The Early History of WHCA
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Type of Activity
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Establish Communications Support
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Location
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Location
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Washington DC
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Date of Activity
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25 Mar 1942 to Present
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Coordinates
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The White House Communications Agency (WHCA), originally known as the White House Signal Detachment (WHSD), was officially formed by the War Department on 25 March 1942 during the Roosevelt Administration.
The detachment was activated under the Military District of Washington to provide normal and emergency communications requirements in support of the President of the United States. WHSD provided mobile radio, teletype, telephone, and cryptographic aids in the White House and at Shangri-La, now known as Camp David.
I
In 1962 WHASA was discontinued by order of the Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy, transferred to the auspices of the Defense Communications Agency under operational control of the White House Military Office, and re established as the White House Communications Agency.
Editor’s
Note: The following is the excerpts from the manuscript titled “A Million Miles
of Presidents by the late Colonel George J. McNally, a former Commanding Officer
of WHCA. The 1600 Communications Association is undertaking a low key effort to
have the book published someday. In the meantime, these items will be printed in
our newsletter from time to time. They
outline WHCA'S early years. This item is excerpted from Chapter One, Titled:
"The Curtain Goes Up."
Around the
middle of 1941, General Frank Stoner, then the head of Army Communications, had
detached Col. William Beasley from Fort Monmouth and sent him to Washington,
D.C. with a couple of sergeants and civilian engineers. He was instructed to
survey the communication situation in the Nation's Capital and with an eye to
the White House find out where the most serious deficiencies lay. With the declaration
of War he was then assigned directly to the White House, told to augment his
group as necessary and correct the things he had found lacking.
I was detached from my shift assignment in the
Secret Service and because of my technical background and knowledge of
Washington, assigned to Col. Beasley to act as liaison between the Secret Service
and the newly formed communications outfit. The Col. drew a few men from what
was then called the Washington Provisional Brigade, now known as the Military
District of Washington.
We set up a
small shop in connection with the White House garage at E Street and Virginia
Avenue and tackled one of the first assignments, mobile radio for the Presidential
automobiles. The Secret Service wanted a system whereby the President could be
tracked whenever he left the White House for
he was always on the go. Col. Beasley and I surveyed the District for high
places and eventually arrived at Reno Reservoir.
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| Presidential Automobiles were equipped with mobile Radios |
We secured
permission from the District authorities and put an FM transmitter-receiver
combination with emergency tower inside a water tower on the site and antenna
on the top. Control lines were leased back to the White House. This served as
the principle base station expanding mobile network link and Motorola supplied
base and mobile equipment.
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| The FM Base Stations were installed in the Fort Reno Water Tower |
The machine guns
possible effectiveness was highly debatable. It was never clear during the early
war years by what magic the Germans were supposed to invade us by air.
Conceivably a fleet might penetrate our thin coastal defenses but no one had
planes capable of flying the Atlantic with a load of bombs and returning to
base. The Germans were far from the suicide phase at this point. Also they were
having a ball on the continent. They were fully occupied and the submarines
were a local menace to shipping and hardly to be frightened off by obsolete
artillery or a few machine guns. Still. this ordnance seemed to provide a
feeling of comfort to some.
The winter of
'43 was very severe and the men manning the guns on the roofs suffered a great
deal. A windbreak was finally thought of. These helped some but still one
soldier came down from his tour and shot himself. Quietly thereafter the men and
guns were replaced by dummies. These appeared real enough over the windbreaks and
all was well until a congressman made a personal inspection of Washington's
defenses. His horror at finding the town 'undefended' was heart-rending!
By April, 1942,
with Colonel Beasley well acquainted with Washington I was no longer needed. I
had been waiting for the draft anyhow and checking around I discovered the Air
Corps was short of radio officers and I signed up for the newly formed Troop
Transport Command. I was ready to say goodbye to the family when a telegram arrived-cancelling
my orders. In a few days new orders
arrived transferring me to the Signal Corps and assigned to Washington. I was
off on a long period of service in the Army at the White House.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of the book
"A Million Miles of Presidents" by the late Col. George J. McNally.
This excerpt is from Chapter Two titled:
"MILITARY IN THE WHITE HOUSE"
The philosophy of the new military organization was set by the Chief Signal Officer, Maj. Gen. Dawson Olmstead in 1942 when he formed it officially.
The head cf Army Communications, Brig. Gen. Frank Stoner became the guiding force through the war years. He was assisted by Col. Hatch and Col. George Rogers whose loud harsh voice and slang expressions hid his capabilities very successfully and staved off many a petitioner at the general's door.
An organization as unique as this, answering to the President through the White House staff and to the Office of the Chief Signal Officer had no parallel. I will venture the prediction that this group will remain unique.
After the four years of World War II our almost complete freedom in complying with White House requirements an inevitable pattern was set. We could expedite and request through the Army and we could secure any necessary cooperation, military or civilian through the authority and prestige of the White House. The only burden on us was to engineer the problem to a logical state and then implement it to a satisfactory conclusion, as rapidly as possible or faster. Several people have claimed the phrase, we feel we executed it, "The difficult is done immediately, the impossible takes slightly longer."
During the war people everywhere were helpful. Still we had problems of transportation, housing and local procurement, which had to be overcome diplomatically. There were very few complaints about our personnel and none about work results.
From a handful of draftees and regulars in 1942 evolved an organization whose efficiency, variety of skills and esprit-de-corps stood unbeaten in the service.
From the very beginning of the organization we were fortunate in getting men who quickly dedicated themselves to the job. The few who were misfits or disliked the idea in general were soon weeded out and reassigned. Some never got past the first interview.
As was once said, if you could hear thunder and see lightening, you were acceptable for war service. Unfortunately some draft boards seemed to stretch even these minimums. The result was some very odd characters reported for duty. They filled a quota and a uniform and that about ended their accomplishments. Naturally, we got our share.
The winter of 1942-43 was pretty rough with lots of snow mud and ice. Conditions caused thick ice to form or the Potomac. A quick thaw up country sent down a large amount of water which came up over the ice and Washington had a flood.
A lot of Georgetown waterfront went under. Water showed up on Constitution Avenue and headed east. The airport and Gravelly Point were soaked. District Officials set up a control point at Fire Alarm Headquarters and were asked to help with radio equipped vehicles. Other troops came in from Fort Meade.
Some of our men were billeted in cabins at Gravelly Point and we moved them out putting them in tents at Bolling Field until other arrangements could be made. One man, a switchboard operator, failed to show up for his trick. In fact he was missing for a couple of days. When finally located he was working for the Smithsonian and living in a furnished room. His explanation was that he suffered from colds when living in a tent. Also he discovered on a tour around town that the Smithsonian needed his civilian specialty so he signed on. None of this struck him as strange.
Old conceptions die hard and because of this many people tend to look on the enlisted man as just a laborer. It must be remembered that they are often highly skilled. During a war they sometimes have more formal education than the officers under whom they serve. It is only necessary to treat them accordingly to have them serve to the best of their ability. The pattern of daily deportment was set originally by Col Beasley. We did not adhere strictly to military usage among ourselves. After the war we received permission to wear civilian clothes on the job. For the most part we were dealing with civilians at the White House. In the field it was difficult at times to think of ourselves as other than a business organization.
Editor’s note: this
article Is from the Army Information Digest printed in August 1947, by the late
Col. George J. McNally
THE
SIGNAL TEAM
The signal officer on wartime duty in Accra, on Africa’s gold coast, was mystified by the sudden arrival of a sergeant on secret orders, who firmly requested top-priority service. The operations officers in such remote way stations as Georgetown, British Guiana, or heat-ridden Khartoum in the Anglo Egyptian Sudan, had similar doubts about a-1 priority travel orders carried by close-mouthed officers and enlisted men who would not state their missions or destinations. Prime Minister Churchill, too, had reason to wonder at the fleetness of these men who unobtrusively appeared at Quebec, Teheran, and Yalta, wherever grand strategy was planned and historic policies formulated during the war years.
To these men, members of the white house signal detachment, was entrusted the mission of speeding the president's top-secret communications, from highest level conference tables to installations in the field. today, wherever the president travels, the white house signal detachment continues its task of weaving deftly an intricate communications net which enables the commander in chief to keep himself constantly informed and in touch with the nation.
Although officially activated in March 1942 by orders labeled "immediate action" and "secret." the White House Signal Detachment had its informal inception weeks before, when Lt. Col.William A. Beasley of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, received orders to report to the White House, in a session with Frank E. Wilson, then chief of the United States Secret Service, and Michael F. Reilly, in charge of the White House detail, plans were formulated to provide the president with complete communication coverage.
Brig. Gen. Frank E. Stoner. Chief of Communications told Colonel Beasley. "You’re working for the President, he is to have everything he needs, and it must be the best." supplied with an, A-1-A priority and funds for procurement and purchase of non-issue equipment, Colonel Beasley undertook the job of fighting time with speed.
News from Europe and the orient was anything but reassuring, an attack was expected, how or where was not clear, so all contingencies were anticipated. Elaborate safety precautions were established for the president's protection. a bomb proof shelter was begun at the white house.
A guard of fifth cavalry troops from Fort Myer was thrown around the white house grounds; cameras were taboo; and special passes were required for admittance, helmets and gas masks were issued all around, and every one on duty took gas defense training.
Beginning with a nucleus of men detached from the Washington Provisional Brigade, Colonel Beasley in December 1941 set up a signal shop and began organizing a radio network to supplement and possibly replace the telephone system, in case enemy bombs crashed down. the main radio control was located in the white house itself, with five net stations of 50 watts each at strategic centers in and near Washington. The main transmitter and antenna were remotely controlled; in addition, an emergency 50-watt set, powered by a diesel unit which automatically cut in when commercial power failed, was set up on the white house grounds, a low frequency transmitter.
White House Signal Switchboard
FM Radio s installed at the White House
A private branch telephone exchange board, separate from the white house switchboard, was also installed. Tie lines ran to key centers in Washington, with private lines to persons the President might wish to summon in emergencies.
Direct lines ran also to all sources of air raid warnings with own plans laid and the joint and combined chiefs of staff functioning. President Roosevelt plunged into international arrangements. Prime Minister Winston Churchill came over for a conference. Princess Martha of Norway arrived and took up residence outside the district. the signal team installed a small radio station and a private branch telephone exchange at Lee, Massachusetts, where Queen Wilhelmina elected to stay for the summer of 1942.
President Roosevelt soon resumed his trips to Hyde Park, and the signal detachment took action to provide additional communications. A 50-watt frequency modulation station was modified and installed on the secret service car attached to the presidential train, army vehicles, radio equipped, were spotted at strategically plotted points along the route between Washington and Poughkeepsie, so that the train was in constant touch with the Wh1te House all the way. Another FM radio link was installed in the old stable on the President's estate at Hyde Park, by means of a direct telephone line to Washington and frequency modulation radio. The white house was kept informed of the president's whereabouts at all times.
The Presidents Ferdinand Magellan
For security reasons, men of the signal detachment dressed in civilian clothes, arrivals and departures of the presidential party were made at late and early hours, to prevent crowds: however; appearance of familiar cars and personnel on the roads and in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie was the tipoff. Probably not more than a few thousand persons knew of the movements, the press stuck faithfully to their agreement and merely reported that the president had not held the usual press conference or that he could not be reached for comment.
The president later sought respite in a mountain retreat, closer to the District of Columbia, the camp, formerly a summer place for children, had been turned over to the military, to the marine guards, the navy maintenance personnel, the secret service and the signal corpsmen, the area seemed to be a proving ground for bad weather an area where it rained continuously, "one day from the sky and two days off the trees." the mountain itself was like solid rock, and when the time came to lay telephone cables, blasting was necessary, crews from army headquarters in Baltimore sweated over cables and equipment that alternately got water soaked or burned out when storms hit the mountain. The elements had a high regard for President Roosevelt, though, and he enjoyed many good days at the mountain lodge, the haven was named by the President at a press conference, when asked where he had been, he smiled and said "Shangri-La”.
President Roosevelt’s Shangri-La
In spite of long-range planning and the complete support of the signal corps, a slip-up almost did occur, one afternoon at Shangri-La. a call came from the president's lodge. "Mr. Hopkins wants to listen to Hitler’s speech" soldiers were dispatched to locate a short wave radio in camp, they returned without success, among the great variety of radio equipment on hand, nothing was immediately available for short wave broadcast reception, finally, in one cabin a table-style broad- cast receiver was found.
A quick check revealed a short wave band, the switch was thrown and the set tuned, the German speech issued from the speaker, with ten minutes to go. Two soldiers quickly strung an antenna outside the Roosevelt lodge. a third soldier polished the battered radio cabinet, and the other made certain that the tuning control was not touched, then, tenderly, the set was carried to the president's study where it was plugged in. the "Boss" and Mr. Hopkins listened while a stenographer recorded the frenzied phrases.
Entrance to President Roosevelt’s Shangri-La
This attribute was noteworthy about the white house official family they never questioned our means of carrying out an order or request so long as it was accomplished.
Top-flight plans, intimate correspondence, and war strategy discussions among President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, Generalissimo Stalin, General Eisenhower and many others were encoded and decoded by the enlisted men and officers of the signal detachment with never A slip, the responsibility was heavy, but it is on record that no enlisted man of the White House Signal Detachment failed, in a crisis or was derelict in his duty.
As the tempo of war activities increased, the manual coding and decoding of the heavy traffic to and from the President's desk proved too slow, sixty-word teletype printers with cryptographic attachments were installed at Hyde Park and in the map room of the white house. Similar equipment was carried and installed everywhere the president traveled. Army and Navy personnel manned the map room where the latest war information from all over the world was plotted, the President and his staff inspected these maps daily, and here many military and naval plans were germinated, The white house communications center was run by the combined staff, while the White House Signal Detachment handled operations in the field.
In May 1943, Col. Beasley, the commanding officer, left the outfit and prepared to go overseas; and Major Dewitt Greer took command of the detachment, in the signal detachment shop, work went forward in adapting equipment to specialized tasks; signal equipment was mounted in saddle bags on motorcycles, with a speaker on the handlebars and a thro.at microphone for transmission. Police-type 35-watt radios were installed in jeeps and station wagons, metal detectors were designed and built for secret service use, miniature receivers and transmitters were adapted and improved, a special broadcast set was constructed for the president's use. in the continuous race to develop new, better, or more efficient methods, nothing was spared, field crews were out constantly on surveys to test equipment or locations for optimum results.
As early as May 1942, in preparation for the president’s tour of the country, the signal detachment was ordered to prepare a railroad car as a mobile radio station. a combination coach and baggage car, number 1401, was secured by the transportation corps and work began.
The WHASA 1401 Communications Car
In order to meet the standards of the American Association of Railroads, extensive modifications were necessary, seven inches above the roof was the maximum space allowable for tunnel clearance; so antenna wires were strung inside insulated tubing and mounted on porcelain high tension skirted insulators parallel to the roof. a fireproof double walled tank with a pump feed was built underneath the car to supply the gasoline power units which ran the transmitters, among other items of radio equipment car FM transmitter receiver combination, and a 75-watt transmitter for emergency use.
After shakedown trials, the generators were converted to diesel power, and the 500-watt generators were increased to two kilowatts, by further modifications, the static and vibration apparent in the early trials were minimized, thereafter, wherever the president traveled on the North American continent, to Canada, Mexico, and the west coast, car 1401 facilities enabled the commander in chief to call the signals to the world wide military team.
1401 Generator Room
When the president's train put in on a siding at Georgian Bay, Ontario, in advance of Quebec conference in august 1943, car 1401 was the mobile powerhouse which furnished rectified power for the train batteries, pumped water and air for the cars, and provided constant radio communications to station W.A.R. in Washington. Field telephones were strung for the sentries, and frequency modulation radio was used between the train and small boats when the president fished.
Early HF Communications systems with W.A.R.
At the Staid Chateau Frontenac at Quebec, where the conferees assembled, a signal center was installed, with full duplex teletype, conference circuits and additional telephone facilities provided, telephone cables were fastened around the outside of the hotel. at the citadel, the fort where the president and Prime Minister Churchill conferred, the signal detachment setup and operated the communications facilities for the president and his staff.
The speed and efficiency of United States army signal corps equipment was never better demonstrated that at Hyde Park during Prime Minister Churchill’s second visit, in a test of speed.
The prime minister and the president sent identical messages over British and United States facilities to Australia. the president had his answer in less than two hours; the prime minister got his the next day, again, in Canada, the allied staff had difficulty believing that the coded answer which came from General MacArthur over a conference circuit had come so swiftly over such a great distance, over the same conference circuit, decisions were reached which moved up the day of reckoning for the japs.
In preparation for the Tehran conference, signal detachment personnel leap-frogged ahead of the president, alerting personnel at various points, setting up radio and telephone channels and moving on, with the locale of the conference held secret until the last minute. strange situations developed as a result of detachment personnel globe hopping with a-1-a priority travel orders, to get the network functioning, one officer made a record trip to his post in Asmara, Eritrea, where a relay station was set up; and another officer and enlisted man traveled to Cairo, Egypt, in 76 hours, bucket seats all the way.
The conference which began at Teheran was continued in the shadow of the pyramids. When the conference broke up, a trek was made across North Africa, stopping at General Eisenhower’s headquarters in Tunis. The President flew to Malta, then to Casablanca, where he boarded a ship for home.
In the summer of 1944, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and the combined staffs again met at Quebec. General Stoner supervised the installation of communications facilities at the Chateau Frontenac, with the white house detachment handling the president's private communications.
To attend the meeting of the big three at Yalta, the president traveled by ship through submarine infested waters, from aboard the U.S.S. "Catoctin" off Yalta on the black sea, the signal office rushed equipment into position ashore; and the detachment, again swung into action, communications were ferried to the naval station for transmittal.
In mid-February, when the agreements were concluded, the travel tested men of the White House signal detachment headed homeward with the presidential entourage.
In addition to setting up temporary installations at conference sites, the White House Signal detachment as early as 1943 operated fixed radio stations in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Shangri-La, regardless of trips and conferences, communications development went on, with the cessation of hostilities, the detachment could view with satisfaction the number of "first" compiled in the course of duty first to construct and operate a long-range mobile radio station in a railroad car with high powered equipment; first to design and develop pocket size frequency modulation radio transmitters and receivers; first to keep a united states president in 24-hour communication from any point on the North American continent to any point in the world where united states personnel were stationed.
With a flexibility acquired in worldwide service, the white house signal team today is applying the lessons of wartime experience to the problems of maintaining communications channels wherever the commander in chief travels.
Order Establishing Presidential Support
29 April 1946
SUBJECT: The White House Signal Detachment (WHSD)
To: The Chief of Staff
The War Department
To: The Chief of Staff
The War Department
1. The White House Signal Detachment was organized at the beginning o£ the War for the purpose of providing, maintaining, and operating facilities for the transmission, reception, and safeguarding the security of Presidential communications primarily during the President’s travels.
2. This organization, commanded by Lt. Col. Dewitt Greer, Signal Corps, US, who is also Signal Officer and Cryptographic Security Officer for the White House, has done an outstanding job and, while the necessity for such an organization is not as great as it was during the War the necessity for this unit, reduced in strength, still very definitely exists. This Detachment has been reduced from a wartime peak strength or three (3) Officers., three (3) Warrant Officers, and forty-nine (49) enlisted men to two (2) Officers and eighteen (18) enlisted men, and it is planned that ultimately the enlisted strength can be further reduced by the substitution of qualified civilian personnel. In this connection, the following is a proposed revision to the existing,
Table of Organization for the White House Signal· Detachment:
Table of Organization for the White House Signal· Detachment:
OFFICERS - - - 2
1 Lt. Colonel, Signal Corps. Commanding Officer
1 Chief Operator or First Lieutenant, Signal Corps, Assistant Commanding Officer
ENLISTED PERSONNEL ----18
GRADE 1 - - - - 3
1 First Sergeant
1 Chief Operator, White House Security Communications System
1 Installation and Maintenance Technician, Teletype and Cryptographic Equipment
1 First Sergeant
1 Chief Operator, White House Security Communications System
1 Installation and Maintenance Technician, Teletype and Cryptographic Equipment
GRADE 2 - - - - 4
1 Chief, Radio Installation and Maintenance Section
1 Chief, Wire Installation and Maintenance Section
1 Assistant Chief Operator, White House Security Communications System
1 Unit Signal and Detachment Supply Sergeant
1 Chief, Radio Installation and Maintenance Section
1 Chief, Wire Installation and Maintenance Section
1 Assistant Chief Operator, White House Security Communications System
1 Unit Signal and Detachment Supply Sergeant
GRADE 3 - - - - 9
4 Operators, Telephone and Radio-telephone Equipment, White House Communications System
2 High Speed Teletype Operators
2 Radio Operators
1 Diesel and Gasoline Motor Equipment Maintenance
4 Operators, Telephone and Radio-telephone Equipment, White House Communications System
2 High Speed Teletype Operators
2 Radio Operators
1 Diesel and Gasoline Motor Equipment Maintenance
GRADE 4 - - - - 2
1 Operator, Telephone and Radio Telephone Equipment, White House Security Communications System
l Motor Vehicle Driver
CIVILIAN PERSONNEL - MALE - - - -3
1 Operator, Communications and Cryptographic Equipment
2 Installation and Maintenance of Fixed Station and Mobile Radio Equipment
Except for a reduction in personnel, no changes in the administrative status of the White House Signal Detachment are desired at this time.
H. H. VAUGHAN
Brig. Gen., U.S. Army
Military Aide to the President
The White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA) is established
In 1954, during the Eisenhower Administration, WHSD was reorganized under the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Army Signal Corps as a Class II unit and renamed the White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA). The WHASA supported the President under Col. McNally until 1965 at which time Gen. Jack A. Albright took command.
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| Aspen Lodge (1959) |
General Eisenhower visited Shangri-La quite often when he took
office, primarily because it was a short distance to his farm in Gettysburg PA.
During the Eisenhower years there were many improvements made to the retreat,
Aspen Lodge was renovated several cabins were built and many more were
renovated. President Eisenhower was an avid golfer so he added a three hole
course right behind Aspen Lodge. The WHASA was also responsible for the Communications at the
Gettysburg farm and the Presidential Communications Rail Car which was stored
near Harrisburg PA.
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| David Eisenhower standing at the entrance to the Camp named for him |
In 1956, with the Cold
war with Russia escalating, President Eisenhower requested the Secretary of
Defense to provide a recommendation to build Emergency facilities and a
Communications network that would be able to survive nuclear attack on
Washington DC. The proposed plan included several existing locations and the
construction of several new communication towers surrounding the Washington DC
area. This project when completed became
the Presidential Emergency Facilities (PEF), and WHASA was tasked with the
responsibility to install and maintain the microwave network connecting all of
the PEF locations. In 1970 the microwave network was deemed obsolete and was
decommissioned.
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| Raytheon Microwave equipment made up the backbone of the network |
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| HF SSB equipment used for long range communications |
The Birth of the White House Communications Agency
In June of 1962 a review of the organizational arrangements by which the Communications needs. ln the White House were being met and the review suggested certain changes involving Department of Defense support which would. It is believed to facilitate the White House operations.
At the present time, the three military Services have specific: responsibilities for satisfying White House Communications needs. In particular, the White House Army Signal Agency has the major responsibility for providing the White House with communications support.
It has been recommended by the Command and Control Panel of my Science Advisory
Committee that the Department of Defense implement its Directive 5105.19 (November 14, 1961, Subject: Defense Communications Agency) insofar
as the directive would apply to the DCA
assuming responsibility for the Presidential
communications. As I understand it, the DCA should assume the responsibilities £or funding,
logistics, detailed planning and engineering, and other functions as needed to support the work
of the White House
communications. It is further
recommended that the 'White House Army Signal Agency, which is now supported by the Office of the Chief Signal Officer,
Department of the Army be
transferred from the Signal Corps to the DCA, and predesignated The White
House Communications Agency.
The DCA is not at present in a position to assume this task. I would appreciate
your recommendations as to
whether or not this is feasible
and desirable and especially as to the timing of this suggested change.
The WHCA Microwave Network remained in service until 1970, when a large portion was deemed obsolete and several towers were decommissioned.
The WHCA Microwave Network remained in service until 1970, when a large portion was deemed obsolete and several towers were decommissioned.
1.
In
1964 the Presidential Service Badge authorized.
2.
In
1971 WHCA was awarded the MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION medal (1st Award)
3.
In
1973 WHCA was awarded the MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION medal with oak leaf
cluster (2nd award).
To this day WHCA provides superior communications to the President, Vice President and the White House Staff worldwide
The Presidential Service Badge
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| PSB |
The award was established in 1964 and is a badge of the United States military issued to service members who serve as full-time military staff to the President of the United States. Such personnel are stationed at the White House and should not be confused with the senior military officers of the United States Department of Defense who advise the President but are not assigned as direct Presidential aides. Each badge is stamped with a unique serial number which, when issued, associates that badge with a specific individual.
Establishing Authority
Executive Order 10879 of June 1, 1960 was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower establishing a White House Service Badge. President Lyndon B. Johnson retired the White House Service Badge and issued a separate Presidential Service Badge by signing Executive Order 11174 on Sept.1,1964.
Background
Typical recipients include: Military aides to the President appointed from each of the services (pay-grade O-4 or higher) who, among other duties, rotate being the so-called "Emergency War Officer" with "The Football", a briefcase containing nuclear decision-making tools kept within ready access of the president at all times, White House military public affairs officers, Servicemembers assigned to the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), which supports Presidential communications worldwide, Servicemembers assigned to the White House Transportation Agency (WHTA), which provides motor vehicle transportation to the White House as directed by the White House Military Office, Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 (HMX-1) "Marine One" flight crew, (Previously awarded to the Executive Flight Detachment: “Army One”) Navy Seabees who run (Camp David Naval Support Facility, Thurmont) Marines assigned to the Marine Security Company at Camp David.
The Presidential Service Badge is awarded after at least one year of satisfactory service "to any member of the Armed Forces assigned to duty in the White House Office or to military units and support facilities under the administration of the Military Assistant to the President by the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, or, when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy, the Secretary of Transportation, upon recommendation of the Military Assistant to the President". The Presidential Service Badge is recorded in the awardee's military service records and is authorized for wear as a permanent decoration.
Recipients are the only Americans authorized to wear the "Presidential Seal or Coat of Arms" on their uniforms and civilian clothes.
Continuity of Government
Proposed Presidential Communications Facilities at the National Level
It was the 1950’s and the cold War was becoming a large National issue, President Eisenhower and his Administration was very concerned about the threat of Nuclear War. The federal Government realized that if an attack would occur that the area around Washington had to be protected so the Government would survive. A plan was approved and implemented, the construction of a communications network, around Washington which was included in this plan for the relocation of Government Agencies, including the White House at a few locations that already existed.
This Proposal was prepared in 1956 and presents the magnitude and scope of certain Communications available today, at the National level. Included are communications in support of the following:
The President of the United States;
The Joint War Room at the Pentagon;
The Secretary of State and The Joint Chiefs of Staff; at the Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC);
The NATO Standing Group both in its Primary and relocation sites;
The Office of Civilian and Defense Mobilization (OCDM) Continuity of Government Program.
This Chart indicates the relative locations of the various sites involved. The sites are identified as the location of the President and his immediate stall at the White House and Camp David, Maryland, The Joint War Room at the Pentagon, the hardened Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC) at Raven Rock, Maryland, The Office of the Secretary of Defense Emergency Relocation Site at Fort Richie, Maryland, the NATO Standing Group Emergency Relocation Site at Mount St. Mary’s College, Maryland the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, Maryland and High Point, the OCTM hardened Emergency Command Post and Relocation site for the Executive Branch of the Government at Mount Weather near Winchester Virginia.
Federal Relocation Arc and microwave sites
The smaller of the principal Emergency Relocation Sites (ERS) of certain other Federal Departments and Agencies, such as the Atomic Energy Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department and the Interior Department, dispersed in the Federal Relocation Arc, an area of 30 to 300 in a westerly direction from Washington, D.C.
While communications to support these activities are provided by the Department of Defense (Army) through separate arrangements between the Secretary of Defense and the Director (OCDM), the inter-relationship of these agencies served under emergency condition dictates the need for integrated communications facilities which will integrate these agencies, and tie them in with the national communications complex. Indicated on This chart are the Communications connections between OCDM at High Point, the Pentagon JWR, and Camp David , the AJCC , Ft Ritchie ,and Mt Saint Mary.
These communications are extended to provide similar services while the President is at High Point, Camp David, or the AJCC. A department of the White House Army Signal Agency is currently stationed at each of these sites. When the President is in residence at one of these sites, these detachments are augmented. When the President is traveling in Continental United States (CONUS) or overseas, detachments from this agency, with necessary equipment, precede the President to establish communications prior to his arrival.
Equipment is also provided for contact between key world-wide military, communications ground stations and the Presidential plane. This equipment affords an opportunity for key persons within the Government to keep in touch with the plane by a secure teletype service and non-secure voice.
The Presidents communications needs are frequently only a short time before the services have been required. Therefore in some instances Presidential communications are not programmed for or budgeted. Under these circumstances, resources have to be diverted from some of the lower priority objectives.
With regard to communications for the President, they are provided primarily by the White House Army Signal Agency. This Agency provides the following communications services to the President:
1. A complex of manual telephone switchboards and related equipment which is staffed 24 hours a day to provide secure, non-secure and specialized telephone services between the President and key members of his staff – the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other important officials.
2. Other services include all still and motion pictures, radio and television facilities for recording and documenting Presidential Messages.
3.The President also has available to him special fixed and mobile radio facilities for worldwide communications.
4. A secure teletype terminal for message communications for the President while he is in residence or in travel status.
The Presidential Retreat at Camp David
Two examples of this are:
The Communications cost for President Eisenhower’s trip to Alaska, Philippines, Japan and Hawaii was $240,000. Although the President didn’t actually go to Japan, the necessary communications were installed beforehand.
The former Presidents trip to South America required direct telephone and teletypewriter circuits from the White House to Puerto Rico and to other points in South America. The cost of communications for this trip was $381,000.
From the Joint War Room in the Pentagon, secure voice and teletypewriter communications are available to the unified and specified commands. With the exception of the Commander in Chief Caribbean (CINCARIB), the requisite circuits are obtained from the commercial communication companies backed up by Government-owned and operated radio operated communications. This backup is obtained from the military department operated communications system’s gateway stations at Fort Dietrich, Maryland, Cheltenham, Maryland, and Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.
(OCDM) High Point at Mt Weather
The third area of communications at the National level pertains to the AJCC at Fort Ritchie. The AJCC-Fort Ritchie complex is the relocation site for the secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Council, and elements of each of the Military Departments. The center is so designed as to provide communications support for 6,000 people during a full scale occupancy under emergency conditions. Approximately half of the people would be underground at the AJCC site itself, and the other half would be above ground within Fort Ritchie, Maryland.
ACJJ at Site R.at Raven Rock
Within the underground site, key personnel have access to a secure dial telephone system which, within the underground only, Top Secret voice Communications. The AJCC connects to the Bell Telephone, nationwide direct distance dialing system, which permits non-secure direct distance dial calls throughout CONUS and Canada without telephone company intervention.
Communications to overseas commands from the AJCC are provided primarily through the medium of the Army, Navy, and Air Force overseas networks, which includes channels in commercial ocean cables.
In the event the military radio networks or the ocean cables are not operating, the AJCC has radio facilities at the site, under its direct control for its immediate operation.
Secure and non-secure teleprinter, voice, and non-secure facsimile are available to both overseas and CONUS from the facility.
The WHCA Microwave Network remained in service until 1970, when a large portion was deemed obsolete and several towers were decommissioned.
Continuity of Government Communications
In the event the military radio networks or the ocean cables are not operating, the AJCC has radio facilities at the site, under its direct control for its immediate operation.
Secure and non-secure teleprinter, voice, and non-secure facsimile are available to both overseas and CONUS from the facility.
Cactus Tower at Camp David
To enable the Government to continue to function in the event of an emergency or enemy attack, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization initiated the Continuity of Government Program. A major element of this program as previously mentioned, is the Emergency relocation plan which provides for the dispersal of essential elements of the Federal Government within the Federal Relocation Arc.
Presidential approval of the emergency relocation plan was dependent upon adequate communications between the emergency relocation sites. Because little or no reliable communications were available in the emergency relocation arc, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization asked the Department of Defense for the Army Signal Corps to plan, design, engineer, install and maintain the communications services. The Secretary of Defense agreed to the U.S. Army Signal Corps would be responsible for, planning, designing, engineering, installing and maintaining the communications to support this Program at the National level.
Cannonball Tower on Cross Mountain
Cowpuncher Tower on North Mountain WV
The Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization would provide policy guidance concerning aspects of emergency relocation planning and for the necessary funding support.
A plan for a communications system was developed to meet the following requirements of OCDM:
To provide pretested communications between the Civilian Command Post at High Point and the heads of their agencies in their Emergency Relocation Sites (ERS).
To provide communications between the agencies themselves.
To have access to military and other Government Systems.
To have access to commercial telephone telegraph common user systems.
And finally to provide minimum communications for policy direction and control of executive departments and agencies in the program.
Crystal East and West Towers located at Mt Weather
Primary reliance of the OCDM Communications System was to be placed upon commercial upon commercial facilities. This is necessary in order that the resources of trained communications personnel of the commercial companies might be utilized for the operation of the communications system since military personnel would not be available to operate this system in an emergency.
The urgency of this project was such that time would not permit immediate implementation of the OCDM system. This was due primarily to a leak of communications facilities in the relocation arc.
Creed Tower on Raven Rock part of ACJJ
It was, therefore determined that the system would be developed in three phases:
Phase I was to provide such communications as could be made available on short notice for OPERATION ALERT 1955.
Phase II was to provide an interim communications system by 1 April 1956. This interim system was to be operated until such time as additional communications could be made available.
Phase III was to provide a pretested communications system based on the area communications concept as soon after OPERATION ALERT 1956 as it could be made available without expediting costs.
The FIRST PHASE amounted to the communications that local telephone companies could provide. Facilities provided were very sparse, the communications capabilities of the present interim OCDM system.
The SECOND PHASE include: A leased private line telephone system which inter-connects the main site and the participating governmental agencies, this enables voice communications between the main site and the agencies, between agencies themselves, entrance into the nationwide commercial bell network, and connection into the Government Code Dial Tandem System in Washington D.C.
The interim system also includes a leased private wire message communications or TWX facilities so that agencies have a means of passing record communications to and from the main site and between the agencies themselves.
The system includes a cryptographic network which consists of point to point or two way circuits between the main site and 20 of the more important agencies of the Government.
All circuits and terminal facilities are leased, cryptographic equipment is Government owned. This network provides direct channels for exchanging classified messages between High Point and the 20 specified agencies.
This system also includes a one way broadcast system which provides for simultaneous transmission of classified and unclassified Executive Orders, Damage Reports, etc. from High Point and 40 agencies within the relocation arc.
Corkscrew Tower on Lambs Knoll in Boonsboro MD
Cartwheel Tower in Fort Reno MD
Finally this system also includes: A microwave system connecting sensitive agencies.
This consists of leased and Government owned facilities to provide a pretested system between High Point, and the emergency relocation sites of the State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Defense and Camp David. Circuits routed over this system include the Presidential secure voice network.
Non secure voice circuits from High Point to the sensitive agencies.
Secure Teleprinter circuits between the President and the heads of the sensitive agencies.
The broadcast network previously mentioned.
The Government owned portion of this microwave system which connects High Point and Camp David is operated and maintained by the White House Army Signal Agency. The remainder of this system is maintained by a commercial contractor.
A three channel mobile radio telephone system provides communications to and from the heads of key agencies while traveling in their automobiles in the area bounded by High Point, Washington and Fort Richie. In addition to the President, this system support 75 mobile subscribers, of which 56 are currently being served, included are the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretaries and the Chiefs of Staff of the Military Departments. This System is used on a daily basis. It provides telephone services to the Washington-High Point-Fort Ritchie Complex and provides interconnection to the Government code dialing system, as well as the commercial dial system.
Communications in support of the relocation site for the NATO Standing Group requires a complement of 47 people and an annual budget of $30,000 for full time operation.
The White House, including Camp David, requires 320 people and 2.5 million dollars annually.
The AJCC, Fort Ritchie complex, requires 537 people and an annual budget of 6.6 million dollars.
The OCDM program requires 329 people and 11 million dollars; however, the OCDM justifies and defends the amount required for its support.
This project was approved in 1955 and completed in total in 1962. The Microwave Network operated at full strength until 1970 when Crystal, Cowpuncher, Cannonball and Creed were deactivated.
WHCA’s Role in Providing Communications Support to the President, and
The Early Presidential Emergency Facilities (PEF)
The White House Signal Detachment (WHSD), was officially formed by the United States Department of War on 25 March 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The WHSD was created to provide normal and emergency communications requirements in support of the President. The WHSD provided mobile radio, teletype, telephone and cryptographic aides in the White House and at Shangri-La, now known as Camp David. The mission of the WHSD was to provide a premier communication system that would enable the President to lead the nation effectively regardless of his location worldwide, and in any emergency situation. In 1954 WHSD was reorganized and renamed the White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA).
In 1962 WHASA was discontinued and its duties were transferred to the auspices of the Defense Communications Agency under the operational control of the White House Military Office, and re established as the White House Communications Agency (WHCA). WHCA was divided into three units:
The Defense Communications Operations Unit (DCOU) was located on M St. in Washington DC and was responsible to maintain the communications equipment used to support the White House when the President Traveled outside of Washington DC either in the USA or worldwide. All trip equipment was staged at this location. The equipment included all FM handheld radios and base stations, switchboard, all communications center equipment with secure voice and TTY, as well as all AV equipment necessary for all media events.
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| Entrance to Checkmate (The Shop) from Wisconsin Ave NW in Washington D.C. (1973) |
The Defense Communications Administrative Unit (DCAU) was also located on M St. in Washington DC. This unit was responsible for all Personnel functions including recruitment, formulating travel rosters and arranging WHCA transportation necessary for all domestic and worldwide Presidential trips.
The Defense Communication Support Unit (DCSU) was headquartered at Camp David, and was responsible for the operation of the seven Presidential Emergency Facilities (PEF) locations as well as the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg Pa. and the communications equipment on the Presidential Train “CRATE” in Harrisburg, Pa.
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| The USSS CP at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg PA |
WHCA was commissioned to provide reliable communications support to the President, Vice President, Executive Office of the President senior staff, National Security Council, Secret Service and others as directed by the White House Military Office. WHCA ‘s primary duty would be call communications in the White House starting with the President’s desk phone in the Oval Office This support includes FM mobile and HF radio communications, non-secure voice, secure voice, record communications, audio-visual services, automated data processing support and photographic and drafting services both in Washington, D.C. , anywhere in the USA and worldwide. In the ten years that I worked with WHCA we used state of the art communications equipment but it took many people and thousands of pounds of equipment at each stop to provide quality communications. Advances in technology not only reduced the size and weight of the equipment but also dramatically reduced the number people required to provide the same quality of service.
Presidential and Vice Presidential Support Trips
I traveled extensively during the nine years that I spent with WHCA both in the U.S. and overseas. I would support two Presidents and First Families, two Vice Presidents, but also some key members of the White House Staff. During the 1968 Presidential election I helped the Secret service support all of the national candidates. I also participated in four major overseas trips including President Nixon’s historic trip to China. There were many trips for training and maintenance to the sites and equipment permanently installed to support the daily activities at Camp David, San Clemente and Key Biscayne.
Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) Support Trips Richard M Nixon Support Trips
28 Aug 66 to York PA-Dallastown Rally 11 Jul 69 to Madrid Spain-New Delhi India
05 Oct 66 to Anchorage AK- Manila PI Trip 12 Jul 69 to Adana Turkey- New Delhi India
06 Oct 66 to Tokyo Japan- Manila PI Trip 11 Jul 69 to New Delhi India Trip
07 Oct 66 to Manila PI Trip 03 Aug 69 to Bangkok Thailand New Delhi India
30 Oct 66 to Tokyo Japan- Manila PI Trip 04 Aug 69 to Tokyo Japan-New Delhi India
01 Nov 66 to Chicago- Manila PI Trip 28 Jul 70 to Los Angeles CA-Century Plaza
15 Mar 67 to Zandria Surinam-Punta Del Este Trip 30 Oct 70 to Anaheim CA-Convention Center
16 Mar 67 to Punta Del Este – Montevideo UR 26 Mar 71 to Beverly Hills CA-Samuel Goldwyn
14 Apr 67 to Zandria Surinam-Punta Del Este Trip 30 Apr 71 to Camp Pendleton CA-1st Marine Div
15 Apr 67 to San Antonio TX- Punta Del Este Trip 01 May 71 to Palm Springs CA-Annenberg Estate
29 Jul 71 to Santa Rosa CA-Bohemian Grove
1968 Election Support Trips 15 July 71 to Burbank CA-NBC Studios
21 Sep 68 Atlanta Ga. - George Wallace 20 Aug 71 to Loma Linda CA- Medical Center
04 Oct 68 Newark NJ - George Wallace 28 Aug 71 to Santa Catalina Island-Mojo
07 Oct 68 Raleigh NC - Spiro Agnew 27 Nov 71 to Palm Springs CA- Eisenhower Med
24 Oct 68 San Jose CA - Hubert Humphrey 04 Jan 72 to San Diego CA, Nat, Shipbuilding
27 Oct 68 Los Angeles CA - Hubert Humphrey 06 Jan 72 to San Clemente CA-PM Sato
30 Oct 68 Long Beach CA - Richard Nixon 10 Feb 72 to Agana Guam-China Trip
31 Oct 68 Los Angeles CA – Richard Nixon 29 Feb 72 to Honolulu HI-China Trip
03 Nov 68 Anaheim CA - Curtis Le May
05 Nov 68 Los Angeles CA – Nixon/Humphrey Spiro T Agnew Support Trips
02 Dec 69 to New Orleans LA
San Clemente CA Visits and Side Trips 23 Feb 70 to Phoenix AZ
26 Jun 70 to 06 Jul 70- Los Angeles CA 19 Oct 70 to Tucson AZ
24 Jul 70 to 03 Aug 70- Los Angeles CA 31 Oct 70 to Newport Beach CA
21 Aug 70 to 06 Sep 70-San Diego CA 19 Nov 70 to Palm Springs CA
30 Oct 70 to 04 Nov 70- Anaheim CA 08 Feb 71 to Palm Springs CA
05 Jan 71 to 14 Jan 71-Santa Catalina Island 05 Apr 71 to San Diego CA
26 Mar 71 to 4 Apr 71-Beverly Hills CA 09 Jun 71 to Los Angeles CA
30 Apr 71 to 3 May 71-Palm Springs CA 27 Nov 1971 to Palm Springs CA
06 Jul 71 to 22 Jul 71-Burbank CA 27 Dec 71 to Palm Springs CA
21 Aug 71 to 3 Sep 71-Loma Linda CA 19 Apr 72 to New Orleans LA
24 Nov to 28 Nov 71 to Palm Springs CA
02 Jan 72 to 08 Jan 72 - San Diego CA
Henry Kissinger Support Trip Trips to the Bahamas
13 Oct 71 to Hilo HI - Pre China Trip 25 Jul 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
29 Aug 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
Key Biscayne FL Visits and Side Trips 13 Sep 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
22 Aug 72 to 24 Aug 72-1972 National Convention 03 Oct 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas- Maintenance
08 Nov 72 to 12 Nov 72-Ocean Reef Club 31Oct 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas- Maintenance
30 Nov72 to 04 Dec 72- Ocean Reef Club 11 Nov 72 to Key Largo FL-Ocean Reef Club
20 Dec 72 to Dec 26 72- Ocean Reef Club 30 Nov 72 to Walkers Cay Bahamas- Maintenance
12 Jan 73 to 18 Jan 73 - Ocean Reef Club 09 Dec 72 to Orlando FL- Equipment Repair
26 Jan 73 to 29 Jan 73- Grand Cay Visit 11 Dec 72 to Grand Cay Bahamas- Maintenance
15 Feb 73 to 18 Feb 73 17 Jan 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
22 Mar 73 to 26 Mar 73-Ocean Reef Club 06 Mar 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas- Maintenance
20 Apr 73to 24 Apr 73-Grand Cay Visit 04 May 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-POTUS Visit
03 May 73 to 07 May 73-Grand Cay Visit 15 Mar73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
25 May 73 to 28 May 73-Grand Cay Visit 22 May 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
08 Jun 73 to 10 Jun 73-Coco Lobo III 26 May 73 to Grand Cay Bahamas-POTUS Visit
15 Jun 73 to 17 Jun 73-Coco Lobo III 12 Jun 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
17Aug 73 to 20 Aug 73-Coco Lobo III 26 Jun 73 to Walkers Cay Bahamas-Maintenance
04 Oct 73 to 07 Oct 73-Ocean Reef Club 12 Jul 73 to Grand Bahama Island Bahamas- Maint.
01 Nov 73 to 05 Nov 73-Coco Lobo III
16 Nov 73 to 20 Nov 73-Coco Lobo III Nixon Family Support Trip
09 Feb 73 to Jacksonville FL - Julie Nixon
WHCA TDY TRIPS 12 Feb 73 to Jacksonville FL – Julie Nixon
Cannonball-Microwave Duty Crate-Communications Railcar
10 Jan 66 to 17 Jan 66- Mercersburg PA 20 Jul 66 to Harrisburg PA-Equipment Maintenance
07 Feb 66 to 14 Jan 66-Mercersburg PA 25 Jul 66 to Washington DC-Communications Test
28 Feb 66 to 7 Mar 66-Mercersburg PA
11 Apr 66 to 19 Apr 66- Mercersburg PA Training/ Recruiting
06 May 66 to 13 May 66- Mercersburg PA 16 Jan 67 to Washington DC-Howard Univ.
13 Jun 66 to 20 Jun 66- Mercersburg PA 26 Feb 67 to Washington DC – HF Radio Tng.
05 Jul 66 to 11 Jul 66- Mercersburg PA 17 Sep 67 to Lemoyne PA - AT&T 1A1 Key
01 Aug 66 to 08 Aug 66- Mercersburg PA 04 Aug 68 to El Paso TX – Ft Bliss Recruiting
06 Sep 66 to 12 Sep 66- Mercersburg PA 18 May 69 to Norfolk VA–HF Radio URT-23
03 Oct 66 to 04 Oct 66- Mercersburg PA 09 Aug 70 to Thurmont MD–HF Radio console
12 Dec 66 to 19 Dec 66- Mercersburg PA 11 May 71 to Camp Pendleton CA - ORE
19 Sep 71 to Chicago IL - Motorola Radio
14 Nov 71 to Washington DC - Lincompex
White House Communications Agency Q&A
WHCA HISTORY
1. In what year was WHCA established and what was it originally called?
Answer: The White House Signal Detachment was formed on 25 March 1942.
2. When the Agency was first formed, how many officers and enlisted personnel were assigned?
Answer: The White House Signal Detachment was composed of 2 Officers and 30 Enlisted personnel.
2. How long did Colonel George J. McNally serve as the Commander of WHCA?
Answer: Colonel McNally served as the Agency Commander from March 1946 to May 1965, a total of 19+ years. The WHCA HQ building is named after him.
3. What was Colonel McNally’s Code name?
Answer: Star
4. Immediately following the Second World War, what was the Agency's manning level reduced to?
Answer: The manning level of the Agency at the end of WW II was 2 Officers and 18 Enlisted personnel.
5. In what year did the Agency go 24/7/365?
Answer: The Agency went full-time in 1950 at the outset of the Korean Conflict.
6. What was Camp David originally called?
Answer: Camp David was originally called Shangri-La.
7. When did the Agency decide to permanently assign personnel to Camp David.
Answer: In 1951 the first member was assigned to Camp and over the subsequent months the detachment would be filled with new members.
8. In what year was the name of the Agency changed to the White House Army Signal Agency?
Answer: 1954.
9. In what year did the Agency get its present name?
Answer: 1962.
10. Where was the Shop located prior to moving into 3248 M Street?
Answer: 26th Street and D Street NW. The agency moved to M Street in 1964.
11. When did WHCA vacate the shop on M St?
Answer: All of the groups that operated in the Shop moved to Anacostia between 1972 and 1976. WHCA initially operated out of Building 94 and Building 47. Also, a large portion of WHCA personnel worked on the 18 Acres
12. In what year did WHCA move into Building 399?
Answer: The Agency moved into Building 399 in 1991.
13. Why did President Richard Nixon present WHCA with the Presidential Unit Citation?
Answer: It was awarded the agency in recognition of their performance during his 1972 visit to China.
14. Where is the WHCA Hall of Fame?
Answer: In the Colonel George J. McNally building 399 at Anacostia.
15. In what year did WHCA start the All-Star Program?
Answer: The Agency began the All-Star Program when WHCA moved into their new Building at Anacostia in 1991. There are currently 57 names on the HOF List.
16. Who designed the WHCA logo?
Answer: MSG (R) Ronald S. Knowles . Ron was in Drafting and Reproduction Branch for nearly 20 years In 1962, then SSG Knowles was directed by the Commander to design a new seal when the agency transitioned from White House Army Signal Agency to White House Communications Agency during the Kennedy administration. The new WHCA Seal has been in use now for 57 years.
17. Who is eligible to receive the Presidential Service Badge?
Answer: Military personnel who serve in the Agency for one year are eligible for the Badge.
18. When was the Presidential Service Badge established?
Answer: Executive Order 10879, which established the Presidential Service Certificate and the Presidential Service Badge was enacted on 1 June 1960. This Executive Order was later revised under Executive Order 11174 on 1 September 1964.
19. What is the 1600 Communications Association?
Answer: The 1600 Communications Association is a WHCA Alumni Association made up of former and current WHCA members.
20. Who is eligible to join the 1600 Communications Association?
Answer: Anyone currently serving or who has served in the Agency is eligible to join.
21. Who was the first president of the 1600 Communications Association?
Answer: Colonel George J. McNally
22. Counting President Donald J Trump, how many Presidents has the Agency served?
Answer: WHCA has served 14 different Presidents
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