Speakers:

DM: Dermot Murnaghan

BS: Barbara Stephenson

DM: Barbara Stephenson, I mean I think first of all you must be overwhelmed as an American with the amount of support you have had in terms of nationally and from your own position, particularly from the United Kingdom and from the very highest levels?

BS: You know there has been such a profound kind of take away from this week. I had barely heard the news when I got a call from Number 10, from senior staff there who studied in Boston, where some of our finest universities are. We have had responses from Her Majesty the Queen, from all through Twitter from the British people and now we have got tens of thousands of London Marathon runners wearing a black ribbon in solidarity with the people of Boston. As my Senior Law Enforcement person said Friday afternoon, it is moments like this when you know what the special relationship is really all about.

DM: Okay, now let me ask you about some of the practicalities. First of all do you know, have you any information coming from the United States about when the suspect may be able to be questioned properly given his medical condition?

BS: No, we don’t really know more than you do because the FBI keeps a close lid on this. We are watching the same reports that you are showing which is that he is in hospital, serious but stable condition and not yet able to speak, but we are all asking the same question, you know why did this happen, what made someone want to do this? I think the human mind just works that way after a tragedy like this.

DM: I mean this is it, motivation is key to this and presumably that questioning process will help shed some light on that. But is it causing Americans to question the very proposition I suppose that the United States offers to people who want to come and live and work and prosper in the United States, that yes indeed we are an open society we will welcome you but you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

BS: Well it’s a big country and there will be a lot of thoughts but I love the clip that Sky is showing which has Bostonians standing out there singing, This Land Is Your Land This Land Is My Land, and that is one of the most inclusive songs that we have got that says it belongs to all of us and so there is certainly at least that sentiment being expressed by someone on the streets. But there will be lots of sentiments as we say what does this mean?

DM: I mean the important thing I suppose as well is that Americans don’t turn in on themselves, perhaps as we saw slightly after 9/11, start looking at people from different communities, from different races and wondering what is in their mind?

BS: I certainly hope we don’t do that and I watched with admiration as my President made a really moving call for that at the memorial service in Boston for us to get right back out there, to finish the race, to finish the course that was set for us and got a standing ovation when he spoke about next year’s 118th Boston Marathon. So I know that was what the Queen said after the tube bombings, I’ve quoted it often in the years since then is Londoners got right back out there, got on the tube she said and that is the correct response to yesterday’s atrocities. So that call I think it important from leaders at a time like this so that we don’t give up something that both of our societies hold very dear which is that we do live in free societies.

DM: Indeed. But are looked after quite a lot by security services as well and there are robust questions that now have to be asked of the American Security Services here aren’t there about the nature of the home-grown threat, how carefully they keep an eye on that and indeed specific contacts that are known to be made between the FBI and Tamerlan Dzhokhar?

BS: Well there are and I know you have got panellists coming on after who are counter terrorism experts I think who are probably in a good position to place that in context. I can just say one of the first questions that arose is what will be the impact on the London Marathon and certainly the response from our side is nobody, nobody polices a big event and allows the public to go out in huge numbers in safety quite like the Metropolitan Police so I would say at least for this beautiful morning that we have got with the London Marathon going ahead, I feel awfully confident about things and I hope that you get a chance to join it today.

DM: Can I just ask you about the formality of your position, you are the acting US Ambassador. Just explain the situation, we have had Louis Susman, he has been here for several years and now moved on so we don’t formally have an ambassador at the moment. You are expecting the role to be formally given to you fairly soon aren’t you?

BS: Well no. What happens is in between times I just remain charge d’affaire, this is our standard practise, this has happened repeatedly. It usually does take us several months in between Ambassadors so Louis Susman has stepped down, we are now going through the process of waiting for the White House to announce the name of the new Ambassador, then we have Senate confirmation and then the new Ambassador will come. So there is typically a period where the Career Diplomat the Senior Civil Servant as it were in your speak, is in charge at the American Embassy. It was Richard LeBaron for quite a while before Louis Susman arrived, so this is a pattern you have seen before.

DM: Okay, well I have to be very diplomatic then. If offered the role you would presumably take it?

BS: [Laughter] In a heartbeat.

DM: Indeed okay. Well until you are confirmed, Acting Ambassador thank you very much indeed.

BS: Thank you.

END OF TRANSCRIPT