The Situation Room
The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
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4.5 • 152 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
George Stephanopoulos, the legendary political news host and former advisor to President Clinton, recounts the history-making crises from the place where twelve presidents made their highest-pressure decisions: the White House Situation Room.
No room better defines American power and its role in the world than the White House Situation Room. And yet, none is more shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Created under President Kennedy, the Sit Room has been the epicenter of crisis management for presidents for more than six decades. Time and again, the decisions made within the Sit Room complex affect the lives of every person on this planet. Detailing close calls made and disasters narrowly averted, THE SITUATION ROOM will take readers through dramatic turning points in a dozen presidential administrations, including:
Incredible minute-by-minute transcripts from the Sit Room after both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were shot The shocking moment when Henry Kissinger raised the military alert level to DEFCON III while President Nixon was drunk in the White House residence The extraordinary scene when President Carter asked for help from secret government psychics to rescue American hostages in Iran A vivid retelling of the harrowing hours during the 9/11 attack New details from Obama administration officials leading up to the raid on Osama Bin Laden And a first-ever account of January 6th from the staff inside the Sit Room
THE SITUATION ROOM is the definitive, past-the-security-clearance look at the room where it happened, and the people—the famous and those you've never heard of—who have made history within its walls.
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ABC News host Stephanopoulos (All Too Human) takes readers behind the scenes of a legendary White House location in this sprightly history. The Situation Room's origins date back to the spring of 1961, when Godfrey McHugh, JFK's Air Force aide, recommended the establishment of a "National Daily Situation Room" that would "serve as a management tool by providing intelligence, communications, briefing, display and monitor facilities." His recommendation was implemented after the April 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco, which exposed the limits of the president's access to real-time information; within weeks of the disaster, President Kennedy ordered the creation of a space along the lines of McHugh's suggestion, and it was constructed in a week, at a cost of $35,000. Stephanopoulos walks readers through its evolution and use during multiple consequential moments in American history, including LBJ's micromanaging of the Vietnam War and Nixon's staff's efforts to avert WWIII in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War while the president was intoxicated and unable to function. Each section emphasizes the admirable commitment to duty of Situation Room staff; even when the White House was considered at risk on 9/11, the personnel assigned there refused orders to leave their posts, and other staff remained to support them, including the White House chef. Presidential history buffs will find much of interest here.
Customer Reviews
Situation Room
5/5 stars
Very insightful and informative. Interesting perspective on each of the presidents. Some of the stories make you wonder how we have possibly survived all these years.
Hal R Troy, MI
Interesting insight into the White House
I liked getting behind the scenes of each President.
Helped me sleep while I had COVID
I needed more sleep while recovering from COVID. All I had to do was read a few pages and out I went. Thank you George.