Rawhide Down_ The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan - Del Quentin Wilber [72]
Central to the complex was the part the press and public thought of as the Situation Room, a cramped, wood-paneled conference room illuminated by bright fluorescent lights. At the center of the room was a nine-and-a-half-foot polished hardwood table surrounded by comfortable striped chairs on rollers. Mounted on the wall was a small color television, and there was a receptacle for a secure telephone. Richard Allen, whose office was just a few steps away and who used the conference room more than anyone in the administration, had personally ensured that the room contained no other televisions or even a phone. He didn’t want distractions: the room was a place for serious consultation, not mindless chatter.
At about 3:15 p.m., Allen sat down at the conference table across from the television. Haig took a seat across from him. Others joined them, including Donald Regan, the Treasury secretary; Fred Fielding, the White House counsel; and David Gergen, the White House staff director. Soon they were joined by William French Smith, the attorney general, and Dan Murphy, Bush’s chief of staff.
Everyone in the room was anxious to know what was happening at the hospital, but reports were scattered and incomplete. The White House Communications Agency was setting up a command post in GW, but for the moment the hospital’s phone lines were overwhelmed and sometimes went dead. In the meantime, Allen and Haig began analyzing a flood of information coming into the White House about the gunman, the status of U.S. forces around the globe, and the current movements of the Soviet military. They also asked Gergen to draft a statement that would reassure the American public and the world that the government was functioning smoothly despite the crisis.
By now, Allen and the others had heard from Jim Baker, who called from the hospital to report that the president had walked into GW under his own power, was in stable condition, and was being examined by doctors. According to Baker, surgeons were still weighing whether to operate. Allen had been relieved to learn that Reagan’s condition was stable, but he also knew that any gunshot wound had to be taken seriously. He prayed that the president would pull through.
Now, as he worked at the conference table, Allen’s attention was drawn to the television, where a newscast was replaying the shooting. “Oh, Jesus, God,” Allen said. The sight of James Brady lying on the sidewalk was particularly wrenching; the two men were neighbors in Arlington, and Allen often gave the press secretary a ride to work. In recent months, they had become good friends.
After the video replay ended, the national security advisor leaned toward Fielding, his closest friend in the administration. “Remind me to tell you a sensation, an incredible sensation I had,” Allen said. “I had a premonition.”
On his way to his swim at the University Club, Allen’s car had pulled alongside another. The driver of the other car had looked a bit shady, and for no reason at all Allen suddenly felt vulnerable. You know, he thought, that guy could take me out if he wanted to. Allen, who had declined government bodyguards, was a devout Catholic and an optimist, and he was not inclined toward paranoia. In fact, he couldn’t recall another time he had felt so exposed.
Haig, too, had watched the news report, but now he turned away from the television and brought everyone back to the work at hand. What’s important, Haig said, is that everybody stay together. “We’ll decide here what the hell we are doing. That’s the best way, always.”
Haig was particularly concerned lest any officials try their