White House staffers are taking care of the activities of Neil Bush, a younger brother of President Bush, who has just spent the night at the White House. It is unclear why Neil Bush has been staying at the White House. When he later recalls the events of this morning, Gary Walters, the chief White House usher, will only say, “We… had had the president’s brother, Neil, there overnight, so we were taking care of his activities during the day, because he was going out for business.” [C-SPAN, 7/11/2011] After heading out for “business,” Neil Bush will return to the White House later this morning following the terrorist attacks. The Cincinnati Enquirer will report that he “arrived at the White House on the morning of September 11 and found ‘a war atmosphere,’ soldiers with machine guns at every turn.” [Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/29/2002] Details of Neil Bush’s activities later today are unclear. However, he will, like last night, spend tonight at the White House (see 11:08 p.m. September 11, 2001). [Sammon, 2002, pp. 134; New York Times, 9/11/2002] Neil Bush is a businessman who runs Ignite Learning, an educational software company he co-founded in 1999. [Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/29/2002; Washington Post, 12/28/2003] George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush, the parents of the president, also spent last night at the White House (see (8:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Andersen, 2002, pp. 2; CNN, 10/25/2003]
11:08 p.m. September 11, 2001: False Alarm Over Unidentified Plane Leads to Temporary Evacuation of President Bush to White House Bunker
After refusing the Secret Service’s instruction to sleep in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) below the White House, and going instead to his bedroom (see (Shortly After 10:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001), President Bush is awoken by someone telling him, “Mr. President, Mr. President! Incoming plane! We could be under attack! Come on! Right now!” Bush and the first lady get out of bed, and join everybody else heading to the PEOC. On the way down, they run into Andrew Card, Condoleezza Rice, and also Neil Bush—one of the president’s younger brothers—who apparently is staying at the White House at this time. About a minute after arriving at the PEOC, though, someone comes in and says, “Mr. President, good news! It’s one of our own!” Bush later says the incoming plane was just an F-16 fighter jet. The Secret Service still wants him to spend the night in the PEOC, but Bush refuses and goes back to the residence for the rest of the night. [Newsweek, 12/3/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 134-135; Woodward, 2002, pp. 36]
