With a Reputable Encyclopedia, He Could Have Made It All the Way
When Vífill Atlason, a 16-year-old high school student from Iceland, decided to call the White House, he could not imagine the kind of publicity it would bring.
Introducing himself as Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the actual president of Iceland, Atlason found President George W. Bush's allegedly secret telephone number and phoned, requesting a private meeting with him….
Vífill claims he was passed on to several people, each of them quizzing him on President Grímsson's date of birth, where he grew up, who his parents were and the date he entered office.
"It was like passing through checkpoints," he said. "But I had Wikipedia and a few other sites open, so it was not so difficult really."
He made it to Bush's secretary but not to the man himself. Police eventually showed up at Atlason's home and took him in for questioning, but he was subsequently released and has not been charged with anything.
"He's very resourceful you know," [Atlason's mother] said. "He has become a bit of a hero in Iceland. Bush is very unpopular here."
