, BONNY LEE BAKLEY'S SISTER: Well, I know the tapes that he just played and I'm aware of the stalker who they're talking about. He's actually a childhood friend of my sister's. I think she dated him when she was a teenager. And the man is blind. He's legally blind and he's been excluded as a possible suspect. You know, he puts out these little bits and pieces of tape, but there's background to it and he doesn't give those parts out.

BLITZER: Well, what do you mean by the background though? And I'll give you a chance to give your side of the story.

BAKLEY: Well, the background is I know who they're talking about, and he's a blind man.

BLITZER: The stalker?

BAKLEY: The stalker, right. And she's known him since she was a teenager. And you know he was bothering her on the phone and things like -- of that nature. And... BLITZER: But was she worried -- but Margerry, was she worried enough to run off to Little Rock because of this stalker?

BAKLEY: No, she actually went to Little Rock because of probation.

BLITZER: The substance though of the tapes, what's heard on the tapes, might be enough to convince a jury that there is a reasonable doubt about the guilt of Robert Blake. Would you concede that?

BAKLEY: No, I think if you listen to the tapes in their entirety and then you have some background knowledge of these things, there's no way.

BLITZER: Why are you so convinced that Robert Blake murdered your sister?

BAKLEY: Well, there's a lot of things for the year that led up to her death and especially the month beforehand. And then after her death, it was the many things that transpired between Robert Blake and his attorney and myself that there's no reason to have lied after the fact. And there's a lot of lies after the fact too.

BLITZER: Was there ever any evidence that he harmed her physically in any way?

BAKLEY: Well, I know there was some incidences where he was choking her and ripping her hair out and things like that. So there was some abuse there too.

BLITZER: Are you going to do anything to mount a counter offensive against Harland Braun, Blake's attorney?

BAKLEY: Well, I think I'm kind of doing it right now. I'm doing the best I can to just, you know, try to get out there. There's another side to the story and you're only hearing little bits and pieces. There is hundreds of tapes, hundreds of hours of tapes and he's only playing, you know, 14, 15 seconds of it. So there's a lot of things behind these tapes.

BLITZER: Margerry Bakley, thanks for joining us. Our condolences to you on the murder of your sister as well. And we'll continue to follow this mystery. Thank you very much.

BAKLEY: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thank you and they've been soul mates on the Hollywood scene and on the political scene. Charlton Heston and Tom Selleck have been close for many years. Now, Tom Selleck is here to talk about his friend's battle with the symptoms of Alzheimer's. That's coming up next.

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BLITZER: Earlier we asked, in what two movies did Tom Selleck and Charlton Heston both appear? The answers, the World War II epic, "Midway," which was released in 1976 and the made-for-TV movie, "Big Guns Talk: The Story of The Western" in 1997.

As we reported, actor and National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston has revealed that he has symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But the Oscar winner says he's not giving up or giving in. Actor Tom Selleck is with us from Los Angeles now to talk about his friend and colleague.

Some would say, Tom, your mentor in certain respects. Is that going too far?

TOM SELLECK, ACTOR: I don't think it's going too far because of I guess my history with Chuck and the fact that he's a wonderful actor. You know those movies, one I didn't see, whatever, the "Big Guns Talk" was -- I think that an interview thing. But you know my claim to fame was "Midway" with Chuck. I was in it for a cup of coffee and Chuck was in it big time. And I even know my one line in that movie. Would you like to hear it, Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead. Let's hear it?

SELLECK: God, they creamed us. And I'm sure -- yes...

BLITZER: Brilliant...

SELLECK: ... I'm sure Chuck could see the magic -- yes, Chuck could see the magic showing through even then, I think.

BLITZER: Well, you spoke...

SELLECK: But that and...

BLITZER: I was going to say you've spoken to him in recent days, right?

SELLECK: I called Chuck Friday because it was a complete surprise, the announcement. His announcement was so typically Chuck. You know, he did it with grace and dignity and intelligence. And I just called him to say hi and then, -- I knew you'd ask me to come on the show -- and said, "Do you want me to do that, Chuck?" He said, "Sure, I'd be honored if you went on." Just -- you know he said, "I still got a lot of fight in me. And this isn't the end of the line." And that's very much Chuck, too. He had a lot of humor Friday and it was great to talk to him.

BLITZER: Well, you know, he, himself, joked about maybe some of the early symptoms...

SELLECK: Yes.

BLITZER: ... that he might tell a joke twice and you'd have to forgive him. In your brief conversation that you had with him, did he demonstrate any of the symptoms to you?

SELLECK: No, no. I've seen Chuck, oh, a couple of months ago. We shared a plane together and certainly, nothing Friday. I think people need to know that the reason he taped a message was quite simply -- you'll see him out on the scene and people will be able to ask him all the questions they want. But I think he really wanted to make a statement that wasn't either full of self pity. He's grateful for the position he's in and the privilege his being an actor has afforded him. And I think he wanted to control that in a way that didn't lead off on tangents that he wasn't interested in.

BLITZER: Do you think he was also inspired to come out and explain what's going on by Ronald Reagan's example?

SELLECK: Well, I'd have to say probably. I can't speak for Chuck. You know I'm thinking and I'm probably wrong, but I can think of the two public figures that have come out publicly with this announcement and one was President Reagan and one was Chuck. And certainly, I would guess that Chuck would have been both inspired and informed by the courage President Reagan showed.

BLITZER: He, of course, is still and will continue to be the president of the National Rifle Association.

SELLECK: Yes.

BLITZER: You're a member of the NRA. Some people are already saying, you know who might be a good successor to Charlton Heston. You know the answer? Tom Selleck.

SELLECK: Well, I'm a life member of the NRA. I became a life member when Chuck so nobly stood up for the NRA. You know, when Chuck started heading up the NRA, it put a face to an organization that whether you people disagree with it or agree with it had been effectively demonized for a quite a few years. It's a lot tougher to do that when you have someone like Chuck Heston speaking out. And ask me why I became a life member, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Tom, why did you become a life member of the NRA?

SELLECK: To get more work in Hollywood. No...

BLITZER: I don't think it -- I don't think that's helped your career.

SELLECK: Anyway, the point is, if a guy as good and decent and with as much grace as Chuck Heston can stand up for an issue, that I think is very important as he did for the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King, as he did for me as fledgling actor when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild and then, certainly, I could stand up. And I plan remaining a life member for life.

BLITZER: And if they come to you and say more than a life member. We want you to be our spokesman, what are you going to say to them?

SELLECK: I'm an actor and I have a mortgage.

BLITZER: But you know you've also got a political -- I've seen you at -- in Washington at various events here -- White House Correspondents Association, dinners. You like politics.

SELLECK: I love politics. You'll see me lurking at those events, in circles that people might even be surprised to see me in. You know they put in a box very quickly.

I don't stand up very often. I don't think celebrities should abuse their access to the media at the same time as the public figure. If you believe in something, you should stand up. And that's certainly what Chuck's done over the years in many areas and in diverse areas. And he's a good example for us all.

BLITZER: I know that...

SELLECK: Chuck never practices -- Chuck never practices the politics of if you disagree with me, you're evil. He might occasionally say, "If you disagree with me, you're stupid." And we all should reserve the right to do that. But you'll never hear Chuck demonizing a fellow American with an opposing point-of-view.

BLITZER: I know. I've interviewed him on several occasions. A real gentleman.

Let's talk about some of the opportunities for politics that may have come before you. You've been approached a few times to run for office in California?

SELLECK: No, I haven't, but Maureen Dowd say I was and that can it enormous credibility. We misconnected on a phone call or I would have said somebody fed you a line of untrue stuff, to put it politely. I don't know. I'm flattered. You know people have brought this up over time and I guess that's a compliment. I don't know. I grew up in a town where maybe -- where people perceived that I stand -- isn't quite as common and maybe that's a news story.

But you know, I, as I think Chuck has learned, you we have a lot of friends in this business, and all of us don't agree. But what we have learned from the get-go is these people have families. They're decent people and that's why I think you will hear somebody like Chuck Heston avoiding any kind of demonization of people. It's all too common in today's political world. It's probably what keeps most decent people out of the business of politics.

BLITZER: All right, Tom Selleck. Like you, I'm a great fan of Charlton Heston. I loved him in all of his movies, like talking to him when he was -- still is the president of the NRA, hope he'll be around for a long time to continue those interviews.

SELLECK: But did you see "Midway,"Wolf?

BLITZER: I did. I saw all of those movies, but my deepest and fondest recollection, of course, "Magnum P.I."

SELLECK: Thank you.

BLITZER: Hey, thanks again, Tom, for joining us.

SELLECK: Nice talking to you.

BLITZER: Bye-bye.

The king of rock 'n' roll 25 years later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELVIS PRESLEY, MUSICIAN: Went to a party in the county jail. The prison band was there and they were getting...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A look back at the big screen moments. Plus, will the pros drop the bats and walk the picket line. We'll go live to the strike talks when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESLEY: Going to a party at the county jail. The prison band was there and they're getting...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elvis starred in 31 films, some of his top selling music came from movies like the 1957 "Jailhouse Rock." Eleven of his soundtrack albums hit the Top 10 and four of those made it to number one. He made his last movie in 1969.

BLITZER: As music fans prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, the king of rock 'n' roll's daughter is starting her third marriage. Lisa Marie Presley and actor, Nicolas Cage, tied the knot over the weekend. The ceremony took place in Hawaii. Lisa Marie is the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Congratulations to them.

Major League Baseball players today backed off setting a strike date at least for now. Players say they're hopeful recent progress in bargaining talks will produce a new agreement with the owners by the end of the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD FEHR, PLAYERS UNION CHIEF: There has been progress made on a number of issues. We still have some significant hurdles, you know, to overcome. And in any bargaining round, you have ups and you have downs and you have days which look better than other days. Hopefully, over the next several days, you know, we'll find a way to address the remaining issues between us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The last strike that canceled the World Series occurred on this day eight years ago. More talks set for tomorrow. Let's go to Waco, Texas now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins right at the top of the hour, a special "MONEYLINE," right Lou?

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Right, Wolf. Thank you very much. Coming up at the top of the hour, we're broadcasting tonight live from Waco, Texas, the site of President Bush's economic forum, which starts here tomorrow. My guests tonight include Tom Donohue, the president and CEO of U.S. chamber of Commerce, who argues that this economy is, despite its problems, the best in the world. We'll also have special reports for you on the problems facing this economy and what happens to presidents who ignore those problems and the struggle between economics and politics. All of that and a great deal more tonight at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou, a very important "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" coming up. Less than two minutes to weigh in on our "Question of The Day." Do you think Steven Hatfill has been treated unfairly by the Justice Department? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. The results, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: And let's hear directly from you, some e-mail. Sue asked this about the possibility of going to war with Iraq. "Does America have the resources for this type of war? Are we ready to pay for this with our tax dollars and the lives of our servicemen and women?

And this from Jessica, "Thanks to Miles O'Brien for revealing Wolf's whereabouts last week. Everything he said about Wolf is true. Wolf, hope you had a great vacation -- we missed you."

Thanks, Jessica. Thanks very much. Thanks to Miles for doing such a terrific job filling in for me last week as well.

That's all the time we have today. I'll be back tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern -- no more vacations. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.

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