Publishers Weekly
03/11/2024
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. (May)
From the Publisher
George Stephanopoulos’s amazing book tells the truth. It puts us in the White House Situation Room with presidents from JFK to Biden. We are there when JFK creates the room after the Bay of Pigs, we are there during the 9/11 strikes, we are there during the chaotic moments after President Reagan is shot, and when President Obama orders the takedown of Osama bin Laden. This book provides answers to questions we’ve had for years.” —James Patterson
“I know the gold standard of journalism when I see it, and George Stephanopoulos is it. This new book, The Situation Room, is simply mesmerizing. It delivers on the dream we all have of going behind the scenes to learn what was being said and done during some of the most dramatic moments in history. You don’t want to miss this book. I know I can’t put it down.”—Patricia Cornwell
“There are few more iconic spaces in the American imagination than the Situation Room in the White House—a tiny place where the largest of decisions are made. In this original and lively book, George Stephanopoulos takes us inside the room through years of crisis, enabling us to experience the human drama of life at the highest levels.”—Jon Meacham
"This is a colorful and intimate—but also deeply informative—look at one of the most critical set of rooms in the world. It literally makes real the saying 'if these walls could speak' by combining inside tales with audio transcripts of the most exciting moments in the Situation Room, from John Kennedy to Joe Biden."—Walter Isaacson
"An effective blend of political analysis and personal stories, tied together at the epicenter of crisis management."
—Kirkus
"Takes the reader on a thrilling tour of this little known but crucial facet of the United States government...a must-read for history and political wonks."—Booklist
“Stephanopoulos takes readers behind the scenes of a legendary White House location in this sprightly history…Presidential history buffs will find much of interest here.”—Publishers Weekly
Library Journal
04/01/2024
Journalist Stephanopoulos (All Too Human), who was senior advisor to the president for policy and strategy during the Clinton administration, has collaborated with Lisa Dickey (coauthor, Walk Through Fire) to pen a history of the White House Situation Room. The Situation Room was built for the Kennedy administration in 1961, after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Today, it's a meeting complex (not a singular room) from which national security principals, including the president, manage crises. The book covers the Situation Room's role in crises (like Kennedy's assassination) and military operations (like U.S. forces' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan). The book is based on interviews (including with President Biden). There are accounts of the stalwart role of women in the room's decision-making and the changing capabilities of communications technology, plus personal stories about emotional Situation Room moments like 9/11 and the January 6 insurrection. The book also reveals new information about events like the Obama administration's painstaking planning surrounding the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Note that the book does not analyze the actual decision-making. VERDICT Personal accounts drive this highly recommended book's powerful accounts of the crises handled over 60 years in the Situation Room.—Zachary Irwin
Kirkus Reviews
2023-12-27
A behind-the-scenes look inside the White House Situation Room.
Stephanopoulos, co-host of Good Morning America and author of All Too Human, served as Bill Clinton’s senior adviser for policy and strategy. His position and history as a Washington, D.C., insider allows him to examine a series of crises through the story of the Situation Room, located in the subterranean bowels of the White House complex. The author explains that the room was set up in the wake of the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961, which John F. Kennedy blamed on poor advice. The idea was to centralize information collection and give the president a dedicated space for decision-making, with a permanent staff of geopolitical experts. Stephanopoulos tracks events ranging from the defeat in Vietnam, to the collapse of the Soviet Union, to 9/11, examining the management styles of the presidents and other key figures and punctuating the story with interviews wherever possible. A peculiar element is that, despite its importance, for a long time, the place itself was unimpressive, much like a dull corporate meeting room. New communication equipment and technology were gradually added, and by the time of the operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden, the president could watch events unfold in real time. In fact, the problems of the current era are information overload and the temptation to micromanage. In early 2023, the room was remodeled into “a digitally advanced, ergonomically designed, smartly configured complex,” and it is now known as the WHSR (pronounced “whizzer”). This transformation was inevitable and necessary, although the author clearly feels a twinge of nostalgia. Recounting a history that might have been lost, Stephanopoulos presents an interesting package for political aficionados as well as general readers.
An effective blend of political analysis and personal stories, tied together at the epicenter of crisis management.
