Editorial Content for The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
George Stephanopoulos, the host of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" and the co-anchor of “Good Morning America,” has written a well-researched account of how the Situation Room came to be and the crises that 12 presidents dealt with over 65 years. They include the Cuban Missile Crisis; the JFK assassination; the Vietnam War; Richard Nixon’s resignation; the Iranian Hostage crisis and failed “Desert One” rescue attempt; 9/11 and the subsequent hunt for Osama bin Laden; the early days of the pandemic; and even the war in Ukraine.
The timing of THE SITUATION ROOM coincides with a makeover in 2023 that turned what had been a drab conference room and support offices in the White House basement into, as Stephanopoulos says, Hollywood’s version of the Situation Room: a state-of-the-art center for communications and decision-making. It’s now known as WHSR, or “whizzer.”
"[T]his is a well-rounded portrait of what arguably is the nerve center of U.S. policy and an important read for history buffs or any concerned citizen."
Working mostly chronologically and drawing on more than a hundred interviews, Stephanopoulos (with co-author Lisa Dickey) examines the management styles of the presidents and other key figures and support staff, many of whom are civil servants. He repeatedly shows how most staffers are there to serve the office of the president, not the party in power.
Some are technicians, like Gary Bresnahan, who set up secure videos for 25 heads of state in the days after 9/11. He also created a feed that allowed Barack Obama and key staff to view in real time the troops storming bin Laden’s compound. Some, like national security advisor Brent Scowcroft, worked in various capacities for several presidents, from Nixon to Obama. For the few willing to talk on the record, working for Donald Trump was not as easy as it was for other presidents: “I wanted to be in the middle of history,” Sit Room duty officer Mike Stiegler explains. “Be careful what you wish for.”
What makes THE SITUATION ROOM so readable is Stephanopoulos’ familiarity with the White House from his years as Bill Clinton’s communications director and then senior advisor. But while this helps him describe events in a “you are there” manner that keeps the narrative moving, he rarely inserts himself into the story, other than to mention his interviews with some of the key players. That doesn’t mean he withholds his opinions. While there are attempts to put some failures, such as Jimmy Carter’s Desert One disaster, in context, he loses his even-handed approach when talking about Trump or, through the voices of his interviewees (including Henry Kissinger), Nixon.
Still, this is a well-rounded portrait of what arguably is the nerve center of U.S. policy and an important read for history buffs or any concerned citizen.
Teaser
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. It’s 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.
Promo
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. It’s 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.
About the Book
George Stephanopoulos, the legendary political news host and former advisor to President Clinton, recounts the history-making crises from the place where 12 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.
Audiobook available, read by Peter Ganim and Elisabeth Rodgers
