Traveling Tuesday: The White House During WWII

 Traveling Tuesday: The White House During WWII

Courtesy: whitehouse.gov

Having lived in Maryland and then Northern Virginia for nearly thirty years, I often visited Washington, DC, and never tired of seeing the monuments and various government buildings scattered throughout the city. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House has been the official residence and workplace of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 when the nation's capital was moved from Philadelphia. A competition was held to determine who the designer would be, and Irish-born James Hoban won. Other structures he designed include The Octagon House in Washington, DC, and the Charleston County Courthouse.

When President Franklin Roosevelt arrived in January 1933, repairs from the 1929 fire in the White House had long been completed. However, several changes and additions were made after he moved in:

• Air conditioning was added to the second-floor private quarters
• An indoor pool was installed featuring water circulation and therapy for his polio
• Broadcasting equipment was moved into the Diplomatic Reception Room for his fireside chats
• The electrical system was rewired
• The large and small kitchens were remodeled to include hotel-sized ranges and ovens, refrigerators and warming ovens, and electric dumbwaiters.
• After the war in Europe began, National Geographic provided special wall-mounted map cabinets that held maps on rollers that were organized by hemisphere, region, and theater of operation.

Visitors were not uncommon, and one of the first to arrive after the onset of WWII was British Prime

Public Domain
Photo

Minister Winston Churchill. He arrived on December 22, 1941, and his meetings with FDR were code-named the Arcadia Conference.  Staff were not told who was coming, but according to former White House usher J.B. West, they were prohibited from being in the corridors on the day. "It didn't take long for the cigar smoke to announce his {Churchill's} presence." That would be his first of five journeys to the U.S. to meet with FDR, staying at the White House four times, as well as Camp David (formerly Camp Shangri-La).

Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was kept in the dark, recounting later in The Atlantic that she was told "we would be having some guests visit us" and that she "could not know who was coming, nor how many, but must be prepared for them to stay over for Christmas. He added as an afterthought that I must see to it that we had good champagne and brandy in the house and plenty of whiskey."

Courtesy White House
Historical Association

When Churchill would visit, the Monroe Room would be converted to a map room to display troop and ship movements. The prime minister's secretaries would work out of the Lincoln Study. During one visit in September 1943, FDR had to go to Hyde Park and according to General Hastings Ismay told Churchill, "please treat the White House as your home. Invite anyone you like to any meals, and do not hesitate to summon any of my advisors with whom you wish to confer at any time you wish." Ismay went on to comment that Churchill's decision to conduct business at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue without the president in residence is striking. I would have to agree.

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A Love Not Forgotten

He can't remember. She can never forget.

Allison White should be thrilled about her upcoming wedding. The problem? She's still in love with her fiance, Chaz, who was declared dead after being shot down over Germany in 1944. Can she put the past behind her and settle down to married life with the kindhearted man who loves her?

It's been nearly two years since Charles "Chaz" Powell was shot down over enemy territory. The war is officially over, but not for him. He has amnesia as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, and the only clue to his identity is a love letter with no return address. Will he ever regain his memories and discover who he is, or will he have to forge a new life with no connections to the past?

A Love Not Forgotten was formerly published in the Let Love Spring collection that is no longer in print.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/mv9xEJ

Traveling Tuesday: Camp David

Traveling Tuesday: Camp David

Photo: archives.gov

Everyone needs a vacation, even a nation’s leader. So, where does the president of the United States go when he needs a break? Since 1942…a 125-acre compound located about sixty miles from Washington, DC near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg in the beautiful Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. Catoctin Mountain Park (a National Park) doesn’t show the location of Camp David on park maps for privacy and security reasons, but it can be seen on publicly accessible satellite images. The helicopter ride takes approximately thirty minutes from the White House.

Built as a camp for federal employees and their families, the project was completed in 1938 through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the New Deal. Originally named Hi-Catoctin, it was renamed Shangri-La by President Franklin Roosevelt (after the fictional Himalayan paradise in James Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon. President Eisenhower renamed it Camp David in honor of his father and grandson. The move angered some members of the Democratic party, and Representative Michael Kirwan of Ohio stating that renaming the camp “was the only thing the Eisenhower Administration accomplished without Democratic help.” After Eisenhower left office, there was talk of reverting the name to Shangri-La, but President Kennedy vetoed the idea, and Camp David it remained. Officially, however, it is the Naval Support Facility Thurmont.

If not for World War II, Camp David may not have become a presidential getaway. President Roosevelt typically used the presidential yacht, the USS Potomac, for relaxation. But when the U.S. entered the war, military and Secret Service leadership were concerned about FDR’s safety on the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean because of threats of German U-boats. As a result, the president asked the National Park Service to suggest possible sites within one hundred miles of Washington. There are no reports as to whether Hi-Catoctin was the only recommendation or if it was chosen after visiting numerous sites.

The President’s cabin, which sits on top of a hill, features several bedrooms, a small office, a kitchen, several fireplaces, and a large outdoor flagstone patio. There is also a swimming pool, hot tub, and single golf hole with multiple tees. (Eisenhower added a 250-yard driving range near the helicopter pad.

Paths wind through the property connecting the twelve guest cottages. Laurel Lodge is the main cabin

Photo: archives.gov

where meals are served and meetings are conducted. There are three conference rooms and a presidential office. Hickory Lodge holds a bowling alley, movie theater, restaurant/bar, game room, library, and gift shop. Tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a fitness room, and a skeet range are supplemented with nearby fishing and horseback riding. Trails are perfect for walking, biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing. The hills are used for sledding and snowmobiling. Evergreen Chapel is a non-denominational place of worship. Golf carts are used as the primary means of transportation.

Because it is technically a military installation, staffing is primarily provided by the Seabees, Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marines. Renovations are handled by naval construction battalions.

Photo: archives.gov

 In addition to using the facility for R&R, presidents have hosted foreign dignitaries such as British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev, Australian prime minister Harold Holt, Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson, Indonesian president Suharto, French president Charles De Gaulle, Mexican president Lopez Mateos, Columbian president Alberto Lleras, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Camp David’s use as a casual meeting place for world leaders is noteworthy, but the facility is most appreciated by presidents for its ability to provide escape from the daily pressures. Said President Reagan, “As president, the days I hated most were those of nonstop meetings, one after another, with no time in between to collect my thoughts…the days I liked best were those Fridays when I could break away a little early, about three or three-thirty, and take off for Camp David.

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Estelle's Endeavor 

Will a world at war destroy a second chance at love?

Estelle Johnson promised to wait for Aubry DeLuca, but then she receives word of his debilitating injuries. Does she have the strength to stand by him in his hour of need?

Aubry DeLuca storms the beaches at Normandy, then wakes up in the hospital, his eyes bandaged. Will he regain his sight? Will the only woman he’s ever loved welcome him home or is he destined to go through life blind and alone?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TNRrHP