When asked if he still plans to open the door at the north end of the Sphinx on November 1, 1996, Hawass replied (rest of interview follows):

Dr. Zahi Hawass (HAWASS): No, I am not going to open it now. We have other things really to do.

Linda M. Howe (HOWE): How are you going to... because it's so interesting. It sounds like it should be very interesting to see what's in there?
HAWASS: I know but that door was opened in 1922 before. We are going to re-open it again.

HOWE: What did they see in 1922?
HAWASS: They entered inside and they found nothing.

HOWE: What happened between the August news conference and now to change that opening up of that door in the Sphinx?
HAWASS: We are just going to open it when we will reach the restoration. We are restoring the Sphinx now and this is what we care about -- the restoration. And this will be opened. You know, those people should know that there is nothing in the door. There is nothing in the door, it has been opened before and it is not really a big deal to open it.

HOWE: And what you're going to do is wait until you've got the restoration completed before you open the door or...?
HAWASS: EXACTLY!

HOWE: When will the restoration be completed?
HAWASS: Um, we don't know. You know in archaeology, ma'am, we are very slow because the monuments are very precious. You do not -- we are not "Raiders of the Lost Ark," we are caring about the monument.

HOWE: Right
HAWASS: You know what I am talking about?

HOWE: Right. In the news conference in August, you said you thought the restoration would be done in 97. Is that still possible?
HAWASS: Maybe, maybe.

HOWE: And then at that point, somewhere in 97, the opening of the north side door in the Sphinx...
HAWASS: But you have to know that there is nothing in that door, really.

HOWE: It was very interesting to see your news conference and to see how much work that you have been doing and, um, how many, I think there were 10 different pyramid sites now available and open to the public in, ah...
HAWASS: OK, this is really what I care about, those people who met at the conference at Delaware [The "Return to the Source: Rediscovering Lost Knowledge and Ancient Wisdom" conference was held September 27-29, 1996, at the University of Delaware], they attacked me everywhere because I do not open the pyramids to amateurs. And I will never -- we will never -- means... I am not the person who really only decides. I am one person on the committee. But those people who made this conference in Delaware are really not correct. It's not true that any kind of work is going to be done in the pyramids. By anyone. Except the Egyptian government -- except us.

HOWE: Ah, well, let me see, for clarification. There was a man named Richard Hoagland who read an invitation on a radio program, I believe last weekend, who said that he had received an invitation to come the last week in October for the opening of some sort of excavation?
HAWASS: Ma'am, that is not true, believe me. That is not true. And I am the only one that is in charge of the pyramids and there is nothing like this is going to be happening.

HOWE: Well, maybe you could confirm for me, has the Egyptian government, working with scientists, discovered any underground chambers in and around the Sphinx?
HAWASS: There is nothing. There is an expedition from Florida State University working last April in the Giza Plateau and that's it.

HOWE: What did they discover?
HAWASS: We don't know. Just, you know, many people who use radar, they wouldn't know if they are right or not. But we cannot let anyone to hurt the Sphinx. The Sphinx is a national monument and we cannot let any one to hurt the Sphinx or excavate room. We are restoring the Sphinx. We are caring about the Sphinx. We cannot let people to drill, to open Sphinx. I mean, this is an international heritage. It's for everyone. We are really permitting scientists only. We cannot permit amateurs to work on our monuments.

HOWE: Right, well, I was referring to... I thought, perhaps, scientific investigation. There was a man in New York, a Mr. Schor, I thought, that was underwriting an expedition at the end of October?
HAWASS: That Mr. Schor worked last October with Florida State University. They applied to work around the Sphinx. It still, there is the permanent committee, which is the only committee that they permit scientists to work. They did not look at that proposal yet.

HOWE: Oh, I see. So there has not been any authorization for the ex...
HAWASS: Nothing, nothing.

HOWE: And yet, I understood that, anyway, Mr. Schor was preparing to go to Egypt in the end of October? Is that...
HAWASS: I'm telling you that I am not the one who permits things like that -- there is a permanent committee who meets maybe about 20 days from now, we don't know really when, and that committee are the only ones that decide if anyone gets to work or not.