When Winston Churchill came to stay at the White House in the Roosevelt years, he liked to lounge around in his room all day in the nude, much to the dismay of the staff. There are a number of juicy tidbits in the book: FDR had devices hidden all over the White House to hold him up so he could appear to be standing in spite of the polio which for the most part confined him to a wheelchair. West retired on March 1, 1969, the staff was bereft, but so was I! How would we know if Mamie would keep on dominating Pat Nixon (whose daughter married Mamie’s grandson), and what about the subsequent presidents and their families? How I’d love to get his take on the current first family! He observed that Richard Nixon wanted any trace of the Kennedys removed whenever possible – I can imagine that the current president is equally obsessed with eliminating traces of the Obamas. Some presidents had personal incomes they could use to supplement the tight spending allowance, but others, like the Trumans, were forced to scrimp however they could. It is astounding how much attention is required to maintain the White House, and all the rules about protocol and dining and spending and decorating, all while adhering to a budget imposed by Congress and to rules about what changes could and could not be made to this historic building.

West felt very strongly that all families occupying the White House had the right to make it into their own space. © 2013 Open Road Media (E-bok): 9781480449381The East Room as altered by Stéphane Boudin during the Kennedy Administration. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests-including friends, relatives, and heads of state. He directed state functions planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue-and coordinated its daily life-at the request of the president and his family. In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.

Jb west upstairs at the white house