By David Bauder, AP Television Writer.

NEW YORK--NBC is asking the federal government to explain why a cameraman who tried to cover last weekend's raid to seize Elian Gonzalez was prevented from taking pictures.

NBC's cameraman, Tony Zumbado, was pushed down during the raid and no video was recorded inside the house of Elian's Miami relatives. A photographer recorded several still pictures for The Associated Press, including an image of a federal agent with a gun pointed in the direction of the 6 -year-old boy.

Bill Wheatley, vice president of NBC News, said he doesn't know whether agents were trying to avoid having pictures taken or were simply trying to secure the area. Either way, the results were the same.

"It's fair to say that our people weren't able to do their work because of the action of agents," Wheatley said Wednesday.

He's asked for an explanation by Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner Doris Meissner. A spokeswoman for Meissner did not return a telephone call for comment.

The Washington Post reported this week that Attorney General Janet Reno, seeking to avoid allegations of a government coverup, decided not to prevent photographers from taking pictures as Elian was seized last Saturday.

Zumbado and his sound man, Gustavo Moeller, were working as part of a pool arrangement to take pictures for several networks, at the invitation of the Miami relatives. They and Alan Diaz, the free-lance photographer working for the AP, were waiting in the yard when the raid began.

All three men jumped a fence to rush toward the home. Diaz got there first, and was directed to the room where Elian was being held.

Zumbado and Moeller arrived at the front door at the same time as several INS agents, Wheatley said.

Moeller was ordered away from the house at gunpoint, Wheatley said. He was told to get on the ground and was struck in the head by an agent's gun barrel, causing a cut, he said.

Zumbado had made it in the house and was trying to disconnect cables that tied his camera to Moeller. He was knocked to the floor and knocked off balance again when he tried to get up. While kneeling, he was told not to get up or he would be shot, Wheatley said.

"It was very clear that he was not in a position to take pictures," he said.

Wheatley said the network understands the risk to its personnel covering such an action.

"We're not naive," he said, "and we're aware that they needed to secure the area. But based on the description we have, we believe that the agents went further than they had to and prevented him from taking pictures."

Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times