Richard A. Clarke, the chief counterterrorism advisor, helped lead the White House response on 9/11. He had been at the Ronald Reagan Building at a meeting, when he was informed about the first plane crash.
As Clarke arrived back at the White House, it was 9:03 a.m. He already suspected the worse (terrorism) with the first crash. When he learned of the second crash, he knew it was an Al Qaeda terrorist attack. They had carried out simultaneous attacks in the past.
Clarke worked quickly to get high-ranking officials from Federal departments on teleconference.
Rice had Clarke take the lead in managing the situation and the teleconference from the Situation Room. She was later criticized for "just standing around" at the time, but Clarke feels that it would have slowed the response. Rice and Cheney went to the PEOC. At that point, they were "frantically looking for Norman Mineta, the Secretary of Transportation."
Logs indicate that the teleconference began at 9:25 a.m., but did not fully get under way until 9:37-9:40 a.m. The teleconference included the CIA; the FBI; the departments of State, Justice, and Defense; the FAA; and the White House shelter. The FAA and CIA joined at 9:40.
The 9/11 Commission Report explains that "the first topic addressed in the White House video teleconference-at about 9:40-was the physical security of the President, the White House, and federal agencies. Immediately thereafter it was reported that a plane had hit the Pentagon. We found no evidence that video teleconference participants had any prior information that American 77 had been hijacked and was heading directly toward Washington. Indeed, it is not clear to us that the video teleconference was fully under way before 9:37, when the Pentagon was struck."
Clarke's account of the teleconference:
Clarke started off with Jane Garvey briefing on the situation, "The two aircraft that went in were American flight 11, a 767, and United 175, also a 767. Hijacked." Clarke asked Garvey to "order aircraft down? We're going to have to clear the airspace around Washington and New York." Garvey replied, saying there were as many as eleven hijacked aircraft and that they may have to do a lot more than holding takeoffs and landings in New York and Washington. (which was already ordered) She explained that there were 4,400 aircraft already in the air, and not sure how long it would take to ground them all. She also noted that it was the first day on the job for Ben Sliney, the National Operations Manager at the FAA.
At that point, Norm Mineta called in from his car. Clarke requested that he come to the White House. Clarke's deputy, Roger Cressey made it back to the White House.
Clarke then asked the Joint Chiefs, "I assume NORAD has scrambled fighters and AWACS. How many? Where?"
Myers replied, "Not a pretty picture Dick. We are in the middle of Vigilant Warrior, a NORAD exercise, but... Otis has launched two birds toward New York. Langley is trying to get two up now. The AWACS are at Tinker (in Oklahoma) and not on alert."
Clarke asked "Okay, how long to CAP over D.C?" (Combat Air Patrol)
"Fast as we can. Fifteen minutes?" Myer asked, turning to the generals and colonels around him. At that point, it was 9:28.
Concerned that there may also be overseas attacks, Clarke also requested that embassies be closed and DOD bases to "Combat Threatcom".
At this point, the President was coming on the television to address the nation. Brian Stafford, the head of the Secret Service was there with Clarke, and told him, "We gotta get him out of there to someplace safe... and secret." Stafford also asked that when Air Force One took off, it have fighter escorts. CAP fighter escorts were not authorized to shoot down planes in the U.S... it required an executive order.
Clarke got on the line with Cheney and Rice in the PEOC, requesting three things:
Clarke went back on the line with the FAA, with Garvey telling him the potential hijacks: "Delta 1989 over West Virginia, United 93 over Pennsylvania..."
At that point, Roger Cressey stepped back into the video conference room and announced, "A plane just hit the Pentagon."
The Secret Service then ordered the White House evacuated.
At this time, Clarke was put on the phone with Fenzel in the PEOC, who said that "Air Force One is getting ready to take off, with some press still on board. He'll divert to an air base. Fighter escort is authorized. And... [he paused] Tell the Pentagon they have authority from the President to shoot down the hostile aircraft, repeat, they have authority to shoot down hostile aircraft."
Clarke tried relaying the decision to the Pentagon. But, "Rumsfeld said that smoke was getting into the Pentagon secure teleconferencing studio. Franklin Miller urged him to helicopter to DOD's alternate site. Rumsfeld replied, 'I am too goddamn old ot go to an alternate site.' He sent his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz to the remote site."
General Myers asked Clarke for clarification on the Rules of Engagement. Clarke asked Miller and Greenwood to quickly get the answers to DOD.
At that point, there were reports on CNN of a "car bomb at the State Department. Fire on the Mall near the Capitol."
Ralph Seigler popped in and announced, "Secret Service reports a hostile aircraft ten minutes out."
Seigler popped in moments later, "Hostile aircraft eight minutes out."
Clarke was back and forth with the Pentagon and others.
Clarke then stepped out and on the phone with Dale Watson at the FBI who told him, "We got the passenger manifests from the airlines. We recognize some names, Dick. They're al Qaeda." As they spoke, they saw the South Tower of the World Trade Center was collapsing.
Clarke spoke with Watson for a few moments more, then returned to the Video Conferencing Center. Cressey told Clarke, "United 93 is down, crashed outside of Pittsburgh. It's odd. Appears not to have hit anything much on the ground."