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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

What Will Be the White House's Response to Iraq's Denial?; Are War Games in Qatar Just a Sign for the Real Thing?

Aired December 09, 2002 - 18:00   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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR (voice-over): Weapons of mass destruction? After a 12,000-page Iraqi denile, the next move is up to Washington. How will the White House repond?

U.S. commanders play war games in Qatar. Is the next step the real thing?

An exclusive look inside a spy agency you probably have never heard of. How it could help win a war against Iraq.

Can a railroad man get America back on track?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He'll be a superb member of my cabinet.

BLITZER: Meet President Bush's new pick to bail out the economy.

Is it the begining of the end for a controversal cardinal?

An answer to the mystery of an air tragedy. A shocking report on the fate of Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

And they remember Roone.

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He really did change each of us.

BLITZER: The network stars come out to shine on a television innovator.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. Live from the Persian Gulf, reporting from Doha, Qatar here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Right now world leaders are zeroing in on one thing, the contents of this suitcase. Will Iraq's massive weapons report convince President Bush not to go to war against Saddam Hussein?

Also, just moments ago, in an unexpected development, CNN has obtained the table of contents of those Iraqi documents. We'll get to those details in just a moment. First, the new phase in the Iraqi weapons hunt, U.S. experts are combing through those Iraqi documents searching for signs of deceit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Judging from the number of cameras in the last 48 hours, you'd think the media covered a presidential visit but the star of this show close to 12,000 pages of documents the Iraqis claim prove they have no weapons of mass destruction.

LT. GEN.AMER AL-SAADI, IRAQI SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: We haven't reached the final assembly of a bomb nor tested it.

BLITZER: But the world wants to see for itself. A caravan of weapons inspectors loaded the documents in suitcases, trailed by reporters the whole way. The cameras rolled as planes carried the precious cargo from Baghdad to Cyprus. From there, one copy of the report went to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, another to the United Nations in New York.

The U.S. is making copies of the report for four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Great Britain, France, China, and Russia. From Vienna, the first response, don't expect an opinion soon despite suggestions from experts the documents may be largely a repeat of Iraqi filings from the 1990s.

MELISSA FLEMING, IAEA: We're saying that we can provide a preliminary assessment of this document in about seven to ten days.

BLITZER: From the United Nations in New York, hope for peace remains alive.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I have maintained that war is not inevitable and it is up to President Saddam Hussein to disarm, to cooperate fully with the inspectors and honor all his obligations to the United Nations.

BLITZER: Tomorrow, member countries may get a preliminary assessment of what the U.N. inspection teams think when Chief Inspector Hans Blix lunches with the Security Council.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And now to breaking news. Just a few moments ago, CNN obtained the table of contents of that lengthy Iraqi weapons report. That should give all of us a better idea what exactly is inside. Let's go live to our U.N. correspondent right now, Michael Okwu. He's standing by with details -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the talk of...

(AUDIO GAP)

OKWU: ... what is in this 12,000 page document. Just moments ago we were able to obtain a copy of a letter that was circulated to members of the Security Council. I'm going to hold it up for you. This is essentially translated from Arabic.

It was written, there's a cover page here that was signed by Mohammed Al-Douri who is the permanent representative for Iraq here, the delegation in New York, signed over to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who is the president of the Security Council and ultimately signed by the foreign minister, Naji Sabri of Iaq.

Now, it's interesting because it gives people a very good sense of what might be in this document. Essentially, there are sections here that talk about the procurement of petrochemicals, also segments here that might refer to what might have been a dirty bomb program that the Iraqis may have been involved in, a particular section saying terminated radiation bomb project.

Of course, we do not know this, Wolf, but what we do know is that this is a very large document, the table of contents, which is about nine pages long, indicates that and it breaks down essentially the entire document into all the weapons programs that Iraq may have had in the past or may have in the present, nuclear, biological, chemical as well as long range ballistic missiles -- Wolf.

BLITZER: This is the first time CNN, of course, is the first news organization to report this table of contents from this Iraqi weapons report. I'm intrigued by what you're saying Michael about this radiation bomb. I've been covering this Iraqi story for a long time.

I haven't heard the Iraqis confess to any such development of a radiation or dirty bomb in the past. This would seem to be a new wrinkle in this Iraqi program. A lot of officials have suggested they're only going to acknowledge what the U.S. intelligence community in particular already knows. But as far as you know, have there been previous discussions of Iraqi efforts to develop a so-called dirty bomb?

OKWU: Well, Iraq has made declarations in the past. They've been doing it now since 1991. They made about 11 declarations and, Wolf, all I can tell you is that they were supposed to make declarations about their biological and chemical weapons programs back in 1991 and back in 1995 it was discovered that they weren't coming clean.

So, this is the first time I've been hearing anything about a dirty bomb that Iraq might have been involved in developing. It's very interesting, Wolf, that in addition to this particular section, there are also sections that refer to companies and names of individuals who might have been supplying Iraq with some of its chemical and biological weapons program.

So, it's supposed to be a comprehensive document and I think that's what the inspection regime here is going to be checking for -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Michael Okwu at the United Nations, Michael thanks very much. We're going to continue to take a look at that table of contents. We're going to get some experts to look at it to help us better understand precisely what the Iraqis are acknowledging now and what they're not acknowledging. In the past, they have acknowledged efforts to develop a nuclear bomb but we don't know if they've ever acknowledged in the past efforts to develop a so-called radiation or dirty bomb. We'll get more on that as we get it as well.

Meanwhile, over in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, the U.N. weapons inspectors are continuing their effort to search for so-called weapons of mass destruction. Let's get a little bit more on that now from CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we went with the inspectors to the Faluga (ph) site about 40 miles northwest of Baghdad. Now, this was a site that in the 1990s, U.N. weapons inspectors believed that Iraq had been using to make precursor chemicals for some of their nerve agents. Now the inspectors spent four hours there today. Some members of the inspection team had only arrived in the day before.

When they left the site, we went in to the site. We spoke with the director there, very interesting. He said that when the inspectors had gone onsite they split into two teams. One team had spent three and a half hours asking him and the other director their questions.

He said these were the same questions they were asked by the U.N. inspectors in the 1990s. What do you produce? Where did you buy your equipment from? Who do you sell your product to? How many people do you employ?

We asked them specifically would he be prepared to leave the country to be questioned by inspectors. He said that he would rather be interviewed in Iraq. He said he was an Iraqi that he didn't want to leave, that he was quite happy to be interviewed in private but he didn't want to leave.

Now that plant he said produced just products for civilian industries, phenol products, chlorine products such as purifying agents for water, such as disinfecting and detergent agents as well.

But the picture emerging from the three different sites visited today, Wolf, all the officials at those sites putting down the notion that they would leave Iraq to be interviewed by U.N. weapons inspectors outside of the country -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad, Nic thanks very much.

And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, do you trust Iraq's report to be accurate and complete? We'll have the results later in this program. Vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

And just days after President Bush announced the resignations of two top economic advisers over at the White House, the treasury secretary and the chief economic adviser, there's now word there's a new treasury secretary ready to go. Let's go live to the White House, our senior White House Correspondent John King is standing by with that -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, the speedy development is a reflection of the urgency with which they view the economy here at the White House. It was just Thursday night the White House chief of staff called treasury secretary Paul O'Neill and said the president wants your resignation on his desk first thing Friday morning. Here at the White House, a new choice just by Monday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): A quick decision on a new treasury secretary underscores the president's number one domestic priority.

BUSH: I look forward to working with John Snow as we move forward on a growth and jobs package.

KING: Snow is a railroad executive, outspoken on the issue of corporate ethics and an old Washington hand who knows not to veer from the president's script.

JOHN SNOW, TREASURY SECRETARY NOMINEE: I strongly share your view that we can not be satisfied until everyone, every single person who's unemployed and seeking a job has an opportunity to work.

KING: This was installment one of a two round shakeup. Wall Street veteran Stephen Freidman (ph) will be named within days to replace Larry Lindsey as chairman of the White House's National Economic Council.

GROVER NORQUIST, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: As George Bush, Sr. found out, the economy can be growing on the day you're running for reelection but if people haven't figured that out, they vote against you.

KING: The economy is growing now but the recovery is fragile, a major worry for a president who faces reelection in 23 months. The unemployment rate was 4.2 percent when Mr. Bush took office, six percent now.

The economy has lost 1.7 million jobs during the Bush presidency and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gone from 10,588 to its Monday close of 8,474. Leading Democrats, including Mr. Bush's past and perhaps future rival blame the president's policies and say a new team won't be enough.

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I don't see a prospect of President Bush changing that course and I think that within two years' time he is going to be extremely vulnerable and should be because this is not good for our country.

KING: A new administration stimulus plan is now on hold until January. Sources tell CNN it is likely to call for accelerating parts of the ten-year Bush tax cut enacted last year, reduced taxes on stock dividends, and new incentives for companies to invest in new equipment and production.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Snow's first day as the president's choice included calls to some two dozen members of Congress and resigning from the all-male Augusta National Golf Club, both of those steps to insure speedy Senate confirmation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, while I have you let's get back to the situation involving Iraq, the U.S., the Bush administration putting a lot of pressure on the U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix to make those documents in their unredacted form completely available to the U.S. Is there any initial reading you're getting yet over at the White House on what those documents do, in fact, contain?

KING: Nothing terribly specific yet, Wolf. Officials here say that from what they have been told the initial reading no surprises and they certainly are quite skeptical here. They do not accept Iraq's word that it has told the truth in this document.

We are told the process will go like this, copies urgently being made tonight, being distributed throughout the intelligence community, so that those most familiar with past reports and current intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs can make their analysis.

We are told not to look for any detailed reaction or detailed analysis from the president or any other senior administration official for at least several days. Again though, they are highly skeptical here.

They just want to read the whole report, and one thing we do know, we are told the administration now will begin sharing much more detailed intelligence with those inspections teams. They believe here at the White House that Saddam Hussein is lying. They say the inspectors must now put that to the test -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John King at the White House, John thanks very much.

And, this note to our viewers, if you're interested in taking a look at that table of contents that CNN has obtained, the table of contents from the Iraqi weapons reports, you can go and read it. Go right now, in fact. You can read it at cnn.com. We've made it available on our Web site.

Practicing for a possible, possible invasion of Iraq, unique war games, that's what's going on here in Qatar in the Persian Gulf under the direction of the U.S. Central Command, right in Saddam Hussein's backyard. We'll have a closer look at what's going on behind closed doors. And, they could be watching you right now and you'd never even know it. A secret spy agency you've probably never even heard of. We'll have an exclusive report just ahead.

A murdered priest, a burned rectory, was it an inside job? We'll have a live report from Ohio. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the things that we used to say behind his back. Oh, the things he used to say behind our backs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some of network television's biggest names turn out to remember a pioneer in the business, but first a look at news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Nagging doubts, Venezuela's embattled President Hugo Chavez sent in troops to open gas stations as a general strike against his government continued to grow. To add insult to injury, there was a new public denunciation of Chavez from his own estranged wife.

Cool it, Australian officials say cooler, more humid, less windy conditions will help the fight against wildfires in the Sydney area. The fires have destroyed 50 homes and left two people dead.

Tokyo is digging out from its earliest snowfall in years. It may have been pretty to look at but it also forced airlines to cancel dozens of flights and it disrupted train and subway service.

Making his move, when Cuba held what it says was the world's largest chess exhibition. Even Fidel Castro came out to play. The Cuban president was one of about 11,000 amateurs who played more than 550 chess masters on tables in Havana's Revolution Square.

Mexico has some winter visitors, millions of Monarch butterflies from the United States and Canada. The Monarch migration is an annual phenomenon and always a spectacular site, and that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from the Persian Gulf.

As we've reported to you, CNN has obtained the table of contents of that Iraqi weapons declaration delivered over the weekend to U.N. weapons inspectors. The table of contents has now been posted on CNN's website, cnn.com. Let's bring in David Albright a former United Nations weapons inspectors who's had a chance to review that table of contents. David, what does it say to you? What do you see based on the headlines from that table of contents?

DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR (via phone): Well, one thing it looks like they've resubmitted their old declarations in the major areas of nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile. The nuclear one looks exactly like the one they filed in around 1996 to '97.

I can't evaluate the biological weapons or chemical or missile ones right now but if all these declarations are the same, then the concern is that they haven't answered or addressed the issues raised by the inspectors in the 1990s, and particularly the issues that were left unresolved in 1998 and in particular about the biological weapons program.

So, there is a worry that they just resubmitted these things and there may not be anything new. The second part, I mean there's other --

BLITZER: David, let me interrupt you but one of the elements in this table of contents, I take it, deals with radiation or so-called dirty bomb. Have there been such declarations by the Iraqis in the past?

ALBRIGHT: Yes, there has been. I didn't see that one particular thing. I didn't see that but yes, no there has been several reports turned in by the Iraqis on a radiological weapons program they had in approximately 1988.

They've designed it so that they were going to use it in the Iran-Iraq war and it didn't -- they were developing a device. It didn't work very well and they abandoned it, plus the Iran-Iraq war ended.

But yes, this device they were experimenting with, if used on an American city would scare a lot of people and cause a lot of disruption, so it wasn't of military quality but it certainly was a device that would worry people.

BLITZER: I'm glad you clarified that but let me just wrap it up by asking you this, David, and I know you've only had a preliminary opportunity to look at this table of contents. Based on simply the table of contents, how can you come to the conclusion that there may be nothing new in the substance of the actual 12,000 pages of documentation.

ALBRIGHT: Yes, let me be clear. When I look at the nuclear part, the declaration, it looks like it's the same declaration they filed before just looking at the headings and I have been following this for the last day. On the other programs, I don't have that information. There's another part of this which is when they talk about the major sites and they're discussing things that happened from 1991 up to 2002 in the various areas. Now there it looks like they're talking about what's going on at various facilities in the major areas that could be related to weapons of mass destruction and so they list nuclear sites, chemical sites, and I can't tell anything from there. What I understand from talking to other people is that these are mostly listings of facilities where activities are going on that could be used for weapons of mass destruction or missile systems.

And so, again, it's hard to know if there's anything new in here but I'm not hearing much that says that there's information about covert or clandestine weapons of mass destruction activities that have taken place in Iraq since 1991.

BLITZER: All right, David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector giving us a perspective on this initial look that all of us are getting here at CNN. For the first time, the table of contents from this Iraqi weapons report. Once again, if you want to take a look at it, go to cnn.com. David thanks so much for joining us.

Here in Qatar, U.S. war games underway today. Already Day 1, Day 1 is over with. It's called Internal Look. It's an effort to try to project what the U.S. might be engaged in if President Bush gives the order to go to war against Iraq. But unlike other war games, this war game is a war game involving largely communication not combat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): War games, this is what you would normally see, troops and heavy equipment in action preparing for the real thing. But here in Qatar, for what is emerging as the most important U.S. war game in years, you won't see any of that. That's because this exercise called Internal Look is being done behind closed doors or tightly shut security fences in this case with computers, video screens, and state of the art telecommunications equipment.

It got off the ground Monday morning. Commanding General Tommy Franks, the man in charge of putting a war plan against Iraq in place, will spend the next ten days or so fine tuning his ability to communicate with his troops in the region and other top military and civilian leaders back in the United States. In between, he's planning to move around the Persian Gulf region meeting with his troops and coalition partners as he would need to do during a war.

BLITZER (on camera): They built a huge air base here in Qatar, even though they have no significant air force. Their goal, if they build it they, meaning the Americans, will come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's our interest to have, you know, strong relations and it's our interest, you know, to have powerful friend next to us.

BLITZER (voice-over): So the leadership of this tiny Persian Gulf state wants American protection as do other states in the region. The U.S. military wants and needs their real estate, not just for this war game but in case there's a real thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Let's get some analysis now on what all of this means. Joining me once again, CNN Military Analyst retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Sheppherd. Why all the secrecy surrounding Internal Look, this war game?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Wolf, I think there's two major reasons, one is a lot has to play out diplomatically through the United Nations and the U.S. does not want to be seen as rushing to war just as Iraq makes its first reply. I think that's the main reason.

There's another reason. I think there's a special sensitivity by the administration and the military to the leaders and the people of Qatar who have invited the U.S. military to do this at a very, very convenient time. I think those are the two main reasons for all of the secrecy. More will be revealed later but right now they want to keep it low key.

BLITZER: You've had a chance to speak with troops and officers. Do they get the sense that the United States is, in fact, on the verge of war?

SHEPPHERD: No. The folks I've talked to in the field are following this very closely. They're watching TV just like you and I are. They're reading the newspapers from home and they see that there is a lot that has to play out and a lot of forces that have to be moved to the area before they're ready to go to war. They're serious and they're prepared but they are not sitting on their chairs thinking that we're at the verge of the war because we're not.

BLITZER: You were once in a command, that kind of situation. What would you be telling your troops right now during this kind of exercise if you were still on active service?

SHEPPHERD: Yes, I'd be telling them don't get hysterical. Basically, I'd say do your preparation. Learn about the area. Go over all of your procedures. Make sure everybody knows about chemical, biological, weapons of mass destruction. Make sure your tactics are up to speed because we may be on the verge of military conflict. Intense preparation will take place in the last couple, three weeks before you go in. Don't get hysterical right now but get ready and get your affairs in order.

BLITZER: All right, General Sheppherd, good to have you with me here in Qatar. Thanks very much for joining us.

SHEPPHERD: Pleasure.

BLITZER: We have a lot more news coming up. We have a lot more news on what's going on here in the Persian Gulf as the standoff with Iraq continues. A strong story, though, out of Ohio. Firefighters find the body of a priest in the burned our rectory but that's half the story, the shocking discovery coming up.

And why is Boston's embattled Cardinal Law making a surprise visit to the Vatican? Is he on the way out? And something you may not have seen before, the results coming up, but first today's news quiz. How fast can a camel run? Is it ten, 20, 40, or 60 miles per hour, the answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We'll have more news from the Persian Gulf in just a few moments but first let's check some other news making headlines right now.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a man trained to be a monk has been charged with killing a priest. The body of 69-year-old William Gulasz (ph) was found in the burning rectory of his parish Saturday. The coroner says he was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest and had also been bludgeoned. Thirty-seven-year-old Daniel Montgomery is charged with murder and arson. Police aren't giving a motive but one church member says the suspect apparently got a poor review in his training.

Meanwhile, Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law is in the Vatican consulting with officials on the deteriorating situation in his diocese. Lawsuits over the sex abuse scandal may force it into bankruptcy and there are increasingly loud calls for the cardinal to resign. Joining me now from Rome to discuss all of this and get some incite is John Allen. He's a correspondent for the "National Catholic Reporter." John thanks so much for joining us. Give us your sense. What is going on?

JOHN ALLEN, "NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": Well, I don't think it takes a great leap of imagination to figure it out. I mean on the one hand there's a financial meltdown afoot in the Boston Archdiocese and we're talking about hundreds of lawsuits from hundreds of victims and the real and potential future debt is almost unimaginable and so the cardinal is here to get clearance if conditions warrant to move ahead with a declaration of bankruptcy.

But you know, beyond the dollars and cents, there's also the question of the crisis of confidence in Boston in his leadership. The staggering revelations of the last few days about additional cases of sex abuse that were documented in the files of the archdiocese, and there's the very real question about how the diocese moves forward here, and specifically what the future holds for Bernard Law, and I think that's on the table here as well.

BLITZER: Well, let's talk about that bankruptcy thing. Is that realistic that the diocese in Boston could really file for bankruptcy?

ALLEN: Well, I mean it may be its only realistic option. I mean look, I mean this would be unprecedented if it happened. No American Catholic diocese has ever filed for bankruptcy before. There are some very deep reservations here in the Vatican about it.

On the one hand they're concerned about the impact on future giving. I mean it hardly inspires investor confidence when an organization goes belly up and they're also concerned about the prospect of turning over control of the assets of the church, some 1.3 billion by some estimates in the archdiocese of Boston, but to a civil judge, that is someone outside the Catholic power structure.

But, you know, in the end, given the avalanche of legal action, the real debt that the archdiocese and its hypothetical future debt if some other settlements or some other verdicts against it, it may be the only choice that they have.

BLITZER: Amazing developments. John Allen, thanks so much for joining us from the Vatican.

We have more -- much news coming up, including this, a controversial new over the Internet medication for overweight kids. But are so-called Skinny Pills safe?

And it crashed into the Pacific Ocean nearly three years ago. Investigators say they have discovered what brought down Alaska Airlines Flight 261. We'll have the full report in just a few moments.

And a CNN exclusive, go inside a top-secret security agency, its job to peek and spy on rogue nations without actually going there. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from the Persian Gulf. Coming up, we'll show you some exclusive pictures of a U.S. spy agency you probably never even heard of. You will want to watch and see this report and see these pictures.

As the U.S. weighs its options in Iraq, government agencies in Washington are, of course, trying to help the U.S. engage in any sort of battle plan that may be necessary. One agency you probably never heard of is an agency called NIMA, and it plays a vital role, repeat vital role in U.S. military efforts. CNN's national security correspondent, David Ensor, now takes a closer look at this agency in this exclusive report.

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DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From high above the earth, it spies on terrorists and rogue states. It guides the war fighter to the target. And in a disaster, helps rescue teams with an array of space age technologies. Yet hardly anyone has ever heard of NIMA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency.

(on camera): You go around and say, "I work at NIMA." I mean what do they say to you?

HEIDI SMITH, NIMA IMAGERY ANALYST: What is that? That's usually first response.

ENSOR: Can I just ask you how many employees you have and roughly what your budget is. Is that something you can tell us?

LT. GEN. JAMES CLAPPER (RET.), NIMA DIRECTOR: No.

ENSOR: Why not?

CLAPPER: It's secret.

ENSOR (voice-over): With the headquarters tucked away in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., NIMA generally keeps a low profile. But for this series of special reports, CNN was given unprecedented access, a unique chance to show what this almost unknown spy agency is all about.

CLAPPER: If you think about it, everything and everybody has to be some place. So we, I think, try to create the setting, the geographical setting, if you will, and help determine where things and people could be.

ENSOR: it is about geography and maps. NIMA was created six years ago to combine the old Defense Mapping Agency and the CIA's Satellite Photo Analysis Office among others and try to create something bigger than the sum of the parts.

(on camera): In this room, at headquarters building, there are literally millions of maps and charts. And they're kept here in these moveable cabinets, which create deep caverns of drawers. If you open up a drawer, you find these files with detailed maps of the entire world. Twenty of these drawers cover just Iraq.

(voice-over): Paper maps are still needed, still given to pilots going on missions over Afghanistan or Iraq. But NIMA is moving quickly into the digital age.

At Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, pilots use NIMA imagery on a computer to practice flying through a mission. Using satellite imagery, NIMA photo analysts also scour the world looking closely with other intelligence agencies in search for al Qaeda fugitives from Osama bin Laden on down. If, for example, a prisoner tells the CIA he knows of an al Qaeda safe house in Karachi, Pakistan, on a dead end street, then NIMA can find every house that fits that description.

CLAPPER: We can provide again that sort of AAA road map as to where that facility -- the specific facility in question might be.

ENSOR: NIMA has made mistakes. In the days before India tested a nuclear weapon in 1998, for example, not enough photo analysts were assigned to watch the suspected test site. So that dramatic change in the world took Washington by surprise. Some critics charge NIMA is too centralized and puts too much emphasis on tactical military needs, the requirements of the war fighter at the expense of strategic intelligence issues, such as which nations might be developing a nuclear weapon.

Folding the CIA Satellite Imagery Analysis Office into NIMA six years ago, one former analyst argues, was a mistake.

PATRICK EDDINTON, FORMER CIA PHOTO ANALYST: It creates a corporate culture that does not encourage challenging, prevailing news and wisdom and that is absolutely death. It guarantees intelligence failures.

CLAPPER: I don't agree with that.

ENSOR: Director Clapper says the charge that NIMA cannot serve both military needs and the nation's strategic intelligence requirements is unfair, that NIMA is able to satisfy all its customers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: And they have many. NIMA is helping the Pentagon and the CIA to get ready for a possible war in Iraq and the FBI and local law enforcement as they work to protect the homeland. The urgency of the work is raising the profile of a spy agency that was little known until now. We'll take a more close look at it, at how it helps war fighters, homeland security and some of the future technologies in the next few days -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I'm sure a lot of our viewers, David, want to know why they all of a sudden decided to give you this kind of exclusive access? What's the story behind the story?

ENSOR: Well, this is an agency that, as we've said, almost nobody has ever heard of. There is perhaps a feeling among some of the intelligence agencies and the U.S. government that they do need to raise their profile a little bit now. They're still secret.

They still handle classified material, but they want to, for example, hire a new cadre of -- a new generation of talented linguists and analysts. They're looking to hire more people. They're expanding what they're doing since 9/11. So they want people to know what they're doing and in a limited way would like the public to know a little bit more about how they do it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor with a good, exclusive report. He's going to continue his reporting tomorrow on this program. David, thank you very much for that report.

When we come back, we have some new information for those of you who are concerned about overweight American kids. There's a new pill that's out there that says it will make your kids skinny, but is it safe? We'll check into that.

Also, it's something you won't see in the United States. You will see it here where I am. In Qatar, the camel race. We'll show you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We'll get to that camel race that took place here in Qatar earlier today in just a few moments.

There is word today of other important news, federal investigators believe improper maintenance was to blame for the deadly crash of an Alaska Airlines jetliner nearly three years ago. A source tells CNN a draft report blames a lack of grease on a tail component for causing the jet to go down off the California coast, killing all 88 people on board. Let's get more details now. CNN's Patty Davis is standing by in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off California as the plane was heading from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco. The pilots struggled for control most of the flight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're at 26,000 feet. We're in a vertical dive.

DAVIS: According to a source close to the crash investigation, a draft report by the National Transportation Safety Board concludes a lack of sufficient lubrication of the jackscrew caused excessive wear, a lack of grease causing the jackscrew to fail, along with a horizontal stabilizer, which controls the plane's up and down movement. The plane spiraled out of control, killing all 88 people on board.

After the crash, the FAA launched a massive investigation of Alaska Airlines maintenance practices, threatening to ground the airline if it didn't make improvements. Since the crash, the airline has added 300 new mechanics and managers and created a new safety department. The FAA has also been criticized for poor oversight of the airline's maintenance. The FAA says that it's beefed up the number of inspectors at Alaska Airlines from nine at the time of the crash to 37 today and mandated more frequent lubrication of jackscrews. Jim Hall was NTSB chief at the time.

JIM HALL, FORMER NTSB CHAIRMAN: There are been changes in place, but I think this accident investigation will hopefully give us some guidance in the future on to how to better monitor the rapid growth of the airlines in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: The safety board will issue its final report tomorrow to assess blame, if any, for why there was a lack of grease on that plane's jackscrew. The board may recommend the mechanism be redesigned because there is no backup if the critical system fails -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis with that important report. Patty, thanks very much.

When we come back, is it a controversial cure for overweight kids? We'll take a close look at the so-called Skinny Pill.

Also, he was a legend in his own time to those who knew him. Memories of television trailblazer, Roone Arledge when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's get in medical news right now. In recent years, there has been a lot of concern about childhood obesity. Some people are suggesting pills might be the answer. Others say that's not the answer at all. Let's get some analysis now from CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. She's standing by -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, pediatric experts I've been talking to today say this pill is definitely not the answer. It contains an herb called Uva ursi that should never ever be given to children, according to the "Physician's Desk Reference," which is really the Bible on these issues for doctors.

In addition, it contains not one, not two, but three different diarrhetics, which would cause a child to lose water, which could lead to kidney damage and to electrolyte imbalance. Also, it contains four times as much niacin as an 8-year-old child is supposed to get. Too much niacin can be toxic. That's why the National Academy of Sciences sets these upper limits and this is four times above that upper limit.

This is being marketed to children ages 6 through 12 but the experts we talked to said that it ought to be taken off the market -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What about the makers of this pill, Elizabeth? What do they say?

COHEN: The makers of this pill say that it's safe. They say the "Physician's Desk Reference" says that all the ingredients are safe, which is not true. They say that the fiber in the supplement will make you feel full; which experts also tell us isn't true. But they say all the ingredients are safe and effective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDITA KAYE, "SKINNY PILL" MARKETER: I have all the ingredients in there that my formulators have told me are safe and effective. I'm not a chemist. I think I have done everything in the safest possible way that I could. And I think I help a lot of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, again, she says that it is safe and effective, but, again, lots of different medical references say that one herb in particular should never be given to children -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Elizabeth, we talked about the safety, but does it work? Does it really get these kids to lose weight?

COHEN: The experts who we talked to said, you know, it might cause them lose a little bit of weight because it causes them lose water. But that is not the right way for children to lose weight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH AYOOB, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: This is a vulnerable population. To come along and give them false promises with a bogus potentially harmful product is outrageous. It's snake oil and it shouldn't be allowed to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: As much as everyone would like one, there is no magic pill for children to lose weight. It's just the same as it is for adults, diet and exercise --Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, thanks very much for that important, important report. For a closer look, a little more information on this important story, please tune in tonight. "CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT," she'll have a lot more information about the so-called diet pills for children. That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Broadcasting legend, Roone Arledge, he changed the way all of us watch television news and television sports. He was remembered today in New York. Let's get a report now from CNN's Jason Carol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saint Bartholomew's Church was filled with the faces Roone Arledge would have loved to have had on his dream network roster. Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Connie Chung and Peter Jennings were some of those who paid their respects to a man who revolutionized an industry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What sort of fun do you think Roone would have had today, putting together the order of speakers? You're right, Diane ahead of Barbara, and maybe Ted ahead of Peter.

CARROLL: "Impossible, but wonderful" is how Peter Jennings described his former boss at ABC News. Words like "pioneer" and "trailblazer" also used to describe Arledge, who in his 40 years at ABC created franchises like "Monday Night Football."

Arledge was first to use slow motion, freeze frame and the instant replay. And after adding the news division to his responsibilities Arledge created "Nightline," "Primetime" and "20/20." He courted network stars like Sawyer and Walters and always commanded respect.

WALTERS: There was a telephone in every control room only for calls from Roone and it was called the Roone Phone. And the greatest thrill for any of us was when that phone rang and it was Roone saying, "Great job." And the biggest disappointment for any of us was when that phone rang and Roone said, "Not such a good job."

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He was the global positioning system whereby we always tried to fathom what path we were on, asking did Roone smile, did he really smile? And was it good enough for him, really good enough for him?

CARROLL: Arledge died last Thursday from complications from cancer. He left behind a wife, four children and a very special place in broadcasting. CONNIE CHUNG, CNN ANCHOR: I'll tell you, for any of us who had the privilege of working for him, it was -- I don't think there'll be any person who can alter, change or improve television the way he did.

SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He took rudimentary television and said, "Let's make a production of it. Let's make a program. Let's make a show."

CARROLL: In his 71 years, Arledge knew more about the thrill of victory than the agony of defeat, a phrase he coined for ABC's "Wide World of Sports."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, how fast can a camel run? The answer, believe it or not, is 40 miles per hour.

It's time now for our "Picture of The Day." In this part of the world, it's not the Kentucky Derby. It's not even horses. In this part of the world what we're talking about are camels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): From October through December, pricey camels, some selling for as much as $2 million a piece, speed along the five kilometer (UNINTELLIGIBLE) racetrack 30 minutes outside Qatar's capital of Doha. After the afternoon prayer, handlers march their camels toward the track and line up while the young jockeys climb up ready to race. These youngsters are mostly African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi.

According to the U.S. State Department, guardians and handlers who often pose as parents bring the children into the country and supervise their training. They live, the State Department says, in difficult conditions and train on a daily basis to become riders.

This desert derby starts without much warning. Handlers dive off the track, desperate to avoid being trampled. The camels shoot down the track, followed by a chaotic caravan of SUVs. The elite drive on the inside of the track, the rank and file on the outside. Two camera crews and a broadcaster speed along with the fans to catch the action for Qatar TV and radio. The race takes about 10 minutes and ends with a finish far less exciting than the start.

While there's no betting in Qatar, the winners do take home hefty prizes -- cash, cars or the more traditional gold sword.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there's no doubt that this is a country that's seeking to modernize itself very, very rapidly. But this is a tradition here in Qatar, these camel races, a tradition everyone seems to like, especially the Emir. Let's take a look and see how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Look at this. Here are the answers to the question, do you trust Iraq's report to be accurate and complete?" Twenty-five percent of you say yes, 75 percent of you say no. Remember, you find the exact vote tally on our Web site, cnn.com/wolf. You can also continue to vote there. This is not, though, a scientific poll.

That's all the time we have for today. We'll be back tomorrow, twice a day at noon Eastern, also 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We're continuing our special coverage live here from the Persian Gulf. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Doha, Qatar. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next.

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





Are War Games in Qatar Just a Sign for the Real Thing?>


Aired December 9, 2002 - 18:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR (voice-over): Weapons of mass destruction? After a 12,000-page Iraqi denile, the next move is up to Washington. How will the White House repond?

U.S. commanders play war games in Qatar. Is the next step the real thing?

An exclusive look inside a spy agency you probably have never heard of. How it could help win a war against Iraq.

Can a railroad man get America back on track?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He'll be a superb member of my cabinet.

BLITZER: Meet President Bush's new pick to bail out the economy.

Is it the begining of the end for a controversal cardinal?

An answer to the mystery of an air tragedy. A shocking report on the fate of Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

And they remember Roone.

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He really did change each of us.

BLITZER: The network stars come out to shine on a television innovator.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. Live from the Persian Gulf, reporting from Doha, Qatar here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Right now world leaders are zeroing in on one thing, the contents of this suitcase. Will Iraq's massive weapons report convince President Bush not to go to war against Saddam Hussein?

Also, just moments ago, in an unexpected development, CNN has obtained the table of contents of those Iraqi documents. We'll get to those details in just a moment. First, the new phase in the Iraqi weapons hunt, U.S. experts are combing through those Iraqi documents searching for signs of deceit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Judging from the number of cameras in the last 48 hours, you'd think the media covered a presidential visit but the star of this show close to 12,000 pages of documents the Iraqis claim prove they have no weapons of mass destruction.

LT. GEN.AMER AL-SAADI, IRAQI SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: We haven't reached the final assembly of a bomb nor tested it.

BLITZER: But the world wants to see for itself. A caravan of weapons inspectors loaded the documents in suitcases, trailed by reporters the whole way. The cameras rolled as planes carried the precious cargo from Baghdad to Cyprus. From there, one copy of the report went to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, another to the United Nations in New York.

The U.S. is making copies of the report for four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Great Britain, France, China, and Russia. From Vienna, the first response, don't expect an opinion soon despite suggestions from experts the documents may be largely a repeat of Iraqi filings from the 1990s.

MELISSA FLEMING, IAEA: We're saying that we can provide a preliminary assessment of this document in about seven to ten days.

BLITZER: From the United Nations in New York, hope for peace remains alive.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I have maintained that war is not inevitable and it is up to President Saddam Hussein to disarm, to cooperate fully with the inspectors and honor all his obligations to the United Nations.

BLITZER: Tomorrow, member countries may get a preliminary assessment of what the U.N. inspection teams think when Chief Inspector Hans Blix lunches with the Security Council.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And now to breaking news. Just a few moments ago, CNN obtained the table of contents of that lengthy Iraqi weapons report. That should give all of us a better idea what exactly is inside. Let's go live to our U.N. correspondent right now, Michael Okwu. He's standing by with details -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the talk of...

(AUDIO GAP)

OKWU: ... what is in this 12,000 page document. Just moments ago we were able to obtain a copy of a letter that was circulated to members of the Security Council. I'm going to hold it up for you. This is essentially translated from Arabic.

It was written, there's a cover page here that was signed by Mohammed Al-Douri who is the permanent representative for Iraq here, the delegation in New York, signed over to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who is the president of the Security Council and ultimately signed by the foreign minister, Naji Sabri of Iaq.

Now, it's interesting because it gives people a very good sense of what might be in this document. Essentially, there are sections here that talk about the procurement of petrochemicals, also segments here that might refer to what might have been a dirty bomb program that the Iraqis may have been involved in, a particular section saying terminated radiation bomb project.

Of course, we do not know this, Wolf, but what we do know is that this is a very large document, the table of contents, which is about nine pages long, indicates that and it breaks down essentially the entire document into all the weapons programs that Iraq may have had in the past or may have in the present, nuclear, biological, chemical as well as long range ballistic missiles -- Wolf.

BLITZER: This is the first time CNN, of course, is the first news organization to report this table of contents from this Iraqi weapons report. I'm intrigued by what you're saying Michael about this radiation bomb. I've been covering this Iraqi story for a long time.

I haven't heard the Iraqis confess to any such development of a radiation or dirty bomb in the past. This would seem to be a new wrinkle in this Iraqi program. A lot of officials have suggested they're only going to acknowledge what the U.S. intelligence community in particular already knows. But as far as you know, have there been previous discussions of Iraqi efforts to develop a so-called dirty bomb?

OKWU: Well, Iraq has made declarations in the past. They've been doing it now since 1991. They made about 11 declarations and, Wolf, all I can tell you is that they were supposed to make declarations about their biological and chemical weapons programs back in 1991 and back in 1995 it was discovered that they weren't coming clean.

So, this is the first time I've been hearing anything about a dirty bomb that Iraq might have been involved in developing. It's very interesting, Wolf, that in addition to this particular section, there are also sections that refer to companies and names of individuals who might have been supplying Iraq with some of its chemical and biological weapons program.

So, it's supposed to be a comprehensive document and I think that's what the inspection regime here is going to be checking for -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Michael Okwu at the United Nations, Michael thanks very much. We're going to continue to take a look at that table of contents. We're going to get some experts to look at it to help us better understand precisely what the Iraqis are acknowledging now and what they're not acknowledging. In the past, they have acknowledged efforts to develop a nuclear bomb but we don't know if they've ever acknowledged in the past efforts to develop a so-called radiation or dirty bomb. We'll get more on that as we get it as well.

Meanwhile, over in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, the U.N. weapons inspectors are continuing their effort to search for so-called weapons of mass destruction. Let's get a little bit more on that now from CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we went with the inspectors to the Faluga (ph) site about 40 miles northwest of Baghdad. Now, this was a site that in the 1990s, U.N. weapons inspectors believed that Iraq had been using to make precursor chemicals for some of their nerve agents. Now the inspectors spent four hours there today. Some members of the inspection team had only arrived in the day before.

When they left the site, we went in to the site. We spoke with the director there, very interesting. He said that when the inspectors had gone onsite they split into two teams. One team had spent three and a half hours asking him and the other director their questions.

He said these were the same questions they were asked by the U.N. inspectors in the 1990s. What do you produce? Where did you buy your equipment from? Who do you sell your product to? How many people do you employ?

We asked them specifically would he be prepared to leave the country to be questioned by inspectors. He said that he would rather be interviewed in Iraq. He said he was an Iraqi that he didn't want to leave, that he was quite happy to be interviewed in private but he didn't want to leave.

Now that plant he said produced just products for civilian industries, phenol products, chlorine products such as purifying agents for water, such as disinfecting and detergent agents as well.

But the picture emerging from the three different sites visited today, Wolf, all the officials at those sites putting down the notion that they would leave Iraq to be interviewed by U.N. weapons inspectors outside of the country -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad, Nic thanks very much.

And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, do you trust Iraq's report to be accurate and complete? We'll have the results later in this program. Vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

And just days after President Bush announced the resignations of two top economic advisers over at the White House, the treasury secretary and the chief economic adviser, there's now word there's a new treasury secretary ready to go. Let's go live to the White House, our senior White House Correspondent John King is standing by with that -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, the speedy development is a reflection of the urgency with which they view the economy here at the White House. It was just Thursday night the White House chief of staff called treasury secretary Paul O'Neill and said the president wants your resignation on his desk first thing Friday morning. Here at the White House, a new choice just by Monday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): A quick decision on a new treasury secretary underscores the president's number one domestic priority.

BUSH: I look forward to working with John Snow as we move forward on a growth and jobs package.

KING: Snow is a railroad executive, outspoken on the issue of corporate ethics and an old Washington hand who knows not to veer from the president's script.

JOHN SNOW, TREASURY SECRETARY NOMINEE: I strongly share your view that we can not be satisfied until everyone, every single person who's unemployed and seeking a job has an opportunity to work.

KING: This was installment one of a two round shakeup. Wall Street veteran Stephen Freidman (ph) will be named within days to replace Larry Lindsey as chairman of the White House's National Economic Council.

GROVER NORQUIST, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: As George Bush, Sr. found out, the economy can be growing on the day you're running for reelection but if people haven't figured that out, they vote against you.

KING: The economy is growing now but the recovery is fragile, a major worry for a president who faces reelection in 23 months. The unemployment rate was 4.2 percent when Mr. Bush took office, six percent now.

The economy has lost 1.7 million jobs during the Bush presidency and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gone from 10,588 to its Monday close of 8,474. Leading Democrats, including Mr. Bush's past and perhaps future rival blame the president's policies and say a new team won't be enough.

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I don't see a prospect of President Bush changing that course and I think that within two years' time he is going to be extremely vulnerable and should be because this is not good for our country.

KING: A new administration stimulus plan is now on hold until January. Sources tell CNN it is likely to call for accelerating parts of the ten-year Bush tax cut enacted last year, reduced taxes on stock dividends, and new incentives for companies to invest in new equipment and production.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Snow's first day as the president's choice included calls to some two dozen members of Congress and resigning from the all-male Augusta National Golf Club, both of those steps to insure speedy Senate confirmation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, while I have you let's get back to the situation involving Iraq, the U.S., the Bush administration putting a lot of pressure on the U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix to make those documents in their unredacted form completely available to the U.S. Is there any initial reading you're getting yet over at the White House on what those documents do, in fact, contain?

KING: Nothing terribly specific yet, Wolf. Officials here say that from what they have been told the initial reading no surprises and they certainly are quite skeptical here. They do not accept Iraq's word that it has told the truth in this document.

We are told the process will go like this, copies urgently being made tonight, being distributed throughout the intelligence community, so that those most familiar with past reports and current intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs can make their analysis.

We are told not to look for any detailed reaction or detailed analysis from the president or any other senior administration official for at least several days. Again though, they are highly skeptical here.

They just want to read the whole report, and one thing we do know, we are told the administration now will begin sharing much more detailed intelligence with those inspections teams. They believe here at the White House that Saddam Hussein is lying. They say the inspectors must now put that to the test -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John King at the White House, John thanks very much.

And, this note to our viewers, if you're interested in taking a look at that table of contents that CNN has obtained, the table of contents from the Iraqi weapons reports, you can go and read it. Go right now, in fact. You can read it at cnn.com. We've made it available on our Web site.

Practicing for a possible, possible invasion of Iraq, unique war games, that's what's going on here in Qatar in the Persian Gulf under the direction of the U.S. Central Command, right in Saddam Hussein's backyard. We'll have a closer look at what's going on behind closed doors. And, they could be watching you right now and you'd never even know it. A secret spy agency you've probably never even heard of. We'll have an exclusive report just ahead.

A murdered priest, a burned rectory, was it an inside job? We'll have a live report from Ohio. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the things that we used to say behind his back. Oh, the things he used to say behind our backs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some of network television's biggest names turn out to remember a pioneer in the business, but first a look at news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Nagging doubts, Venezuela's embattled President Hugo Chavez sent in troops to open gas stations as a general strike against his government continued to grow. To add insult to injury, there was a new public denunciation of Chavez from his own estranged wife.

Cool it, Australian officials say cooler, more humid, less windy conditions will help the fight against wildfires in the Sydney area. The fires have destroyed 50 homes and left two people dead.

Tokyo is digging out from its earliest snowfall in years. It may have been pretty to look at but it also forced airlines to cancel dozens of flights and it disrupted train and subway service.

Making his move, when Cuba held what it says was the world's largest chess exhibition. Even Fidel Castro came out to play. The Cuban president was one of about 11,000 amateurs who played more than 550 chess masters on tables in Havana's Revolution Square.

Mexico has some winter visitors, millions of Monarch butterflies from the United States and Canada. The Monarch migration is an annual phenomenon and always a spectacular site, and that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from the Persian Gulf.

As we've reported to you, CNN has obtained the table of contents of that Iraqi weapons declaration delivered over the weekend to U.N. weapons inspectors. The table of contents has now been posted on CNN's website, cnn.com. Let's bring in David Albright a former United Nations weapons inspectors who's had a chance to review that table of contents. David, what does it say to you? What do you see based on the headlines from that table of contents?

DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR (via phone): Well, one thing it looks like they've resubmitted their old declarations in the major areas of nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile. The nuclear one looks exactly like the one they filed in around 1996 to '97.

I can't evaluate the biological weapons or chemical or missile ones right now but if all these declarations are the same, then the concern is that they haven't answered or addressed the issues raised by the inspectors in the 1990s, and particularly the issues that were left unresolved in 1998 and in particular about the biological weapons program.

So, there is a worry that they just resubmitted these things and there may not be anything new. The second part, I mean there's other --

BLITZER: David, let me interrupt you but one of the elements in this table of contents, I take it, deals with radiation or so-called dirty bomb. Have there been such declarations by the Iraqis in the past?

ALBRIGHT: Yes, there has been. I didn't see that one particular thing. I didn't see that but yes, no there has been several reports turned in by the Iraqis on a radiological weapons program they had in approximately 1988.

They've designed it so that they were going to use it in the Iran-Iraq war and it didn't -- they were developing a device. It didn't work very well and they abandoned it, plus the Iran-Iraq war ended.

But yes, this device they were experimenting with, if used on an American city would scare a lot of people and cause a lot of disruption, so it wasn't of military quality but it certainly was a device that would worry people.

BLITZER: I'm glad you clarified that but let me just wrap it up by asking you this, David, and I know you've only had a preliminary opportunity to look at this table of contents. Based on simply the table of contents, how can you come to the conclusion that there may be nothing new in the substance of the actual 12,000 pages of documentation.

ALBRIGHT: Yes, let me be clear. When I look at the nuclear part, the declaration, it looks like it's the same declaration they filed before just looking at the headings and I have been following this for the last day. On the other programs, I don't have that information. There's another part of this which is when they talk about the major sites and they're discussing things that happened from 1991 up to 2002 in the various areas. Now there it looks like they're talking about what's going on at various facilities in the major areas that could be related to weapons of mass destruction and so they list nuclear sites, chemical sites, and I can't tell anything from there. What I understand from talking to other people is that these are mostly listings of facilities where activities are going on that could be used for weapons of mass destruction or missile systems.

And so, again, it's hard to know if there's anything new in here but I'm not hearing much that says that there's information about covert or clandestine weapons of mass destruction activities that have taken place in Iraq since 1991.

BLITZER: All right, David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector giving us a perspective on this initial look that all of us are getting here at CNN. For the first time, the table of contents from this Iraqi weapons report. Once again, if you want to take a look at it, go to cnn.com. David thanks so much for joining us.

Here in Qatar, U.S. war games underway today. Already Day 1, Day 1 is over with. It's called Internal Look. It's an effort to try to project what the U.S. might be engaged in if President Bush gives the order to go to war against Iraq. But unlike other war games, this war game is a war game involving largely communication not combat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): War games, this is what you would normally see, troops and heavy equipment in action preparing for the real thing. But here in Qatar, for what is emerging as the most important U.S. war game in years, you won't see any of that. That's because this exercise called Internal Look is being done behind closed doors or tightly shut security fences in this case with computers, video screens, and state of the art telecommunications equipment.

It got off the ground Monday morning. Commanding General Tommy Franks, the man in charge of putting a war plan against Iraq in place, will spend the next ten days or so fine tuning his ability to communicate with his troops in the region and other top military and civilian leaders back in the United States. In between, he's planning to move around the Persian Gulf region meeting with his troops and coalition partners as he would need to do during a war.

BLITZER (on camera): They built a huge air base here in Qatar, even though they have no significant air force. Their goal, if they build it they, meaning the Americans, will come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's our interest to have, you know, strong relations and it's our interest, you know, to have powerful friend next to us.

BLITZER (voice-over): So the leadership of this tiny Persian Gulf state wants American protection as do other states in the region. The U.S. military wants and needs their real estate, not just for this war game but in case there's a real thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Let's get some analysis now on what all of this means. Joining me once again, CNN Military Analyst retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Sheppherd. Why all the secrecy surrounding Internal Look, this war game?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Wolf, I think there's two major reasons, one is a lot has to play out diplomatically through the United Nations and the U.S. does not want to be seen as rushing to war just as Iraq makes its first reply. I think that's the main reason.

There's another reason. I think there's a special sensitivity by the administration and the military to the leaders and the people of Qatar who have invited the U.S. military to do this at a very, very convenient time. I think those are the two main reasons for all of the secrecy. More will be revealed later but right now they want to keep it low key.

BLITZER: You've had a chance to speak with troops and officers. Do they get the sense that the United States is, in fact, on the verge of war?

SHEPPHERD: No. The folks I've talked to in the field are following this very closely. They're watching TV just like you and I are. They're reading the newspapers from home and they see that there is a lot that has to play out and a lot of forces that have to be moved to the area before they're ready to go to war. They're serious and they're prepared but they are not sitting on their chairs thinking that we're at the verge of the war because we're not.

BLITZER: You were once in a command, that kind of situation. What would you be telling your troops right now during this kind of exercise if you were still on active service?

SHEPPHERD: Yes, I'd be telling them don't get hysterical. Basically, I'd say do your preparation. Learn about the area. Go over all of your procedures. Make sure everybody knows about chemical, biological, weapons of mass destruction. Make sure your tactics are up to speed because we may be on the verge of military conflict. Intense preparation will take place in the last couple, three weeks before you go in. Don't get hysterical right now but get ready and get your affairs in order.

BLITZER: All right, General Sheppherd, good to have you with me here in Qatar. Thanks very much for joining us.

SHEPPHERD: Pleasure.

BLITZER: We have a lot more news coming up. We have a lot more news on what's going on here in the Persian Gulf as the standoff with Iraq continues. A strong story, though, out of Ohio. Firefighters find the body of a priest in the burned our rectory but that's half the story, the shocking discovery coming up.

And why is Boston's embattled Cardinal Law making a surprise visit to the Vatican? Is he on the way out? And something you may not have seen before, the results coming up, but first today's news quiz. How fast can a camel run? Is it ten, 20, 40, or 60 miles per hour, the answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We'll have more news from the Persian Gulf in just a few moments but first let's check some other news making headlines right now.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a man trained to be a monk has been charged with killing a priest. The body of 69-year-old William Gulasz (ph) was found in the burning rectory of his parish Saturday. The coroner says he was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest and had also been bludgeoned. Thirty-seven-year-old Daniel Montgomery is charged with murder and arson. Police aren't giving a motive but one church member says the suspect apparently got a poor review in his training.

Meanwhile, Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law is in the Vatican consulting with officials on the deteriorating situation in his diocese. Lawsuits over the sex abuse scandal may force it into bankruptcy and there are increasingly loud calls for the cardinal to resign. Joining me now from Rome to discuss all of this and get some incite is John Allen. He's a correspondent for the "National Catholic Reporter." John thanks so much for joining us. Give us your sense. What is going on?

JOHN ALLEN, "NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": Well, I don't think it takes a great leap of imagination to figure it out. I mean on the one hand there's a financial meltdown afoot in the Boston Archdiocese and we're talking about hundreds of lawsuits from hundreds of victims and the real and potential future debt is almost unimaginable and so the cardinal is here to get clearance if conditions warrant to move ahead with a declaration of bankruptcy.

But you know, beyond the dollars and cents, there's also the question of the crisis of confidence in Boston in his leadership. The staggering revelations of the last few days about additional cases of sex abuse that were documented in the files of the archdiocese, and there's the very real question about how the diocese moves forward here, and specifically what the future holds for Bernard Law, and I think that's on the table here as well.

BLITZER: Well, let's talk about that bankruptcy thing. Is that realistic that the diocese in Boston could really file for bankruptcy?

ALLEN: Well, I mean it may be its only realistic option. I mean look, I mean this would be unprecedented if it happened. No American Catholic diocese has ever filed for bankruptcy before. There are some very deep reservations here in the Vatican about it.

On the one hand they're concerned about the impact on future giving. I mean it hardly inspires investor confidence when an organization goes belly up and they're also concerned about the prospect of turning over control of the assets of the church, some 1.3 billion by some estimates in the archdiocese of Boston, but to a civil judge, that is someone outside the Catholic power structure.

But, you know, in the end, given the avalanche of legal action, the real debt that the archdiocese and its hypothetical future debt if some other settlements or some other verdicts against it, it may be the only choice that they have.

BLITZER: Amazing developments. John Allen, thanks so much for joining us from the Vatican.

We have more -- much news coming up, including this, a controversial new over the Internet medication for overweight kids. But are so-called Skinny Pills safe?

And it crashed into the Pacific Ocean nearly three years ago. Investigators say they have discovered what brought down Alaska Airlines Flight 261. We'll have the full report in just a few moments.

And a CNN exclusive, go inside a top-secret security agency, its job to peek and spy on rogue nations without actually going there. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from the Persian Gulf. Coming up, we'll show you some exclusive pictures of a U.S. spy agency you probably never even heard of. You will want to watch and see this report and see these pictures.

As the U.S. weighs its options in Iraq, government agencies in Washington are, of course, trying to help the U.S. engage in any sort of battle plan that may be necessary. One agency you probably never heard of is an agency called NIMA, and it plays a vital role, repeat vital role in U.S. military efforts. CNN's national security correspondent, David Ensor, now takes a closer look at this agency in this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From high above the earth, it spies on terrorists and rogue states. It guides the war fighter to the target. And in a disaster, helps rescue teams with an array of space age technologies. Yet hardly anyone has ever heard of NIMA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency.

(on camera): You go around and say, "I work at NIMA." I mean what do they say to you?

HEIDI SMITH, NIMA IMAGERY ANALYST: What is that? That's usually first response.

ENSOR: Can I just ask you how many employees you have and roughly what your budget is. Is that something you can tell us?

LT. GEN. JAMES CLAPPER (RET.), NIMA DIRECTOR: No.

ENSOR: Why not?

CLAPPER: It's secret.

ENSOR (voice-over): With the headquarters tucked away in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., NIMA generally keeps a low profile. But for this series of special reports, CNN was given unprecedented access, a unique chance to show what this almost unknown spy agency is all about.

CLAPPER: If you think about it, everything and everybody has to be some place. So we, I think, try to create the setting, the geographical setting, if you will, and help determine where things and people could be.

ENSOR: it is about geography and maps. NIMA was created six years ago to combine the old Defense Mapping Agency and the CIA's Satellite Photo Analysis Office among others and try to create something bigger than the sum of the parts.

(on camera): In this room, at headquarters building, there are literally millions of maps and charts. And they're kept here in these moveable cabinets, which create deep caverns of drawers. If you open up a drawer, you find these files with detailed maps of the entire world. Twenty of these drawers cover just Iraq.

(voice-over): Paper maps are still needed, still given to pilots going on missions over Afghanistan or Iraq. But NIMA is moving quickly into the digital age.

At Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, pilots use NIMA imagery on a computer to practice flying through a mission. Using satellite imagery, NIMA photo analysts also scour the world looking closely with other intelligence agencies in search for al Qaeda fugitives from Osama bin Laden on down. If, for example, a prisoner tells the CIA he knows of an al Qaeda safe house in Karachi, Pakistan, on a dead end street, then NIMA can find every house that fits that description.

CLAPPER: We can provide again that sort of AAA road map as to where that facility -- the specific facility in question might be.

ENSOR: NIMA has made mistakes. In the days before India tested a nuclear weapon in 1998, for example, not enough photo analysts were assigned to watch the suspected test site. So that dramatic change in the world took Washington by surprise. Some critics charge NIMA is too centralized and puts too much emphasis on tactical military needs, the requirements of the war fighter at the expense of strategic intelligence issues, such as which nations might be developing a nuclear weapon.

Folding the CIA Satellite Imagery Analysis Office into NIMA six years ago, one former analyst argues, was a mistake.

PATRICK EDDINTON, FORMER CIA PHOTO ANALYST: It creates a corporate culture that does not encourage challenging, prevailing news and wisdom and that is absolutely death. It guarantees intelligence failures.

CLAPPER: I don't agree with that.

ENSOR: Director Clapper says the charge that NIMA cannot serve both military needs and the nation's strategic intelligence requirements is unfair, that NIMA is able to satisfy all its customers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: And they have many. NIMA is helping the Pentagon and the CIA to get ready for a possible war in Iraq and the FBI and local law enforcement as they work to protect the homeland. The urgency of the work is raising the profile of a spy agency that was little known until now. We'll take a more close look at it, at how it helps war fighters, homeland security and some of the future technologies in the next few days -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I'm sure a lot of our viewers, David, want to know why they all of a sudden decided to give you this kind of exclusive access? What's the story behind the story?

ENSOR: Well, this is an agency that, as we've said, almost nobody has ever heard of. There is perhaps a feeling among some of the intelligence agencies and the U.S. government that they do need to raise their profile a little bit now. They're still secret.

They still handle classified material, but they want to, for example, hire a new cadre of -- a new generation of talented linguists and analysts. They're looking to hire more people. They're expanding what they're doing since 9/11. So they want people to know what they're doing and in a limited way would like the public to know a little bit more about how they do it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor with a good, exclusive report. He's going to continue his reporting tomorrow on this program. David, thank you very much for that report.

When we come back, we have some new information for those of you who are concerned about overweight American kids. There's a new pill that's out there that says it will make your kids skinny, but is it safe? We'll check into that.

Also, it's something you won't see in the United States. You will see it here where I am. In Qatar, the camel race. We'll show you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We'll get to that camel race that took place here in Qatar earlier today in just a few moments.

There is word today of other important news, federal investigators believe improper maintenance was to blame for the deadly crash of an Alaska Airlines jetliner nearly three years ago. A source tells CNN a draft report blames a lack of grease on a tail component for causing the jet to go down off the California coast, killing all 88 people on board. Let's get more details now. CNN's Patty Davis is standing by in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off California as the plane was heading from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco. The pilots struggled for control most of the flight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're at 26,000 feet. We're in a vertical dive.

DAVIS: According to a source close to the crash investigation, a draft report by the National Transportation Safety Board concludes a lack of sufficient lubrication of the jackscrew caused excessive wear, a lack of grease causing the jackscrew to fail, along with a horizontal stabilizer, which controls the plane's up and down movement. The plane spiraled out of control, killing all 88 people on board.

After the crash, the FAA launched a massive investigation of Alaska Airlines maintenance practices, threatening to ground the airline if it didn't make improvements. Since the crash, the airline has added 300 new mechanics and managers and created a new safety department. The FAA has also been criticized for poor oversight of the airline's maintenance. The FAA says that it's beefed up the number of inspectors at Alaska Airlines from nine at the time of the crash to 37 today and mandated more frequent lubrication of jackscrews. Jim Hall was NTSB chief at the time.

JIM HALL, FORMER NTSB CHAIRMAN: There are been changes in place, but I think this accident investigation will hopefully give us some guidance in the future on to how to better monitor the rapid growth of the airlines in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: The safety board will issue its final report tomorrow to assess blame, if any, for why there was a lack of grease on that plane's jackscrew. The board may recommend the mechanism be redesigned because there is no backup if the critical system fails -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis with that important report. Patty, thanks very much.

When we come back, is it a controversial cure for overweight kids? We'll take a close look at the so-called Skinny Pill.

Also, he was a legend in his own time to those who knew him. Memories of television trailblazer, Roone Arledge when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's get in medical news right now. In recent years, there has been a lot of concern about childhood obesity. Some people are suggesting pills might be the answer. Others say that's not the answer at all. Let's get some analysis now from CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. She's standing by -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, pediatric experts I've been talking to today say this pill is definitely not the answer. It contains an herb called Uva ursi that should never ever be given to children, according to the "Physician's Desk Reference," which is really the Bible on these issues for doctors.

In addition, it contains not one, not two, but three different diarrhetics, which would cause a child to lose water, which could lead to kidney damage and to electrolyte imbalance. Also, it contains four times as much niacin as an 8-year-old child is supposed to get. Too much niacin can be toxic. That's why the National Academy of Sciences sets these upper limits and this is four times above that upper limit.

This is being marketed to children ages 6 through 12 but the experts we talked to said that it ought to be taken off the market -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What about the makers of this pill, Elizabeth? What do they say?

COHEN: The makers of this pill say that it's safe. They say the "Physician's Desk Reference" says that all the ingredients are safe, which is not true. They say that the fiber in the supplement will make you feel full; which experts also tell us isn't true. But they say all the ingredients are safe and effective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDITA KAYE, "SKINNY PILL" MARKETER: I have all the ingredients in there that my formulators have told me are safe and effective. I'm not a chemist. I think I have done everything in the safest possible way that I could. And I think I help a lot of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, again, she says that it is safe and effective, but, again, lots of different medical references say that one herb in particular should never be given to children -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Elizabeth, we talked about the safety, but does it work? Does it really get these kids to lose weight?

COHEN: The experts who we talked to said, you know, it might cause them lose a little bit of weight because it causes them lose water. But that is not the right way for children to lose weight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH AYOOB, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: This is a vulnerable population. To come along and give them false promises with a bogus potentially harmful product is outrageous. It's snake oil and it shouldn't be allowed to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: As much as everyone would like one, there is no magic pill for children to lose weight. It's just the same as it is for adults, diet and exercise --Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, thanks very much for that important, important report. For a closer look, a little more information on this important story, please tune in tonight. "CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT," she'll have a lot more information about the so-called diet pills for children. That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Broadcasting legend, Roone Arledge, he changed the way all of us watch television news and television sports. He was remembered today in New York. Let's get a report now from CNN's Jason Carol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saint Bartholomew's Church was filled with the faces Roone Arledge would have loved to have had on his dream network roster. Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Connie Chung and Peter Jennings were some of those who paid their respects to a man who revolutionized an industry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What sort of fun do you think Roone would have had today, putting together the order of speakers? You're right, Diane ahead of Barbara, and maybe Ted ahead of Peter.

CARROLL: "Impossible, but wonderful" is how Peter Jennings described his former boss at ABC News. Words like "pioneer" and "trailblazer" also used to describe Arledge, who in his 40 years at ABC created franchises like "Monday Night Football."

Arledge was first to use slow motion, freeze frame and the instant replay. And after adding the news division to his responsibilities Arledge created "Nightline," "Primetime" and "20/20." He courted network stars like Sawyer and Walters and always commanded respect.

WALTERS: There was a telephone in every control room only for calls from Roone and it was called the Roone Phone. And the greatest thrill for any of us was when that phone rang and it was Roone saying, "Great job." And the biggest disappointment for any of us was when that phone rang and Roone said, "Not such a good job."

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He was the global positioning system whereby we always tried to fathom what path we were on, asking did Roone smile, did he really smile? And was it good enough for him, really good enough for him?

CARROLL: Arledge died last Thursday from complications from cancer. He left behind a wife, four children and a very special place in broadcasting. CONNIE CHUNG, CNN ANCHOR: I'll tell you, for any of us who had the privilege of working for him, it was -- I don't think there'll be any person who can alter, change or improve television the way he did.

SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: He took rudimentary television and said, "Let's make a production of it. Let's make a program. Let's make a show."

CARROLL: In his 71 years, Arledge knew more about the thrill of victory than the agony of defeat, a phrase he coined for ABC's "Wide World of Sports."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, how fast can a camel run? The answer, believe it or not, is 40 miles per hour.

It's time now for our "Picture of The Day." In this part of the world, it's not the Kentucky Derby. It's not even horses. In this part of the world what we're talking about are camels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): From October through December, pricey camels, some selling for as much as $2 million a piece, speed along the five kilometer (UNINTELLIGIBLE) racetrack 30 minutes outside Qatar's capital of Doha. After the afternoon prayer, handlers march their camels toward the track and line up while the young jockeys climb up ready to race. These youngsters are mostly African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi.

According to the U.S. State Department, guardians and handlers who often pose as parents bring the children into the country and supervise their training. They live, the State Department says, in difficult conditions and train on a daily basis to become riders.

This desert derby starts without much warning. Handlers dive off the track, desperate to avoid being trampled. The camels shoot down the track, followed by a chaotic caravan of SUVs. The elite drive on the inside of the track, the rank and file on the outside. Two camera crews and a broadcaster speed along with the fans to catch the action for Qatar TV and radio. The race takes about 10 minutes and ends with a finish far less exciting than the start.

While there's no betting in Qatar, the winners do take home hefty prizes -- cash, cars or the more traditional gold sword.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there's no doubt that this is a country that's seeking to modernize itself very, very rapidly. But this is a tradition here in Qatar, these camel races, a tradition everyone seems to like, especially the Emir. Let's take a look and see how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Look at this. Here are the answers to the question, do you trust Iraq's report to be accurate and complete?" Twenty-five percent of you say yes, 75 percent of you say no. Remember, you find the exact vote tally on our Web site, cnn.com/wolf. You can also continue to vote there. This is not, though, a scientific poll.

That's all the time we have for today. We'll be back tomorrow, twice a day at noon Eastern, also 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We're continuing our special coverage live here from the Persian Gulf. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Doha, Qatar. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next.

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Are War Games in Qatar Just a Sign for the Real Thing?>