Devastating moment President George W. Bush found out 9/11 had happened caught on camera
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: WFLA News Channel 8/YouTube
Footage captured the sobering moment former US President George W. Bush found out about 9/11.
The day four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda is etched into many people's memories.
And the moment two planes were sent crashing into the North and South Twin Towers of the World Trade Center Complex in New York, a third into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania, US President at the time George Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida.
Advert
Bush - the 43rd President running from 2001 to 2009 - had already been informed a plane had hit the World Trade Center before arriving at Emma E. Booker Elementary School that morning, however, he thought it was a 'pilot error'.
It was only when he was sat inside a classroom about to take part in a reading session he realized the extent of the tragedy - with the devastating moment caught on camera.
The footage shows Bush getting settled in and ready to read a book called The Pet Goat, however, the White House's chief of staff at the time Andrew Card then comes over.
He can be seen leaning in and whispering to the president: "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack."
And Card later spoke out about the moment he had to inform Bush of the attack.
Speaking to Sky News in 2021, he said: "I looked at the president and I honestly believe he was thinking about the burden that he accepted when he took the oath of office. I like to say that's when he became the president."
After hearing these words, president Bush remained sitting down and participated in the children's reading exercise for a further seven minutes.
Later, he would learn the full scale of the tragedy - with nearly 3,000 people having tragically lost their lives .
Card continued: "I was very impressed that he did nothing to introduce fear to those students.
"He did nothing to demonstrate fear to the media that would've satisfied terrorists all around the world."
Bush also reflected on the moment himself in a 2021 BBC documentary, 9/11: Inside the President's War Room.
He said: "Andy Card comes up behind me and says, 'Second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack'.
"And I'm watching a child read.
"And I see the press in the back of the room beginning to get the same message that I just got.
"I could see the horror etched on their face of the news people who just got the same news.
"And so I watched for the appropriate moment to leave the classroom.
"I didn't want to do anything dramatic, I didn't want to lurch out of the chair and scare the classroom full of children.
"And so I waited."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
If you've been affected by the contents of this article you can find more information and support at the VOICES Center for Resilience via their website.