STATEMENT OF PATRICK J. PURCELL, PUBLISHER, BOSTON HERALD

April 23, 2003 On arriving at Logan International Airport last Saturday from Kuwait, Boston Herald reporter Jules Crittenden declared a number of Iraqi war souvenirs in his luggage and was subjected to a search and interview, in which he cooperated fully with U.S. Customs agents. Crittenden has been told by U.S. Customs agents that other reporters and soldiers returning from Iraq have been and will be subject to similar searches. I am very proud of the job Jules Crittenden has done covering the front lines of the war. I hope this incident won't overshadow the great work he's done.  His reporting was superb.

Note to colleagues:

It was with great surprise that I learned that images of Saddam Hussein and assorted military equipment, collected as battlefield souvenirs, might be considered part of Iraq's valued cultural heritage. That is why I did not hesitate to declare these items to U.S. Customs. In Iraq, these items were being routinely discarded and destroyed, and clearly were of no value to the Iraqi people.

I understand and share the world's concern about the disappearance of legitimate Iraqi national treasures that are in fact treasures of human civilization. I also share the concerns about the regrettable failure of some soldiers to resist temptation when faced with the riches of a lifetime.

However, those are matters separate from the time-honored tradition among soldiers of bringing home reminders of some of the most intense experiences of their lives. There was no exception to that historic practice in this war until we began arriving home. I was told by federal agents that all
returning reporters and soldiers are being subjected to similar searches.

Regarding newspaper coverage of my questioning and the detention of my property, I will only say that it was not of high caliber, omitting key available facts that would have set the matter in context. As a newspaper reporter, I understand how and why these things sometimes happen.

Jules Crittenden has covered crime, politics, science, maritime matters, and foreign affairs for the Boston Herald for 10 years, including ethnic conflicts and other issues in Kashmir, Kosovo, Israel, Armenia, and Nagorno Karabagh. He has been in Kuwait covering the buildup to war since Feb. 2 and is now embedded with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. Crittenden was raised in Indonesia, Australia, East Pakistan, and Thailand, and lives south of Boston with his wife and three children.