NOTES to Chapter 1
206. On the motorcade, see USSS record, shift log, Sept. 11, 2001 (departing 9:35, arriving 9:45); USSS record, Command Post Protectee Log, Sept. 11, 2001 (departing 9:36, arriving 9:42). Fleischer deduced from his notes that
the President learned about the Pentagon while in the motorcade.Ari Fleischer interview (Apr. 22, 2004). For the Presidents actions and statements to the Vice President, see Ari Fleischer interview (Apr. 22, 2004);White House notes,Ari Fleischer notes, Sept. 11, 2001.
207. On not returning to Washington, see Edward Marinzel interview (Apr. 21, 2004); USSS memo, interview of Edward Marinzel, Oct. 3, 2001;Andrew Card meeting (Mar. 31, 2004). For additional sources on the Presidents desire to return, see White House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek,Nov. 19, 2001, p. 5.
For the Vice Presidents recollection, see President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004). For time of departure, see USSS record, Command Post Protectee Log, Sept. 11, 2001. On Air Force Ones objectives on takeoff, see Edward Marinzel interview (Apr. 21, 2004).
208.USSS memo, interview of Gregory LaDow, Oct. 1, 2001,p. 1. Shortly after the second attack in NewYork, a senior Secret Service agent charged with coordinating the Presidents movements established an open line with his counterpart at the FAA, who soon told him that there were more planes unaccounted forpossibly hijacked
in addition to the two that had already crashed.Though the senior agent told someone to convey this information to the Secret Services operations center, it either was not passed on or was passed on but not disseminated; it failed
to reach agents assigned to the Vice President, and the Vice President was not evacuated at that time. See Nelson Garabito interview (Mar. 11, 2004); USSS memo, interview of Nelson Garabito, Oct. 1, 2001; see also Terry Van Steenbergen interview (Mar. 30, 2004).
209.American 77s route has been determined through Commission analysis of FAA and military radar data. For the evacuation of the Vice President, see White House transcript, Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek,Nov. 19, 2001, p. 2;USSS memo, interview of Rocco Delmonico, Oct. 1, 2001 (evacuation of the White
House); see also White House notes, Mary Matalin notes, Sept. 11, 2001. On the time of entering the tunnel, see USSS report,Executive Summary: U.S. Secret Service Timeline of Events, September 11October 3, 2001, Oct. 3, 2001, p. 2. Secret Service personnel told us that the 9:37 entry time in their timeline was based on alarm data, which is no longer retrievable. USSS briefing (Jan. 29, 2004).
210.White House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek, Nov. 19, 2001, p. 4; President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004).
211. On Mrs. Cheney, see USSS report,Executive Summary: U.S. Secret Service Timeline of Events, September 11October 3, 2001, Oct. 3, 2001, p. 2 (time of arrival);White House transcript, Lynne Cheney interview with Newsweek, Nov. 9, 2001, p. 2 (joining the Vice President). For the contemporaneous notes, see White House notes, Lynne Cheney notes, Sept. 11, 2001. On the content of the Vice Presidents call, see White House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek,Nov. 19, 2001, p. 5.According to the Vice President, there was one phone call from the tunnel. And basically I called to let him know that we were a target and I strongly urged him not to return to Washington right away, that he delay his return until we could find out what
the hell was going on.For their subsequent movements, seeWhite House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek, Nov. 19, 2001, p. 5;White House transcript, Lynne Cheney interview with Newsweek,Nov. 9, 2001, p. 2.
212. On communications problems, see, e.g., President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004). On lack of an open line, see, e.g., Deborah Loewer meeting (Feb. 6, 2004).
213. On the Vice Presidents call, see President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004). For the Vice Presidents time of arrival in the shelter conference room, see White House record, PEOC Shelter Log, Sept. 11, 2001 (9:58); USSS memo, OVP 9/11 Timeline, Nov. 17, 2001 (9:52; Mrs. Cheney arrived White House
and joined him in tunnel);White House notes, Lynne Cheney notes (9:55; he is on phone with President);White House transcript, Lynne Cheney interview with Newsweek, Nov. 9, 2001, p. 2 (And when I got there, he was on the phone with the President . . . But from that first place where I ran into him, I moved with him into what they
call the PEOC); White House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek, Nov. 19, 2001, p. 4 (9:35 or 9:36 arrival; he estimated a 15-minute stay); Carl Truscott interview (Apr. 15, 2004) (arrived with Rice
and the Vice President in conference room; called headquarters immediately; call logged at 10:00); President Bush andVice President Cheney meeting,Apr. 29, 2004 (Vice President viewed television footage of Pentagon ablaze in
tunnel);White House transcript, Rice interview with Evan Thomas, Nov. 1, 2001, p. 388 (Rice viewed television footage of Pentagon ablaze in Situation Room). For the Vice Presidents recollection about the combat air patrol,
see President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004);White House transcript, President Bush interview with Bob Woodward and Dan Balz, Dec. 17, 2001, p. 16.
214. President Bush andVice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004); see also White House transcript,Vice President Cheney interview with Newsweek,Nov. 19, 2001, pp. 78.
215. Douglas Cochrane meeting (Apr. 16, 2004); Condeleeza Rice meeting (Feb. 7, 2004). For Rice entering after theVice President, see USSS report,Executive Summary:U.S. Secret Service Timeline of Events, September 11October 3, 2001, Oct. 3, 2001, p. 2; Carl Truscott interview (Apr. 15, 2004).
216. In reconstructing events that occurred in the PEOC on the morning of 9/11, we relied on (1) phone logs of the White House switchboard; (2) notes of Lewis Libby, Mrs. Cheney, and Ari Fleischer; (3) the tape (and then transcript) of the air threat conference call; and (4) Secret Service and White House Situation Room logs, as well as four separate White House Military Office logs (the PEOC Watch Log, the PEOC Shelter Log, the Communications Log, and the 9/11 Log).
217. DOD transcript,Air Threat Conference Call, Sept. 11, 2001. For one open line between the Secret Service and the FAA, see note 208. At Secret Service headquarters, personnel from the intelligence division were also on a phone conference with FAA headquarters. Chuck Green interview (Mar. 10, 2004). For notification of an
inbound aircraft at 10:02, see USSS record, Intelligence Division timeline, Sept. 11, 2001; USSS record,Crisis Center Incident Monitor, Sept. 11, 2001.For the FAAs projection, seeTim Grovack interview (Apr.8, 2004).For Secret Service updates, see DOD transcript,Air Threat Conference Call, Sept. 11, 2001.
218.White House notes, Lynne Cheney notes, Sept. 11, 2001;White House notes, Lewis Libby notes, Sept. 11, 2001.
219. For Libbys characterization, see White House transcript, Scooter Libby interview with Newsweek, Nov. 2001. For the Vice Presidents statement, see President Bush and Vice President Cheney meeting (Apr. 29, 2004). For the second authorization, see White House notes, Lynne Cheney notes, Sept. 11, 2001;White House notes,Lewis Libby notes, Sept. 11, 2001.(10:1518:Aircraft 60 miles out, confirmed as hijackengage?VP:Yes. JB [Joshua Bolten]: Get President and confirm engage order).
221.For theVice Presidents call, seeWhite House record,Secure Switchboard Log, Sept. 11,2001;White House record, Presidents Daily Diary, Sept. 11, 2001;White House notes, Lewis Libby notes, Sept. 11, 2001. Fleischers10:20 note is the first mention of shootdown authority. See White House notes,Ari Fleischer notes, Sept. 11, 2001; see also Ari Fleischer interview (Apr. 22, 2004).
222. DOD transcript,Air Threat Conference Call, Sept. 11, 2001.
223. On reports of another plane, see White House notes, Lynne Cheney notes, Sept. 11, 2001;White House notes,Lewis Libby notes, Sept. 11, 2001.On theVice Presidents authorization, see ibid.;DOD transcript,AirThreat Conference Call, Sept. 11, 2001. For Hadleys statement, see DOD transcript,Air Threat Conference Call, Sept.11, 2001.
224. For the quotation, see White House transcript, Libby interview with Newsweek, Nov. 2001. On the aircrafts identity, see White House record,White House Military Office Log, Sept. 11, 2001.