Reply #35: There is no indication that the ATC knew about the exercise

[hack89]

here is the actual conversation:

08:37:52
BOSTON CENTER: Hi. Boston Center T.M.U. , we have a problem here. We have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to, we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out.
POWELL: Is this real-world or exercise?
BOSTON CENTER: No, this is not an exercise, not a test.

The TMU is not asking questions about any exercise - why not? NEADS was probably aware of the exercises but not the TMU. Besides - if it was a sim track the ATC would have known it was a sim track.