Posted on 05/30/2004 12:36:32 PM PDT by wagglebee
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- In an unused interview shot for Michael Moore's latest film, the American who was beheaded in Iraq said he was concerned about security there as he prepared to seek work as an independent businessman, his family said Saturday. Moore's crew shot the 16-minute interview with Nicholas Berg during an Iraqi business conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 4, said his brother, David Berg.
Nicholas Berg's decapitated body was found in Baghdad on May 8, and a video of his killing was posted on an Islamic militant Web site several days later.
Moore confirmed Thursday that he had footage of Berg - shot for his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is critical of President Bush - but said he would share it only with the family.
Moore sent copies of the footage to David Berg in New Jersey and sister Sara Berg in Virginia. Their parents will see the video after returning to their suburban home from vacation, David Berg said.
Sara Berg said her brother told Moore's crew he was nervous about his safety in Iraq.
"He recognized it was a concern, and he kind of pointed out that he'd worked in difficult situations before," Sara Berg said from her home in Virginia. "It's definitely something that he didn't shrug off."
She said her brother seemed enthusiastic in the footage.
David Berg, speaking from his home outside Newark, N.J., said it was "weird seeing Nick talk," but described the interview footage as dry.
The interview, which was not conducted by Moore, centered on the technical work Berg hoped to find repairing radio transmission towers for his company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service. Berg, 26 when he died, also talks about humanitarian work he did in Uganda and Kenya.
"Nick seemed to be fairly conscious of using this thing to promote his business," David Berg said. "(The interviewer) does ask him at one point about the money and he said no one's denying there's money to be made. But it's very clear when you watch it, Nick knew he wasn't going to make a lot of money."
Moore said he had considered using some of the footage in his film but it got edited out, David Berg said. Some of Moore's staffers cried when they heard about Berg's death, the filmmaker told David Berg.
"Fahrenheit 9/11," which recently won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, accuses the Bush administration of stealing the 2000 election, overlooking terrorism warnings before Sept. 11, 2001, and fanning fears of more attacks to secure American support for the Iraq war.
Given Moore's political leanings, David Berg said he was "really nervous" about what the footage of his brother might show. His brother wasn't overtly political, he said.
"He went to Iraq because he had certain beliefs about helping people in messed up situations, but it's not like he was trying to help the Bush administration," David Berg said.
David Berg said Moore handled the situation with "dignity, respect and discipline."
"Michael Moore has really been a total class act with this whole thing," David Berg said. "He could have sold this to the media or stuck it in his movie."
Sara Berg said she saw the video footage as a "gift."
This whole Berg thing is really suspicious.
Do you think its time for someone to look into this moore guy like the fbi or some other alphabet agency i think hes dirtier than just a movie maker
Gee, somebody who supported Michael Moore is beheaded in Iraq and then not included in the Moore' film,..what a coincidence.
The question is What was Berg trying to do? I'm betting that whatever it was, Michael Moore put him up to it. He probably asked him to get info on the Iraqi resistance for his movie.
"Moore confirmed Thursday that he had footage of Berg - shot for his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is critical of President Bush - but said he would share it only with the family."
Why would someone who is supposed to be PRO Bush met with this low life?
If Berg was so nervous about his safety WHY did he practically flaunt himself? Even the local at the hotel referred to him as "unbalanced". Berg was doing things even locals would not do.
It doesn't add up.
So Nick Berg's father, Michael, says that Nick was a Bush supporter while his brother David says he wasn't. Someone is lying.
I saw something a few days after Berg died that showed what appeared to be someone in a US uniform in the room when Berg was killed. It was on a left wing sight (a Freeper had linked it), I thought it was BS at first. Now I'm really starting to wonder what this whole thing was about. NOTHING is adding up.
David Berg, speaking from his home outside Newark, N.J., said it was "weird seeing Nick talk," but described the interview footage as dry.
I suppose it was weird seeing his brother talking before going to Iraq and knowing that he'd later been decapitated there. That whole family seems a little weird. And Nick Berg doesn't seem to have had a clue about what business opportunities he would find in Iraq. He just took off to Iraq, not exactly the world's safest place.
Not surprising to note that the Berg's are on vacation. Gotta be good to relax after a tiring round of using the murder of one's child to further your leftist politics.
Moore is such a frigging LIAR that I hope, somewhere, some law enforcement agency is issuing a supoena for that film footage and planning on having a little "talk" with Michael Moore. This all reeks to high heaven and I think Moore's fat ass is right on top of it ALL!
I think US Customs should have stopped fat boy when he returned from Cannes, given him a lengthy strip search and held him for questioning.
Your comment is somewhat hard-hearted. Isn't anger one of the early stages of grief? No matter how twisted the father's politics, the man just lost his son in an unimaginably horrible way. I for one will reserve my judgement until we know more about this case.
Had his anger been directed at both the people who beheaded his son as well as the President, I would have chalked it up to mere grief. However, he went out of his way not to demonize those who actually took off his son's head and used the death to play politics.
I have to agree with kenth. This man "used the death to play politics."
EEEUUUUWWWWWWWW!!!!!! ;^)
That is a good point. But you have to remember one thing about liberals: Like adolescents rebelling against their parents, they choose for an enemy someone who they know will not actually hurt them. They live in deep denial of the true Islamofascist threat. But wanting to feel "empowered," courageous, proactive, etc., they use their freedoms to lash out at the culture that gave them that freedom. It's so strange that these (in their own minds) enlightened, educated, intellectual types would not understand how incredibly immature their behavior is.
Berg's father was involved in socialist, anti-war organizations way before his son went to Iraq.
Why aren't we hearing more about this story? You'd think the mainstream press would love this. I DON'T GET IT.
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