Moore interviewed Berg for "Fahrenheit" [index to thread at reply #1859]

Salon.com ^ | May 27, 2004 | Rebecca Traister

[Rennes Templar]

May 27, 2004 | Filmmaker Michael Moore filmed an interview with American Nicholas Berg in the course of producing his documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" before Berg left for Iraq, where he was taken hostage and killed, Moore confirmed to Salon in a statement Thursday. The 20 minutes of footage does not appear in the final version of "Fahrenheit 911," according to the statement.

Word of the footage reached Salon through a source unaffiliated with Moore or his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is reported to feature stark images of U.S. civilians and soldiers grappling with conditions in war-torn Iraq, as well as examining the relationship between President George W. Bush and the bin Laden family. It received the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, on Saturday.

In a statement widely circulated by Moore's people after an initial request for comment by Salon, Moore said, "We have an interview with Nick Berg. It was approximately 20 minutes long. We are not releasing it to the media. It is not in the film. We are dealing privately with the family." Moore's camp declined to comment further on any aspect of the interview. Because the footage is not in the film, a spokeswoman for Miramax Films, the production company behind "Fahrenheit 9/11," said the company had no comment.

It was not clear from Moore's statement whether footage from the interview with Berg had ever been included in early cuts of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Reports about a film industry controversy surrounding distribution of the film first hit the news on May 5, a week before Berg's death. The film officially screened for the public and the press for the first time during the Cannes festival on May 17.

The news that Moore spoke to Berg while he was still in the United States only adds to the mystery surrounding the young man's presence in Iraq and tragic death. The interview was shot before the 26-year-old Berg left for Iraq late last year as a private contractor in the hopes of helping to rebuild the ravaged country. Though it was unclear what Berg spoke about in his interview with Moore, or how the two men met, unrelated reports following his death indicate that he headed for the Middle East with plans to work to improve the country's technological infrastructure and communication abilities. He ran his own company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, in a suburb of Philadelphia.

Berg did not find employment in Iraq, and when he attempted to return to the United States he was detained by Iraqi police and questioned by American forces. He was released after his family complained. But shortly after, he is believed to have been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists. Video of his beheading was released on an Islamist Web site on May 11. Salon was unable to reach the Berg family for comment before publication.

Moore's film chronicles the United States' military, political and business involvement in the Middle East in the years before and after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His previous politically charged films, including "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine," have created controversy and won him praise (including an Oscar, for "Columbine"). "Fahrenheit 9/11" has already sparked a media storm; in early May, Miramax's parent company, Disney, announced that it would not allow Miramax to distribute the film, which is highly critical of Bush and his administration.

Miramax has yet to make a deal with a distributor, though the film's warm reception at Cannes and the publicity surrounding the film have made it a hot property that is generating a lot of interest in Hollywood. "Bowling for Columbine" grossed $21 million, making it the highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary of all time.

A source close to "Fahrenheit 9/11" said that a new distributor will be announced shortly, and that the film is expected to be released in theaters during the first week of July, as originally planned.

[TheSpottedOwl]

No problem :-)

[TheSpottedOwl]

Well I do have some sympathy for Nick. I also think this is a useful lesson about what we teach our children as we raise them to adulthood.

Of course Nick was 26 yrs old, and had his own life, and had ability to think for himself. His parents chose to encourage him to associate with dangerous people, then they have the bloody nerve to blame President Bush and Rumsfeld when these terrorists killed him. For what it's worth, I don't think it's Berg on that execution video. Someone died, though.

Now Rachel Corrie is a different story. I'm not happy that she died, but she knew what she was doing.

[Eroteme]

Excellent research.

The Tridish.com catch is a biggie. Prometheus Project's location, now this. Despite PP's no connection assertions, the likelihood of yet another million-to-one coincidence like this landing in Berg's yard is simply not credible.

Well done.

[Fred Nerks]

"In other words, the videotape of the Nick Berg beheading was an outtake from Moore's film?"

Is the same groove I'm stuck in. I have not looked at the film of the beheading, but from what I saw of it on the news, the beginning looked as posed to me as the rest of the prison photo's. For what it's worth, I'm totally convinced both the prison abuse shots and the beheading film were posed and staged. Wasn't the purpose of the beheading film (initially) a THREAT of what would happen to Berg if the prisoners were not released?
Think of it as blackmail...sort of defeats the purpose if you kill your 'captive' on camera before the threat has a chance to take effect, doesn't it?
As I have previously stated, (tinfoil on) something went very wrong. Maybe the original version of the film ended before the victim was beheaded. The 'victim' and the film may have been intercepted. Part two begins - could explain bad editing etc. But I can't bring myself to watch it.

[Ann Archy]

Just exactly how do we know for sure that this "Rebilding Iraq Conference" was where Moore interviewed Nick Berg??

Something makes me doubt that. Are there witnesses that saw this interview being done? Did anyone else see Moore at that Conference? Any news story of him, Moore, being there?

Color me suspicious of Everything!!

[Ann Archy]

OMG!! Linda Tripp was the "contact person" for the Conference?? Surely SHE would know if Michael Moore showed up??

CAN ANyone ask Linda Tripp about Moore?? Is she a Freeper?

[A Citizen Reporter]

It would be helpful to get a list of the attendees of that conference, wouldn't it?

[Ann Archy]

You say Berg was in Kenya in 2003, but at OU in 1999-2000 he was going toKenya to do the "paper brick-making" thingy for the natives. So WHEN did he go to Kenya...1998 when our Embassies were bombed...was it really 1998 that that happened?? I think it was later.

[Ann Archy]

Two different Israeli Security forces questioned him. I find that unusual.

[Taffini]

bump

[nunya bidness]

CAN ANyone ask Linda Tripp about Moore?? Is she a Freeper?

Linda was the contact person for the 3rd Conference not the 2nd, where Nick Berg was interviewed by Moore's people.

But if Jim is inclined he might have a way of contacting her.

[RonDog]

Can anyone ask Linda Tripp about Moore??

Is she a Freeper?

DFU ping!

[nunya bidness]

Correction: I linked her as the contact person for the 3rd Conference, I don't know if she was or wasn't contact person for the 2nd.

[doug from upland]

Sorry, I don't know how to reach her.

[Fred Nerks]

Must have been another brother, hey? I found another Berg article at:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/iraq/2001930392_lastdays16.html
Where Nick is described as the only one in the family who voted FOR Bush!

[Future Useless Eater]

...from a variety of posts:

>>You forgot the beginning of the timeline: Nicholas Berg was in Uganda and Ghana in 1998.

>>Did anything happen in those countries during that time?

>>I believe the Embassy bombings occurred in that time period.

>>My point is that this guy was in UGANDA and GHANA and then right after, this Jewish kid from the East Coast ends up at the University of Oklahoma, and stays there even though he doesn't attend school. DURING THAT TIME HE HOOKS UP WITH MOUSSAOUI. It's just too bizarre to be coincidental.

>>Yes, 1998.

>>I read previously that the Kenya embassy bombing was in 1998 and
>>that the Kenyan city in which it occurred is right next door to one of those countries. But I didn't follow up that information at the time to check it out.

>>Did anyone else?

DING DING DING DING DING!

The Kenya bombing was August 7, 1998

He [Nick Berg] spent the Spring 1998 semester in Uganda through Cornell’s Study Abroad Program.

The New York Times reported that Berg sent a lengthy e-mail to his family after he was detained [in Mosul in March 2003]. Among the questions asked, he wrote, were: "Why was I in Iraq? Did I ever make a pipe bomb? "

---

My conclusion so far is that prior Dec 2003, Nick Berg's travels CERTAINLY did mimic major movements of Al Qaeda. Now if that means he was trying to JOIN them, or INFILTRATE them, I'm still not sure.

As for his IRAQ travel, the theory that he went there working for M.Moore, could still be combined with EITHER of the first two scenarios.

That is, he could have been one with Al Qaeda, PLUS working for M.Moore,
OR, he could have been an undercover agent and letting M.Moore 'THINK' he was loyal to him,
OR, he could have just been working for M.Moore.
(I don't buy the most innocent explanation that he was none of the above)

I have looked over Nick Berg's 'inventions' and although I can't find he ever made a 'shocking-device' he did make a hand-held 'truth detector' and in separate projects messed around with doorbells, coils, capacitors and such, which fascinates most 1st-year EE students and almost always leads them to making a "shocking-device". From there, an electronic detonator is nearly the same thing.

An adventurous 'electronics expert' could have been very helpful to Al Qaeda.

[Future Useless Eater]

(1287)>>Moore's crew shot the footage at an Iraqi business conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 4, brother David Berg said.

(1290)>>Do we know where Hugo Infante was on December 4th?

Sorry, I could not find any earlier references to the 'Chilean' Hugo Infante journalist, other than his two stints in Iraq.

The closest I could find was a Hugo Infante from Bogata Columbia, arguing for "Corporate Social Responsibility". I think it is likely that these two Hugo's are one-in-the-same, since Columbia is seen as too much of a Coalition allie, while Chile is seen as anti-coalition.
http://www2.worldbank.org/hm/hmcsr/0200.html

I see the "Chilean ruse" as an effort to get more people in Iraq to open up, and say things BAD about the occupation... ie: more evidence that Infante was there for M.Moore.

Full list of coalition countries:
Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm

It's way too much of a coincidence that M.Moore films an 'interview' of N.Berg on Dec 4th, and then Nick flies off for Iraq on Dec 21.

[jocon307]

"Now Rachel Corrie is a different story. I'm not happy that she died, but she knew what she was doing."

Rachel Corrie's story makes sense though. She hated America, she supported the Palis, she went there to protest, she accidently got killed protesting.

This Nick Berg story is all over the place. There are way too many coincidences, funny that it's all leaked out. That makes me think that whatever he was, it wasn't a gov't op.

And nobody who has attained even the age of 26 is as naive as we'd have to believe Berg was for the whole he-didn't-know-what-he-was-getting-into to make sense. Not somebody who's travelled the globe, anyway.

[Future Useless Eater]

>>calcowgirl
>>How do you find the dates of the photos?

>>~Kim4VRWC's~
>>Is it possible that "Infante sold NO photos March 22, 23, 24, or 25th" because he was going to take the photos from Berg..and after he got them, he sold them on the " 26th, 29th, 30th, and 31st" etc? Or did I misinterpret that?

The dates are supposedly the dates the photo were TAKEN, according to UPI

[Future Useless Eater]

>>Wasn't it Aziz that had access to Berg's cell phone (vs. Infante)?

Yes, I will stand corrected. I can't find my original reference, but it probably was Aziz. So that means April 9th is the LAST DAY Hugo Infante was seen by acquaintances in Iraq, the same as Nick Berg.

Aziz is now getting publicity for monitoring the final cell-phone calls of his slain partner. He said ... he understands Berg's phone was used as recently as April 19, and that three calls were made that day to Jordan, to the United Arab Emirates and to a local [Baghdad] number.
http://www.politrix.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=953