Terror chief tells of 9/11 West Wing terror on ninth anniversary
The terrorism chief who was running the White House situation room on September 11, 2001, has told for the first time how his staff tried to phone home after being told as many as 11 hijacked aircraft could be heading for the West Wing.
Richard Clarke, who was President Bush's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, said he and around a dozen colleagues left in the White House thought they were going to die as unaccounted for aircraft – including one that was hijacked – flew towards the capital.
George Bush had to be told he could not come back to Washington from a school visit in Florida and instead flew to air force bases in Louisiana and then Nebraska.
One of the staff, Frank Miller, got the others in the West Wing to sign a list and then emailed it out of the building so that rescuers would know how many bodies they were looking for if the aircraft struck the White House....
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
Richard Clarke, who was President Bush's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, said he and around a dozen colleagues left in the White House thought they were going to die as unaccounted for aircraft – including one that was hijacked – flew towards the capital.
George Bush had to be told he could not come back to Washington from a school visit in Florida and instead flew to air force bases in Louisiana and then Nebraska.
One of the staff, Frank Miller, got the others in the West Wing to sign a list and then emailed it out of the building so that rescuers would know how many bodies they were looking for if the aircraft struck the White House....