Bolten, Cheney and Bush
"Vice President"
Fleischer, Cheney and Bush
Bolten, President, Fleischer
"President's press secretary"
Bolten and Fleischer
Who was a part of this conversation?
Joshua Bolten - The engage order
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten wanted to confirm the President
Joshua Bolten - The take off time of Air Force One
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten wanted the engage order confirmed
Joshua Bolten's secretary - The engage order
Who at the White House asked the Vice President to get in Touch with the President and what was top be confirmed?
With no intel about the aircraft, the take out order was issued, but it turned out to be a medivac chopper
No - a medevac helicopter
Yes - A commercial flight airplane
Yes - a medevac helicopter
Had there been previous intel regarding the low flying aircraft and what did it turn out to be?
1 hour
13 minutes
"three seconds"
12 minutes
"at 10.33 hrs."
15 minutes
10 minutes
Approximately how much time passed between when The Vice President was logged calling the President, and when the shelter first received reports of another hijacked plane?
The order of succession
"engage order"
The hijacked plane
Who did the attacks
VP talking to the President,
"Vice President get in touch with the President and confirm the engage order"
What did Bolten talk about?
"Until the Aricraft drops below the radar screen"
"Transmission of the Authorization"
15 minutes
From 10:03 to 10:30
10 minutes
30 minutes
How long was the government monitoring the aircraft?
No
Yes
Did the President order the aircraft to stop?
"confirm the engage order"
"Bolten watched the exchange"
Oval Office
At the conference room table
Air Force One
Conference Room
Where was Joshua Bolten when he suggested that the Vice President get in touch with the President and confirm the engage order?
"White House"
Air Force One
On vacation
The Oval Office
"NMCC"
Where was the President at 10:18 when the Vice President called him?
Yes there was - he wanted to make sure the President was told that the Vice President had executed the order
Since there had been no prior discussion with the President, He wanted the President to know that the Vice President had executed the order
No prior discussion - he wanted to make sure that the vice president knew everything that was going on
No prior discussion - he wanted to make sure the President was told that the Vice President had executed the order
HAd there been prior discussion and what was Bolten's concern?
Who was behind the attacks
"No direct conversation between them"
When he would return to Washington
What to do with the low-flying plane
An Order to Shoot Down the Plane
"President was told that the Vice President had executed the order"
What was the conversation between the Vice President and President about?
At the conference room table was White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten. Bolten watched the exchanges and, after what he called "a quiet moment,"suggested that the Vice President get in touch with the President and confirm the engage order. Bolten told us he wanted to make sure the President was told that the Vice President had executed the order. He said he had not heard any prior discussion on the subject with the President. The Vice President was logged calling the President at 10:18 for a twominute conversation that obtained the confirmation. On Air Force One, the President's press secretary was taking notes; Ari Fleischer recorded that at 10:20, the President told him that he had authorized a shootdown of aircraft if necessary. Minutes went by and word arrived of an aircraft down in Pennsylvania. Those in the shelter wondered if the aircraft had been shot down pursuant to this authorization. At approximately 10:30, the shelter started receiving reports of another hijacked plane, this time only 5 to 10 miles out. Believing they had only a minute or two, the Vice President again communicated the authorization to "engage or "take out" the aircraft. At 10:33, Hadley told the air threat conference call: "I need to get word to Dick Myers that our reports are there's an inbound aircraft flying low 5 miles out. The Vice President's guidance was we need to take them out." Once again, there was no immediate information about the fate of the inbound aircraft. In the apt description of one witness, "It drops below the radar screen and it's just continually hovering in your imagination; you don't know where it is or what happens to it." Eventually, the shelter received word that the alleged hijacker 5 miles away had been a medevac helicopter. Transmission of the Authorization from the White House to the Pilots The NMCC learned of United 93's hijacking at about 10:03. At this time the FAA had no contact with the military at the level of national command. The NMCC learned about United 93 from the White House. 