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CONSPIRACY THEORY (STUDIO - INTERVIEW) By Carol Kolb / Idea by Kai Nagai-Rothe This draft: 10/23 (DM) INT. NEWSROOM ANCHOR Chances are you've heard of the controversial new book "The Truth About Sept. 11". It's author William Gerard claims to present irrefutable evidence that the destruction of the World Trade Center was not the act of terrorists, but the work of the U.S. government. Today we welcome Mr. Gerard. SPLIT-SCREEN: With GERARD -- mid 30s, dressed in a suit but casually. It's clear he isn't used to wearing a suit much. GERARD Thank you for having me. ANCHOR The book, understandably, has a lot critics. Joining us now is one of them, Omar Al-Farouq of the Al Qaeda organization. Welcome, Omar. SPLIT-SCREEN: With OMAR. See previous Omar appearances for how he should be dressed. LOWER THIRD: Omar Al-Farouq / Al Qaeda Operative OMAR Hello, ANCHOR. ANCHOR So, Mr. Gerard, your book makes a lot of contentious statements. GERARD (a bit smug) Well, the fact is, the sort of collapse we saw on 9/11 at the World Trade Center never could have occurred without demolition charges -- it would defy the laws of physics. ANCHOR But Omar, your organization disagrees with the theories in this book? OMAR Of course. Did we not all watch breathlessly as the planes flew into the buildings? It is obvious that that is what caused the collapse. GERARD It seems clear because the government worked very hard to made it look clear. Omar rolls his eyes and shakes his head. OMAR Oh, come on. You really believe that? Omar gets more and more disgusted throughout, shaking his head and cringing. ANCHOR Gerard, where how did you arrive at the conclusions in the book? GERARD It's all hard data. Just one example: It would take temperatures of two-thousand-seven hundred-fifty degrees Fahrenheit to melt the kind of steel used in the Twin Towers. But jet fuel only burns at a maximum of one-thousand five-hundred degrees. OMAR Yes, but the heat didn't need to melt the steel completely, just weaken it to the point where it could no longer support the weight on top of it, causing the collapse. Trust me, we did a lot of research on this. It was one of the first things we thought of. ANCHOR Sounds like a good point, Mr. Gerard. GERARD Fine, if you don't believe that, then how about this: The collapse of the World Trade Center shows signs of being a controlled demolition. OMAR Yes, you could call it controlled, in a way. GERARD The way the towers collapsed straight downward shows that the base supports of the buildings were blown up with explosives. There's evidence that thermite bombs were used. FOOTAGE: A conspiracy video showing the towers collapsing straight downward OMAR Thermite bombs? Come on, sir. It was not that complicated. Look, footage clearly shows the buildings bending inward just above the points of the crashes just before collapsing, clearly showing that the heat from the fires was causing the frames to buckle. FOOTAGE: A debunking video showing the buildings bending inward. ANCHOR (sarcastically) Unless you also believe the government timed it's so-called "demolition" to coincide exactly with that, Mr. Gerard? GERARD It's not impossible. OMAR That is preposterous. Your arrogance in believing only your American government could have achieved something this grand is, frankly, insulting. GERARD Omar, no steel-framed skyscraper had ever before completely collapsed due to fire or other local damage. You can look at the records of all major-- Omar shakes his head in disagreement. OMAR Yes, but in the history of high rise fires, not one has ever been a building which had its vertical load bearing columns in its core removed by an airplane. Duh! ANCHOR I guess the big question is, Mr. Gerard, why do you think the government would stage this attack to begin with? GERARD Geed. They knew it would lead to increased profits for the weapons and security and oil industries, which Bush and Cheney hold stakes in. OMAR I agree with you that your President Bush is greedy and deceitful, but think about this for two seconds: If it was their idea to secretly carry out the elaborate plot you have concocted, don't you think they would have done a better job with the aftermath? They completely botched it! Their approval ratings are in the toilet, Osama Bin Laden is still safe in Pakist -- I mean, somewhere. ANCHOR It makes no sense, Gerard. OMAR The attacks crippled the U.S. economy, just as we knew they would. Why would Bush want that? GERARD It was part of their plan to build the case for a war in Iraq. OMAR Why do you insist on taking this great accomplishment from Al Qaeda? We spent three years planning it. It was a lot of hard work! GERARD So you say. That's exactly what the government wants people to believe. Omar lifts up a piece of paper. OMAR Because it's true. Look: These are the names and phone numbers of people who worked on this. He holds up a receipt. OMAR (CONT'D) Here is a copy of the receipt from the flight classes these people took. ANCHOR Give credit where credit is due, Mr. Gerard. You can't argue with those kinds of facts. GERARD I can't verify those documents. OMAR Hey, sir, let me give you a suggestion: Why don't you visit the Washington Monument on October 12, 2009, around 3 PM? Take a guided tour up to the top. I think you'll see that Al Qaeda is quite a capable organization. GERARD People out there, if you want the facts, buy the book. ANCHOR Okay, thank you both for being here. The book is "the truth about September 11." Right after the break... END. --- ALTERNATES: OMAR I can't believe anyone out there actually believes this. (aside) Americans are not strong enough to kill so many of their own. Only we are that strong. It was one of the first things we thought of. --