Hes gettinG On, hes older than you, you know, switchinG Out Film Feature films out. I mean, we, can you see why your fan certainly would think as the war on terror so cold and does new phases. They need you more than ever. Keep in mind the way i see it is what Feature Film could be as important as climate change. And then when you see this film i did, which is called star power, youll understand that its very important. Its something that will change Peoples Perception of whats goinG On and may help the world enormously to adapt. And thats, thats why i did it. So my purpose, its about purpose and theres no nobler purpose in my opinion than to do to serve mankind. So a film is fine, but its so hard to have impact around the world was something like this. I mean, i want you to come back on to talk about that film when, when its out. Of course, i actually saw World Trade Center here, radically as yours for film. I suppose, a disaster movie. But then i thought again about it, thinking it was a class movie, some people i think you yourself said, you know, you save the politics for w about George W Bush and his response. But do you think, well Trade Center and why you like the phil is because Theres Something about the american Working Class there in it. It was a pure fume for me, it was something that i did it because i thought there was so much that it was 4 years after the event and there was resistance to making and even then because it was close to and we shot some of it in New York city, so we had a lot of opposition from political groups. We had to negotiate the tight rope there to get close to the World Trade Center and to do it. But the point of it was that these men existed these 2 men, this their story and their families, and the rescuers who came to save them. They were the 18th and 18th, 19 survivors out of 20 survivors out of the World Trade Center. 18. 19 they were under their under there for about 30 hours 36 hours and the rescuers took their took great risks to get down into the rubble. It was such a mess and the real rescuers play themselves. Most of the neighbors i had about 80 people who were in that movie who actually had been there. What i thought was interesting about the movie was it, it kept it down to earth. It was simple. The plot, it was about what really happened that day as opposed to all the hysteria in the air. If you remember about who did this, what happened to horror the tragedy . A lot of it was a lot of it was exaggerated high to go to war by bush and his group. And, and i think most of the media joined in on that. I was kind of turned off by it because i think heroism is simple. Its not elaborated on its not called attention to it done. And thats what those guys represented to me and they were the real warriors. Instead of goinG Off and fighting for and afghan stan or iraq, you know, trying to get revenge. Now concentrate on here on helping people here, and thats what i was about. Very simple, very humble. And those 2 guys, mclaughlin and well, he may know they are true, true lawyers of spirit they survived and theyre still humble. And i think thats why emergency services obviously, are always respect that even when they dont get the pay raises that austerity demands of them arguably have you did then tackle that bigger geopolitical angle, as well as the personal upper Class Angle of George W Bush and his response and, and you, you firmly believe that the u. S. Response was, was based on imperialism, emotionalism and imperialism. Yes. Very emotional. Revenge oriented. We gotta get, we gotta get them for them. Whos them . We didnt even know who them were. You know, they were Saudi Arabian saudi arabia, that mostly Saudi Arabian terrorists. But they were led really by chic mohammad. And the more you investigated his story, the more you realize that he organized the whole things in his brain. He was the guy put it together from, from, from scratch. He knew people from the 93 bombing and he went back there and he travel the organized. He only made one or 2 trips to see or some of been like that just who blessed blessed it but not really participated in the planninG Of it all the key work. The legwork was done in places like hamburg and in malaysia, San Diego and also San Diego. Yeah. And inside the United States, of course, you know, amonG Others i was, it was we never, we lost focus at that moment. We were terrified by horrified, exaggerated. But we didnt really look at what happened amonG Other things we should have looked at was why, why did they do it . You know, bush famously said they, they envy our freedoms. And i was nonsense they, they didnt because of 2 reasons. And osama stated very clearly, one was our invasion. So those are put in land troops on, you know, in the holy land in saudi arabia. George bush had done that in 1991 to when he went to the war in kuwait. That was a misunderstandinG Of their culture. And the 2nd reason, of course, was america support for israel, which had intensified over those years and become more and more one sided. Those are the 2 reasons that were given. People just kind of lost track of that in the, in those need to get revenge against Hussein Sadam Hussein in iraq. And frankly, if you follow the events closely and i did, i knew one of the people who actually was involved in the c. I went over there and led that horseback charges across afghanistan. They worked the see. I actually succeeded in that in that opperation was one of the few times they have succeeded and they drove out the, the time with them and with the warlords and the northern alliance. It was over. The thing was over in december, january of the name of that year. And instead of disengaging at that point and negotiating, we sent in huge amount of troops. And they had nothing to do basically except occupied places where people didnt know they were and what they werent. They didnt understand the landscape customs. And they went out again on patrols into these villages. And they, as we did and vietnam, they antagonized people by just being there and go on to vietnam and in part 2 and of Course Palestine has been bombed in the past few days. It continues to be inspire groups. The israeli bombinG Of gaz this week, as you just to quickly ask you though, is it true that you and David Fincher and John Singleton where us to speak to the us military, about Disaster Scenario Planning . Some of the us military toward the film directors would know about it or is that a myth . I dont remember that. Im sorry, but they, when i was involved in a pentagon, in a government, a re arranged seminar with a bunch of filmmakers. And we were consulted as to what what was goinG On when i saw its work, but it had no meaning. It was just a reach out, reach out to another group, spending money was what they were doing. The government spent a fortune doing all this stuff and as you know, it was wasted money as it was in africa. Understand. Yes, theyve taken their advice, your advice know that they wouldnt have been the war and they were her instance. I mean, on the withdrawal from afghanistan, Larry Wilkerson, i mean, hes been going to tell us, and by do were going to ask him when hes been talking about this. I mean, do you think its possible that the pentagon had a interest in it being a chaotic withdrawal because there are voices in the military industrial complex. I didnt want them to withdraw from afghanistan because a lot of profits to be made out of a continued war, their location. I dont see it that way at all or perhaps im in the minority, but frankly in terms of withdrawal, i think it was pretty good. I mean its, its never easy to get out of a country on the situation after 20 years of, or, and after we had so many analyzes, we created so many, so many people worked with us. It wasnt easy. I didnt think it was about growing all. I think it was made more so made more hysterical by our media talking about, you know, we have one Person Point off an airplane. The few people are killed here and they are, its, you know, thats the price of war. I dont know what theyre talking about. It wasnt bad. Saigon was in a sense, the same rush to get out. Right. And of course, it was very messy. And it was unclaimed for that way, but thats the nature of a withdraw. Its not it. When napoleon left moscow, he got wiped down on the way back. If you remember, his army was decimated by the time we got to the borders of poland. The old pole know it was wrong was not easy. So i think theyre buying it handled well. I think he, he was not hysterical. He stayed firm and he did it because most american President S would fold and cook and go while i change my, my, were going to say, you know, because of the poles, the poles are always tough on President S who are decisive in doing something. And i applaud by and for that, and i like and i liked him for that because i like and i like the fact that hes older. I like the fact that may because im 75, but i appreciate a man who isnt rushing to judgment like bush was or trump would be a man who thinks about things and is deliberate and his cool when when the criticism come. Yeah. But he got to do what your hero, he got to do what you are hero, Jeff K Couldnt do when it came to viet now. Well, he would, he would, as you make fear in your document, you know, im sure there was a lot of opposition. And we went into the glass room, i just want to reiterate to you that there is no, no, no, the conclusion of that is that weve got our history wrong. They keep saying that Lyndon Johnson fulfilled the policies of kennedy in vietnam and various other places. He didnt, he 180 degrees opposite. Kennedy was withdrawing from vietnam and issued orders to such mcnamara and monday both confirmed it in books and so have several other people. Its just our historians. Im not caught up to that. Yeah. All right, ill stop you there more from all of us going up to this break as well as the man who is chief of staff the Colin Powell, George W Bushs secretary of state, played by Jeffrey Wright in oliver stones w. The is the biden presidency in terminal decline this administration, handlinG Of the coven pandemic, the economy, and not least, afghanistan sees this president underwater, in the polls in a big way in the Country Today is just as divided as youre from. Can this president things around join me every thursday on the alex simon show, and ill be speaking to guess in the world, the politics sport. Business. Im show business. Ill see you then. Me the welcome back. Im still here with the iconic director of such films as Wall Street W amplitude, all of a stone. Given it to your buddy, i must also ask about the film you did so much work on it never came to pass. Sy hersh has been on this show numerous times. Will we ever get to see the my Lai Massacre Film . Is it we never going to see it. I wish wed be able to make it. That was a loss of will on the part of the investors. And the producer, the producing company that youre not an artists. And also i have to say, Bruce Willis did withdraw and that didnt make things easier. Although Nick Cage was willing to step in and do it. The point was that it was had a lot to do with the 2008 Crash Merrill Lynch was supporting the film financially part of it. And when they were hit very hard and that crash crash, lets get to the crash because i dont know whether you know this, your birthday is the same day as the largest us bankruptcy in history. Lehman brothers, you probably remember it. I remember very well, but they, when they went but a lot, that was pretty scary. That whole period there, i would say for real. It was real. There was a tremendous danger in the air, a bankruptcy, and you know, money markets were frozen and all that stuff. And so much, you know, im not an economic expert, but i can say to you that, that films about it. And i would like to point out that Wall Street originally was, was the motivated by what i saw is, is greed. That on Wall Street in 1980 people were suddenly my age were making big money, were making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. And i was kind of shocked by because the kids were grown up with were not that bright, but they were making big money. And this went on the Wall Street phenomena went on to the knees, which surprised me and continued through the 2000. And by 2008, you have to realize that the people, the, the character who played galka, who is a band and now become the banks, are banks, are investment banks were doing the same kind of stuff that gecko was doing in 1986, and thats what led to the course of mortgage and the credit union. The credit disasters lead to this collapse in 2008. So in other words, were dealing with billions of dollars now instead of millions. And that was a big shock to many people, including me. Im surprised by i was surprised by and i still cant believe were still goinG On and now were getting bigger and bigger numbers, really. Everybody. And maybe thats why i need a sequel to money. Money. You know, after that, i dont want to make so many ideas out there. Im giving you. Okay. Well, of i, you know, gillian, independence, days this Saturday Weve been covering that other 911 and i know we spoke to you and people could watch that interview about the 1st Volume of your order by all graphy where you talk about how you smuggle in the little a fascination of the i in their diplomat in washington in just scarface. You know, i mean, i did, they know, did hollywood know that you were smuggling in a scene that relates to they were just, it was, it was not certainly they didnt want anything to political and certainly the producer at that time worked against it. I mean, he was trying to tone down in political suggestions, but if you saw the course you show me would see the see on a involvement with the people who were trying to kill the diplomat in New York. And those people ended up being the enemy of scars of doing montana, abruptly cancel the plan by shooting and turning the whole thing around. So scarface became the enemy of our central government or our ca, and they got rid of them. Got rid of the one who attacked that dimension. At the end. It was completely exaggerated, but the people who killed scarface were indeed people who felt that theyve been betrayed by the sky. All of us down. Happy birthday and thank you. Thank you. Or she, youve always been, well, you know, its been a lonG Oh, thank you. And for supporting me in the to the years while its 20 years to the day since us president George W Bush made his 1st Radio Address to the nation up to the 911 atrocities in New York. And washington announcing the plan for a comprehensive assault on terrorism. Joining me now from falls church, virginia is retired, colonel Larry Wilkerson former us Sector State Colon pals, chief of staff, and the men involved in the decision to invade iraq retired. Colonel, thanks so much for cominG On. Lets just start taking you back to the day you saw and witness the attacks on New York. I understand that the 1st Reaction of the team there, the State Department and elsewhere in the administration may have been to, to resign for George W Bush to resign. Dick cheney to resign and realize that they havent protected the homeland. Well, i dont think they were contemplating resigning. I think they were contemplating the fear that the american people would react adversely towards their ministration. After all, they had no political mandate. Their political mandate was a supreme court decision. They were still being questioned all across the land, and indeed is still be in question today. Fear and rate was how they made the decisions they made in the aftermath. Thats not a good environment in which to make national security decisions for fear, as i indicated was they will get rid of us. But then there was a quick realization really coming after the debrief owl. And the megaphone in New York where the President Said, and the people who did this will hear from us that is, polls would skyrocket and they did. They went towards 90 percent and beyond. And that he could have gone row of told him be assured of reelection, unlike his father in 2004 if only he played this right. So they quickly became motivated by political considerations, domestic political considerations, as well as that rate. Well, clearly thats, thats democracy, the, the poll numbers and so on. How quickly did the poll numbers of the 911. 00 mix up the erotically with a strategy involving defense companies on K Street and how this can be manipulated into a, into a money spinning idea off the bodies of those who are killed. Well, this is Vice President cheneys for the day here. After all, hed been the secretary of defense who introduced halliburton to outsourcing for the pentagon. Halliburton actually did the study, they came back and said, oh, this is a marvelous idea mister sector. We should do this, and of course we proceeded to do it after that eisenhower is wanting in january 1960 about the military industrial complex was just put on steroids. The complex became desirous of Analysts War Analysts War. They would feed them like a Cash Cow and keep them alive and breathing and their ceos making enormous salaries and their company solvent. Thats why we expanded nato to a certain extent to which so we could bring the poles and others into buying these equipments made by our arms merchants. So this complex was largely responsible for the military staying in afghanistan for 20 some odd years. As recently as august, you didnt believe biden would get the troops out. Is that because the ca is still there . There are still us assets in afghanistan. We just completely wrong about it. I mean, you said its just 2 G O strategic as regards chinas Belton Road for the u. S. To leave. Well, i quickly became apprised by a number of methods of the fact that pentagon didnt think that way. That dependinG On wasnt thinking joe strategically at all, it was thinking as i just expressed it in terms of its cas county, i was just talking about in the past couple of weeks, it was only august. You didnt believe biden was gonna withdraw troops. And of course, some people say that may well have been advisors to have a k or to withdrawal, to show President S. This is what happens when you overrule those kinds of Defense Company. Yeah, you said it. No, i want to know whether you think its true. Well, the military has already started stabbed in the back theory. There. Chivalry now is. Oh, it was not a military defeat. It was political to say they clearly failed president. But when he did do what i said he wouldnt do it. I thought the strategic necessity staying somewhere near pakistan is nuclear weapons and with our power and somewhere near the Base Road Initiative and in a place that has a border with a small border but a border on a flank we never would be next to were it not for ive got to stop, but that strategy, that strategic appraisal didnt whole. I mean, weve heard on this program how the initial F Ganeth and push was actually part of, well, its been described as part of a desire to improve pipeline resource management. A Gas Unit Call and the links of course, to people you, you served why the journalists still claim now that the 911. 00 attacks were planned enough canister on when they were planned by saudis in San Diego and in the United States. Well, thats a continuing fault, i think of the 911. 00 commission and other efforts associated with it. I think you can lay 911 and what happened on 911 at the saudi feet, as well as any other state in the world. Perhaps more so they are the greatest a sponsor of terrorism in the world. And they still are whether or not royals had anything to do with it. That is to say, people in the actual government and re odd is another matter and a matter that should be investigated to the degree saudi intelligence. So its probably the, the hijackers themselves were probably agents of saudi intelligence. I dont think i ever made that director statement, but i would say after knowing 35 will and others involved with saudi intelligence. But it would be absolutely impossible for me to be made to believe that their intelligence didnt know about them. Obviously the government completely denies they were anything to do with it. So what about bidens, executive order to release these 28. 00 pages from the 911. 00 report you think within the next 6 months they will be released or just released heavily rather reacted to protect the United States. His great great receiver alarms to both yemen. If the latter, if they are released, i think it will probably be redacted. And i look at the 6000 Page Senate select committee on Intelligence Report on torture, mainly focused on this, the i a and ive read the executive summary and done the inquiry myself with the North Carolina Commission inquiry on torture. And ive got to say that would be even more devastating than the 28. 00 pages in my view. Because you would have to, if you read that 6000 page report, you would have to, i think, demands from accountability or be elected for shortly by the american people. I mean, i mean when you advise Colin Powell for that famous speech of the un Security Council where he lied, i presume you think he lied about the weapons of mass destruction. When you read, when you write to mark warner, the intelligence committee, about the torture allegations youre saying, what do you get replies so far . I havent gotten any so far. Weve tried every staff or we know that might be sympathetic to our views. The North Carolina Commission, but we have not been able to get warner to even grant us the meaning. And let me correct one thing you said there, i dont think Colin Powell lied. I think thats a bit of a stretch. I think what happened was October 2002 National Intelligence Assessment accepted by the congress. Both houses accepted by most of the government accepted by france. Israel jordan, germany, you have other fellow intelligence agencies accepted. That is the truth and the reasonable you for you had previously said that the famous half a 1000000 children killed by us sanctions and british sanctions on iraq let alone the other economic sanctions had destroyed the saddam husseins capabilities. You knew that why did you switch . I dont know that either. Thats putting words in my mouth. Again, i knew that the sanctions has been unsuccessful, new sanction really had been effective against saddam hussein. Specifically in terms of hurting children and women and all manner of other people, saddam had no problems whatsoever. Building castle after castle and fortifications and buying things for his military and so forth. There were some validity to do validity that made saddam still a Security Problem with regard to his neighbors. And with regard to his own people, while tens of millions killed wounded or displays just finally disarm. Ive been, when, i mean youve talked so eloquently about the corruption to torture, the heroine, the relations between the ca and the i s i and pakistan. And now the United States has lost so much so much in this world since the 911. 00 attacks did he 7. 00 trillion dollars counting the cost over time to take care of the veterans. We paid a lot of Defense Company salaries at the high board, but i mean, did he win in trying to destroy what was the Origin Idea of the american dream . I think when were looking at those lines projections strictly on that one for why i think it was 1998. I think he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams as he succeeded, as he thought with the soviet union, their empire ended. I think our empire is going down pretty fast right now, and im beginning to believe that its on salvageable. Retired colonel. Very welcome and thank you. And thats the show will be back in the 20th the day. Then the us Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced who was arguing the amount to an ending war until then keep in touch my social media and let us know if you think the global war on terror has really ended. Ah, i have transparency for the powerful received the l. S. Bit about privacy. What people care about is power. Julian, a son just become a symbol of the battles of brevity, information is power. Thats whats goinG On and a huge struggle with governments and corporations who want to keep information secret and others who democratic rights should be pushed forward. And people have a right to know when theyre going to do. Watch how to help shift the conversation around transparency. See what that battle has done to him. I feel like Julians Life might be coming to an end. We are in a Conflict Situation with the largest and most powerful employer in such a situation. Its remarkable. I the pacific leg around the world, expedition by 1000 miles. The round the clock is given the dead calm, the national personal as every country close by the crew. Gavins Food And Water harbor to go to north also let me know. I got Everybodys Love or home or no food and no water. But really, im not sure somebody should be in the coven. Youre living like the female of own. But in the 21st century, i joined me every thursday on the alex silent show. And ill be speaking to guess in the world, the politics sport. Business. Im show business. Ill see you then in the foreign minister Boris Johnson harris out a merchant dissipated shake. Capital his cabinet with the biggest Change Thing dominic rob shifted from his job as foreign secretary, natural gas Prices Session all time Reg Holes in europe increasing about 20 percent compared to tuesday, talking fees or when the Energy Crisis the u. R. Trip state of ms. Here has no idea who was killed in a Trans Striking ive got a sound left you know, full assessment will be will be