Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence
Author: Robert Klara
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN:
Category: History
Page: 384
View: 447
Now including an excerpt from THE DEVIL'S MERCEDES: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler's Limousine in America by Robert Klara. Coming March 2017. Critically acclaimed author Robert Klara leads readers through an unmatched tale of political ambition and technical skill: the Truman administration's controversial rebuilding of the White House. In 1948, President Harry Truman, enjoying a bath on the White House's second floor, almost plunged through the ceiling of the Blue Room into a tea party for the Daughters of the American Revolution. A handpicked team of the country's top architects conducted a secret inspection of the troubled mansion and, after discovering it was in imminent danger of collapse, insisted that the First Family be evicted immediately. What followed would be the most historically significant and politically complex home-improvement job in American history. While the Trumans camped across the street at Blair House, Congress debated whether to bulldoze the White House completely, and the Soviets exploded their first atomic bomb, starting the Cold War. Indefatigable researcher Robert Klara reveals what has, until now, been little understood about this episode: America's most famous historic home was basically demolished, giving birth to today's White House. Leaving only the mansion's facade untouched, workmen gutted everything within, replacing it with a steel frame and a complex labyrinth deep below ground that soon came to include a top-secret nuclear fallout shelter, The story of Truman's rebuilding of the White House is a snapshot of postwar America and its first Cold War leader, undertaking a job that changed the centerpiece of the country's national heritage. The job was by no means perfect, but it was remarkable—and, until now, all but forgotten.
Discusses the serious illnesses of three presidents, the inadaquate mechanisms in place at the time of their sicknesses and changes that would resolve problems
The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy
Author:
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN:
Category: History
Page: 304
View: 636
To mark John F. Kennedy's centennial, celebrate the life and legacy of the 35th President of the United States. In July 1962, in an effort to preserve an accurate record of Presidential decision-making in a highly charged atmosphere of conflicting viewpoints, strategies and tactics, John F. Kennedy installed hidden recording systems in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room. The result is a priceless historical archive comprising some 265 hours of taped material. JFK was elected president when Civil Rights tensions were near the boiling point, and Americans feared a nuclear war. Confronted with complex dilemmas necessitating swift and unprecedented action, President Kennedy engaged in intense discussion and debate with his cabinet members and other advisors. Now, in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy presidency, the John F. Kennedy Library and historian Ted Widmer have carefully selected the most compelling and important of these remarkable recordings for release, fully restored and re-mastered onto two 75-minute CDs for the first time. Listening In represents a uniquely unscripted, insider account of a president and his cabinet grappling with the day-to-day business of the White House and guiding the nation through a hazardous era of uncertainty. Accompanied by extensively annotated transcripts of the recordings, and with a foreword by Caroline Kennedy, Listening In delivers the story behind the story in the unguarded words and voices of the decision-makers themselves. Listening In covers watershed events, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, Vietnam, and the arms race, and offers fascinating glimpses into the intellectual methodology of a circumspect president and his brilliant, eclectic brain trust. Just as the unique vision of President John F. Kennedy continues to resonate half a century after his stirring speeches and bold policy decisions, the documentary candor of Listening In imparts a vivid, breathtaking immediacy that will significantly expand our understanding of his time in office.
A Complete Illustrated Guide to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Author: Nicole Wetsman
Publisher: Centennial Books
ISBN:
Category: History
Page: 192
View: 536
Designed to the specifications of George Washington and occupied by every U.S. President since John Adams in 1800, the White House is one of the world’s most iconic buildings and a place where history is made, literally, every day. From its opulent furnishings to its working offices, hidden spaces to public gardens and state rooms, and a stunning 3D map of the entire interior, The White House Atlas opens the doors to more than 200 years worth of fascinating stories and memorable photographs that celebrate the ultimate symbol of America’s pride, progress and power.
Z was just the beginning! With A to Z Mysteries® Super Editions, chapter book readers keep on collecting clues and solving mysteries with Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. Now with over 8 million copies in print, this classic kid-favorite series is back with a bright new look! It’s winter in Washington, D.C.! Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are visiting the White House in snowy December, when they meet the president's stepdaughter, KC, and her friend Marshall. But in the confusion caused by all the people decorating the White House for Christmas, the president's dog goes missing! All five kids set out to find her, but it's not going to be easy. It's getting dark, and a monster snowstorm is on the way. Will they find the presidential pooch in time? Look for hidden messages inside A to Z Mysteries® Super Editions!
The indomitable First Lady Eleanor Rossevelt is back! This time she must thwart a wartime assassination plot aimed at destabilizing the Axis powers. It's Christmas 1941, and while the rest of the country prepares for the holiday, in the nations' Capitol attentions turn to the increasing Nazi threat as the U.S. enters WWII. In a White House fortified with rooftop anti-aircraft guns, President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor prepare for the arrival of England's Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and his entourage. But despite the heightened security, there's been an intruder. When the mystery man is found murdered in the walk-in freezer of the White House pantry, an ice pick planted in his skull, Eleanor, fearing the worst, suspects a plot against the President - or Churchill - or both!
Harry Truman's administration began searching for an American response to the clash in Indochina between Frech colonialism and Vietminh communism in 1945. Thirty years and five administrations later, Gerald Ford and his aides tried unsuccessfully to solicit additional aid for South Vietnam from a reluctant Congress. For Truman, Ford, and every American leader in between, the dilemma in Vietnam hung ominously over the presidency. In Shadow on the White House, seven prominent historians examine how the leadership of six presidents and an issue that grew into a difficult and often unpopular war shaped each other. Focusing on the personalities, politics, priorities, and actions of the presidents as they confronted Vietnam, the authors consider the expansion of presidential power in foreign-policy formulation since World War II. In their analyses, they chronicle the history of executive leadership as it related to Vietnam, assess presidential prerogatives and motives on war and peace issues, and clarify the interconnection between the modern presidency and the nation's frustrating, tragic, and humiliating failure in Southeast Asia. Although other histories have been written about the Vietnam experience, this book is the first systematic and comparative survey on presidential leadership as it relates to the war issue. It is organized by presidential administrations, giving a detailed examination of each president's decisions and policies. Based on the most recently opened archival sources, the essays provide a framework on which to hang the kaleidoscopic events of the war. -- Amazon.com.