George Stephanopoulos is set to release a new book detailing the secrecy, mystery, and previously untold stories about the White House Situation Room, the setting of some of the most consequential decisions in American history.
"The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis," by Stephanopoulos, with Lisa Dickey, will recount pivotal moments from a dozen administrations, including transcripts from the days when Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were shot, the harrowing hours after the 9/11 attacks, new details from Obama administration officials leading up to the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and a first-ever account of Jan. 6, 2021, from the staff inside the Situation Room.
"Along with the Oval Office, no place better exemplifies the power and mystery of the Presidency than the White House Situation Room," Stephanopoulos said in a press release. "The decisions made in that windowless warren in the basement of the West Wing have determined the fate of Presidents and shaped the course of history. Yet relatively little has been written about it and the people who work there. No comprehensive history in nearly two decades. When I discovered that fact, I knew I had to write this book."
Stephanopoulos, the co-anchor of "Good Morning America" and anchor of ABC's "This Week," is uniquely positioned to recount the stories of presidential administrations in crisis having covered several presidencies and serving in the administration of President Bill Clinton as the senior adviser to the president for policy and strategy.
On "GMA" Tuesday, Stephanopoulos said he learned new details during his interviews and research for the book over the last year and a half that surprised him.
"I spent hours and hours and hours in the White House Situation Room during my time with President Clinton," he said. "A few things that really stand out: No. 1, just getting to talk to the actual duty officers who come from the CIA, Defense Department, the military. These people are incredible patriots and they are apolitical. I had a chance to talk to so many of them and get their views on all this."
He continued, "But probably the thing that surprised me most was a story about [former President Jimmy] Carter, which I don't think has been told before, during the Iran hostage crisis, when he actually called on psychics to try to help find the hostages, which was an amazing thing to learn about. Both he and Rosalynn Carter actually were involved in this in a meeting in the White House Situation Room. They were fascinated by the idea of psychics. Like I said, this is something I had never heard before, [and] was so excited to learn so much more about it. It'll all be in the book."
"The Situation Room" is scheduled for publication on May 14, 2024, in hardcover, e-book and audio editions.
