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the amendment. Feerick said in an interview that “there is no question” that this was the first official transfer of power from a disabled president to a vice president. In his memoirs, Reagan wrote that he had indeed invoked the amendment. When Reagan signed the letter transferring authority to Bush, he told Fielding: “Tell George that Nancy doesn’t come with this.”

Sitting at the conference table: Interviews with Fielding and various other former White House officials.

“He’s on the operating table”: There is a distortion on Allen’s tapes at this point in the recordings. This is the only time where Allen and I disagree about what was said in the Situation Room. Allen believes that Haig says, “He’s not on the operating table.” And then Gergen responds, “He is on the operating table!”

Fielding turned to his right: Allen and Fielding recall exchanging glances at this moment.

13: “I Am in Control Here”

At about 4:30 p.m.: Interviews with Giordano, Gens, and Aaron; Gens notes.

Adelberg boldly asked: Interview with David Adelberg.

Aaron was determined: Interview with Aaron.

admired his physique: Interviews with Aaron, Cheyney, and Adelberg.

he could see the lung: Interviews with Aaron and Cheyney; Aaron reflection.

he scooped out: Aaron reflection.

the hole puzzled him: Interview with Aaron.

“He’s right upstairs here!”: Darman, Who’s in Control?, p. 51.

“Is the president in surgery?”: Transcript of briefing, RRPL; video of briefing on various television networks.

growing increasingly frustrated: Interview with Lesley Stahl.

in “over his head”: Casey memo, RRPL.

“What’s he doing up there?”: Ursomarso memo, RRPL.

For Haig, this was: Haig, Caveat, p. 159. Haig’s recollections of events in Caveat are inaccurate at times but provide insights into his thought process before he dashed to the press room.

Gergen and Ursomarso: Interview with Gergen; Ursomarso memo, RRPL.

Allen was stunned: Interview with Allen.

The secretary of defense was baffled: Weinberger memo, RRPL. The exchanges among the various officials in the next few paragraphs are drawn from White House memos, Regan’s For the Record, Weinberger’s Fighting for Peace, and Darman’s Who’s in Control?

the nearest sub could: Weinberger explained this conversation with the general to the other officials in the Situation Room, according to Allen’s tapes. Weinberger also wrote about his discussion with the general in Fighting for Peace, pp. 87–88.

“Al, are you listening?”: Allen tapes.

was not the sort to back: Weinberger, by all accounts, was a fierce bureaucratic infighter, and he rarely lost such battles. A fan of Winston Churchill, the defense secretary hung on his wall a partial quotation from the British prime minister: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty.” He was also very close to Reagan. The president called him “my Disraeli,” a reference to another British prime minister.

At 3:25, the plane had: Treasury report.

scribbling that it: Copy of card, GBPL.

he wondered aloud: Diary entry of Rep. Jim Wright, provided by Wright.

The pilots and Secret Service agents: Interviews with Orchard and Pollard.

Bush’s military aide and a Secret Service agent: Interview with John Methany, the military aide.

By 4:10 the: Treasury report.

lobby the vice president: Interview with Pollard; Bush, Looking Forward, pp. 220–22; Untermeyer diary.

Bush then dictated: Copy of message, which arrived at 4:50 p.m., RRPL.

Aaron eyed a clock on: Interview with Aaron.

They pumped several other: Anesthesia record.

an anesthesiologist carefully: Interview with Lichtman.

Cheyney and Adelberg took: Interviews with Cheyney and Adelberg.

“I think I might call it quits”: Interview with Aaron; Aaron reflection.

At one point: Interview with Cheyney.

“Having a good time, Ben?”: Interviews with Lichtman and Aaron; The Saving of the President.

his anxiety grew: Interview with Aaron.

ashtrays scattered: Photos of Situation Room, RRPL.

sipped