Template:(9:10 a.m.) September 11, 2001: Richard Clarke

(9:10 a.m.) September 11, 2001: Richard Clarke Directs Crisis Response through Video Conference with Top Officials
Around this time, according to his own account, Richard Clarke reaches the Secure Video Conferencing Center just off the main floor of the Situation Room in the West Wing of the White House. From there, he directs the response to the 9/11 attacks and stays in contact with other top officials through video links. Clarke claims that on video he can see Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA Director George Tenet, FBI Director Robert Mueller, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson (filling in for the traveling Attorney General John Ashcroft), Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage (filling in for the traveling Secretary of State Colin Powell), and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers (filling in for the traveling Chairman Henry Shelton).

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is with Clarke, but she lets him run the crisis response, deferring to his longer experience on terrorism matters. Clarke is also told by an aide, “We’re on the line with NORAD, on an air threat conference call.”

According to the 9/11 Commission Report, logs indicate that Clarke’s video teleconference only begins at 9:25 a.m., which is later than Clarke suggests, and CIA and FAA representatives only join it at 9:40 a.m.

Other accounts claim that, rather than being involved in Clarke’s teleconference at this time, Donald Rumsfeld is still in his office waiting for his intelligence briefing, and Richard Myers is in a meeting on Capitol Hill.

The 9/11 Commission claims that, “While important,” Clarke’s conference has “no immediate effect on the emergency defense efforts.” Yet, as the Washington Post puts it, “everyone seems to agree” Clarke is the chief crisis manager on 9/11. Even Clarke’s later opponent, National Security Adviser Rice, calls him 9/11’s “crisis management guy.” The conference is where the government’s emergency defense efforts are concentrated.