Report: Clinton Lost Nuclear 'Biscuit'

Former President Bill Clinton, touches his head as he stumps for Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at a rally on Oct. 18, 2010, in Denver. (AP)

Retired Army Gen. Hugh Shelton wrote in his memoirs that former President Clinton misplaced the nuclear launch card for a couple months, reportedly not the first time a president has dropped the ball for the nuclear "football."

"At one point during the Clinton administration, the codes were actually missing. That's a big deal, a gargantuan deal," the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman wrote in his new book, "Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior."

ABC News recounted the incident with Clinton on Wednesday night, but the revelation is not new.

Lt. Col. Robert Patterson, who was responsible for carrying around the "football" -- or the briefcase that serves a mobile strategic defense system, made a similar accusation seven years ago in his book "Dereliction of Duty."

At the time, Patterson described how Clinton misplaced the card for months, confessing the loss after being asked to provide the card so it could be replaced with an updated code.

ABC noted that a similar claim was made about former President Jimmy Carter, who was said to have left the card with the launch codes in a suit sent to the dry cleaner.