For the people that worked there, the White House was always the safest place to be. However, that changed on September 11, 2001. After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, many suspected the White House was the next target. A big Congressional Picnic was canceled, and everyone was given ten minutes to evacuate. The leadership, minus President Bush, moved to the Presidential Emergency Operation Center, a bunker under the White House. However, Chief Usher Gary Walters and a few of his staff stayed behind at the White House to remove benches and a stage in order to ensure that President Bush could come back and address the American people from the Oval Office.