Former White House Staffer Shares What Happened in the Situation Room During 9/11

George Stephanopoulos, who previously worked for former President Bill Clinton gave a pretty gripping account of what happened in the White House Situation Room on September 11, 2001. In his book The Situation Room, he offers a rare glimpse into one of the most crucial spots in the country during a really tough time. As fear spread across the nation- people in the White House basement were getting more and more tense. Stephanopoulos recalled a particularly scary moment when Frank Miller, the senior director for defense policy, made an unexpected request. Miller first asked everyone to leave the room. When no one moved, he tried a different approach.

Miller said in a serious tone, "We want to know what bodies to look for." He told everyone to jot down their names and social security numbers. The seriousness of the situation was clear. About 20 people, including Stephanopoulos, followed Miller’s instructions. This made it obvious how real the danger was. Early reports hinted that a hijacked plane might be heading for the White House. A heroic passenger revolt crashed the United 93 into a Pennsylvania field before it could reach its planned goal, the White House of the United States Capitol, as per The Daily Mail.

The Situation Room, a 5,500-square-foot complex in the West Wing basement, has been at the center of countless critical moments in American history. Following 9/11, the White House made a significant improvement, as well as a broader enhancement of presidential communications aboard Air Force One and the presidential helicopter. The Kennedy administration established the complex in 1961, following the Bay of Pigs invasion. Military and civilian personnel staff the complex around the clock, monitoring breaking news throughout the world.

It now contains a reception room with masonry depicting the United States seal. Behind it is the main conference room, known as the 'JFK room.' There is a smaller conference room and two soundproof 'breakout rooms.' To the left is the 'watch floor,' a 24-hour operations center.  The book also talks about some lighter moments. Stephanopoulos shared a funny story from 2008 when they were moving things around for the Obama administration.

They had to cancel plans to move the president during the White House renovations because they were worried about how it would look. "We are not moving the first Black president of the United States out of the Oval Office," one aide reportedly declared. "It ain't happening." Stephanopoulos recently grabbed attention when he talked about President Joe Biden’s ability to stay in office. He bumped into someone on a New York City street and said, “I don't think he can serve four more years.” This was right after Stephanopoulos had interviewed Biden, and it stirred up quite a bit of buzz, as per CNN.