Presidential Emergency Operations Center

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The President's Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) is a structure that lies beneath the East Wing of the White House in the United States. Originally constructed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, it is presumed to be designed to withstand a nuclear blast, although in the event of an incoming ICBM, the President is more likely to be evacuated to safety by Marine One. It is not the same place as the Situation Room, which is on the ground floor of the West Wing. However, it does possess several televisions, telephones and a communications system to coordinate with other government entities during an emergency. During a breach of White House security, to include P-56 airspace violators, the President and other protectees will be relocated to the executive briefing room, next to the PEOC. Day to day, the PEOC is manned around the clock by joint service military officers and NCOs.

During the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Executive Briefing Room adjacent to the PEOC was occupied by Dick Cheney, Lynne Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Mary Matalin, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Joshua Bolten, Karen Hughes, Stephen Hadley, David Addington, and Secret Service agents.

[edit] In Fiction

The structure, in a fictionalized and exaggerated form, is a staple of many movies of the 1960s and 1970s and is featured in 24's fourth season as the base for President Charles Logan and his staff, and in the sixth season as the base for President Wayne Palmer and his staff.

A version of the structure can also be seen in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. It is referred to on several occasions by Peter Sellers' character as the "War Room."