Why did Abraham Lincoln never sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom? Why, in the minutes before John F. Kennedy was murdered, was a blood-red carpet installed in the Oval Office? And what really happened in the Situation Room on September 11, 2001?
The Truman Library Institute is hosting a public event featuring award-winning author Paul Brandus who will answer these compelling questions and share other stories that only a White House insider would know. The event takes place at the Unity Temple on the Plaza on Thursday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. The event is free but RSVPs are requested.
Brandus is the most followed member of the White House press corps on Twitter, founder of West Wing Reports and a contributor to numerous other publications. In Under This Roof: The White House and the Presidency, he dishes the dirt on the history of the White House and its mythic residents, past and present.
Under This Roof was described as “Like taking a tour of the White House with a gifted storyteller at your side!” Brandus shares how Dolley Madison frantically saved a painting of George Washington as British invaders were approaching the White House in 1814. He guides the reader through a walk with John Adams through the still-unfinished mansion then watches Thomas Jefferson plot to purchase the Louisiana Territory. He tells the story of how one president was secretly sworn in and another gambled away the White House china in a card game.
Brandus will share stories of the rich history of the White House, but he’s also a witness to current happenings as an active member of the White House press corps. He maintains an active Twitter presence providing real-time updates from the presidential mansion and is also a contributor to USA Today, CNN, MarketWatch and more.
Copies of Under This Roof will be available to buy, and a book signing will follow the program.
This event is part of a series of public programs highlighting the temporary exhibit on display at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum titled “Saving the White House: Truman’s Extreme Makeover.” The exhibit, on display through 2017, tells the story of the massive White House renovation that took place during Truman’s presidency.
Find more details here.
