CONTINUING THE INVESTIGATION

November 16, 1999
		The National Transportation Safety Board decided not to hand over the investigation of EgyptAir Flight 990 to the FBI. Former FBI assistant director James Kallstrom and Time magazine correspondent Elaine Shannon talk about the latest developments in the probe of the downed aircraft.

Nov. 16, 1999: The NTSB considers turning over the EgyptAir investigation to the FBI. Nov. 15, 1999: Experts dicuss how the EgyptAir investigation should proceed. Nov. 10, 1999: The flight data recorder details the last moments of EgyptAir Flight 990. Nov. 2, 1999: The dangers of search and recovery in the EgyptAir crash Nov. 1, 1999: EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic.   EgyptAir National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Safety Network Federal Aviation Administration	RAY SUAREZ: In just the past few minutes, James Hall of the National Transportation Safety Board came to a much delayed briefing to talk to reporters about the state of the investigation into the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. Time and again in his briefing, he talked about the sensitivities of the relationship between the Egyptian government, which owns EgyptAir, and its role in the investigation and its partnership with the National Transportation Safety Board. JIM HALL, NTSB: For the National Transportation Safety Board to consult with these experts and officials, to fully evaluate this information prior to any final decision on whether the responsibility for this investigation should transfer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I met today with FBI Director Louie Freeh, and he fully concurs in this course of action. It is in the interest of all those concerned with this investigation and its results to ensure that this process, including any further evaluation, be done expeditiously. RAY SUAREZ: Joining me now for a discussion: Former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom -- he led the FBI investigation of the crash of TWA Flight 800 -- and Elaine Shannon, correspondent for Time magazine, who covers terrorism and the FBI. James Kallstrom, what do you make of what you just saw?
	Investigation stays with NTSB
	JAMES KALLSTROM, former FBI assistant director: I think it makes good sense. I don't see the need to rush into anything. We need to be sure of what's on that audio tape and how it syncs up with the data. We obviously need the full cooperation of the Egyptian government and law enforcement agencies, which we have, we have a good relationship with. So I don't see the difference of waiting a few days. The FBI's going to do what they have been doing from the start of this catastrophe. And that won't change. RAY SUAREZ: James Hall noted in the briefing that none of the available evidence has shown any mechanical or weather-related failure of this jet plane. Does that inflate, expand the importance of the Egyptians and their aid in this investigation? JAMES KALLSTROM: Well, I think it just stands on its own. I look back at TWA 800, and we ended up proving a negative, although it looked like in the beginning it was a criminal act. So, I say let the evidence fall where it might. Let's be careful, let's be calculated. Let's remember this is an EgyptAir flight, although there were a lot of Americans onboard and people from other countries. I don't see where the delay hurts anything. RAY SUAREZ: Elaine Shannon, for the last 24 hours, speculation has been swirling around this story. Word of what's been on the tape has leaking like crazy. Do you think it was Egyptian sensitivities that might have caused the NTSB to slow down a little bit? ELAINE SHANNON, Time magazine: Absolutely. And they have every right to be sensitive. We wouldn't want people from any country or even some other region in the United States to be speculating on what people might be saying to each other in a local language. Two New Yorkers say some words to each other from people from abroad might say, "Oh, my gosh, they talk to each other like that; that's awful." The FBI has a saying, and the Justice Department, they call it the search for truth. It's not the search for culprits. It's the search for truth. If this keeps the Egyptians on board, and the search for truth goes well, then that's what counts. RAY SUAREZ: Well, what kind of aid on the ground in Egypt would you be looking for if you moved to a next phase of the investigation and that it might involve American investigators on foreign soil? ELAINE SHANNON: Absolutely. The FBI cannot go door-to-door without permission of the Egyptian authorities. And they will need those folks to find the families of the crew members, families of passengers that maybe need to be interviewed, to run databases, criminal databases, security databases, anybody with any connections to the several terrorist groups there. They'll need medical records, they'll need telephone records, travel records, maybe apartment records. All of that stuff which was needed in the Africa bombings was done by the local authorities in Africa with the FBI input. If the Egyptians don't let them walk around on their soil, they're not going to get anything. It's going to be like the Khobar Tower bombings - delayed and delayed and delayed. And evidence will be third-hand; it won't be any good.
	Moving slowly to get at the truth
	RAY SUAREZ: James Kallstrom, I'm sure a lot of people remember that hangar in long island where bit by bit, TWA 880 was put back together. That doesn't seem to be a possibility in this case. Are we looking at flight data that ends up being paramount, rather than just running in tandem with other physical evidence? JAMES KALLSTROM: Well, you know, I really don't think we know at this point. I think once all the people that have a point of view on this evidence, this audio tape from the cockpit and the data recorder, once that's really looked at and there's some consensus on what the preponderance of that information says and what it means, then I think we can get on to the other issues. I'm sure there's plans being made to try to bring up pieces of the plane. It's going to be a real challenge from the standpoint of the depth of the water and time of the year. Let's hope that this is going to be clarifying the information that's there now. Let's let everybody take a look at it and reach some consensus. RAY SUAREZ: Elaine, do you think time is really critical or are we sort of the plateauing? ELAINE SHANNON: Well, on the one hand, as Jim says, it would be really nice to get as much of that plane up as possible. But if we can't, the records that need to be looked at, I think they'll be there for a while. Let's face it. These investigations take a long time. We in the media, we want instant solutions. But these guys want the truth, or they should. RAY SUAREZ: And so, after a while, we may move to less frequent briefings but, in fact, the more meat-and-potatoes part of the investigation? ELAINE SHANNON: Absolutely. I did a book with an FBI agent called "No Heroes." And one of the chapters is called for a saying -- which I'll clean up for television -- "assumption is the mother of foul-up." Never assume anything. Lead goes to lead goes to lead. It's very slow and methodical but ultimately, I think, the right process for this. RAY SUAREZ: We saw in the last day or so, James Kallstrom, theories being spun out about what things may or may not have been said in the cockpit during the final moments of this crash. Is it dangerous to have a theory this early in the going? Do you end up sort of assembling the facts to fit the theory? JAMES KALLSTROM: It's dangerous to have one theory. I think it's professional to have all theories and to look at all theories. I just look back at TWA Flight 800. What the FBI did there is to try to have an open mind and look at everything. And we stayed a long time. But we were sure of our answer at the end. And I think that's the key to any good investigation. RAY SUAREZ: So now we're looking at the long, hard slog part of this? JAMES KALLSTROM: Well, I think we're looking for a process that's fair, that's open, that wants to get to the truth. As Elaine said, I agree with everything she said. I suspect that's what we'll get. We live in a world today that's very small compared to what it was three or four decades ago. The FBI, through, I think, good vision and good planning, does have a very effective liaison capability around the world, including Egypt. I think the good news is we will get to the bottom of this catastrophe. RAY SUAREZ: And sensitivities being what they are in the United States the last couple of times, as someone who covers the world of terrorism, there have been some real bonehead plays, some false calls, some running up and down blind alleys when it comes to assumptions being made about connections with the Middle East? ELAINE SHANNON: That's right. And I think that's one reason why we don't have as good evidence as we'd like to see on the Khobar Towers bombing. Louie Freeh is very sensitive I think to these sensitivities, and he wants to get the information. He doesn't want to look like he's grabbing the case away from the NTSB and insulting the Egyptians. That would be absolutely counterproductive and be disastrous for everybody, including him. RAY SUAREZ: Elaine Shannon, good to talk to you. James Kallstrom, thanks for joining us. JAMES KALLSTROM: Thank you.