The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis

by George Stephanopoulos

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Politics & Power

One room, twelve administrations, Kennedy to Biden. The Situation Room was set up in 1961 after Kennedy blamed the Bay of Pigs on poor advice, and Stephanopoulos, writing with Lisa Dickey, draws on more than 100 interviews to put you beside the duty officers and staff as much as the presidents.

Core ideas
  • The crises: The Cuban Missile Crisis, the Reagan assassination attempt, the Iran hostage rescue effort, 9/11 and January 6 all pass through the room.
  • Into real time: It began as an unremarkable meeting space, and by the bin Laden raid a president could watch events as they happened.
  • New problems: Rebuilt as a digital complex in 2023, the room now struggles most, in Kirkus's reading of the book, with information overload and presidential micromanagement.
Published2024
Pages466
ISBN9781538740767
ReadNov 2024

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