After an hour and a half spent in calls, travel, and making plans, Secretary McCarthy was prepared to green light the deployment of the Guard at 4:35 p.m. But miscommunication led to another half-hour delay.
Secretary McCarthy relayed the "go" order to Major General Walker—with his subordinate Brigadier General LaNeve serving as the intermediary—in a conversation Major General Walker said never happened.
According to Secretary McCarthy, Brigadier General LaNeve "wasn't a junior aide." [340] In his role, "he can speak, once given the authority, delegated authority to speak as the Sec Army . . ."[341] He said that the first-star officer "was standing next to me,"[342] and General Piatt said that it was generally "not uncommon" for him to ask his staff to "transmit [the] communication from the Secretary to General Walker."[343]
For his part, Brigadier General LaNeve denies that he himself conveyed the "go" order.[344] He said he spoke with Major General Walker first at 4:25 p.m. to tell him that his forces should, "Get on the bus, do not leave."[345] On a second call at 4:35 p.m., Brigadier General LaNeve said he overheard Secretary McCarthy himself convey the "go" order to Major General Walker: He said something "to the effect of 'You're approved to provide support.' "[346] Secretary McCarthy, on his part, said he never spoke a word.[347]
Brigadier General LaNeve said the secretary then again handed him the phone to convey the details of "where to go and what officer to meet up with."[348] Those two details would be the full extent of the "con-op" allegedly communicated to Major General Walker.[349] He even recalled Major General Walker saying, "Roger," to acknowledge the plan.[350] But, Brigadier General LaNeve said, there was "mass confusion in that room," and he agreed that "[t]here were huge communications problems."[351]
Major General Walker said there was no such call, nor any like it.[352] He said he remained on the video conference line the whole time "with everybody else," he said.[353] He said he would not have taken an order from Brigadier General LaNeve anyhow. "[W]hy would I ever take directions from General LaNeve? Anybody? Brigadier General LaNeve, one-star," Major General Walker said.[354] "I mean, he's not a peer, it wouldn't be somebody that would convey that type of message to me. . . So my thinking wouldn't have been that he would have been speaking on behalf of the Secretary."[355]
Although his staff confirms they didn't see him field a call from Secretary McCarthy or Brigadier General LaNeve,[356] including never seeing him leave their conference room,[357] Major General Walker's own note taker appears to have jotted down at 4:37 p.m. the following: "advised to sent [sic] 150 to establish D st / 1st outer perimeter, General LaNeve," beside what appears to be his phone number.[358] That address is the rally point
