The Residence - Inside the Private World of The White House (42 page)

CHAPTER II: DISCRETION

This chapter was based in part on interviews with Rosalynn Carter, James Ramsey, Stephen Rochon, Skip Allen, Jane Erkenbeck, Betty Monkman, Worthington White, Reggie Love, Cletus Clark, Laura Bush, Gary Walters, Bill Hamilton, Barbara Bush, Herman Thompson, Margaret Arrington, Frank Ruta, Walter Scheib, Roland Mesnier, Nelson Pierce, Ron Reagan, Steve Ford, Vincent Contee, Luci Baines Johnson, Ronn Payne, Ivaniz Silva, James Jeffries, Susan Ford, Bess Abell, Andy Card, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Katie Johnson, Tony Savoy, Chris Emery, and Christine Limerick. Published material includes Gerald Boyd, “Nancy Reagan’s Maid Is Accused of Helping to Export Ammunition,”
New York Times
, August 14, 1986; Irwin “Ike” Hoover, “Who’s Who, and Why, in the White House,”
Saturday Evening Post
, February 10, 1934; Wilson Jerman, interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 2, 2007; Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman,
White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen
(Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons, Inc., 2007); Roland Mesnier with Christian Malard,
All the President’s Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House
(Paris: Flammarion, SA, 2006); Alonzo Fields,
My 21 Years in the White House
(New York: Crest Books, 1961); Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld,
First Lady’s Lady: With the Fords at the White House
(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979); White House Historical Association, “The Working White House;” Douglas Jehl, “Chief White House Usher ‘Grounded,’”
New York Times
, March 18, 1994; John and Claire Whitcomb,
Real Life at the White House: 200 Years of Daily Life at America’s Most Famous Residence
(New York: Routledge, 2002); J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Traphes Bryant,
Dog Days at the White House
(New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1975); Betty Monkman’s Oral History can be found at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library; Hillary Rodham Clinton,
An Invitation to the White House
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000); “Maid Cleared, Nancy Reagan Wants Her Back,” United Press International, November 4, 1986; and Betty Monkman interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 27, 2007.

CHAPTER III: DEVOTION

Interview subjects include Barbara Bush, Cletus Clark, Rosalynn Carter, James Jeffries, Letitia Baldrige, Nelson Pierce, Roland Mesnier, Worthington White, Wendy Elsasser, Linsey Little, Christine Limerick, Chris Emery, Gary Walters, Skip Allen, Katie Johnson, Luci Baines Johnson, Desirée Rogers, Stephen Rochon, Nancy Reagan through her assistant Wren Powell, and Tony Savoy. Published sources includes Barbara Bush,
Barbara Bush: A Memoir
(New York: Scribner, 1994); J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld,
First Lady’s Lady: With the Fords at the White House
(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979); Irwin Hoover, “Who’s Who, and Why, in the White House,”
Saturday Evening Post
, February 10, 1934; Zephyr Wright’s Oral History can be found at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library; Isaac Avery’s Oral History can be found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Sue Allison Massimiano, “Those Who Serve Those Who Serve,”
Life, The White House 1792–1992,
October 30, 1992
;
Carol D. Leonnig, “Secret Service Fumbled Response to 2011 Shooting,”
Washington Post
, September 28, 2014; Carol D. Leonnig, “White House Intruder Was Tackled by Off-Duty Secret Service Agent,”
Washington Post
, September 30, 2014; Roland Mesnier with Christian Malard,
All the President’s Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House
(Paris: Flammarion, SA, 2006); Gerald Boyd, “Nancy Reagan’s Maid Is Accused of Helping to Export Ammunition,”
New York Times
, August 14, 1986; “Former White House Chief Usher Recalls Serving 7 President at Oakland Town Hall,”
Oakland Press News
, April 9, 2014; “Maid Cleared, Nancy Reagan Wants Her Back,” United Press International, November 4, 1986.

CHAPTER IV: EXTRAORDINARY DEMANDS

For this chapter the author drew on conversations with Luci Baines Johnson, Barbara Bush, Skip Allen, Margaret Arrington, Bill Cliber, Herman Thompson, Christine Limerick, Frank Ruta, Wendy Elsasser, Roland Mesnier, Cletus Clark, Bess Abell, Ronn Payne, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, and John Moeller. Published sources include Hillary Rodham Clinton, interview of the first lady for
House Beautiful
, November 30, 1993, by Marian Burros, William J. Clinton Presidential Library; President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, interview for
National Geographic
, July 25, 1995, William J. Clinton Presidential Library; Sue Allison Massimiano, “Those Who Serve Those Who Serve,”
Life, The White House 1792–1992,
October 30, 1992
;
Traphes Bryant,
Dog Days at the White House
(New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1975); Hillary Rodham Clinton,
An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000); Adam Bernstein, “Rex Scouten, Longtime White House Chief Usher, Dies at 86,”
Washington Post
, February 22, 2013; J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Preston Bruce,
From the Door of the White House
(New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, a division of William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984); Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld,
First Lady’s Lady: With the Fords at the White House
(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979); Zephyr Wright’s Oral History can be found at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library; Wilson Jerman, interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 2, 2007.

CHAPTER V: DARK DAYS

Interview subjects include Barbara Bush, Bill Cliber, Walter Scheib, Herman Thompson, Gary Walters, Laura Bush, Cletus Clark, Nelson Pierce, Jim Ketchum, Tricia Nixon, Roland Mesnier, Betty Monkman, Ron Reagan, James Hall, Linsey Little, Skip Allen, Chris Emery, Bill Hamilton, Worthington White, James Ramsey, Betty Finney, Ronn Payne, and Tony Savoy. Published sources include Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld,
First Lady’s Lady: With the Fords at the White House
(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979); Laura Bush,
Spoken from the Heart
(New York: Scribner, 2010); Preston Bruce,
From the Door of the White House
(New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, a division of William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984); Traphes Bryant with Frances Spatz Leighton,
Dog Days at the White House
(New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1975); Todd Purdum, “With Resolve, First Lady Lays Out Defense,”
New York Times
, January 17, 1996; Hillary Rodham Clinton, interview of the first lady for
House Beautiful
, November 30, 1993, by Marian Burros, William J. Clinton Presidential Library; Susan Thomases interview, Miller Center, University of Virginia, William J. Clinton Presidential Oral History Project, January 6, 2006, Lady Bird Johnson,
A White House Diary
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970); J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Monica Lewinsky Timeline,
Washington Post
, September 13, 1998; Roland Mesnier with Christian Malard,
All the President’s Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House
(Paris: Flammarion, SA, 2006); Douglas Jehl, “Chief White House Usher ‘Grounded,’”
New York Times
, March 18, 1994; the Oral Histories of Maud Shaw and Lawrence J. Arata can be found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Jane Whitmore, “Mr. Nixon’s Man Manolo Finds His Job Fetching,”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, May 21, 1969; Bill Cliber interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 22, 2007; Henry Haller, interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 27, 2007; Richard Nixon/Frank Gannon interview, University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, June 10, 1983.

CHAPTER VI: SACRIFICE

The author drew on conversations with Nelson and Caroline Pierce, Desirée Rogers, Walter Scheib, Bess Abell, Charles Allen, Katie Johnson, Wendy Elsasser, Reid Cherlin, Chris Emery, Worthington White, James Ramsey, James Jeffries, James Hall, Adam Frankel, Linsey Little, Skip Allen, Herman Thompson, Christine Limerick, Luci Baines Johnson, Nancy Reagan through her assistant Wren Powell, and Lynda Johnson Robb. Published material includes J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Isaac Avery’s Oral History can be found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Jodi Kantor,
The Obamas
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012); Associated Press “Frederick Mayfield, 58, Dies; Doorman at the White House,”
New York Times
, May 16, 1984; Nancy Mitchell interview by James Deutsch for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 27, 2007.

CHAPTER VII: RACE AND THE RESIDENCE

This chapter was based in part on conversations with Rosalynn Carter, Luci Baines Johnson, Bess Abell, Lonnie Bunch, Lynwood and Kay Westray, Gloria Nuckles, Alvie Paschall, Mary Prince, Charles Allen, Nelson Pierce, Bill Hamilton, James Jeffries, Chris Emery, Stephen Rochon, Otis Williams, Frank Ruta, Betty Monkman, Herman Thompson, Desirée Rogers, James Ramsey, and Tony Savoy. Published material includes Preston Bruce,
From the Door of the White House
(New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, a division of William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984); Jimmy Carter,
Keeping Faith
(New York: Bantam Books, 1982); Catherine Clinton,
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life
(New York: Harper Perennial, 2010); Clare Crawford, “A Story of Love and Rehabilitation: the Ex-Con in the White House,”
People
, March 14, 1977; Alonzo Fields,
My 21 Years in the White House
(New York: Crest Books, 1961); William Seale,
The President’s House, Volume I
(Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association with the Cooperation of the National Geographic Society, 1986); John and Claire Whitcomb,
Real Life at the White House: 200 Years of Daily Life at America’s Most Famous Residence
(New York: Routledge, 2002); White House Historical Association,
African Americans and the White House, 1790s–1840s
; “Michelle Obama’s Ancestors: Purnell Shields,”
Huffington Post
, February 24, 2012; interview with Michelle Obama on ABC News’
Good Morning America
, May 22, 2007; Nancy Tuckerman’s and Pamela Turnure’s Oral Histories can be found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Zephyr Wright’s Oral History can be found at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library; Traphes Bryant with Frances Spatz Leighton,
Dog Days at the White House
(New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1975);
Saturday Night Live
, March 12, 1977; Jodi Kantor,
The Obamas
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012); Dahleen Glanton and Stacy St. Clair, “Michelle Obama’s Family Tree Has Roots in a Carolina Slave Plantation,”
Chicago Tribune
, December 1, 2008.

CHAPTER VIII: BACKSTAIRS GOSSIP AND MISCHIEF

Interview subjects for this chapter include Bess Abell, Bill Cliber, Lynda Johnson Robb, Christine Limerick, Bill Hamilton, Skip Allen, Ronn Payne, Roland Mesnier, Walter Scheib, Ivaniz Silva, Pierre Chambrin, Ron Reagan, John Moeller, and Margaret Arrington. Published material includes Traphes Bryant with Frances Spatz Leighton,
Dog Days at the White House
(New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1975); Robert Rosenblatt, “Harassment at White House Alleged,”
Los Angeles Times
, September 14, 2000; J. B. West with Mary Lynn Kotz,
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies
(New York: Warner Books, 1973); Anne Lincoln’s Oral History can be found at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Zephyr Wright’s Oral History can be found at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library; Reds Arrington, interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Bill Cliber, interview for the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August 22, 2007; Tyler Cabot, “White House Chefs,”
Atlantic
, May 1, 2005.