The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis

In Chapter 4, Stephanopoulos examines an incident that took place during the short presidency of Gerald Ford, who had taken office in August 1974 following the resignation of Richard Nixon. Ford faced a major international crisis the following spring, when a US cargo ship in the Gulf of Siam, the S.S. Mayaguez, was seized by the Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia.

The author explains that this incident brings to light one of the key challenges faced by Situation Room staff—whether to wake a sleeping president immediately. He argues that “deciding when to alert the president and other top officials to unfolding events is a crucial Sit Room function” (70). Stephanopoulos then provides similar examples from other administrations in which the question of when to alert a president to a crisis has arisen.

Ford decided to use military force to recapture the Mayaguez and its crewmembers by invading the Cambodian island where the ship was believed to be. This incident highlights the role of modern technology in national security, as the American fighter pilots were able to communicate almost directly with top administration officials as the attack was underway.