FEATURED 2 Early History of the White House Communications Agency (1942-2021)-revised

The Early History of WHCA
WHCA Seal
Type of Activity	Establish Communications Support
Location
Location	Washington DC
Date of Activity	25 Mar 1942 to Present
Coordinates

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.

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).

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.

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.

The FM Base Stations were installed in the Fort Reno Water Tower

An oddity of the early war days was the installation of an anti-aircraft defense. We assisted the Colonel in charge in getting a radio network going. Revamped artillery was spotted around the perimeter of the District and machine gun posts established on the roofs of the tallest buildings.

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 travel

Order Establishing Presidential Support  

                                                                                                                                                                    29 April 1946

SUBJECT: The White House Signal Detachment (WHSD)

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:

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Raytheon Microwave equipment made up the backbone of the network

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.

Over the years the White House Communications Agency has distinguished itself and has been awarded several Awards including:

       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

WHCA COMMANDERS

WHCA COMMANDERS

1          COL                George J. McNally                  Mar 1946 to May 1965

2          BG                   Jack A. Albright                     May 1965 to Jun 1969

3          BG                   Albert Redman, Jr.                   Jun 1969 to Jan 1973

4          BG                   Lawrence E. Adams              Jan 1973 to Sep 1975

5          BG                   Leonard J. Riley                      Sep 1975 to Jun 1977

6          COL                Robert F. Feely                       Jun 1977 to Nov 1977

7          COL                Edwin Cantrell, III                  Nov 1977 to May 1978

8          BG                   Josiah Blasingame, Jr             May 1978 to May 1981

9          MG                  Henry J. Schumacher             May 1981 to Jun 1982

10        BG                   John S. Tuck                            Jun 1982 to Jan 1984

11        COL                Lawrence Schuman                Jan 1984 to Sep 1985

12        COL                William V. Bogart                   Sep 1985 to Dec 1988

13        COL                Kenneth E. Nickel                  Dec 1988 to Feb 1992

14        COL                Thomas J. Hawes                     Feb 1992 to Oct 1994

15        COL                Joseph J. Simmons, IV            Oct 1994 to Nov 1998

16        COL                Kenneth Campbell                  Dec 1998 to Feb 1999

17        BG                   Dennis Moran                          Feb 1999 to Apr 2000

18        COL                Margaret Baldwin                    Apr 2000 to Jul 2001

19        COL                Michael McDonald                  Jul 2001 to Jul 2004

20        COL                Howard Cohen                         Jul 2004 to Aug 2006

21        COL                James Lien                               Aug 2006 to May 2009

22        COL                Michael Black                          May 2009 to Jul 2011

23        COL                Clinton Bigger                         Jul 2011 to Nov 2013

24        COL                Donovan Routsis                     Nov 2013 to August 2015

25        COL                Cleophus Thomas, Jr              August 2015 to August 2016

26        COL                Chad D. Raduege                     August 2016 to June 2018

27        COL                James F. Riley                        June 2018 to January 2021

28        COL                Joy M. Kaczor                        January 2021 to June 2023

29        COL                Brian Jorgenson                      June 2023 to June 2025

The Eisenhower Farm
The Main House  at the Eisenhower farm
Type of Activity	Communications Support
Location
Location	Gettysburg PA
Date of Activity	1955 to 1979
Coordinates	39°47'28.83"N/ 77°15'51.18"W

The Eisenhower Farm, located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was the weekend retreat and home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie. Purchased in 1950, the 169-acre farm served as a weekend retreat when he became president in 1953 and a meeting place for world leaders, that eventually became the Eisenhower’s' home after they left the White House in 1961. With its putting green, skeet range, panoramic view of South Mountain and the Gettysburg Battlefield. The  farm was equipped with a helicopter landing pad the president often used when traveling back and forth between the White House, Gettysburg and Camp David. Eisenhower was the first president to use the helicopter as a means of transportation.

The original farmhouse was in disrepair when purchased; but extensive renovations were completed by 1955. Originally the barn’s milkhouse was established as an office and Command Post (CP) for President Eisenhower’s Secret Service protective detail.   

The USSS CP at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg PA

During the presidential years, one of the 8 to 10 agents who worked each shift would be stationed in the USSS CP to monitor the alarm control panel and radio communications equipment. The backroom served as a firearms and ammunition cache and was used by the White House Communications Agency who also maintained a small plug-in switchboard, teletype machine and a microwave radio system to Camp David that provided secure voice.

Secured within a safe in the back of the room was the satchel containing the “football” containing the nuclear codes that always accompanied the president.

The office today appears as it did in the late 1960s and includes some of the original furnishings. One major improvement to the site security in the 1960s was the addition of a closed-circuit TV cameras that allowed the agents to survey the grounds via the monitors above their office desk.

 Secret Service guard hut at the main entrance

The agents left the farm at the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, but returned in 1965 after Kennedy’s assassination prompted legislation providing protection to former presidents and First Ladies. Once again the agents utilized the old milk house as an office.

When I arrived at Camp David in 1965, Det. 3 (Cadre/Creed) was maintaining the radio equipment on the Eisenhower Farm. There was a remote radio console (MIKE) for the secret service CP that terminated in the switchboard room at Camp David. I tested the remote keying circuit on several occasions over the years but was never at the farm.

President Eisenhower passed away in 1969 and although scaled back the USSS provided continuing protection for Maime Eisenhower at the Gettysburg farm.

In 1972 I did have the pleasure of meeting Mamie Eisenhower while I was covering an event at the dedication of the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs CA. Also attending the dedication was President Nixon, Vice President Agnew, Ronald Reagan the Governor of California at the time, along with celebrities Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and John Wayne. The San Clemente CCT provided all the temporary communications required to support three different protective details that were present at the dedication.

Dedication of the Eisenhower Medical

The Secret Service manned the Gettysburg farm until Mamie passed away in 1979. Today the National Park Service  preserves the farm that once belonged to General and 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

The Presidential Football
Hyannis Port, Massachusetts 1 963
Type of Activity	Establish authority and responsibility over the nation's nuclear arsenal
Location
Location	Washington DC
Date of Activity	Late 1950’s to Present

The Presidential football has been a part of the U.S. nuclear war-fighting strategy since the Cold War. It is intended to ensure that the President can quickly and decisively respond to a nuclear attack or other emergency.

It is not clear when or why the “Satchel or Black Bag” became known as the Football, but during the Eisenhower administration it became the practice, when the president was traveling, for a military aide to carry a briefcase including emergency action documents, such as presidential proclamations and information on authorization of nuclear weapons use. An aide was also assigned to Vice President Richard Nixon in the event that something happened to the president.

The Presidential football is a term used to refer to the specially designed and equipped briefcase, officially known as the Presidential Emergency Satchel, which is usually carried by a military aide to the President of the United States.

The exact details surrounding the creation of the Presidential Football remain uncertain, but it is believed to have been established during the presidency of  Dwight D. Eisenhower in the late 1950s. The purpose of the Football was to provide the President of the United States with the ability to authorize 

a nuclear strike while on the move or during a crisis situation.

According to former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the Football acquired its name from an early nuclear war plan code-named “Dropkick.” (“Dropkick” needed a “football” in order to be put into effect.) The earliest known photograph of a military aide trailing the president with the telltale black briefcase was taken on May 10, 1963, at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.(pictured above)

A Military Aide with the Football

The first briefcase was a standard black case with three digit numeric locks on the clasps and was carried by a military aide or in early years a WHCA CWO, commonly referred to as the "Bagman," who accompanies the President wherever he may go, ensuring constant access to the “Satchel”.

The Satchel was first mentioned in a WHCA after action report submitted by WHCA Trip Officer CWO Arthur W. Bales, Jr. on Nov 22, 1963 the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas. CWO Arthur W. Bales, Jr. US Army, US Signal Corps (SS WHCA codename -Sturdy) and CWO Ira Gearhart, US Army (SS WHCA codename – The Bagman) carrying the National Plan of Action (NPOA) or Satchel were in the White House Signal Corps Car positioned in the  1963 Presidential motorcade when the shots were fired.

The “bagman” was Ira Gearhart, a WHCA CWO who carried a satchel that contained the codes and ciphers the President needed to communicate with military commanders and foreign leaders or to order a nuclear strike. Gearhart had to remember the combination for the safety locks that opened the bag, and was to always stay near the President. Gearhart became “separated from the VIP portion of the motorcade as it raced to Parkland Hospital and after arriving, he did not know where the President was nor did the Secret Service know whom he was.

LBJ leaving Parkland Hospital for Love Field 

The Secret Service kept CWO Gearhart away from the booth where LBJ had been placed and that President Johnson and Gearhart had been separated again, when LBJ raced to Love Field." While the man with the nuclear codes did catch up to LBJ and remained nearby, he was generally ignored during the crisis.

Some have considered it peculiar that one thing the new President did not do once he assumed the presidency, at least on the public record, was to inquire about the national security status, the military posture or the possibility that the nation would be attacked, or was under attack by foreign enemies.

In fact, the new President had twice left behind the military aide with the “black bag” containing secure communication and nuclear attack codes. The “bagman” had been left behind in the motorcade when LBJ was rushed to Parkland Hospital and then again when the new president quickly and secretly left the hospital for Air Force One.

“The football is said to contain 75 pages of options, to be used against four primary groups: Russian nuclear forces; conventional military forces; military and political leadership and economic/industrial targets. The options are further divided into Major Attack Options (MAOs), Selected Attack Options (SAOs), and Limited Attack Options (LAOs).To make rapid comprehension of the materials easier, the options are described in a heavily summarized format and depicted using simple images.

The “Football” also includes a “portfolio of cryptographic orders” to the Joint Chiefs for authorizing nuclear retaliation.  The message could be sent either by telephone, teletype, or microwave radio. Through arrangements established by the Defense Communications Agency, the authorizing messages could also be sent to the North American Air Defense Command or the Strategic Air Command. The Football also contains the locations of various bunkers and airborne command-post aircraft, procedures for communicating over civilian networks, and other information useful in a nuclear-emergency situation.” Because the orders were encrypted, they would be meaningless to a thief; the commander of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) Lt. Colonel George J. McNally explained: “Visualize the thing as a dollar bill torn in half,” with half of it at the Pentagon. “Only when the President sends his half will the two pieces key together or fit.”

When President Nixon took extended vacations at his compounds in San Clemente and Key Biscayne where the Military Aide and WHCA shared facilities the Football was kept secure and updated by the WHCA Commcenter.

President Nixon's Mil Aide with Football stands  behind the President

 President Ford with the Bagman 

 Today’s Presidential Nuclear Football

Today’s football is a standard metallic, possibly bullet-proof, modified Zero-Halliburton case covered with a leather case, and consists of a briefcase that contains various components necessary for initiating a nuclear attack. These components include a secure communication system, authentication codes, and a list of predetermined nuclear targets.

Over the years, the Presidential Football has undergone technological advancements to enhance its security and effectiveness. The communication systems within the Football have evolved to utilize the latest encryption and authentication technologies to prevent unauthorized access. The codes and procedures used for authentication are regularly updated to maintain their secrecy and effectiveness. With the SATCOM radio and handset, the president can contact the National Command Authority (NCA) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The President holds the sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, but they must follow a strict protocol to initiate a strike. In the event of an imminent nuclear threat or authorization to launch a nuclear attack, the President would be required to verify their identity using codes and procedures known only to them. The President would then communicate the order to the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, which would authenticate the order and transmit it to the appropriate military commanders for execution.

“The Football is carried by one of the rotating Presidential Aides (one from each of the five service branches), who occasionally is physically attached to the briefcase. This person is a commissioned officer in the U.S. military, pay-grade O-4 or above, who has undergone the nation's most rigorous background check (Yankee White). These officers are required to always keep the Football within ready access of the President. Consequently, an aide, Football in hand, is always either standing/walking near the President or riding in Air Force One/Marine One/Motorcade with him.”

 President Reagan seen with his Military Aide with the Football

The Presidential Football has been a symbol of the President's authority and responsibility over the nation's nuclear arsenal. It has been present during significant historical events, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the September 11 attacks in 2001. In times of crisis, the Football serves as a tangible reminder of the grave decision-making power held by the President and the weight of the responsibilities they bear.

While the specifics of the Presidential Football's operational details remain highly classified, it continues to play a crucial role in the United States' nuclear deterrence strategy. It serves as a visible reminder of the President's authority over the nation's nuclear weapons and highlights the immense responsibility associated with such power. The Presidential Football remains an enduring symbol of the United States' commitment to maintaining a secure and effective nuclear command and control system.

The Role of NCO’s the in WHCA
WHCA is a Joint Service Command serving the President
Type of Activity	Presidential Communications
Location
Location	Worldwide
Date of Activity	March 25,1942 to Present
Coordinates	38° 50′ 34″ N, 77° 0′ 58″ W

The White House Communications Agency was originally formed in 1942 as the White 

House Signal Detachment. The detachment was activated under the Military District of Washington during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration to provide normal and emergency communications in support of the President of the United States. It provided mobile radio, teletype, telephone, and cryptographic services in the White House and at Presidential Retreat at Shangri-la, now known as Camp David.

In 1954, during the Eisenhower administration, the detachment was reorganized under the office of the Chief Signal Officer, Army Signal Corps and renamed the White House Army Signal Agency. In 1962, the signal agency was transferred to the authority of the Defense Communications Agency until 1991when the Agency was reorganized to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) with administrative oversight of WHCA’s activities. WHCA is under operational control of the White House Military Office.

WHCA’s scope has expanded and evolved over the past 80 years from a small team of 32 personnel working out of the basement of the White House to a self-supporting joint service command of nearly 1,200 personnel while serving 15 Presidents of the United States.

 

      

Army Signal Corp 

 Military Aides Office  

 DISA
                    

The ‘Voice Of The President’

As their motto states, personnel at WHCA collectively serve as the “voice of the president.” But the agency’s name is somewhat misleading,

Communications’ is part of the agency’s name, but it’s not just Communications people, they also have transporters, logisticians, carpenters, sheet metal workers, multimedia specialists, and military intelligence and finance leaders, in addition to the communications leaders.

Every location the president goes to, even if it’s in Washington D.C. WHCA has to provide the President same communication capabilities as in the White House. Wherever the boss goes, it’s WHCA’s job to make sure that whatever he can do in downtown Washington, D.C., he can do in Siberia, if he chooses to go there.

The non-commissioned officers working in the White House Communications Agency, whose no-fail mission is to enable the nation’s top leader to communicate with the government, military, and world, whether that be in the Oval Office or on the other side of the globe.

WHCA’s Roadrunner is present today in every Presidential Motorcade worldwide  providing all necessary communications links back to Washington DC.      

WHCA may be a ‘communications’ agency, but it does so much more. The startling diversity is a necessity for an organization that must do almost everything in-house for both security and quality reasons. Service members at WHCA build every Presidential podium, outfit, and man every motorcade communication vehicle, operate the President’s Teleprompter, and transport the necessary equipment wherever its needed worldwide.

As a result, the majority of WHCA’s personnel are assigned as needed to travel teams that are deployed whenever one of the three principals, the President, Vice president or First Lady is at an event away from the White House. WHCA also supports members of the White House Staff and during presidential elections they support all USSS details protecting candidates. The teams are responsible for determining everything that is required voice, fax, internet, and satellite links; computers, printers, and copiers; cameras, microphones, lights, and transmission equipment; and the iconic presidential podium, then transporting it to the site, setting everything up, executing during the event, taking everything down, then resetting for the next trip. It makes for a constant rhythm of travel, often with little to no advance notice, and with the expectation of nothing less than perfection.

The role of WHCA’s NCO’S past and present

The non-commissioned officers working in the White House Communications Agency, whose no-fail mission is to enable the nation’s top leader to communicate with the government, military, and world, whether that be in the Oval Office or on the other side of the globe.

These NCO’s are usually clad in suits, so they blend into the bevy of staff members, reporters and security personnel who surround the President of the United States during his day-to-day activities. Yet it is this unique uniform that camouflages the Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of WHCA, a joint unit headquartered at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

NCO’s are tasked with providing everything the President, Vice President and First Lady need to deliver their message anywhere at any time, whether it be secure voice, FM mobile while supporting the USSS with the motorcade and security communications, also providing the lectern, lighting, Teleprompter, and sound needed for a Rose Garden news conference; live video for the world’s press from Air Force One while flying over the Pacific; or the satellite connections to operators who answer calls from citizens and foreign leaders alike in the White House.

Today’s Command and Control vehicle codename Roadrunner

Integral to WHCA’s mission are its noncommissioned officers and petty officers, all of whom have responsibilities that exceed those of their peers elsewhere in the military, and what are the NCO’s responsible to do for this organization?

One example, in 1968 during the Presidential election, and after Robert Kennedy was assassinated, it was then that the USSS was assigned to protect all Presidential candidates. WHCA formed communications packages so that one NCO could support the secret service protection details at every stop. They would leapfrog from one location to another for weeks at a time setting up the mobile communications for the motorcade and at speech sites. All while supporting a sitting President and Vice President. This practice continues to this day.

Another example, would be when you see the Vice President of the United States on the road, every support person, with the exception of his military aide, are all enlisted personnel who are setting up all necessary communications for success. His mobile communications for the USSS and motorcade, all his audio and visual support, the lectern you see him stand behind, that is all the work of enlisted personnel behind the scenes making everything happen.

 Vice President Agnew in Newport Beach at a fund raiser(1969)

The NCO’s are definitely the backbone of WHCA as they run the vice-presidential communications program in its entirety, but they are in every corner of WHCA  making the mission happen, and their impact is monumental. The President cannot communicate to the world without the agency providing him the means to do that, and noncommissioned officers at WHCA make that happen. Nowhere else in anyone’s career are you able to say the stakes are this high. It takes a lot of responsibility, but that’s something you already carry with you as an NCO in WHCA.

WHCA can support the leader of the greatest nation in the world with no-mistake, no-fail missions anywhere, anytime, that says a lot about WHCA’s corps of noncommissioned officers. The tempo is not like in other units where you deploy, you come back, and you reset. The tempo is always fast paced. At any time, there might be a phone call that says, Go to such-and-such place, and you might not even get a day’s notice. During campaign season, WHCA’s NCOs are traveling constantly. It’s a lot of hard work and 16-hour days.

A WHCA NCO, center, is greeted by President Ford after installing the ramp phone for AF1. (1976)

But it is not the glamorous life some see it is, the job is not the designer-suit, caviar-eating, five-star-hotel life everybody thinks it is, forget the five-star hotel; you may not even see the hotel!

WHCA’s in the business of customer service, and its customer is the President of the United States.

WHCA Vehicle Placard

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 and 1972 Presidential elections I helped the Secret service support all of the national candidates. There were many trips for training and maintenance to the sites and equipment permanently installed to support the daily activities at Camp David, Cannonball, San Clemente and Key Biscayne. I also participated in four major overseas trips including President Nixon’s historic trip to China.

Senior Enlisted Leaders

Command Reflagged as Defense Communications Support Unit (DCSU) (1964 to 1996)

1         SGM                   Victor Shorten                                             (1964-1969)  

2         SGM                   Milton Cauthen                                            (1969-1974)

3         CMSgt                Francis Orehowsky                                      (1974-1978)

4         SGM                   Leo Scherping                                              (1978-1980) 

5         Master Chief      Wally Sparks                                                (1980-1982)  

6        SMSgt                Donald Brummentt                                        (1982-1983)

7        SGM                  Charlie Grunden                                             (1983-1986)  

8        MSG                  Frank Conway                                                (1986-1989)  

9        MSG                  Charles Hayes                                                (1989-1992) 

10      MSG                  Raymond Hrynko                                           (1992-1995) 

11      1SG                    Trudy Beltz                                                    (1995-1996) 

Command Reflagged as Special Missions Command (SMC) 1996-2001?

12     1SG                    Eric Campbell                                                 (2001-2003) 

13     1SG                    Lindsay Thompson                                         (2003-2004) 

14     1SG                    Gilbert Rowan                                                (2004-2007) 

15     1SG                    Thomas Pacheco                                             (2010-2012)  

16     1SG                    Joseph Dorey                                                  (2012-2014)  

17     1SG                    Jason Walker                                                  (2014-2017)  

18     1SG                    Freddie Suber                                                 (2017 to ?)

Presidential Communications at Camp David
WHCA Camp David Insignia
Elevation	1,900 ft. (579.1 m)
Location
Location	Frederick County, Maryland, USA
Range	Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates	+39.648333N  -77.466667 W

 The White House Communications Agency (WHCA) was originally known as the White House Signal Detachment (WHSD) and officially formed by the United States Department of War on 25 March 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The WHSD was initially created to provide normal and emergency communications requirements in support of the President as well as mobile radio, teletype, telephone, and cryptographic aides in the White House and at Camp David (originally known as Shangri-La).

In April 1942 President Roosevelt visited Camp David and chose it as the Presidential retreat. On July 5th, 1942, the President inspected the finished retreat, and this began the lineage of the present-day Special Missions Command.  In the early years, members from the White House Signal Detachment would travel in advance of the President to Camp David and support all communication requirements. During President Roosevelt's presidency he visited Camp David a total of 22 times.

As the new Camp increased in usage between 1942 and 1951, the Agency decided to permanently assign personnel to Camp David. In 1951 the first member was assigned to Camp and over the subsequent months the detachment would be filled with new members. As the detachment started to take shape one of its first missions would be assigned. Late in 1942 right after the WHSD was formed President Roosevelt was presented a newly rebuilt Ferdinand Magellan train car. During the history of the Presidential Rail Car, it was the responsibility of the White House Signal Detachment to support with all communications. After the forming of the Field Branch Division at Camp David around 1953 it was decided that due to the proximity of the storage depot in Harrisburg, PA, and the need for a specialized group of members to operate, the FBD would be the permanent caretakers. The FBD would ensure the communication car would be ready for the President at a moment’s notice. During the history of the Communications Car, it would travel an estimated 250,000 miles in support of seven President’s. The train’s last official trip was in 1954, but remained a WHSD responsibility well into the 1970’s.

In 1954 the White House Signal Detachment was reorganized and renamed the White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA).

As the reorganization took shape, the Field Branch Division was given more responsibility under the new WHASA. In early 1955 it was decided that any enduring requirements outside of Washington, DC would be the responsibility of the FBD headquartered at Camp David. During the early years of the Command the requirement to provide communications at the sitting President’s private residence was established and fell under the FBD at Camp David. During President Eisenhower’s administration this requirement officially began and members from Camp David would support the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg with Radio, Microwave, and switchboard communications when the President would travel home. The mission of supporting the President’s private residence has evolved from the President Eisenhower’s private farm in Gettysburg, PA, to President Johnson's Ranch in Johnson City, TX and remains a core responsibility today at President Obama's home located in Chicago, IL. Other locations that the Detachment managed over time were President Kennedy's home in Hyannis Port, MA, President Nixon's home in San Clemente, CA and Key Biscayne, FL, President Carters home in Plains, GA, President Reagan's Ranch outside of Santa Barbara, CA, President George H.W. Bush's home in Walker's Point, ME and President George W. Bush's home in Crawford, TX.

Around 1995 the practice of providing a similar capability for the Vice President was implemented and continues to this day with Vice President residences.

Late in 1954 a plan to implement emergency communications was developed and presented to the Secretary of Defense. The plan was approved, and construction began on a series of emergency facilities around the United States. The construction took from 1955 to the early 1960’s to complete, the construction included a series of Presidential Emergency Communications facilities around the Washington, DC area. These facilities became a key part of the Camp David Detachment's history and would take the Detachment into one of its most historic missions. During the height of the Cold War the Camp David Detachment would provide 24/7 support for seven newly established microwave relay towers scattered across the mountains of the Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. As this mission took shape members of the Detachment would deploy for weeks at a time to these remote towers to operate and maintain the emergency communications requirements. This mission remained a core responsibility of the Detachment until the towers were deemed no longer needed due to satellite communications and all towers were officially closed or transferred to other Agency’s between 1970 and 1985. It is this piece of the detachments history where the popular call-sign CACTUS was created and is still used today. This call-sign dates back to the late 1950’s after the Tower system was commissioned and remained the name of a tower until it was demolished.

As the Field Branch Division continued to operate as a separate command under the WHASA it was decided that small detachments were needed. These detachments would be responsible for geographically separated mission requirements and would operate under the supervisor of an Army Warrant Officer. These detachments were Detachment 1 responsible for the Cactus and Cannonball Towers, Detachment 2 responsible for the Crystal and Cowpuncher Towers, Detachment 3 responsibility for the Creed/Cadre Tower complex and the Eisenhower Farm and Detachment 4 responsibility for Cartwheel, Corkscrew and Canteen Towers.

In 1962 the 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 (WHMO), and reestablished as the White House Communications Agency (WHCA). At that point WHCA was divided into three units: The Defense Communications Operations Unit (DCOU) and Defense Communications Administrative Unit (DCAU) both located in Washington, DC, and The Defense Communication Support Unit (DCSU) headquartered at Camp David and maintaining responsibility for the operation of seven Presidential Emergency Facility (PEF) locations and the communications equipment on the Presidential Train “CRATE” in Harrisburg, Pa, as well as the Camp David complex. During the decommissioning of the first microwave towers in 1969, members assigned to these Detachments would be repurposed and relocated across the United States. This new mission would again require a small group of specialized members who could master the requirements and training needed to operate geographically separated from the WHCA headquarters.

The formation of the Communications Contingency Teams was the Agency’s answer to this new need.

These teams were strategically placed to support the President and played an important role in the Emergency and Contingency communications support established during the height of the Cold War. These teams started in Ft. Richie, MD, Key Biscayne, FL and San Clemente, CA but over time moved to El Toro, AZ, Andrews AFB, MD and Berryville, VA.

By 1983 all CCT teams renamed from Contingency Team to Support Team and made a strategic move to Carswell, AFB, TX, Luke AFB, AZ, and the team at Andrews AFB was renamed and support stayed the same. The CCT’s and CST’s were highly mobile groups that could be deployed at a moment’s notice. One of the original CCT/CST’s remained active and later transferred to the Washington Area Communications Command and finally disbanded in 2014.

As the Detachments history continued to evolve, one of the original missions remained active throughout its long history. The mission of supporting the Presidential Retreat at Camp David, MD has been a continuous mission since the first member was assigned in 1951. During the detachments history the Service members of the Command have provided support for over 860 separate visits by 13 Presidents over a 75-year period. Over the past 75 years the Detachment has continued to support and upgrade Camp David to meet the ever-changing communications required to support the President, Commander in Chief and Chief Executive of the United State. It is estimated that over 3,000 Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen have been part of the Command in its 65-year history.

After the CCT and CST teams were officially closed, the Command was assigned a contingency mission that would fill a major post-cold war requirement. Similar to the CCT’s mission when it was created, the members of the Camp David detachment would be responsible for preparing for the “Bad day Scenario”. In order to meet this new requirement, members would remain in a ready state and exercise routinely to ensure response requirements were always met. On Sep 11^th 2001, the “bad day” call would be received, and members told to execute. Members of the Bolt Out of the Blue (BoB) team executed its Emergency Action mission and departed for their assigned location. While this team was in full swing, the Camp David switchboard would also be fully engaged in the day’s happenings and would be providing never before call volume and requests. While the morning unfolded it was determined that the Vice President would be relocated to safety of Camp David and members from the Detachment would support him for the next 2 weeks. The Command and its members provided unprecedented support on Sep 11^th, 2001 and has shaped many of today’s emergency action requirements and tasks.

In 2002 the Detachment was renamed the Special Missions Command and has remained largely unchanged through the present day; the Command operates in 5 geographically separated locations while continuing to make history for the Agency.

As the Government updated their contingency operations orders and plans in 2003, WHCA was tasked with creating and maintaining a Continuity of Operations facility that would ensure all services being provided by WHCA would be available should a major issue affecting Washington DC cause services to be limited.

In late 2003 the Agency opened the Signal Support Element which established a facility outside of Washington, DC designed to ensure communication reliability for the President and all White House staff and supporting Agency’s. The Command continues to support this mission today with 3 permanently assigned members with support from Camp David and WHCA Headquarters as needed.

In 2015 as the Agency and Special Missions Command began supporting All White House computer and network requirements it was discovered that a more robust call center was required to supporting the increase of over 3,000 White House customers. The Command was again called upon to solve a major issue facing the Agency. In late 2015 the Special Missions Command stood up the White House Information Technology Service Call Center at Camp David and began providing unprecedented support to the newly converted White House staff.

As the travel and customer service requirements began to pick up it was determined that with the changing technology and pace required a change in how the Command trained and equipment it members. At the beginning of 2016, the Special Missions Command conducted a major personnel and mission capability shift which established a team of well-rounded and highly cross-trained members. Out of this needed change was born the Special Missions Command, Cross Functional Team who assumed the enormous task of providing all travel and Emergency Action support for the President while at Camp David, the President and Vice President while at their private residence and routine travel support for the President and Vice President around the world.

Today the Special Missions Command is made up of 92 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Civilian's. These men and women are charged with the task of leading the Agency's Special Missions as directed by the Commander, White House Communications Agency. The present-day Special Missions Command is organized into 8 sections and spans over 5 geographically separated locations. At Camp David the Command has the Cross Functional Team, Camp David Switchboard (CACTUS), White House Service Center and an Operations section that includes, admin, supply, infrastructure, security, and maintenance personnel. Additionally the Command has 4 locations not located on Camp David. These locations are Chicago, IL (President Obama's residence), Wilmington, DE (Vice President Biden's residence) and 2 other classified locations.

The history of Presidential Communications began with the opening of Camp David, supporting the Presidential Train and manning the critical microwave tower network, shifted to cold work contingency support around the united states and Presidential private residence support, then played a key support role during the terrorist attacks on Sep 11, 2001 and continues today with WHCA assuming all computer and network services for all of the White House staff. 

Members of SMC continue to support all WHCA missions and remain the primary proponent for all permanent missions outside of the National Capitol Region.

FBD,DCSU and SMC Commanders

Command Formed as Field Branch Division (FBD)

1          LTC                Gordon Parks                          (1958-1962)

2          CPT                 Earl Dunn                               (1962-1966) 

Command Reflagged as Defense Communications Support Unit (DCSU)

3          MAJ                John Duguay                           (1966-1969) 

4          MAJ                Charles Freed                          (1969-1972) 

5          MAJ                Richard Barnett                       (1972-1973)

6          CDR                George Brenton                      (1973-1981)

7          CDR                Robert Ohm                            (1981-1983)

8          LCDR             Ed Barger                                (1983-1985) 

9          LCDR             Charles Finley                         (1985-1987) 

Command HQ relocated to Washington, DC and Camp David Detachment became separate Command)

10        CW4                Jim Straight                            (1988-1990) 

11        CW4                Gordon Errington                    (1991-1995) 

12        LT                   Darlene Gunter                        (1995-1997) 

13        LTC                Michael Briske                        (1997-1999) 

Command Reflagged as Special Missions Command (SMC)

14        LTC                Timothy Lake                          (2001-2003) 

15        LTC                 Tracy Amos                             (2003-2004) 

16        LTC                Kirby Watson                          (2004-2007) 

17        LTC                Charles Daly                            (2007-2010) 

18        LTC                Jeth Rey                                  (2010-2012) 

19        LTC                James Chastain                       (2012-2015) 

20        MAJ                Chad Ott                                  (2015-Present)

Senior Enlisted Leaders

Command Reflagged as Defense Communications Support Unit (DCSU) (1964 to 1996)

1         SGM                   Victor Shorten                          (1964-1969)  

2         SGM                   Milton Cauthen                       (1969-1974)

3         CMSgt                Francis Orehowsky                  (1974-1978)

4         SGM                   Leo Scherping                          (1978-1980) 

5         Master Chief      Wally Sparks                            (1980-1982)  

6        SMSgt                Donald Brummentt                    (1982-1983)

7        SGM                  Charlie Grunden                         (1983-1986)  

8        MSG                  Frank Conway                            (1986-1989)  

9        MSG                  Charles Hayes                            (1989-1992) 

10      MSG                  Raymond Hrynko                       (1992-1995) 

11      1SG                    Trudy Beltz                                (1995-1996) 

Command Reflagged as Special Missions Command (SMC) 1996-2001?

1996-2001?

12     1SG                    Eric Campbell                            (2001-2003) 

13     1SG                    Lindsay Thompson                    (2003-2004) 

14     1SG                    Gilbert Rowan                           (2004-2007) 

15     1SG                    Thomas Pacheco                        (2010-2012)  

16     1SG                    Joseph Dorey                             (2012-2014)  

17     1SG                    Jason Walker                             (2014-2017)  

18     1SG                    Freddie Suber                            (2017 to ?)

The White House Situation Room
Type Of Activity	Crisis Management
Location
Location	Washington DC
Date of Activity	1961 to Present
Coordinates	38°53′52″N 77°02′11″W

The idea for the Situation Room was first suggested to President Eisenhower in the 1950s, but it was President John F. Kennedy who brought it to life, less than two weeks after the Bay of Pigs invasion failed in 1961. The failure was attributed to a lack of up-to-date information, prompting Kennedy to establish a dedicated crisis management center. A former bowling alley below the West Wing, adjacent to the White House Mess dining hall, was chosen as the location. Several names were considered for the facility, from “Nerve Center” to “Executive Coordination Center,” but President Kennedy ultimately chose "Situation Room," a term coined by military researchers.

The Situation Room became crucial during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced his decision to remove missiles from Cuba on Radio Moscow. The message was intercepted by the Situation Room staff and quickly relayed to President Kennedy. The timely communication prevented the crisis from potentially escalating.

The office in the Situation Room under President John F. Kennedy (1961)

The first configuration of the Situation Room under President John F. Kennedy (1961)

Initially, the Situation Room was a modest facility with only seven positions, including phones, monitors, and a small conference area that could accommodate about a dozen people. The staff required top-level security clearances, vetted by the Secret Service, and were trained in secure protocols.

The Situation Room initially had seven positions “Some phones, monitors, and spots in the back, the President’s secure conference room was next to the command or watch center. The President’s Situation Room was not very large, it only accommodates about a dozen people around the conference table. That’s how the Situation Room engaged the world. Probably the smallest staff, and the youngest by age of all watch centers anywhere in the United States government or anywhere in the world.”

The facility had a conference room with secure communications systems; the wood panels over the walls hide audio, video, and other systems.

The White House Watch Center

Conference Room part of the Situation Room (1980)

President Lyndon B. Johnson, frequently used the Situation Room to monitor the Vietnam War. In contrast, President Nixon avoided it due to his dislike of the National Security Council's domain, a sentiment Henry Kissinger attributed to "Situation Room syndrome." 

LBJ in the Sit Room during the Vietnam war

President Gerald Ford preferred using the Oval Office to assert his presidential legitimacy. 

The historic room pictured below was used by nine sitting United States Presidents including Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to make decisions that still affect us today.

President Ronald Reagan, “wanted to be in the place where things happened.”

The Situation Room has been central to major historical moments, including the events of September 11, 2001. After the attacks began, the room was staffed with three duty officers, a communicator, and a few others who refused to evacuate. This was also true with  the WHCA Signal board and Comm Center in the OEOB both stayed fully operational.

Recalling the morning of September 11, 2001, after two planes had already crashed into the World Trade Center’s twin towers, American flight 77 began turning south, away from the White House. It continued heading south for roughly a minute, before turning west and beginning to circle back. This news prompted the Secret Service to order the immediate evacuation the White House and the immediate relocation of the Vice President to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) to a little used cold war bunker located below the East Wing of the White House.

Once inside, Vice President Cheney and the agents paused in an area of the tunnel that had a secure phone, a bench, and television. The Vice President asked to speak to the President, but it took time for the call to be connected. He learned in the tunnel that the Pentagon had been hit, and he saw television coverage of smoke coming from the building,  

There were so many people running toward what everybody knew was a potential target the White House Situation Room peaked at 27 bodies that refused to evacuate. The WHCA staffed  Signal switchboard and Comm. Center located in the adjacent OEOB also remined  when the White House was evacuated.

Vice President Cheney with senior staff in the President's Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), the cold war-era bunker under the white house

For more than four decades, the Situation Room at the White House has been the hub of presidential activity during historic moments, from the Cuban missile crisis to 9/11, but for all of its importance, it had fallen way behind the technological curve.  A major renovation, was needed and completed in December 2006, and introduced new technology, including NEC plasma flat-screen TVs and LG LCD TVs, to support secure videoconferences. The upgrade aimed to address the growing need for cybersecurity and modern communication tools.

In 2011, during the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama and other officials watched in real time from an adjacent conference room, highlighting the room's evolving role in real-time decision-making. The famous photo of then-President Barack Obama, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others watched in real time as U.S. special forces raiding a compound in Pakistan and killing Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader who planned the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

The president and his national security team as they "receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden

The photo was actually not taken in the main area of the Situation Room but in an adjacent conference room where they could get a better feed from WHCA. This remodel changed the capabilities of the main room to fix that.

Situation Room as it is configured today

A comprehensive renovation in 2023 further modernized the Situation Room, with enhanced security and technology upgrades costing over $50 million. The new facility features modern aesthetics, advanced communication systems, and improved security measures. The main meeting room, named the "Kennedy Room," honors President Kennedy's role in establishing the Situation Room. It includes a large wooden table with 12 chairs, surrounded by screens capable of displaying classified and unclassified information. The room is equipped to handle secure calls and video feeds from agencies worldwide.

Completed renovations of the Situation Room of the White House as seen, Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Everything, from the wood to the carpet, was picked, with security and acoustics in mind. There are rows of built-in speakers on the ceiling and digital clocks on the walls that are set based on the info that is needed -- but that also always show the time zone that the president is in.

The seal behind the desk rotates depending on who is leading the meeting: the president, vice president, the White House national security adviser and so on. On one huge wall there are eight screens and then there are three screens on each side wall of the room. Classified feeds from any agency and around the world can be plugged in, secure calls with foreign leaders can be set up -- and a lot more that officials wouldn't disclose.

The main meeting room has been designated the "Kennedy" room

The President and Vice President still have their own door to the facility while everyone else, from the Secretary of State to the chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff and beyond, must enter through the main reception area: a row of desks with wood paneling and grey stonework.

One wing of the space is a big room with walls of monitors and 17 workstations, all with several individual monitors on the "watch floor".  On-duty officers, who are mostly detailed to the White House from the Pentagon or departments of State and Homeland Security, sit at these desks in 12-hour shifts, monitoring, taking in and distributing classified intelligence. It's the backbone of the facility.

This is the "watch floor," a command center for the Situation Room where secure feeds are coordinated

The Situation Room remains the nerve center for the White House's crisis management, staffed 24/7 by officers from various agencies. These officers monitor, analyze, and distribute intelligence, ensuring the President and senior officials are informed and prepared for any situation.

The Presidential Service Badge 

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.

Presidential Emergency Operations Center
Type Of Activity	Crisis Management
Location
Location	The White House, Washington DC
Date of Activity	1942 to Present
Coordinates	38°53′52″N 77°02′11″W

Initially a bunker was constructed in the White House to protect President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the event of an aerial attack on Washington DC and this bunker has been an integral part of U.S. national security since World War II. During President Harry S. Truman’s extensive renovation of the White House from 1948 to 1952, the existing bunker was expanded into what is now known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). Situated beneath the East Wing of the White House, the PEOC is designed to handle nuclear contingencies, serving as a haven of security and communication for the President of the United States and other high-ranking officials during times of crisis. 

In 1956 the cold War was becoming a large National issue; President Eisenhower and his Administration was overly 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 also known as the Continuation of Government (COG). This Proposal presents the size and scope of certain Communications available today, at the National level.

The East Wing of the White House

The PEOC is likely to be the President's evacuation point in the event of an incoming ICBM, invasion, terrorist attack, or any other emergency. The PEOC is reportedly hardened to withstand up to 20 psi of blast overpressure from a nuclear detonation, boasting state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure to ensure the safety and functionality of its occupants.

The Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) in the East Wing of the White House

Over the years, the PEOC has undergone numerous upgrades. In 1988, the WHCA Signal switchboard was replaced by an AT&T Dimension 2000 system. This was later upgraded in 1994 to the Definity GR 3 with Dual Port Networks, connected via multimode fiber, and was referred to as the White House Switched Network (WHSN) during the Clinton Administration. The IST telephone, designed by Electrospace Systems Inc. and manufactured by Raytheon for the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN), was also a key component of this upgrade. The DRSN is the main secure telephone network for military command and control communications and connects all major US command centers and many other military facilities. However, during 9/11, it came out that the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN) didn't work like it should have.

The new system enhanced both the White House Admin Switchboard and WHCA’s Signal Switchboard, which consisted of 4,000 leased Centrex lines feeding three AT&T Definity GR 3 PBX switches with digital consoles. Lucent 8410 telephone sets are used with the internal telephone network for non-secure calls. The PEOC was also upgraded with modern communication equipment, including televisions and phones, to coordinate with external government entities. Secure communication channels, air filtration systems, and other critical infrastructure ensure no detail is overlooked in its construction. The IST telephone has been gradually replaced by the IST-2 since 2003.

The PEOC has been activated on several occasions throughout its existence. Its primary function is to protect the President and other key personnel in case of a security breach at the White House, including violations of the Washington, D.C. Air Defense Identification Zone (P-56 airspace). In such cases, as on September,11 2001, the President and other protectives are relocated to the executive briefing room adjacent to the PEOC.

North and South Towers of the World Trade Center and  the Marriot Vista Hotel at the base of the twin tower

On September 11, 2001, the PEOC played a significant role in the United States' response to the terrorist attacks. Vice President Dick Cheney, First Lady Laura Bush, Lynne Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Mary Matalin, and others were evacuated to the PEOC, where they coordinated the nation's response. President George W. Bush, visiting a school in Florida at the time, utilized the PEOC as the central command center, leveraging its advanced technology and secure communication channels.

While officials and other presidents had used the PEOC for drills and exercises, 9/11 was its first test in an actual emergency. The bunker's location is classified, and few are privy to its inner workings. What is known is that it is a massive underground facility with multiple layers, including living quarters, a medical suite, and conference rooms. The operations center, where the watch team fields phone calls, includes a conference room equipped with television screens, and a long conference table.

PEOC’s executive briefing room

The nation was shocked the moment that the news got out of the attack on the World Trade Center. Two planes, hijacked by Islamic jihadists vowing death to all Americans, plowed into both towers at the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane, presumably headed for the White House or the U.S. Capitol, was heroically diverted by passengers and ended up crashing in an empty field in Pennsylvania. After reports of the first plane hitting the North Tower, millions watched the second plane hit the South Tower on live television.

It was a terrifying, startling, and humbling event for the country. The 9/11 attacks were the deadliest on American soil since the shock attack at Pearl Harbor 60 years before, and the sense of outrage was reminiscent of that moment. The attacks in New York occurred in the country’s busiest city on a busy workday. And the staggered nature of the attacks meant that news footage captured almost everything as it happened, ensuring that millions of Americans saw the events precisely as they unfolded.

 Timeline September 11, 2001

5:45 AM – Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari, two of the intended hijackers, pass through security at the Portland International Jetport in Maine. They board a commuter flight to Boston Logan International Airport; they then board American Airlines Flight 11.

7:59 AM – American Airlines American Airlines Flight 11 a Boeing 767 carrying 81 passengers and 11 crew members, departs from Logan International Airport in Boston, bound for Los Angeles International Airport.

 8:14 AM – American Airlines Flight 11 is hijacked over central Massachusetts. There are five hijackers on board 

Flight paths of the hijacked planes 

8:15 AM – United Airlines Flight 175 a Boeing 767, carrying 56 passengers and 9 crew members, departs from Logan International Airport in Boston, bound for Los Angeles International Airport.

8:19 AM – A flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, alerts ground personnel that a hijacking is underway, and that the cockpit is unreachable.                                                     

8:20 AM – American Airlines Flight 77 a Boeing 757 with 58 passengers and 6 crew members, departs from Washington Dulles International Airport, for Los Angeles International Airport.

8:24 AM – Mohamed Atta, a hijacker on American Airlines Flight 11, unintentionally alerts air controllers in Boston to the attack. He meant to press the button that allowed him to talk to the passengers on his flight. 

8:37 AM – After hearing the broadcast from Atta on American Airlines Flight 11, Boston air traffic control alerts the US Air Force’s Northeast Defense Sector, who then mobilize the Air National Guard to follow the plane.

8:42 AM – United Airlines Flight 93 a Boeing 757 with 37 passengers and 7 crew members, departs from Newark International Airport, bound for San Francisco International Airport, after a delay due to routine traffic.

8:42–8:46 AM – United Airlines Flight 175 is hijacked above northwest New Jersey. There are five hijackers on board

8:46 AM – American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the north face of the North Tower 1 of the World Trade Center, between floors 93 and 99. All passengers aboard are instantly killed, and employees of the WTC are trapped above the 91^st floor.

8:50–8:54 AM – American Airlines Flight 77 is hijacked above southern Ohio. There are five hijackers on board

Flight 175 heads toward the South Tower 2 of the World Trade Center

9:03 AM – United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the south face of the South Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, between floors 77 and 85. All 65 all passengers aboard are killed instantly and so are an unknown number of people in the tower.

Flight 175 crashes into the south tower

9:05 AM – President George W. Bush, in an elementary school classroom in Florida, is informed about the hit on the second tower by his chief of staff, Andrew Card

9:28 AM – United Airlines Flight 93 was attacked by hijackers above northern Ohio. There are four hijackers on board and  forty passengers and crew members. These forty fought a battle in the sky over Pennsylvania. These 40 heroes voted and decided to fight back, thwarting a planned attack on our nation's capital. They saved the lives of many others, but sacrificed their own in a field just east of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania

9:34AM American Airlines Flight 77 began turning south, away from the White House. It continued heading south for roughly a minute, before turning west and beginning to circle back. This news prompted the Secret Service to order the immediate evacuation of the Vice President just before 9:36 AM. Agents propelled him out of his chair and told him he had to get to the bunker. The Vice President entered the underground tunnel leading to the PEOC.

9:37 AM Vice President Cheney and the agents paused in an area of the tunnel that had a secure phone, a bench, and television. The Vice President asked to speak to the President, but it took time for the call to be connected and he saw television coverage of smoke coming from the North Tower.

9:37 AM – American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the western side of the  Pentagon. All passengers aboard are instantly killed and so are 125 civilian and military personnel in the building.

The Pentagon is hit by flight 77

9:39 AM The Secret Service logged Mrs. Cheney’s arrival at the White House, and she joined her husband in the tunnel, where the Vice President was still on the phone with the President advising that three planes were missing, and one had hit the Pentagon. This is the same call in which the Vice President urged the President not to return to Washington. After the call ended, Mrs. Cheney and the Vice President moved from the tunnel to the JEOC executive briefing room. The Vice President learns about the Pentagon.

Vice President Cheney in the PEOC

President Bush, in Florida, talks to Vice President Cheney

9:45 AM – US airspace is shut down under Operation Yellow Ribbon. All civilian aircraft are ordered to land at the nearest airport. Once in the conference room of the PEOC the Vice President  was able see a monitor with a feed showing every airplane across the nation still in the air. there were thousands of little airplane symbols on it

Sample screen of approximately 700/800  United Airlines flights in the air at 10:00 AM

9:55 AM – Air Force One with President George W. Bush aboard takes off from Florida.

9:57 AM – Passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 begin to run up toward the cockpit. Jarrah, the pilot, begins to roll the plane back and forth in an attempt to destabilize the revolt.

9:59 AM – The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses. 56 minutes after the impact of. United Airlines Flight 175

The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses

10:02 AM – United Airlines Flight 93 plows into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Although its ultimate target is unknown, it was likely heading for either the White House or the US Capitol. Later reports indicate that passengers had learned about the World Trade Center and Pentagon crashes and were resisting the hijackers. All 44 people on board are killed in the crash.

Shanksville, Pennsylvania the site where flight 93 crashed

10:10 AM After the attacks had occurred, while crisis managers were still sorting out a number of unnerving false alarms, One of these alarms was of a reported threat against Air Force One itself, a threat eventually run down to a misunderstood communication in the hectic White House Situation Room that morning. While the plan at the elementary school had been to return to Washington, by the time Air Force One was airborne the Secret Service, the President’s advisers, and Vice President Cheney were strongly advising against it. President Bush reluctantly acceded to this advice and, Air Force One changed course and began heading due west. The immediate objective was to find a safe location—not too far away—where the President could land and speak to the American people. The Secret Service was also interested in refueling the aircraft and paring down the size of the traveling party. The President’s military aide, an Air Force officer, quickly researched the options and decided that Barksdale Air Force Base was an appropriate interim destination.

10:18 AM – After the planes struck the twin towers, a third took a chunk out of the Pentagon. President Bush authorized any non-grounded planes to be shot down. At that time, all four hijacked planes had already crashed but the president’s team was operating under the impression that United Airlines Flight 93 was still in the air. Vice President Cheney then heard a report that a plane over Pennsylvania was heading for Washington. A military assistant asked Cheney twice for authority to shoot it down. The vice president said yes. Then the word came that Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

Vice President Cheney in the PEOC on 9/11

President Bush initially thought the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania was the result of the shootdown order as did Vice President Cheney. Aides frantically called the White House Situation Room to find out whether a military jet had shot it down. It was then that they discovered the flight had crashed on its own. Everyone learned later that the passengers had tried to storm the cockpit to gain control of the aircraft.

10:28 AM – The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, 1 hour and 42 minutes after the impact of American Airlines Flight 11

The North Tower collapses 

 10:30 AM - The Marriott Vista Hotel at the base of the two towers is also destroyed

The Marriot Vista Hotel

10:50 AM – Five stories of the western side of the Pentagon collapse due to the fire.

10:53 AM – Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld orders the US military to move to a higher state of alert, going to DEFCON 3

AF1 at Barksdale AFB

10:30 AM – Air Force 1  lands at Barksdale Air Force Base, the home of the Air Force Global Strike Command near Shreveport, Louisiana. After getting the news of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center in New York, President George W. Bush left Florida and wanted to head back to Washington D.C. However, the Secret Service strongly objected and Air Force One headed to Barksdale AFB instead.

The Air Force Global Strike Command Center at Barksdale AFB

11:45 AM- A hurriedly organized speech site would be needed for the president to address the nation, including a simple wooden podium. President Bush addressed the nation with his first public comments from a conference room at the 8th Air Force Headquarters.

President Busch confers with top aides

When Air Force One landed at Barksdale at about 10:30 AM, personnel from the local Secret Service office were still en route to the airfield. The motorcade consisted of a military police lead vehicle and a van; the proposed briefing theater had no phones or electrical outlets. Staff scrambled to prepare another room for the President’s remarks, while the lead Secret Service agent reviewed the security situation with superiors in Washington. The President completed his statement, which for security reasons was taped and not broadcast live, and then the traveling party returned to Air Force One.

President Busch addresses the nation from Barksdale AFB

12:15 PM – Approximately 2:30 hrs. after the FAA issued the order, airspace in the United States is completely free of thousands of commercial and private flights.

1:30 PM – Air Force 1 leaves Barksdale AFB.

2:30 PM – Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York City, visits the fallen Twin Towers of the World Trade Center at what becomes known as Ground Zero.

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and New York Mayor Giuliani at Ground Zero

3:00 PM – Air Force 1 lands at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and President Bush is immediately taken to a secure bunker that is capable of withstanding a nuclear attack. The next destination was discussed: once again the Secret Service recommended against returning to Washington, and the Vice President agreed.

President Bush arrives at Offutt AFB

Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska was chosen because of its elaborate command and control facilities, and because it could accommodate overnight lodging for 50 persons. The Secret Service wanted a place where the President could spend several days, if necessary.

3:15 PM, President Bush met with his principal advisers through a secure video teleconference. Rice said President Bush began the meeting with the words, “We’re at war,” and that Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet said the agency was still assessing who was responsible, but the early signs all pointed to al Qaeda. The Secretary of Defense had directed the nation’s armed forces to Defcon 3, an increased state of military readiness. For the first time in history, all nonemergency civilian aircraft in the United States were grounded, stranding tens of thousands of passengers across the country.

A secure video teleconference with the PEOC

Contingency plans for the continuity of government and the evacuation of leaders had been implemented. The Pentagon had been struck; the White House or the Capitol had narrowly escaped direct attack so extraordinary security precautions were also put in place at the nation’s borders and ports.

4:30 PM – Air Force 1 leaves Offutt and heads back toward Andrews Air Force base near Washington, DC. In the late afternoon, the President overruled his aides’ continuing reluctance to have him return to Washington and ordered Air Force One back to Andrews Air Force Base. He was flown by helicopter back to the White House, passing over the still-smoldering Pentagon.

President Bush returns to Washington

5:30 PM – Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapses. Debris from the North Tower ignited fires on at least 10 floors of World Trade Center 7, some of which burned out of control because the automatic sprinkler system for some floors had failed (partly due to city water lines damaged by the collapse of the Twin Towers).

Building 7 of the World Trade Center

6:00 PM - President Bush returns to the White House and joins Vice President Cheney in the PEOC.

In the PEOC just prior to his speech addressing the events of the day

8:30 PM – President Bush addresses the nation. President Bush goes on national TV to address the nation from the White House. After emphasizing that the first priority was to help the injured and protect against any further attacks, he said: “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” He quoted Psalm 23—“though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . .” No American, he said, “will never forget this day.”

President Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office

9:00 PM Following his speech, President Bush met again with his National Security Council (NSC), expanded to include Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and Joseph Allbaugh, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who had returned from Peru after hearing of the attacks, joined the discussion. They reviewed the day’s events.

National Security Council and others meet in the PEOC ‘s executive briefing room

When the meeting with the NSC concluded the Secret Service suggested that President Bush and Mrs. Bush spend the night in the PEOC, but they declined the antiquated furniture in the living quarters of the PEOC, choosing to return to the residence in the White House instead.

President Bush, the First Lady, Vice President Cheney and others prepare to leave the PEOC for the evening

Vice President Cheney and his staff were transported by helicopter to Camp David that night, returning to the White House the following day thus ending the need for the PEOC.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, combined with emerging demands from a tech-savvy administration, emphasized the critical need for reliable, real-time, and secure information flow to the President and his staff. September 11 was the first real test of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) during a crisis, exposing the deficiencies in the existing communication systems. This event underscored the issues the Department of Defense (DOD) had already identified. WHCA had already embarked on a significant modernization effort, and by September 11, they had a clear understanding of what was needed. The attacks only intensified the urgency of these efforts.

The transformation plan for this information technology overhaul included a realignment of core functions and missions within the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), along with a series of technological upgrades. Many of these improvements were initiated before September 11. At the end of 2000, the U.S. Defense Department assessed the President’s communication capabilities, focusing on DOD support to the commander in chief.

In the three years following September 11, there were significant changes in the presidential communication systems, largely driven by WHCA, which accelerated their efforts after the attacks. Although much has been accomplished, continued enhancements are necessary to ensure the President and his staff can fully leverage the benefits of advancing technology.

WHCA began evaluating each of its existing systems, examining their capacities and capabilities, and exploring the potential of Internet technology. This evaluation encompassed everything from office phones to the mobile systems that travel with the President, as well as the communications systems on aircraft. WHCA identified around 41 projects that required attention, prioritizing 11 of the largest and most complex under the Pioneer Project.

This initiative included upgrading all IP networks supporting WHCA’s role in White House operations, converging data, voice, and video on those networks, introducing a new IP-capable mobile band, enhancing the secure voice environment known as the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN). Which, during 9/11, it came out that the Red Switch did not perform like it should have, and finally to expand the use of various military communications satellites.

In 2010, workers broke ground on the North Lawn of the White House for another underground project. Although officially described as an update to electrical and air conditioning systems, speculation suggests it was a cover for constructing a new White House bunker under the East Wing. While the area reportedly wasn’t in use under President Barack Obama’s administration, some believe the PEOC underwent renovation between 2010 and 2012 as $375 million was used for an upgrade at the White House, it’s probably safe to assume this state-of-the-art shelter features something more comfortable than a few fold-out beds from the 1940s for the principle parties. by almost all accounts part of the project included a new, massively expanded, PEOC—one complete with the latest communications, computer systems, and environmental technologies that could allow the President and their staff to operate unimpeded for extended periods of time during a crisis. In other words, we are likely talking about a fortified, deeply buried, five-story office building—an underground emergency White House if you will—that is in itself akin to a giant Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), which would also make it an ideal locale for holding highly sensitive meetings. 

In an increasingly uncertain world, the importance of the PEOC cannot be overstated. It represents the country's commitment to preparedness and dedication to ensuring the safety and security of its people. In the face of adversity, the PEOC stands as a testament to the resilience and strength of the United States, embodying the enduring American spirit.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum opened on the site of the former World Trade Center on September 11, 2011, and features reflecting pools in the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood.

 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.

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.

The USSS CP at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg PA

DCSU would also be responsible for communications at the LBJ Ranch in Johnson City TX, as well as President Nixon’s homes in San Clemente Ca. and Key Biscayne Fl.

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. 

WHCA Support Trips that I personally worked

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

Camp David Communications Railroad Car ”Crate”
HF Radio Console
Type Of Activity	Equipment test and Trip
Location
Location	Harrisburg Pa to Washington DC
Date of Activity	20 Jul 1966 to 25 Jul 1966
Coordinates	40.20765°N 76.84039°W

In recognition to the Army Signal personnel and their unusual assignment POTUS

The Presidential Train Ferdinand Magellan - White House communications via, 3WTE on wheels. We feature the U.S. Army Signal Corps., General Albert J. Myer, and Radio Railcar installation. 

One fall day in October 1956 12 noon EDT will long be remembered by hundreds of 14 MHZ SSB State side amateurs. It was the day W3WTE was, of all places, 60 feet below the Cleveland, Ohio, Railway Terminal Tower Station working the bands. The detail was called “Operation Earthworm” We have a QSL courtesy of W3WTE.

“POTUS” an acronym, stands for President of the United States! The special railroad car of the White House was used when the President was away from home, equipped with a luxury living rolling home, a lecture platform, communications, safety and hospital car, press corps and energy car. This amazing city on wheels was at times a nightmare for the Secret Service, Railroad and logistics involved in the Presidents safety. There was an advanced two car train and each crossing was inspected by the Secret Service and rail authorities.

Above radio control console occupies part interior of presidential communications General Myers Car.  Multiple control panels, a maze of gadgets for radio broadcasts, radio photo transmission, tape recordings of presidential speeches and incoming and outgoing teletype printer copy.

The generator room

The WHCA communications car (Crate)

Two diesel AC generators are on the right side of car, can supply enough power to operate the train in any capacity. Mr. Charles Clemens K6QD spoke of his duties much earlier when first assigned to Presidential Communications in 1942. He was chosen to be the first CW operator between the Presidential Train and the White House via HF radio in railroad Car 1401, “The White House on Wheels.”

Clemens explained some front seats had been removed and an operating table installed full of radio devices in their place. Telegraph lines alongside the tracks provided a lot of clicks that made it difficult to copy poor signals, mainly in the southwest part of the U.S.A. The clearance requirements for railroad cars prohibited using a real antenna. The radio operators used a wire inside an insulating tube mounted on standoffs about six inches above the metal roof of the car. This was later changed to a copper tube, the same size as the insulating tube, with much better results. Continued the frequency complement ran from 3 MHZ to 17 MHZ. (Car 1401 built in 1914 would be replaced in the 50s by the modern General Albert Myer car) Myer was the first Signal Corps Commander. Clemens K6QD Signal Corps operator said “I was supposed to contact a number of Army stations along our shakedown trip in 1942 riding the rails, none of them more than a couple of hundred miles from our route. As might be expected, results were poor and it was decided to contact WAR in the Pentagon at Washington direct. Successful contacts were made from New Orleans and on the way home. 

The only real difficulty came when we were close to Washington DC.” Clemens added “Overall, our results were encouraging and we were assigned the task of accompanying President Roosevelt on his swing stumping around the country visiting military bases and aircraft plants. 

Equipment and facilities were improved over the years and when Clemens left in 1948, the car had a small operating room, a code center, a small bunk room with four bunks, a lounge room and the baggage half of the car packed with equipment.

Clemens continued “To make a long story quite short, I worked six years on the Presidential Train, traveling with Presidents Roosevelt and Truman in the United States, Canada and Mexico. We logged well over a hundred thousand miles.” Today, the train is no more, Old 1401 is gone, only known by gild of 1401 above the entry door, Gen. Myer car has been retired and the Ferdinand Magellan is restored and on display in Florida.

The small detachment that Clemens knew had evolved into the White House Army Signal Agency and finally White House Communications Agency. They wouldn’t believe how much equipment they could eliminate by satellite communications today.   

Copy of the POTUS QSL W3WTE

Partially scripted from March, 1975 Ham Radio Magazine article, “Brass Pounding on Wheels”, by K6QD CC Jr., and Railroad Magazine February 1953. Thanks to Glenn Laser W3WTE for a copy of the POTUS QSL. Glenn advised the card was found at a yard sale or Ham fest in WV and presented to him. - It would be a pleasure to sit and talk with Mr. Clemens today, but I believe he is a silent key because the call has been reissued several times. I can’t come up with anything on the two communications coaches whether they avoided he cutters torch.

When the Ferdinand Magellan was taken out of service in 1958, The two communication railcars were moved and during the 1960’s and 70’s and stored at the New Cumberland Army Depot just outside of Harrisburg, Pa. The communications car was to be maintained by WHASA/WHCA out of Camp David. Their mission was to provide communications for the President, while on trips, whether campaigning for office, or traveling via rail. 

President Kennedy used Crate on one of the last official trips when he went to the Army Navy football game in Philadelphia in 1961.

President Kennedy departing Philadelphia

President Kennedy departing Philadelphia

The official call sign of the Presidential Train was City Hall this was used when the train was actually in use, but Crate was used as the un-official call sign by the Camp David (Cactus) personnel that maintained the communications equipment onboard. Crate consisted of two old WWII train cars. They were 85' in length, painted Olive Drab, with three axel trucks. One was a converted Hospital Car. This car was converted into living quarters for SS and WHASA / WHCA personnel. It had a small kitchen, some bunks for sleeping, a small bathroom with a shower and a living area. An old Hallicrafters SX-63 was installed for entertainment.

The Presidential Rail Car “Crate” is shown at the Thirteenth Street Station in Philadelphia (1961)

The Presidential Rail Car “Crate” is shown at the Thirteenth Street Station in Philadelphia (1961)

The Radio car was a converted something and appeared to have been gutted and then built as required.  There was a window installed so the operation could be viewed from the hallway that passed between the rail cars. As you were sitting at the console behind you, there was a large glass window which was by the walkway in the left side of the car. Looking out that glass window past the walkway was another large glass window which was on the car body. If anyone on the platform were to look into the car window, they would see the whole console and operators.

 Lounge Area (1961)

Ron Danielson in the Radio Room (1961)

The Radio Car had to be placed on the tracks, so it faced the Hospital car because of the coax connectors on the front end. The train had to be configured with the Hospital car toward the train engine and the Radio or Communications Car following. The coax connectors on the Hospital car were connected by coax jumpers to the coax connectors on the Communications Car. This was also because on the opposite end, (from the coax connector end) were connectors which carried audio to the end of the train.

The last car would be an Observation Car where the President would ride, stand and speak to the crowds, who would come to see him while on campaign trips.

Switchboard Room

The Radio Car had a console installed which handled all the HF Comm. equipment, the audio amps and VU Meters for the audio PA function and two patch panels for audio routing. It also had rooms for the AC power generators, radio equipment, switchboard and a small Comm. Center.

The radio console consisted of two HF Receivers (R-390A), two SSB/ISB Converters (CV-157) and a TTY converter (CV-116). The TMC GPT-750W transmitters were used for phone patch audio and TTY traffic.

The radio Console in (1961)

On the top of this car was two HF antennas designed by Collins Radio. Hard to explain, but in the center of the roof of the car the antennas were grounded to the roof using three 90 degree elbows. A total of six, three for each antenna about 6 to 8 inches in diameter which fed three pipes in each direction to the end of the cars. About 3' from the end of antennas, the three pipes were bonded together and fed at that point, with 50 ohm coax, to connectors on the trailing side of the car. The pipes were supported by insulators from the center ground, out to the ends.

The Communications Car on the siding in VA. (1961)

 Radio Antennas on Radio Car

The two cars were stored at Indian Town Gap Army Depot near Harrisburg, Pa. primarily because President Eisenhower used it several times and it was close to Gettysburg and his farm.  In early 1967 I actually took a trip on the Presidential Train (Crate) from Harrisburg to Union Station in DC, and back.  All of the guys from M Street came down for a tour we spent the night and went back the next day.  It was a total farce, I think the officers wanted to get away for a couple of days and have a party.  There was some story about LBJ taking a train ride to Philadelphia for the Army - Navy game, but of course it never happened.  I have always wondered if LBJ ever knew that he had something other AF-1 at his disposal. 

In the late 1960’s the TMC GPT-750 W transmitter, R-390's and CV-157's were replaced with a Collins Radio state of the art transmitter/receiver, with automatic antenna tuners. The control units were mounted in the console, with the main TX / RX equipment mounted in two 6' 19" racks.

There is no confirmation as to when “Crate” was removed from service or the disposition of.

 

UPDATE:WHASA/WHCA                                                 Communications Railcar “Crate”
General Albert J Myer USA 87325 with Morn Car USA 89426
Type Of Activity	Communications support
Location
Location	Washington DC
Date of Activity	1966
Coordinates	38°53′52″N 77°02′11″W

                      

After the Presidential Railcar Ferdinand Magellan was retired and acquired by the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in 1958, Crate and the Staff Car (Morn) were sent to storage at the New Cumberland Army Depot Just across the river from Harrisburg PA.

Built out of an old hospital car in 1951, the General Albert J. Myer (labeled POTUS 1), USA 87325 the communications car, this car replaced the older ‘Car 1401′ which always accompanied the presidential train the Ferdinand Magellan. Following the Myer was the Morn (labeled POTUS 2), USA 89426 which was also built from a hospital car and was the living quarters for the personnel of the Myer. It included a small kitchen, bunk beds, a small bathroom with a shower and a living area.

Crate in St Louis in 1961
   

There is a series of photos on the Kennedy Museum website, dated November 1961 taken at Union Station St. Louis MO showing WHASA personnel preparing Crate for a trip by President Kennedy to the Army Navy Football game in Philadelphia, in December 1961. (No explanation as to why Crate was in MO it was probably a training/test run prior to the actual trip.) There are also Photos of Crate at the 13th Street Station in Philadelphia dated December 2nd 1961.

WHASA/WHCA personnel from Camp David continued to maintain the communications equipment, through the late 60’s. The last time that I saw Crate was on July 27, 1966 when we returned from an overnight trip to Union Station in Washington D.C. Shortly after I was assigned to Cannonball just outside Mercersburg Pa.

It wasn't until a couple of years ago when I started communicating with people that I had served with in WHCA that we tried to find out what had happened to Crate.  One person remembers going up to the Depot in PA from Camp David to work on Crate in the fall of 1967. Another person says that during the “Fuel Crises” of 1973, they went up to the Depot to look at the cars for a possible rail trip by President Nixon to Key Biscayne FL. The trip was eventually made by commercial Airline. No one that we talked to seemed remember or know when Crate was decommissioned or where it was today!

Recently I received a comment on my blog from an anonymous contributor identifying the whereabouts of Crate today along with several pictures. Several people were involved with supplying information relative with the suggested time line that follows. This is what we believe what happened To Crate!

Crate remained in service and functional until it was stripped of all of the Communications equipment and retired from Presidential Service sometime in 1974. It is believed that the Communications Car (Myer) USA 87325 went to Ft. Belvoir VA and of the Staff Car (Morn) USA 89426 was sent to Ft. Eustis TX.  It is not known why Crate was split up or what if any was the Army’s intended use of these cars.

In 1978 Crate the Communications Car USA 87325 (POTUS 1) was purchased by NASA Kennedy Space Center Railroad System.

As part of the effort, in 1978, KSC purchased an old Army Signal Corps communications car (U.S. Army 87325) for use as an office/tool room.  This car was constructed during World War II as a hospital car and remodeled in 1950 as the “Presidential Communications Car” and accompanied the “Ferdinand Magellan” armored Presidential Pullman whenever the U.S. President traveled by train. (POTUS 1) U.S. Army 87325, which became NLAX 150 upon its purchase by NASA, the car was retrofitted for duty by the newly hired railroad crew, which became part of the new Transportation Operations team within KSC. “KSC to Start Rail Operations,” Spaceport News, March 17, 1978: 1-3.

NASA disposed of General Albert J Myer USA 87325 in 1987, and it was acquired by the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. The museum was also informed about several other hospital style cars that were in Ft Eustis VA and they were also available. While the museum was at Ft Eustis they discovered that the Staff Car (Morn) USA 87325 was found!  The Gold Coast Railroad Museum acquired both the Myer and Morn cars and Crete was re-united in FL at the GCRM! The paperwork relative to the acquisition of Crate was completed by the Florida Division of Surplus Property.

Work was progressing on these cars when Andrew hit in 1992. Andrew caused extensive damage to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum and to the cars that they were restoring. FEMA claimed that they would put all non-profits back to their pre-Andrew condition. Myer, Morn, the Jim Crow combine, and Hospital car 89436 were selected to go to Steamtown for repairs.

Rather than give the museum funds to restore the Myer and Morn, they along with a Hospital Car #89436 and a Combination “Jim Crow Car” were sent to the National Park Service Steam Town Park in Scranton PA for restoration. Patrick McKnight, Historian/Archivist for Steam Town Park told me that the Hospital Car and Jim Crow car were restored and returned to the GCRM. The Myer and Morn were not restored, due to a lack of funds and documentation of what the interiors of the Myer and Morn looked like. The communications equipment would have been removed when the cars were taken out of service, and NASA modified the interior when they purchased the Myer in 1978. The cars were placed in storage for several years until there was an Executive order issued to either donate or sell the Myer and Morn to the Hollywood Railroad Station Museum Inc.


Meyer Comm Car at GCRM just prior to Andrew (1992)

Morn Staff Carat GCRM just prior to Andrew  (1992)

In 2001 The Hollywood Railroad Station Museum Inc. stepped in and got the Myer and Moen donated to them through an Executive order for a train to commemorate Dorothy Walker Bush (The mother and grandmother of the two Bush Presidents, and FL Governor Jeb Bush) dubbed the “Dorothy Walker Bush Great Floridian 2000.” The train was to consist of the Myer, Morn and 3 other cars. Grants were received from the State of Florida for the project, but little to no restoration was ever done.  Presidential train gets on track - South Florida Business Journal Published Aug 15, 2005, 12:00 am EDT UPDATED: Aug 11, 2005, 4:28 pm EDT

In 2005, Tony Campos, project director at the Hollywood Railroad Station Museum, was tasked with creating a train to commemorate Dorothy Walker Bush dubbed the “Dorothy Walker Bush Great Floridian 2000.” The train was to include the 1924 FEC Engine 253, the Myer and Morn, a mail car used in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, a “Jim Crow” segregation-era car, and the Direct Orient Express ice cream parlor. He was granted $375,000 by the Florida Division of Historical Resources and was expected to have the cars ready for display by June 2006.

In 2006, Campos acknowledged the restoration wasn't going to be completed on-time and cited hurricanes, a break-in, sketchy historical documents, lack of grant money, and a PBS documentary crew’s delay in filming the project. In October 2006, the Florida Division of Historical Resources sent a letter to Campos asking about the expenditures of the grant money. Campos then disappeared; he never responded, he didn't answer phone calls and is was hardly ever at his office at the station. It was requested he return the money or face legal action. The project director was eventually arrested for misappropriation of funds. He’s since been arrested and is thought to be out on parole as of this writing.

The Cars remain on a rail siding in Miami. Technically they are still owned by the Hollywood Railroad Station Museum, however; neither the museum nor the Florida East Coast Railroad has any interest in restoring them.  Dorothy Walker Bush Great Floridian 2000 – Florida's Forgotten Past  Published on August 19, 2013 by Bullet

What’s left of the failed project now sits rotting away behind a South Florida warehouse. Among them are two train cars thought to be presidential trains cars, with the names (POTUS 1) and (POTUS 2) stenciled on the sides of cars, sit on wood blocks at the front of the tracks.

Myer Communications Car USA 87325 POTUS 1 (2005)

Staff Car (Morn) USA 89426 POTUS 2 (2005)

According to this article Crate which consists of (POTUS 1) the Albert J Myer communications car and (POTUS 2) is the Morn Staff car sits on a railroad siding in Miami. No one that I have talked that actually was aboard Crate can remember if the cars that we maintained were actually labeled POTUS 1 or POTUS 2); however, a closer look at all of the photographs from this article and others that have been published leads me to conclude that the cars identified as POTUS 1 and POUTS 2 are likely to be Crate. Update: POTUS Train Cars Identified  Published on November 7, 2013.  By Bullet

Myer Communications Car USA 87325 POTUS 1 (1961)

Myer Communications Car USA 87325 POTUS I  (2013)

By comparing the window pattern of the car identified as POTUS I, it is probably the communications car USA 87325. A close look at the HF antenna system unique to the communications car was a special system designed by Collins Radio. This was a complex system for the time. The overhead pictures of the antenna system on the cars in service in the 1960,s (below) and the car identified as POTUS I today appear to be the same.

In service Antenna System Myer Communications Car USA 87325 (1961)

In service Antenna System Myer Communications Car USA 87325 (1961)

Antenna insulator found next to Myer Communications Car USA 87325 POTUS 1
  

Remains of the Antenna System Myer Communications Car USA 87325 (2013)

Interior pictures of  POTUS 1 and POTUS 2 that were used to try to identify the Radio Room and the Staff/Lounge areas was difficult but, I believe the picture below is of the Radio Room.

Ron Danielson in the Radio Room (1961)

Radio Room (1961)

Radio Room (2005)

Aisle looking from the Radio Room door towards the vestibule end of the car (2005)

I believe that the POTUS 2 (Morn) can be identified as the Staff/Lounge car from the interior pictures that were provided by the article.



Staff Car (Morn) USA 89426 POTUS 2 (1961)

Staff Car (Morn) USA 89426 POTUS 2 (2005)

Some interior photos of Crate at Union Station in St Louis (1961) found in the JFK Library were also used in the comparison. These are the only known photos of the interior of the Staff/Lounge Car.

Staff sleeping area looking toward Lounge Area (1961)

Lounge area looking towards the restroom, deep freezers, and kitchen.(2005)

Lounge area (1961)  

Lounge Area (2005)

Since no one is interested in restoring these two railcars, the fate of Crate appears to be the salvage yard and extinction!

Updates to the status of Crate can be found in the Railway Preservation News Subject: Hollywood Florida Railroad Museum & the Presidential Train

Dallastown, Pennsylvania
Entering Dallastown
Elevation	876 ft. (267 m)
Location
Location	York County, Pa, USA
Incorporated	1866
Coordinates	39°54′0″N 76°38′27″W

28 Aug 66 to York PA for Dallastown Rally with President Johnson

I was working at Camp David for about ten months before I was assigned to President Lyndon Johnson’s trip team when he visited Dallastown Pa. as part of the town's centennial celebration. The president and his wife, Lady Bird, keynoted the Dallastown Centennial Celebration on Sept. 4, 1966.

Since this was my first trip I was teamed up with two other radio guys from the Shop in Washington DC. CWO Pierre Fontaine was assigned as the Trip Officer he was my CO at Camp David. Mr. Fontaine and I drove to York Pa. on Aug 28th to meet the radio guys who had driven from the shop in DC with all of the communications equipment. We met with a marketing representative from GTE at the Travelodge in York and advised him of the pending visit and the telephone circuits required for all of the Communication equipment necessary to Support the President, Secret Service and White House Staff during this trip.

The Travelodge in York Pa.

The GTE Central Office in York Pa.

Our first order of business was to meet with the Secret Service and Staff Advance people to get the Trip Itinerary and to determine the locations that we would use to install the Switchboard, Comm. Center and also identify sites for the FM radio base stations.

The President and Mrs. Johnson would arrive on Air Force One at Harrisburg International Airport and motorcade the 39 miles to Dallastown. After his speech they would then return to Harrisburg International Airport for their departure back to Washington DC.

The Motorcade route from Harrisburg Pa.to Dallastown Pa.

With only six days to install everything we went to work. We met with the GTE operations people at their central office in York Pa. and obtained spaces for the WHCA Switchboard and Comm. Center in The GTE CO. Once that was taken care of we started our Radio Survey by driving the motorcade route in search of possible radio sites that would insure coverage of the entire route. We would discover two locations with radio towers already in place. These towers were located at the WXQXA-FM Radio station in York and the FAA radio site overlooking Harrisburg International Airport. These sites were ideal because they had direct line of site of Interstate 83, the main route of the motorcade would travel. Once permission and access was obtained to the radio sites, we would drive the entire motorcade route checking radio coverage. GTE was then contacted and the orders were placed for our remote keying lines to be run from the WHCA switchboard in York to each of the FM Radio base stations.

Baker/Charlie (Secret Service) and Sierra (White House Staff) base stations were installed at WXQXA-FM and at the FAA radio tower in Harrisburg; the remote keying lines were installed and tested to the remote consoles at the WHCA Switchboard in York which was now operational.

The 125’ FAA radio site near Harrisburg Pa.

WXQXA-FM Radio Site in York Pa.

By Friday we were finished with installing the radio network and all that remained was to set up the Presidential motorcade just before the arrival of Air Force One the next day.

Early on Saturday morning we headed to the Harrisburg Airport with several Motorola (P-33) radios to be placed inside the vehicles that would make up the motorcade. The President's Limo had already arrived from DC and motorcade was complete and ready for the President and Mrs. Johnson.

One final install needed to be completed, the Chopper Pack! Since LBJ took office the Secret Service required a surveillance chopper to be deployed to cover all motorcades that took place. This was to insure that no snipers were on billboards, radio towers, rooftops or any other vantage point. Local law enforcement officers would be positioned on freeway overpasses and at the on /off ramps. The chopper Pack consisted of two Motorola P-33 (B/C) radios to communicate with the USSS agents in the motorcade. Two headphones with push to talk microphones and a connection to the helicopter’s intercom system so the USSS agent on board could talk to the Pilots.

The surveillance Chopper a Huey UH-1

This would be my first flight in a helicopter and I was a little apprehensive about the trip ahead. The chopper that was used was a US Army Huey UH-1, the type used in Vietnam; the pilots were both vets of Vietnam. The Huey has a large door on either side that could be opened during flight with jump seats facing outward. Once I secured the radios, I took my place in one of the jump seats with the Chopper Pack between my legs and tested the radios and intercom. I then fastened my lap belt and was ready for the flight. The USSS agent strapped himself next to me in a contraption called a monkey belt. This devise allowed him to move around and even stand while we were in the air. He then removed an M-16 from its carrying case, loaded it and sat down next to me. We were ready to go just as soon as Air Force One was on its final approach.

LBJ and Lady Bird arrive at Harrisburg International Airport

LBJ arrives aboard Air Force One

LBJ is greeted by the crowd at Harrisburg International Airport

Shortly after the President and first lady arrived at the airport and was greeted by Congressman N. Neiman Craley Jr. the entourage departed by motorcade.

We were already in the air following the 29 mile route looking out for anything that might present a risk to the motorcade. Now I always thought that Helicopters went up and down, little did I know about their actual maneuverability until the USSS agent aboard spotted someone running across a field toward the highway and with the approaching motorcade told the pilot to turn around to check out the situation? The Pilot made a very sharp turn putting the Huey on its side, here I am looking straight ahead looking at the highway and the USSS Agent standing in up in the monkey belt. To this day I can’t believe he didn't fall out, I suppose the force from that tight turn was enough! It turned out that the person below never made it to the highway, and we continued on.

The motorcade arrived in Dallastown and president and Mrs. Johnson were greeted by a friendly audience. Congressman N. Neiman Craley Jr. served as grand marshal of a parade to celebrate Dallastown’s 100th anniversary, where President Johnson spoke.

The President addresses residents of Pa. in Dallastown

Read the President’s Speech Here.

The First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson is greeted in Dallastown

The speech had concluded and it was time to depart Dallastown and return to Harrisburg Airport where we would prepare for the departure of Air Force One, and then collect all of the radio equipment from the motorcade and any staff member that was issued one for the short stay in Pa.

The President had departed Harrisburg and headed back to Washington DC and we headed back to York to start packing up all of the equipment we had installed over the past week. On Sunday morning it was time to visit the two radio sites and retrieve the base stations Antennas and Coax from these locations and get them ready to return to Washington DC. Once all Of The equipment was inventoried and loaded on a truck. I left York and returned to Camp David. This would be the first of many trips world wide that I would participate during my assignment with the White House.

U.S. Embassy in Manila P.I.
U.S. Embassy in Manila P.I.
Coordinates:                                        14°35′N 120°58′
Country	Philippines
Settled	June 10, 1754
Elevation	16.0 m (52 ft.)
Population (2007)	1,660,714

26 Oct 66 to Manila PI with President Johnson

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and one of the 16 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with a population of 20 million people. It is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay on the western side of the island of Luzon.

Manila was the site of the fiercest battle in the Pacific theater during the war. During the battle, Manila became a city of bloodbath in Asia where 100,000 civilians were killed. It was the second most devastated city in the world after Warsaw during the Second World War. Since then the city has been rebuilt.

During the Marcos dictatorship, the Manila metropolitan area region was enacted as an independent entity in 1975 encompassing several cities and towns. During the Lacson era, also known as The Golden Age, Manila was revitalized and became once again the pearl of the orient, which Manila has earned before the outbreak of World War II.

City of Manila

The leaders of the SEATO nations assembled at a Summit in Manila, hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on October 24, 1966. In attendance were Prime Minister Nguyen Cao KY (South Vietnam), Prime Minister Harold Holt (Australia), President Park Chung-hee (South Korea), President Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines), Prime Minister Keith Holyoake (New Zealand), Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu (South Vietnam), Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn (Thailand), and President Lyndon B. Johnson (United States).

SEATO Leaders in front of the Philippine Congressional Building

Although other subjects were discussed, the Vietnam War was the main topic. Prior to and Immediately after the Summit President Johnson would also make state visits, to New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Korea. On this particular trip to Southeast Asia the President also made a surprise trip to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam to visit with the troops fighting there.

Malacañang Palace Manila Philippines

President’s Marcos and Johnson and First Ladies

While in the Philippines, President Johnson had several private meetings with President Marcos at Malacañang Palace, like the White House, this is the official residence of the President of the Philippines. The palace was made famous as the home of President Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, who were its longest residents, from 1965 to 1986. As first lady, Mrs. Marcos oversaw the reconstruction of the palace to her own extravagant tastes. Including the former San Miguel Brewery Buildings, this was demolished upon Expansion, paving away to a park near the San Miguel Church.

President Johnson and President Marcos also visited Corregidor to dedicate the opening of General MacArthur’s restored headquarters. The President also visited Battery Geary while on the island. In advance of the President’s visit temporary communications was established by connecting the location’s being visited and the WHCA switchboard in Manila. A temporary Command Post for the secret Service was also established for security reasons.

Corregidor is an island at the entrance of the Philippines' Manila Bay. Due to its position in the bay, it has served as a focal point for the naval defenses of the capital city of Manila. During World War II.

Entrance to MacArthur's Headquarters on Corregidor

Remains of Mile Long Barracks

Battery Geary was a battery of eight 13-ton, 12-inch mortars. Defiladed in a hollow on Corridor's Southern coast it was fairly well protected from Japanese shelling. However, on January 6, 1942, a Japanese bomb landed in a makeshift bunker killing 31 of Battery Geary's NCOs and cannons. This battery was pinpointed by the Japanese artillery and was subjected to heavy shelling. One direct hit by a 240-mm shell, which detonated the magazines of this battery in May 1942, proved to be the most crippling shot during the entire siege of Corregidor. Large chunks of steel were blown as far as the Malinda Tunnel, killing 27 of the battery crew instantly.

Remains of Battery Geary on Corregidor Island (Gun Barrel)

Remains of Battery Geary on Corregidor Island (Gun Mount)

General MacArthur was ordered off of Corregidor Island to Australia, announcing to the people of the Philippines as he left, “I shall return”.

After the dedication on Corregidor Island they visited The International Rice Institute in Los Banos and then to everyone’s surprise The President flew to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam to visit the troops.

In October of 1966 President Johnson departed on a diplomatic visit to a number of countries in Southeast Asia. The war in Vietnam was raging on, and the President planned to meet with allies at a SEATO conference in Manila.

Presidents Travel Itinerary October 1966

Destinations	Dates	Purpose
Wellington New Zealand	October 19-20, 1966	State visit; met with Prime Minister Holyoake.
Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Townsville, Australia	October 20-23, 1966	State visit; met with Governor General Casey and Prime Minister Holt.
Manila, Los Banos, Corregidor, Philippines	October 24-26, 1966	Attended SEATO summit conference
Unscheduled Trip            Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam	October 26, 1966	Visited U.S. military personnel.
Bangkok, Thailand	October 27-30, 1966	State visit; met with King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	October 30-31, 1966	State visit; met with Prime Minister Rahrman.
Seoul, South Korea	October 31-November 2,     1966	State visit; met with President Park and Prime Minister Chung.

WHCA’s Role in the President's Manila Summit 

Although the Manila Summit wasn’t scheduled to start until October 24, 1966 the preparation for the President’s visit actually started on the morning of October 5, 1966 at Andrews AFB just outside Washington DC. On the tarmac sat a large C-141 transport plane. This transport would carry approx. 30 WHCA communications personnel and tons of communications equipment to Manila. Because of the length of the flight a comfort pallet was first loaded on to the plane, this contained an airline type kitchen and a rest room; the pallet also had airline style seats that would recline. The communications equipment was loaded last. When the cargo was secured, we were ready to leave. 

Manila was only one stop on a six nation Presidential trip so there would be five other C-141’s loaded with communications equipment at Andrews and sent to their assigned locations awaiting the Presidents arrival according to the travel itinerary. 

Loading cargo at Andrews AFB

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

The first leg of the trip was from Andrews to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage AK. After the plane was refueled and a new crew reported in, we departed for Komaki AFB in Tokyo, Japan. We departed Tokyo on October 7, 1966 and headed for Clark AFB in the Philippines.

The equipment was loaded on trucks and was sent to Manila, while the communications personnel were flown to the city arriving at the U.S. Embassy about 4 PM on 7 October 1966, where we received an orientation of the facilities and our I.D’s to use during our stay.

The equipment arrived at the Embassy the following afternoon and all of the Comm. Center secure voice and TTY equipment was unloaded and taken to the area where it would be installed. All of the FM and HF radio equipment was stored in the embassy until coverage surveys were completed and installation locations were selected. The final stop was the Philippine Telephone Central Office closest to the embassy and Malacañang Palace, this is where the switchboard would be installed and all circuits would be terminated. Also all of the Sierra FM radio circuits and paging system would terminate at the switchboard. 

Over the next two days radio surveys were completed checking coverage of all locations that the President, Secret Service and the White House Staff would be visit over the next two to three weeks. Baker, Charlie and Sierra FM base stations were installed at the Phillipinas Hotel, and the Telephone Co. Central office. 

Ron Danielson operates the FM radio console and the HF radio

The Embassy Annex was chosen to place the Collins Radio, KWM-2A which is a 1KW Single Sideband transceiver, used for long range radio communications back to the White House.  Baker, Charlie and Sierra FM base stations were also installed at this location. The KWM2  package shown above, with the  Motorola remotes, were transported and installed globally by WHCA. The KWM2 HF package consists of a TMC tuning unit connected to a thirty-foot vertical antenna on the roof, a Collins phone patch, the KWM2, and a thousand-watt final Amp. This is the same Package we installed and operated 24/7 until the trip was over in Manila.

The US Embassy would become the WHCA base of operation. The Secret Service Command Post would be established there, all of the Baker and Charlie FM radios would terminate in the CP. The AV events would be staged and shipped out from the embassy. All of the Sierra FM radios would terminate at the WHCA switchboard at the Telco’s central office building. The Embassy also had an area large enough to handle all of the helicopter arrivals and departures.

By October 12th the Comm. Center, Switchboard and radio equipment was installed and now manned around the clock. As the circuits were installed and tested the reliability of the network increased.

The travel itinerary also included two side trips that Presidents Johnson and Marcos would take.  The first was to the International Rice Institute in Los Banos, Laguna Philippines and then to Corregidor Island.  Los Banos was about 60km from Manila, so we loaded a chopper and flew the radio equipment to the Rice Institute and installed it in about two hours.  

I volunteered to climb a 60 ft, pole to install an FM radio antenna. When I got to the top, I swung my leg around the pole so I would be able to use my hands, as I did the entire pole twisted with me, and almost threw  me off.  After recovering from a moment of panic I taped the antenna to the pole, connected the coax and made my safe decent.

The next morning two of us again loaded equipment on a chopper but headed for Corregidor.  We landed at the airstrip on Corregidor Island, we were met by the Military Governor of Corregidor Island.  We were shown  Gen MacArthur’s Headquarters and the remains of the Mile Long Barracks, the two of us then received an invitation to lunch with the Milatary Commander. I was never told what we had for lunch, and I never asked, as I remember I didn’t get sick!

Everything was now installed and fully operational just waiting for the Presidents arrival on October 24th. I was assigned to work the CP and fly surveillance during the three days that the President was in Manila. The President and First Lady arrived as scheduled and were greeted by President and Mrs. Marcos. The summit convened that afternoon and adjourned the next day about noon. 

Then it was off to Corregidor and the dedication of Gen. Mac Arthur’s headquarters and visit to Battery Geary, at the conclusion of the dedication the President choppered to the International Rice Institute in Los Banos where he addressed representatives from several Southeast Asian countries. That concluded the day’s activities and the President returned to Manila.

President Johnson and Gen. Westmoreland Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam

On the final day of the visit President made an Unscheduled Trip to Vietnam to visit with the combat troops at Cam Rahn Bay. Nobody knew in advance where they were going and it wasn’t until Air Force One was on its way back did we know where they had been. The next morning the President departed to go to the next stop in Bangkok, Thailand. We had to keep everything active until the President touched down in Thailand then our job was to tear everything down and again gather everything together to ship it back by truck to Clark AFB.

There were a few members of the WHCA team that worked this stop, including myself that left Manila on November 1, 1966 to return to the US. We met with some additional personnel that were returning from other locations that the President had visited on this Asian tour. We were briefed aboard the aircraft that we were to be redeployed to various locations in the US that the President was planning to visit just Prior to the 1966 mid term elections.

We left Clark AFB and flew to Yokota AFB near Tokyo to refuel, we then flew to San Francisco where went through customs.  I was told that the next day that I would pick up radio equipment and go to Chicago IL to join a team that was already there setting up the trip site. When I arrived in Chicago on Nov 2 1966 I was picked up at O'hare International Airport where I loaded all of the equipment into the Vehicle and departed for the Chicago Hilton Hotel where I would be staying.

Chicago Hilton and Towers

Two days ago I was enjoying warm weather in the Philippines and now I am in Chicago in the month of November, with only summer clothes.  the closest thing I had to a coat was a rain coat! The Windy City lived up to its name thank God I would be there for only two days!

Since the fund raiser was being held in the Hilton Hotel, the Switchboard, Comm. Center and one set of FM Radio base stations were already set up by the time that I arrived.  Now we had to cover the motorcade route the President would take from O'Hare to the Hilton downtown.  We choose the USSS Field Office on the near north side to install a second set of FM base stations for the motorcade.

Once the radios were operational I started to survey the motorcade route by driving the Kennedy expressway out to the airport to make sure we had good radio coverage. I was almost to O'hare when I was informed that the entire trip had been cancelled! I turned around and returned to the field office and removed all of the radio equipment we had just finished installing and returned to the hotel.

On Nov 4 1966 we left Chicago and returned to Washington DC and home.

Punta del Este Ur.
Punta Del Este UR site of 1967 Summit Conference of American States
Coordinates:                                       34°58′16″S 54°57′07″W
Country	Uruguay
Settled	1907
Elevation	43 m (141 ft.)
Population    (2009)	7,298 approximate permanent residents

11 Apr 67 to Punta Del Este UR with President Johnson

Punta Del Este is an upscale resort on the southern tip of Uruguay, southeast of Maldonado and about 140 km east of Montevideo. Although the town has a year-round population of about 7,300, the summer tourist boom often boosts the population by an extra 500,000. The Tourist season usually lasts until the end of March, but in 1967 all of the businesses remained open for an additional month because President Johnson was to meet with Latin American leaders at a summit hosted by Uruguay, in Punta Del Este, 

President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of State Dean Rusk arrived on April 11, 1967 to attend a summit conference with other American Chiefs of State.

On April 13, 1967 President Lyndon Johnson addressed the conference of The Organization of American States (OAS).

Metropolitan Punta Del Este

Looking Toward the Point

April 14, 1967, was the last day of the Latin American summit meeting in Punta Del Este, Uruguay. President Johnson met privately with the President of Uruguay for bilateral talks. Later in the morning Johnson and other Presidents met to sign the Declaration of the Presidents of America.

Meeting of the American Chiefs of State in Punta Del Este

In the declaration, the Presidents agreed to create and support a Latin American Common Market; to bind the nations of the hemisphere in transportation, power, and river development; to expand Latin American trade; to intensify the battle against illiteracy and disease; to modernize agriculture and education; and to avoid unnecessary military expenditures. Eighteen of the Presidents signed the proclamation. The President of Ecuador refused to sign it. Bolivia, who boycotted the conference, also did not sign. 

After lunch, the President left Uruguay; he stopped briefly in Surinam and met with Surinam officials before returning to the LBJ Ranch late in the evening

President Johnson addressees the OAS conference attendee's

President Johnson and Secretary of State Dean Rusk at Punta Del Este, Uruguay

Presidents Travel Itinerary April 1967

WHCA’s Role in the President’s Visit

The WHCA communications team assembled at Andrews AFB on March 15, 1967 to support the Presidential visit to Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Approximately 30 tons of equipment and 25 personnel were loaded on a C-141 to support the four day trip starting on April 11, 1967. A similar team would be sent to Montevideo, Uruguay to also support this visit.

C-141 carrying 60 tons of equipment and 30 people

Ready for Departure to Punta Del Este

After unloading the equipment we loaded onto a bus for the two hour trip to Punta Del Este. When the equipment arrived we started to prepare for the upcoming Summit.

First priority was to perform a radio survey of the island to determine the best locations for the FM and HF transmitters so all of the upcoming events would have coverage. The locations for the switchboard and Communications Center were also chosen. Because there was also a WHCA team in Montevideo, we did not have to provide the communications support for the President's arrival in Montevideo and the motorcade to the conference site in Punta Del Este.

The two systems of the TMC SBT 1KW transmitters were installed on the 12th floor of an office building on the southern edge of the city. Three FM base stations (Baker, Charlie and Sierra) were also install giving us line of site to almost any point in the city. A private residence was used as the HF receiving site in an area away from any heavy radio activity to minimize interference. Two R-390 A’s and CV-157’ receivers and single sideband converters were located at this location. The transmitters and receivers were tied together with voice circuits for phone patch and TTY traffic. 

HF Transmitter, Receiver and SSB converter

The installation of all of our equipment was complete by March 30th 1967. With the exception of finishing pulling a few circuits and terminating them on the switchboard, we were ready for the conference. All locations were manned and operated on a 7 by 24 hr. basis until the conference was over and the President departed Montevideo.

President Johnson arrived on April 11th and the conference took place as scheduled. On April 14, 1967 the President departed Punta Del Este and left Montevideo headed for Paramaribo Suriname to meet with the President of Suriname and then returned to the LBJ Ranch.

It was time to tear everything down and pack everything back on a truck to go to Montevideo for loading and departure from Uruguay. On April 15th 1967 we departed for Suriname stopping at Lackland AFB to drop off passengers headed to Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch. after refueling we headed to Andrews AFB and home.

When I returned home from Punta Del Este in March of 1967 we relocated to PA where I would be assigned to a microwave relay facility known as Cannonball as the NCOIC.

                                               

The WHCA Shop in Georgetown
3248 M St entrance today
Type Of Activity	WHCA Operations
Location
Location	3248 M St NW Georgetown
Date of Activity	1965 to 1976
Coordinates	38°54′18.37″N 77°03′51.60″W

A little history of The “WHCA Shop” in Georgetown:

For over a decade from 1965 to 1976, the WHCA base of operations resided at 3248 M St NW in Georgetown. A plain unmarked building it contained all of the logistical elements necessary to support the President and Vice President providing communications for all domestic and international  travel.

Parts of the structure located on M Street predate 1838 when it was used as a tobacco warehouse that opened up directly onto the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In the 1850s, the building was purchased by John E. Reeside and Gilbert Vanderwerken and converted into stables for their omnibus line. The building continued to be used as stables for the first horse car line, the Washington and Georgetown Railroad. It was later converted into a machine shop for streetcars. The parts of the building that face the canal and the facade of the M Street entrance remain from those earlier periods. After the demise of Washington's streetcars in 1962, the building served as the United States Defense Communications Annex E before being converted to WHCA’s base of operations in 1964.

I received my orders after I graduated from the Microwave repair school at Ft Monmouth to report to a street address in Washington D.C. in Nov 1965. I loaded my family in the car and headed to my new assignment in WHCA. When I arrived in Washington, I tried to locate the address, not knowing the city. I made several wrong turns and ended up in VA several times, so we decided to stop and get something to eat. Luckily, I had a contact number for MSG Joe Terrian, I called him, and he informed me that WHCA had moved to a new location in Georgetown, and Ft Monmouth gave me the wrong address. The old building had been razed and all that was left was a hole in the ground. Now I had passed that hole in the ground at least a half a dozen times that morning. 

The old location was located at 26th and D Street NW. This is where WHCA had occupied a building that was near the Olde Heurich Brewering Company in Foggy Bottom. The brewery buildings were razed to make room for the new Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts which occupies that space  today, the shop moved from 26th St in May 1965. It had been DC transits streetcar repair shop, located on Mst, a monstrous old facility. GSA rented it from O. Roy Chalk, gutted it and remodeled it. 

 

The new location  fronted on M St with two entrances one was WHCA personnel and the second was a nonaffiliated DCA office that had had no access to the rest of the building. MSG Joe Terrian gave me WHCA's official address which was 3248 M Street NW. It was an unmarked white front building with no columns but having a few steps that went up to a black door. Behind that door was an iron security gate. Since I was in uniform, they told me to go to a motel and come back in the morning wearing a suit. The next morning I was told I was assigned to Camp David in Thurmont Md. Go to the Cozy Inn, and someone would meet me there to show me the way. I still had a few days to try and find an apartment before I had to report. I found an apartment next to the PO in Blue Ridge Summit Pa. It took about three months and I moved into quarters at Camp David.

Dan Mirabelli tells the story “It was a beautiful Sept morning in 1966, I knocked on the door of 3248 M street. I was a terrified 19year old, I did not know what laid ahead for me. I sat in a chair till 2pm. They asked if I ate, I replied no so they told me to go out, get something and come back in an hour. 

When I came back, I sat waiting until 6pm. When they finally took me to see Col Rubley. He told me they were very busy and could not process me. he gave me a voucher for a plane ticket and a 10 day leave!! and sent me home.” 

Mike Fincher remembers that he had an interesting initial assignment experience. After going to the “mysterious” locked door at 3248 “M” Street, in May 1971, I was told that they were expecting Vietnam War protests all over the City that week and that they couldn’t process me because they were preparing to shelter in-place if necessary. 

I was sent to stay temporarily with a couple of other Swbd. Trainees who lived in the legendary Shirley Duke apartments in Alexandria. As soon as I got there, I received a call that an Uncle that I was very close to (like a grandfather) had died in Atlanta. Knowing I wouldn’t be processing in for a few days, the guys called the WHCA Duty Officer (I think it was Marty Capps) to see if I could go on leave to the funeral. He said no problem and asked how I intended to get there. I said I guess I’d fly commercial. He said don’t do anything until he got back to me. He called back a few minutes later and said to be at Andrews VIP lounge the next morning at 0430 and there would be a flight to Chattanooga which was perfect because that was where my wife was at the time. I showed up in my class A’s with my PFC stripes and the VIP desk Sgt. said my flight would be ready to leave in few minutes. There were no other passengers in the lounge. A few minutes later this Col. and Major came in and one of them grabs my bag and asks me if I was ready to go and we got in a car and drove out to this silver and blue Jetstar. This was one of the JetStar’s that the VP used, and they were dead heading to Chattanooga for some reason I never learned. I was the only passenger. I settled into the big VIP chair and a steward brought me coffee. After we got airborne, the Col. came back and said he was going to take a nap. I thought he just wanted the big chair, so I got up and he said why didn’t I go on up front and keep the Major company. I sat up there in the cockpit in total awe. The Major asked me if my wife knew when to expect me and I said no that I would call when we landed. He asked me for the phone number at my in-laws and then used the radio to call some place called “Crown” and asked for a phone patch to the number. The next thing I know my wife is awakened by a call from the White House signal operator who advises her that the “call is on radio and provides no privacy” We are connected, and I tell her where I am and when to expect me the Chattanooga airport. 

We actually land before she could get there from about 45 miles away and the Colonel and Major took me into the coffee shop at the airport, bought me breakfast and then got back in the plane and took off, to where I don’t know. I was too afraid to ask questions, so I never really learned how all this came about, but it was certainly an impressive way to get introduced to Presidential Service. Obviously, that level of VIP treatment didn’t last very long but for a little while I thought I was really somebody special.

Tom Maier’s orders only said: “Report to 300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC”. My wife (June) and I were familiar with the DC area and easily made our way to Georgetown. We passed by the large white building that we figured *had to be* the right building but weren’t sure of the address. We went past and were able to park right around to corner(try doing THAT today!). June stayed in the car, and I walked up to the big front door and knocked…and knocked…and finally pounded on the door. 

I was just about to give up and go back to the car when the door opened a crack and a face appeared to ask what I wanted. When I said what I was up to, the face said only, “Go down to the corner, turn right and proceed on to the driveway. Walk up the driveway and SOMEONE WILL STOP YOU” and then the door slammed shut.

I walked back to the car and told June what had just transpired. Now, you have to understand that we had seen every single episode of Mission Impossible, so we were more than just a bit taken back by what had just happened.

 

With no small amount of trepidation I followed the mysterious instructions and as it turned out I had made more out of what was said than I should have. Perhaps that is just what the guys there did for yuks.

3248 M St NW entrance  2017

The windows on the left of the front door was the Drafting and Reproduction Branch. The windows to the right was DCAU commander's office. Both on the first floor.  Personnel was just inside the entrance way.  The indoor parking garage was behind Personnel and the Photo Lab was located to the rear of the indoor parking garage on the backside of the building closest to the C and O Canal side.

WHCA’s Audio-Visual Branch stored all of their travel equipment at the shop on M Street. Everyone in the group had their own specific set of equipment... audio mixer, multiple for media feeds, tape recorders, mics and cables. Each individual was responsible to make sure everything was in working order in case of instant travel. The AV Group had their own maintenance shop at M Street where they maintained all the AV gear and stored all the trip packages there. 

WHCA’s Wisconsin Ave entrance in 1974

The Wisconsin St entrance was the main access for all vehicles. As you entered on the left was the Fabrication and Carpenter Shop in a separate building which sat between the Wisconsin Ave entrance and exit gates. The machine shop was adjacent in the main building there was an incinerator outside the carpenter shop for classified burns...that caused some outside interest on occasion, also along the entry drive was a big diesel generator for emergency Power.

As you entered the facility and the Parking garage you immediately saw the WHCA dispatcher who monitored all incoming traffic and access to the parking garage. The call sign for the M Street dispatcher was Checkmate. The Transportation Group also had motor pool was equipped with a lift and a car wash facility. Transportation was responsible for the maintenance of all the WHCA vehicles including the rented station wagons from a civilian contractor and WHCA own trucks and Van's, the rented Chevy Kingswood wagons were eventually replaced with GSA supplied Ford wagons.

On the right was the entrance to the Radio and TV shops. These two groups maintained and repaired all of the Motorola radio Equipment(base stations and  hand held units) HF /SSB radios as well as associated radio and paging consoles, all TV’s were also maintained in this area.

Material and Supply and was located between the Electronics Shop and Budget/Accounting who had a small office located between supply and WHCA Dispatch.

The Comm Center or 13a group had a secure office and crypto vault  on the first floor, behind Transportation.

Crown Radio was located at the "M" street shop on the Second floor above the radio shop and wood shop.  Access to the second floor was by using an outside stairway to the right of the driveway off Wisconsin Ave.

Crown Radio had two consoles one was the DC FM network. The other one was for the  Nationwide System (E/F), and secure voice All of WHCA and USSS FM locations in the Washington DC area terminated there, as well as the Echo/Fox Nationwide air-to-ground Communications for AF1. That was the old E/F console built by Mario Lilla. It was operated from there until Crown Radio moved to the OEOB shortly after the new WECO 608 was cut into service there.

In the basement there was an underground storage vault below the radio shop which belonged to 13A. One nice feature at M Street was the basement barroom where we had our Friday afternoon off-duty beer call -- the most recently promoted guys bought the beer, there were many attitudes adjusted there. The Technical Library was also located in the  basement behind the Keg.

In the five years that I was assigned to Camp David I was sent on roughly forty trips where I left from the shop. All of the equipment needed for every trip was staged at the shop, loaded on box trucks if needed or in the back of station wagon on smaller trips and all personnel would be provided transportation to the various D.C. Airports for departure. Upon the return from all trips and from all groups the equipment would be sent to the shop to test and or repair would be staged for the next trip.

The current store that occupies that spot where the door was located is "H & M". It cannot be verified if the white trim around the doorway of H & M is a reproduction or a real artifact of the facade of the entryway to The M Street door of WHCA. I do not know who had it before them, and maybe it was "Victoria's Secret". Part of the movie "True Lies" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and "No Way Out" with Kevin Costner were filmed in parts of the mall. Arnold may have crashed through the window of Victoria's Secret in the movie.

The Keg: A WHCA Tradition

One of the fondest memories of the M Street shop is undoubtedly "The Keg," our cherished Friday night gathering spot for beer, hot dogs, and Leonard Dry's legendary popcorn. Leonard, who once served as a driver for General Eisenhower during World War II and later for the First Lady during Eisenhower's presidency, was the heart of this tradition. We affectionately named the space the "The Dry Keg" in his honor.

Leonard’s story is as unforgettable as his popcorn. When asked by General Eisenhower why he wanted the job, Leonard replied, “Because I am all ears and no mouth.” That straightforward answer sealed the deal. His popcorn was equally iconic, flavored with his secret recipe: Leonard would chop up jalapeños at home and bring them in a jar every few weeks. When making popcorn, he’d use vegetable oil and about a quarter cup of the jalapeños—juice and all—creating a uniquely spicy, savory treat.

The Keg space itself was officially dedicated to Leonard thanks to Terry Anderson from PASD, who convinced CSM Mix to approve the idea. A sign reading “The Leonard Dry Keg” was crafted and proudly displayed over the door in the McNally Building.

Leonard would arrive every Friday afternoon around 1 PM to start the popcorn and prepare for the festivities. The Keg crew included Andy Jurcak, who worked the event for years alongside Henry Chimeno, Richard Hathaway, and Leonard himself. Leonard’s hot dipping sauces were unmatched, and his stories always captivated the crowd. It was, as Andy described, the best WHCA job he ever held.

Henry Chimeno and Mike Baggot were responsible for keeping the beer kegs stocked, often hauling them from a distributor in Northeast DC to the fourth floor. Richard Starr frequently helped with transportation, and the distributor always offered a generous discount. Back then, a keg cost about $45—a bargain for the good times it fueled.

Bill Rose, reported to "M" St. on a Friday. After being told to shave my mustache, (by SGM Owen), an official photograph, finding a place to stay for the weekend, and still in a suit. He got hauled away by Henry and Randy Lucas in the back of one of the old, green, Dodge vans. No seats in the back, so I was sitting on an empty keg and flying around the back.

We managed to get back before 4:00pm and tap the keg. I was starting to wonder what kind of a group I had fallen into. By 6:00pm the place was in full party mode. I still didn't know how to get to my "temp" quarters, but decided I could always sleep in the car, parked down on Water St. This was just the start of a truly unique and very strange weekend, as well as the start of a 19 year WHCA tour of duty.        

The Keg also marked the beginning of the annual "Shrimp Feast." Admiral Berkeley, one of LBJ’s physicians, a Navy Admiral and friend of WHCA, would bring 40 pounds of steamed shrimp once a month. Over the years, the Keg became a social hub, hosting as many as 250 attendees rotating in and out during their shifts. Even President Carter's brother, Billy Carter, made a memorable appearance.

The camaraderie extended beyond the drinks and food. The Keg was the place where any E7 or above that was promoted was required to have a shrimp fest and to "pay up" if you got ever caught on camera in an embarrassing situation. One troop, who ended up on the cover of Time Magazine, faced a fine doubled, of course.

When WHCA moved from M Street to Building 94, some questioned whether the tradition should continue. Fortunately, the Keg survived, finding a new home in the day room on the fourth floor, complete with a bar, tables, and entertainment like a pool table, ping-pong table, and L.T. Moore’s 1970s jukebox. Singing after a few drinks became an unofficial part of the experience.

Richard Starr managed the Keg during its transition to the McNally Building and ensured the new space included a dedicated area for it. The Keg was eventually relocated to the back of the Theater but remained a cherished tradition. The keg and shrimp fests were such good times. 

Despite occasional attempts to shut it down, such as Col. Nichols’ accusation of "glorifying alcohol consumption," leaders like SGM Jenkins and SGM Moore defended and preserved the Keg. The Friday gatherings continued until the mid-1990s, when the tradition finally came to an end.

Bill Rose was also one of the last persons at "M" St. and he pulled the decorative light fixture by the front door and preyed the 3248 off the door. He recalls, Pete Strack refurbished the light, for the keg, and the address numbers were on a wooden plaque behind the bar. I expect they are long gone! I hope the 3248 still exists somewhere.

I feel sorry for newer WHCA recruits not having that experience walking up and down M St. looking at that door with those numbers and thinking...this can't be right.

 Leonard Dry passed away and was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, but his legacy lives on. Though the official Keg parties are a thing of the past, the spirit endures as we carry on the tradition of creating our own happy hours every Friday.

CIA HQ

I remember the stories of the WHCA shop as being a secret CIA HQ where it was found out by a local Georgetown rag in the late 60s-early 70s.

The people that worked in Riggs Bank was saying that our paychecks were coming from different parts of the country which was true. Air Force had paychecks from Randolph AFB in Texas, Army checks were coming from Indianapolis, and Navy was from another place. They saw license plates of our POV's from states around the country going into the shop through one gate and then coming out in government cars from the other gate with radio antennas on them. They saw all the antennas fencing on the roof of the building and cameras and speakers down on the street level at all the buildings entrances/exits. WHCA personnel going into a warehouse type of building with suits and ties seemed out of place for this Georgetown location.

CIA building on M St

Folks put all this together and came up with the caption for the article in the local paper saying, "Why is the CIA in Georgetown?" Little did they know that the real CIA was occupying a building in Georgetown, but that was at the end of M Street near Key Bridge in another building called The Car Barn {the building with the clock tower} that was also a trolley car warehouse which was right next door to the stairs used in the film The Exorcist!!! The red building on the right was occupied by the CIA.

The Exorcist Stairs

The WHCA  building and the one the CIA had were leased to the government by the same firm. 

In the early 1970’s the decision was made to move the shop to a more secure location in  Anacostia.  Over a period of time a phased move was coordinated to relocate all Groups and Departments to their new location. When WHCA vacated the location that was the “shop” in Georgetown the building was totally remodeled and was turned into a a very upscale mall, the Georgetown Park Mall now occupies the space on M St.

Georgetown Park Mall M St Entrance 

This is the inside of Georgetown Park today, on the same level which all the cars parked, the WHCA dispatcher, besides some of the offices at the WHCA facility at 3248 M Street.

First floor interior of the Georgetown Park Mall

Wisconsin Ave Entrance Today

The shop was a drab place in the late sixties, unlike today's décor. It was in a good spot, though -- right across from Blues Alley and just down the street from Mister Henry's, the Cellar Door and other late-night fun spots. Henry Kissinger used to take his movie-star girlfriends for dinner at the Rive Gauche restaurant next door. Here is a picture of the inside of Rive Gauche where President Ford also ate a couple of times. 

Rive Gauche Restaurant

The shop in Georgetown was the center of operations for all scheduled trips both domestic and overseas, all of the equipment necessary to support the communications necessary to support the President was maintained, staged, and shipped came from the “Shop”. When we were assigned to travel, we only had to show up with a suitcase without worrying if the equipment would be ready to go.  My hats off to the staff who worked there to make sure the teams had everything we needed to successfully complete our mission.

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. Who received the first PSB?

            Answer: Per YNCM Bill Cuff, PSB #35: "PSB #1 was awarded posthumously to President Kennedy and is on display at the Kennedy Library. Badges #2, 3 and 4 were issued to Kennedy's military aides: General Chester V. Clifton, USA, General Godfrey T. McHugh, USAF, and Captain Tazewell T. Shepard, USN."

20. What is the 1600 Communications Association?

Answer: The 1600 Communications Association is a WHCA Alumni Association made up of former and current WHCA members.

21. Who is eligible to join the 1600 Communications Association?

Answer: Anyone currently serving or who has served in the Agency is eligible to join.

22. Who was the first president of the 1600 Communications Association?

Answer: Colonel George J. McNally

23. Counting President Donald J Trump, how many Presidents has the Agency served?

Answer: WHCA has served 15 different Presidents

24. Counting the current WHCA Commander COL Brian Jorgenson how many how many have served in that capacity?

            Answer: 30 from Mar 1946 to Present (for a complete list of WHCA Commanders see Blog post WHCA NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS)

25.  Who was the first Woman to be assigned to WHCA

              Answer: The first women were Debbie Gibson and Lois Poswiatowski and they both were assigned to The Photo Lab in 1973 when WHCA was still in Georgetown.