On September 11, 2001, I was working at the Center’s sister organization, the Council for a Livable World. Our office was in the Methodist Building across from the Supreme Court with the Capitol a very short distance away.
In those ancient times, I would watch the Senate and House on TV, and when the bells rang for a vote, walk over to the Capitol in time to talk to Members of Congress as they entered or departed from the chambers. It was a great way to talk to Members on key issues but was soon limited.
On the morning of September 11, one of our staff got a phone call from a spouse in another office telling us an airplane had crashed into a skyscraper in New York City.
My first reaction was to remember a small plane that crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945, resulting in 14 fatalities and significant damage to the building. I assumed that another small plane had crashed into a New York City building.
However, we were told to turn on a TV, and we saw what others around the world were seeing. One building on fire. As we watched, a second airplane crashed into the other twin tower. We had no idea that these were airplanes filled with ordinary citizens hoping to head in different state.
One of our staff broke down in tears while obviously we were all shocked and upset. We officially closed the office and all left for home — except for me.
We also heard reports of another plane crashing into a building in the area, and we did hear an explosion, which was the plane hitting the Pentagon, but at the time we couldn’t tell whether it was the Pentagon or State Department or some other building. We knew the attack was real and dangerous, and not just in New York City.
We did hear an explosion, which was the plane hitting the Pentagon, but at the time we couldn’t tell whether it was the Pentagon or State Department or some other building.
Knowing that traffic would be terrible with people clamoring to drive home in an expanded evacuation from D.C., I decided to stay in the office and wait until traffic thinned.
Wrong choice.
Needless to say, my wife said I should head home immediately. In addition, when I peeked out one of the doors to the outside of the Methodist Building, a police officer yelled at me (and probably others) that there was another plane still in the air and it could be targeting the Capitol or the White House and to get the hell out of there.
This was the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania as the passengers took over the plane from the hijackers.
That was enough for me. I immediately headed home in, as I expected, a huge traffic mess as people headed home that took hours.
I arrived in time to see the twin towers obliterated and spent the rest of the day watching TV.
A side note: I and others were friendly with National Security Council staffers under President Bill Clinton. These staff had received warnings that an attack on the United States was being planned and they warned the next President, George W. Bush.
The Bush administration did not listen or take any actions to prepare for an attack. The NSC staffers testified to the commission established to study the attacks and lessons learned.
One other post-9/11 development: former Senator Gary Hart of Colorado soon took over as President of the Council. I remember walking with him to the Capitol for some appointment soon after the attacks, and he was particularly appalled to see the new reality: lots of police or armed forces with machine guns now on the Capitol steps.
There also had been a bomb exploded in the Capitol before September 11 that meant much expanded security ever since.
