Guts, Grace and Glory (page 2 of 5)

Uncharted Territory

RD: Did you ever think you were facing something you couldn't beat?
Giuliani: Yes, on September 11. What ignited that feeling was seeing a man jump from Tower One. An aide said people were jumping, but my mind rejected it. Then, as I walked closer to the towers, a police officer told me to look up, keep looking up, so nothing would hit us. Suddenly, I see a man hurl himself from above the 100th floor and come flying down. I followed that from beginning to end. And I grabbed Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik's arm and said, "We're in uncharted territory. We're going to have to invent a way to get through this."

RD: How did you fight your fears?
Giuliani: The feeling reemerged when the first tower came down. I feared we might be attacked again, maybe later that day. I kept asking the police commissioner: "Have we thought about the Statue of Liberty, the Stock Exchange, the Empire State Building?" And then I started addressing, how am I going to explain this to people? Then, I thought of Winston Churchill. If the people of Britain could get through months of bombing during World War II, we can get through a day or two of this. That comforted me. I said, that's how I'll explain it to the people: This is not unprecedented, people have gotten through it before, and we're just as good as they were. I knew all Americans -- not just New Yorkers -- would respond to that message.

RD: During that terrible day, in a sense, you were alone at the national microphone delivering that message. How did that happen?
Giuliani: I was there. I was the mayor of New York. My whole approach as mayor was to be there and to be in charge. If I had not gone on TV, it would have been worse for the city. After the first tower collapsed, my press office was inundated with calls from reporters saying, we understand the mayor is dead.

RD: Why did the press think that?
Giuliani: We were missing for 20 minutes. Someone saw us go into a building, then that building got hit with debris as the first tower fell, and they never saw us come out. They didn't know we got out on another street. So when I got to the microphones, I was saying, "I'm here and I'm okay, and the city's here and the city's okay." I had to balance being honest and being hopeful. I had to say this is a horrible, awful, terrible thing, but somehow we're going to get through this. Maybe it's similar to Churchill telling his people he had nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears. If he had said, "The Nazis are bombing us, no problem," his people would have said, "You're crazy. Go smoke one of your cigars; you're retired."

RD: What gave you hope?
Giuliani: Two things. One was the brave way people were evacuating. They were rushing, but they weren't knocking each other over. Many were stopping to help people. That said to me their spirit hadn't been broken. And the second was when I saw the newspaper photo of the firefighters putting our flag up. It looked like Iwo Jima. That brave act gave me a great sense that the American spirit is as strong as it ever was. The debris was five to seven stories high; the fires were at 2500 to 3000 Fahrenheit. They were standing on top of hell when they put up that flag.

RD: How long did Ground Zero remain that dangerous?
Giuliani: For weeks. I wanted President Bush to come, and he did on that Friday. But I was very worried. When the President got up with the firemen, he was standing on a mound of debris. I know [laughs] the Secret Service wanted to tackle him and bring him down.

• • Politicians
• • Sept. 11

• Rudy Giuliani: The Leader
• New York City's mayor Rudy Giuliani: "Courage is about managing fear."
• 
• Giuliani Gives Away a Deceased Firefighter's Daughter
• Five days after 9/11, Mayor Rudy Giuliani escorts the sister of a fallen firefighter down the aisle.
• 
• FDR and Churchill
• Bush and Blair inherited an awesome legacy -- a friendship that saved the world.
• 
• George Bush On the Record
• President Bush discusses his plans for his second term.
• 
• George Bush: Standing His Ground
• President Bush is unyielding in his vision for America. To voters, that's either high praise or a huge problem.
• 
• John Kerry: Back Into Battle
• War hero and war protester, John Kerry has to prove he's the right man for the nation's toughest job.
• 
• John Kerry On the Record
• Kerry discusses his concerns for the country.
• 
• World Trade Center Survivor
• Badly burned in the World Trade Center, Lauren Manning had the will to live.
• 
• Nicolas Cage, Star ofWorld Trade Center
• Nicolas Cage takes on his roles with the same intensity he brings to his own life.
• 

• Be Inspired
• 10 Celebrities Who Give Back
• 7 Amazing Stories, $700,000 to Charity
• Virginia Cervasio: Making It Matter
• PLUS:
• Quiz: What's Your Celebrity Cause IQ?