Salma Hayek (originally aired March 15, 2003)
- Bush Press Conference (Iraq status; the transcript for Bush's March 6 press conference is available through the White House on-line here)
- Frida v. Chicago (the Oscars are on March 23, and Frida and Chicago are two of the nominees for best picture; Frida is based on the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-54) and Chicago is based on the musical that was based on the play that was based on two real-life trials described here)
- Weekend Update
- al-Qaeda Leader Captured (Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who reportedly played a key role in planning the September 11 attacks, was captured on March 1 in Pakistan; the FBI's most-wanted poster for Mohammed is on-line here, and information on other captured al-Qaeda figures is available here)
Iraq (last updated March 17, 2003) (back to top)
Where the situation stands now : The United States plans to withdraw its proposed resolution from the United Nations Security Council rather than see it rejected, even as some allies express their opposition and as weapons inspectors call for more time to do their work. More specifically,
- The United Nations has not authorized the use of force against Iraq : The United States and its allies in the United Kingdom and Spain have set a deadline of March 17 for the United Nations Security Council to approve a resolution that authorize the use of force. If the resolution looks unlikely to pass, the United States may withdraw its resolution and abandon its efforts to win U.N. authorization for the use of force against Iraq. France, Germany and Russia declared on March 5 that they would oppose a resolution authorizing force at this time and want to allow inspections to continue. Resolution 1441, which demanded Iraq's cooperation back in November 2002, did not automatically set penalties in case of Iraq's non-compliance.
- Weapons inspectors report greater cooperation and want more time : Conceding that Iraq did not provide immediate and full cooperation beforehand, UNMOVIC head Hans Blix reported to the Security Council on March 7 that Iraq has begun cooperating more fully and has begun destroying the long-range Al-Samoud 2 missiles. Blix also noted that if Iraq was to cooperate immediately and fully now, verification would take months. IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei reported that nuclear-weapons inspectors have found no indication that Iraq has revived its nuclear weapons program or that Iraq had attempted to import uranium since 1990. Details of the report are on-line here.
- The United States prepares its forces for war but may not be able to invade from Turkey : The United States has deployed numerous forces to the Middle East in preparation for an invasion, but still faces problems securing allies. Turkey's Parliament narrowly voted on March 1 against allowing the United States to deploy troops to Turkey for a possible northern invasion of Iraq, but may reconsider in the weeks ahead.
- Bush continues to rally domestic support : President George W. Bush held a rare press conference on March 6 to make the case for war against Iraq (transcript available via the White House's website here. He dismissed domestic protests by referring to his obligation as president to protect the United States, and said that he felt Iraq's disarmament was in the country's best interest.
Resolution 1441
Recent events revolve around U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1441, in which the U.N. Security Council gave Iraq a "final opportunity" to comply with disarmament obligations imposed after the Gulf War of 1990-91. Under the Nov. 8, 2002 resolution's terms, Iraq was to make a "full, accurate and complete" declaration of all its weapons of mass destruction in order to avoid further U.N. action and "serious consequences." Iraq agreed on Nov. 13 that it would "deal with" the U.N. resolution and allow inspectors into the country, despite the resolution's "iniquitous contents" and the "bad faith" of the United States and Britain in seeking it. Iraq did not explicitly say it would grant inspectors full access, and indicated that it would supervise inspectors' conduct to ensure that it would be "lawful and professional."
U.N. weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei then began their first inspections since 1998 on Nov. 27, 2002. Iraq then provided to the United Nations on Dec. 7 a 12,000-page document which weapons inspectors are using to guide their work.
The United States has said it will consider a false declaration justification for going to war.
Bush's Campaign to Build an International Coalition
President George W. Bush has long campaigned for military action against Iraq as part of the United States' "war on terror." In his Jan. 29 State of the Union address, Bush described Iraq as one of several states constituting an "axis of evil" because of its search for weapons of mass destruction (see text here). He then took his case to the United Nations in a Sept. 12 speech demanding compliance with weapon inspections and other policy changes.
Within days, Iraq's Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that Iraq would allow the return of U.N. weapons inspectors "without conditions," according to a Sept. 16 letter addressed to and publicly released by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Iraq's government "based its decision concerning the return of inspectors on its desire to complete the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to remove any doubts that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction," Minister Naji Sabri wrote.
The Bush administration cast doubt on the validity of Iraq's decision, saying that Iraq was merely seeking further delay, and continued to push for Congressional authorization to use force, which it received with a resolution approved on October 10 and 11. Under that resolution, Bush was given authorization to use force as he deems "necessary and appropriate" to defend the United States and to enforce U.N. resolutions calling for Iraq's disarmament. The Bush administration also continued to push for a stronger U.N. resolution.
The U.N. Security Council resolution thus approved on Nov. 8 was the result of negotiations between the United States and several other countries such as France. During these negotiations, the United States dropped its insistence of calling for "all necessary means" to enforce the terms, and agreed to the two-stage process in which the Security Council would meet to decide what to do if Iraq does not comply with the resolution.
Background
United Nations weapons inspectors began seeking access in 1991, faced difficulties throughout the 1990s, and were forced out of the country in 1998 and have not been allowed access since then. Inspectors have reported that Iraq had a biological weapons program (which Iraq says was destroyed in 1991), chemical weapons, and long-range ballistic missiles. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have reported that Iraq had a clandestine nuclear program as of late 1998, but that the program had not produced a nuclear weapon at that time. For more on Iraq's weapons, go here.
Led by Saddam Hussein since 1979, Iraq has fought its most recent wars over territorial boundaries. From 1980 to 1988, Iraq and neighboring Iran were at war over territorial boundaries. In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait but were ousted by a US-led coalition acting under UN resolutions in early 1991. Since then, the United States and the United Nations have taken various measures to limit Hussein's power and, ideally, to bring about an internal change in regime.
First, the international community has imposed economic sanctions and taken military actions (most recently with Operation Desert Fox in December 1998) for Iraq's lack of cooperation with UN weapons inspectors. Even with the limited access provided by Iraq, inspectors have issued reports concluding that Iraq has been developing chemical and biological weapons, and that it has made major steps towards building a nuclear weapon though it had not done so by December 1998. Aside from the inspections, the embargo and sanctions have been controversial, with many critics, especially in the Middle East, blaming such measures for ruining the Iraqi economy and creating a massive public health crisis; US officials put the blame instead on Iraq, noting that there is no embargo on food or medicines. For more on weapons inspections, go here. For more on sanctions, go here.
Problems over inspections loomed large in 1998, which ended with US and UK military strikes against Iraq. Over the course of 1998, Iraq and the UNSCOM had many conflicts, with Iraq denying full access to monitors. In August 1998, UNSCOM inspector Scott Ritter resigned in protest, saying that the US and UK were putting pressure on UNSCOM to abandon planned inspections so as to avoid new confrontations with Iraq. By October 1998, Iraq refused to provide full cooperation until the embargo was lifted. Finally, UN inspectors left the country in December, and then on December 16, 1998, the United States and Britain initiated four days of air strikes against Iraq (Operation Desert Fox). According to the US Department of Defense, the 100 sites attacked were military targets, with only one economic target, a pumping station used in illegal oil exports.
Second, a UN coalition led by the United States and Britain has maintained no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq. These operations were initially justified as ways to protect Iraqi minorities such as the Kurds from attack by the regime, and have also been used to monitor the regime's activities. The UN also maintains a no-drive zone in southern Iraq to prevent a military build-up that could again invade Kuwait. For more on no-fly zones, go here.
For a timeline, go here.
Sources: A U.N. press release of the Feb. 14 briefing is on-line here. The U.N. Security Council resolution approved on Nov. 8, 2002 is on-line here. The CIA's World Factbook entry on Iraq is on-line here. The State Department's December 2001 country background note on Iraq is available via the State Department's website, located here. President Bush's Sept. 12, 2002 speech to the United Nations is available on-line here. Michael R. Gordon and David E. Sanger, Powell says US is weighing ways to topple Hussein, New York Times, February 13, 2002. Thom Shanker and David E. Sanger, U.S. envisions blueprint on Iraq including big invasion next year, New York Times, April 28, 2002. Steven R. Weisman, How Powell lined up votes, starting with his President's, New York Times, Nov. 8, 2002. The International Atomic Energy Agency has made press information on its inspections available on-line here. Julia Preston, U.N. Inspectors criticize Iraqis over arms list, New York Times, January 10, 2003. Eric Schmitt, U.S. force in Gulf is said to be rising to 150,000 troops, New York Times, January 12, 2003.
Beulah and Belva (last updated January 25, 2003) (back to top)
Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, the stars of Chicago's Murderess Row, were based on Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, two real-life women who faced trial in 1924 for killing their respective lovers. Maurine Watkins, who wrote the play which was the basis for the musical and movie versions of Chicago, wrote about Gaertner and Annan for the Chicago Tribune and then used their stories as the basis for her playwriting.
According to Watkins' articles, Annan was the "prettiest" woman on Chicago's Murderess Row, while Gaertner was the "most stylish." Both, of course, were found not guilty.
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Beulah Annan
"Prettiest" woman on Murderess Row
DN-0076798, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society
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Belva Gaertner
"Most stylish" woman on Murderess Row
DN-0076751, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society
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A cabaret singer already twice-divorced, Belva Gaertner was arrested in March 1924 after her lover, married auto-salesman Walter Law, was found shot dead in her car early in the morning near her home. Police reportedly had seen a woman enter the car and then heard three shots; they returned to the car and found Law's body, an automatic pistol from which three shots had been fired, and a bottle of gin. Found at her apartment, with blood-covered clothes on the floor, Gaertner said she had been driving with Law and admitted the gun was hers, but claimed no memory of what had actually happened.
"I don't know. I was drunk," she reportedly told police.
Gaertner later gave an interview to Watkins, in which Gaertner clarified that she couldn't have killed Law because he just wasn't worth it.
"Why it's silly to say I murdered Walter. I liked him and he loved me – but no woman can love a man enough to kill him. They aren't worth it, because there are always plenty more. Walter was just a kid – 29 and I'm 38. Why should I have worried whether he loved me or whether he left me?" she told Watkins. "Gin and guns – either one is bad enough, but together they get you in a dickens of a mess, don't they."
Just weeks later, Beulah Annan was arrested for killing her own lover, Harry Kalstedt, a co-worker at a laundry. Annan, who was in her early 20s and already on her second marriage to an unsuspecting garage mechanic 10 years older, first told police that Kolstedt had broken into her home and had "tried to make me love him." She then admitted hours later that she had been "fooling around" with him for two months and that she had shot him after he had said he was "through" with her.
Annan's story changed over time and as her story attracted publicity and legal counsel. She said that she was going to leave Kalstedt rather than the other way around, and that she had shot Kalstedt in self-defense when he reacted angrily. "Why, I was the one who was going to quit him. You see, I realized that we wouldn't go on, that we could never really be anything to each other. I never loved him as much as I did 'my hubby'," she told Watkins.
And then her story changed to encompass the baby that she happened to announce the day after another woman was given a life sentence for murdering her lover. Her final story at trial was that she told Kalstedt that she was pregnant, they then struggled, and they both grabbed for the gun. Annan said that the stories she had first told police had been coerced, and she cried when her attorney described how the police had interrogated her.
Annan was found not guilty by an all-male jury. Similarly, Gaertner was found not guilty a few weeks later, having argued that Law could have killed himself. Prosecutors both times reportedly cursed that another pretty woman was getting away with murder.
With the two acquittals, Murderess Row was down to just four women whom Watkins herself reported as not being newsworthy. "Two of those left are colored : Minnie Nichols and Rose Epps. The other two, Sabella Nitti and Lela Foster, are middle aged and – well, neither is cursed with the grace or the beauty of Diana. Then, too Beulah and Belva killed young men friends, and these ladies only 'bumped off' their husbands," Watkins wrote.
That was the summer of 1924, and all three women were soon to be overshadowed by the trial of Nathan Leopold and Nathan Loeb, two young men at the University of Chicago who had killed Billy Franks in one of the first cases to be considered a trial of the century.
Watkins did some reporting in the Leopold-Loeb case but left journalism soon afterwards and enrolled in a famous playwriting workshop at the Yale Drama School. There, she turned Beulah Annan into Roxie Hart and Belva Gaertner into Velma Kelly for her play, Chicago, which ran for 172 performances in Broadway and had runs in other cities, including Chicago itself. Watkins then worked for a few more newspapers and continued to pursue a career as a playwright and a Hollywood screenwriter, but faded into obscurity in the 1940s.
Reportedly a recluse for the last years of her life, Watkins refused efforts to buy the rights to the play, possibly because she had felt guilty over her own involvement in getting two murderers acquitted, possibly because her play had been misinterpreted as glorifying criminals rather than as a social commentary. After her death in 1969, her estate finally sold the rights to the play, leading to the 1975 musical that was revived in 1997 and turned into the 2002 movie.
As for Beulah and Belva, they left the Cook County Jail for different directions and probably never met again.
Beulah Annan divorced her husband and got married again, this time to a garage owner, only to learn that this third husband was still married to another woman. She then filed for divorce, suffered a mental breakdown, and died in 1928 at a mental hospital under an assumed name. Annan never did give birth to the child she claimed to be bearing.
Belva Gaertner, on the other hand, seemed to have a happier fate. Upon acquittal, she planned to re-marry her second husband, a wealthy industrialist, and to go to Europe to put the trial behind her. At the very least, she got to attend the 1927 opening of Watkins' play in Chicago and to recognize herself on stage.
For more on issues relating to Chicago, go here.
Sources: Maurine Watkins, Chicago : with the Chicago Tribune articles that inspired it, edited by Thomas H. Pauly (Southern Illinois University Press, 1997). New York Times, The Author of 'Chicago', January 2, 1927. Louise Kiernan, Murder she wrote: Tribune reporter Maurine Watkins achieved her greatest fame with 'Chicago,' a play based on two sensational local crimes, Chicago Tribune, July 16, 1997. Chris Jones, It all started with stories in Tribune, Chicago Tribune, December 22, 2002. Photos from the Chicago Daily News negatives collection at the Chicago Historical Society, on-line here.
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