Editing Offutt Air Force Base (section)

===President Bush Offutt Conference on 11 September 2001===
[[Image:White-house-offutt.jpg|thumb|President George W. Bush at the Offutt AFB command bunker on 11 September 2001|alt=]]

On 11 September 2001, President [[George W. Bush]] conducted one of the first major strategy sessions for the response to the [[September 11 attacks]] from a bunker at the base.

Bush, who was in Florida at the [[Emma Booker Elementary School]] in [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]<ref name=time /> at the time of the attacks, first flew from [[Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport]] to [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Barksdale AFB]] in [[Louisiana]] and then to Offutt en route back to Washington, DC. Bush arrived at 2:50pm, conducted a video conference in an underground command bunker and left for Washington, DC at 4:30pm.<ref name="time">{{cite web |author=Cline, Austin |url=http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/09/11/september-11-2001-timeline-of-events.htm |title=September 11, 2001: Timeline of Events |work=About.com Religion & Spirituality |publisher=About.com Guide|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518072556/http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/09/11/september-11-2001-timeline-of-events.htm|archive-date=18 May 2015 |access-date=11 September 2006}}</ref>

[[Air Force One]] left Barksdale AFB for Offutt AFB around 1:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite web|title=Offutt Air Force Base|url=http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=offutt_air_force_base|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> The Air Force One entourage was pared down to a few essential staffers such as [[Ari Fleischer]], [[Andrew Card]], [[Karl Rove]], [[Dan Bartlett]], Brian Montgomery, and [[Gordon Johndroe]], plus about five reporters.<ref name=mashable>{{cite web|last1=Kohn|first1=David|title=Bush's Press Secretary Live-Tweets 9/11 From His Perspective  |url=http://mashable.com/2014/09/11/bush-press-secretary-ari-fleischer-tweeting-911/ |website=mashable.com|date=11 September 2014|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> During the flight, Bush remained in "continuous contact" with both the [[White House Situation Room]] and Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] in the [[Presidential Emergency Operations Center]].<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|last1=Langely|first1=William|title=Revealed: what really went on during Bush's 'missing hours'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1365455/Revealed-what-really-went-on-during-Bushs-missing-hours.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1365455/Revealed-what-really-went-on-during-Bushs-missing-hours.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=8 May 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Air Force One landed at Offutt shortly before 3:00&nbsp;p.m.<ref name=time /> At 3:06 p.m, Bush passed through security to the US Strategic Command Underground Command Center ({{Coord|41|06|50|N|095|55|04|W}})<ref name=time /> and was taken into an underground bunker designed to withstand a nuclear blast.<ref name=telegraph /> There, he held a teleconference call with Vice President Cheney, National Security Advisor [[Condoleezza Rice]], Defense Secretary [[Donald Rumsfeld]], Deputy Secretary of State [[Richard Armitage (politician)|Richard Armitage]], CIA Director [[George Tenet]], Transportation Secretary [[Norman Mineta]], and others.<ref name=telegraph /> The meeting lasted about an hour. Rice recalled that during the meeting, Tenet told Bush, "Sir, I believe it's [[al-Qaeda]]. We're doing the assessment but it looks like, it feels like, it smells like al-Qaeda."<ref name=60min>{{cite web|last1=Kohn|first1=David|title=Bush on 9/11: Moment to Moment|date=2 September 2003 |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-on-9-11-moment-to-moment/|publisher=CBS News|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> The White House staff was preparing for Bush to address the nation from the Offutt bunker, but Bush decided instead to return to Washington.<ref name=telegraph /> Air Force One left Offutt around 4:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="time" />