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Wallner files (GulfLink/Gulf War): ALVAREZ, ROBERTO Name: Roberto Alvarez
Other Personnel in Incident: Juan Caldera; Peter Bluff; Bob Simon (all released) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project (919/527-8079) 09 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, published sources, interviews. Copyright 1991 Homecoming II Project. REMARKS: OPERATION DESERT STORM SYNOPSIS: On January 16, 1991, Allied forces began concentrated air strikes on Iraqi military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. Participating in the strikes were U.S., British and Kuwaiti air forces. The United Kingdom had the second largest military contingent of troops after the U.S. with 35-40,000 troops, 75 Tornado fighter/bombers, and sixteen warships. International news agencies struggled to compete for up-to-date news on this, the first "live-time" war the world had seen. CBS News correspondent and his three-man crew checked in on January 18 saying they were "in the no-man's land between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait." On January 24, 1991, CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, producer Peter Bluff, soundman Juan Caldera and photographer Roberto Alverez, apparently seeking a story, traveled unescorted to the Saudi/Kuwait border. Their abandoned automobile, still containing their personal effects, camera equipment and money, was found by Saudi Arabian troops. On January 28, 1991, a UPI story stated that Saudi Arabian authorities reported that an Iraqi deserter told them he may have seen the four-man crew. CBS, as of that date, was trying to confirm the report and speak to the deserter to obtain information on the crew. CBS has been unable to confirm that the four are prisoners, although information from several sources indicates that this was the case. Simon's wife, Francoise, appeared on "CBS This Morning" on February 11 and said she believes the four are alive, but there was no fresh news. CBS received on February 11 a report from an Iraqi defector that the four newsmen were being held somewhere in Kuwait. According to one U.S. intelligence official who had access to the intelligence report, "They'e POWs. And they're lucky if they're getting a single meal a day." On February 12, an "Inside Edition" television show reported that sources "close to the Iraqi leadership" said Simon and his three crew members had been moved to Baghdad from Kuwait City where discussions were underway "within the Iraqi government concerning their release." The mechanisms protecting civilians and military personnel in combat zones are varied. While civilians are under the protection of the United States, they are, in theory, the responsibility of the U.S. State Department. Greater priority in actual recovery efforts are given military personnel, who are under the protection of the Department of Defense. Simon and his crew had as their greatest advocates their families and their employer - CBS. On March 2, 1991, the CBS team was released by the Iraqis in a "goodwill" gesture following pre-ceasefire agreements. All reported being beaten during their captivity during interrogation sessions. The team had been held with other Coalition POWs at Basra. On several occasions they were subject to nearby allied bombing strikes, and once the complex in which they were held was hit. One of the team barely missed being killed in the strike, but used the opportunity to leave his solitary cell and check on other POWs in the complex. The release of the CBS team was followed by three releases by March 9, the last being that of 40 international journalists. 
Top tags: cbs, kuwait, news, crew, iraqi, january, saudi, four, military, simon
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