The Western White House San Clemente, California | |||
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Coordinates: 33°26′16″N 11°37′13″W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | California | ||
County | Orange | ||
Elevation | 208 ft. (71 m) | ||
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| Entrance to La Casa Pacifica from the Compound |
In April, the Nixon’s purchased the 20-acre Cotton estate. In June, nearly 4,000 residents were allowed on a Coast Guard station next to what would become known as the Western White House to greet the president. The San Clemente High School band played “Hail to the Chief” as a tanned, relaxed Nixon stepped off a military helicopter, joking with Mayor Wade Lower and asking if he was the one who was going to fix Nixon’s parking tickets.
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| Courtyard at the Western White House |
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| Security post on the beach |
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| An exterior view of the entrance to the main residence |
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| President Nixon’s study at San Clemente |
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| 1st Marine Division as it returns from Vietnam. |
The
trips to San Clemente were normally low key however most events happened with
very short notice. All the Newsies stayed at the Surf-N-Sand in Laguna Beach which
was about fifteen minutes away from the compound and WHCA A/V stayed much at the
less fancy hotel the San Clemente Inn about five minutes away.
One morning Kerry Pinkerton was in the
"compound' on the bosses property and had the A/V’s 'beeper'. While the rest of the guys were back
at the hotel a few miles away. His beeper went off, it was Steve Bull, one of President
Nixon’s aides and a good guy. Steve said, "Pinky, the Boss wants to make
some remarks on the lawn outside his office. Can you set up a speech site?
“Sure thing, when" he replied. “Well, He's ready now”, “Holy Cow”!
Kerry immediately called the hotel and got the
guys moving, threw a train pack PA system, a Nagra recorder, some speakers etc.
in the back of the golf cart and raced over to the Bosses office.
It didn't take long to set up the equipment and
he was moving as fast as he could. President Nixon and I think Emperor Hirohito
were standing outside waiting. The grass was wet. The press pool and that Press Secretary Ron Zigler had arrived and we're being kept at bay. Everyone was watching
him work.
Kerry,
is on the ground plugging cables in and he hears this voice. "Son, you
look like you could use some help. What can I do?" Without looking up, Kerry
handed up a stack of bent coat hanger stakes and asked if he wanted to stake
down the speaker wires. He said, "Sure thing" and took the bag. Kerry
finished up and looked up and there was a two-star general in his dress blues
on his knees in wet grass pushing coat hanger stakes over the speaker wires. Kerry
then quickly rushed over and told him "Thank you Sir, I'll finish
up."
He
responded, "No problem son, glad to help."
A
couple of minutes later Kerry completed an audio test and nodded to Steve Bull
we were ready.
Everything went well. When it was over Steve
slapped him on the shoulder and said "Good job Pinky. You can clear all
the stuff off now?"
About
that time the A/V guys arrived from the San Clemente Inn just in time to remove
everything.
Kerry
never did learn who the two star was.
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President Richard and first lady Pat Nixon |
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| The Watergate Complex |
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| The 1972 Republican Convention nominates the Nixon Agnew Ticket |
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev stayed overnight at the Nixon home and residents spotted KGB security men ambling up Avenida Del Mar buying playing cards and ballpoint pens at the Corner store. At a reception for Brezhnev, comedian Red Skelton approached the press section and said, “Hey guess what? I asked Brezhnev if he was a card-carrying Communist and you know what? He said yes.” Outside, American Jews protested the treatment of Soviet Jews. Later, Brezhnev went on TV from San Clemente to address the American people.
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| Sen. Sam Ervin , Sen. Howard Baker and Sen. Fred Thompson during the Watergate hearings |
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President Nixon’s farewell speech to his Staff |
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| President Nixon resigns departing the White House for San Clemente |
The White House Communications Agency was tasked with providing and installing the Communications at this facility. Most of the major work at San Clemente was carried out under severe time pressure during July 1969 in order to ready the estate for a month-long Presidential visit that began in early August.
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An annotated view of the Western White House Compound at San Clemente (1970) Communications at the Western White House (San Clemente CA) |
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| FM Radio locations covering the Western White House |
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| Aerial view of Santiago Peak in Orange County |
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Santiago Peak in Orange County |
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| San Clemente Radio Site |
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| Santa Catalina Island Radio Site on Blackjack Mt |
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The San Clemente (CCT) |
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Type Of Activity |
Establish
CCT and provide support |
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Location |
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Location |
El Toro MCAS
El Toro Ca |
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Date of Activity |
Jun 1970 to
June 1972 |
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Coordinates |
33°40′34″N 117°43′52″W |
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15 June 1970 to Establish the San Clemente
Communications Contingency Team (CCT)
I was assigned to The
Western White House in San Clemente CA in June of 1970. During the next two years I would support
many visits to San Clemente at the Western White House and the west coast
including President Nixon’s historic trip to China in 1972. The team also
supported the Vice President on several trips to Palm Springs and other
locations west of the Mississippi River.
The San Clemente Communications
Contingency Team (CCT) was established in 1970 and became an integral part of
the communications support provided to the Western White House. The CCT was a
highly mobile group that could be deployed very quickly. All of our equipment was positioned at El
Toro Marine Air Station and was palletized so it could be quickly loaded onto
an aircraft for a speedy departure. Several trips were very short notice and
needed a very quick response.
The CCT’s repair facility
was located in an aircraft hangar on the flight line and within 100 yds. away
from where Air Force One would be parked while the President was
visiting San Clemente. The CCT worked all of the Presidents arrivals and
departures at El Toro.
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| The EL Toro Operations building where all
activity took place |
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The CCT’s Repair facility |
The team consisted of an
NCOIC John Cross, two switchboard operators John Washell and Pat (Tramp)
Crowder, two comm. center techs Nick Piazza and Jim Donaldson and two radio
techs’ Tom McKay and Bill Eadie. All of us were assigned to the CCT after the
Microwave Network was discontinued and the towers were closed and
decommissioned. Five team members would come from Crystal, one from Cadre, and
of course I came from Cannonball. My
Primary responsibility was cross training the team so any member could help set
up any of the equipment that deployed by the CCT. Each team member knew how to operate all of
the equipment that we would set up on any deployment.
The word transportable took on a new meaning in WHCA, in the 60's and 70's it meant anything that you could attach handles. The communications equipment that the CCT maintained and installed on stateside trips included Baker, Charlie, and Sierra FM radio base stations; we also carried a complete Comm. Center equipped with encrypted TTY systems, multiple teletype printers, and several fax machines.
We also carried audio visual
equipment including recording, lighting and a PA system and a complete
Presidential Podium for indoor or outdoor speech sites.
On overseas trips two 1Kw HF SSB (AN/TRC-23) systems with phone patch capability was also included which allowed us to communicate with Air force One as well as voice and teletype traffic back to the White House.
09 Aug/27 Aug 70 to Thurmont MD to build CCT’s HF Control Console
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Typical
HF installation on overseas trips (URT23) |
While
I was in Thurmont, I stayed with a friend of mine who worked at Camp David. I
had worked with Denny McLeod for several years while I was assigned to
Cannonball, but now Denny was on the Camp David CCT, and he was building the
control console that would be in Camp David’s CCT package.
Support to Air Force One, Army One and Marine One at El Toro
I would meet AF1 and plug the ramp phone (bat phone)
into the nose of aircraft when it arrived and remove the phones upon departure.
It was tough duty, but someone had to do it.
There was also a four-pronged plug on Army One and Marine One by the front entrance, two switchboard extensions were always installed, at least when they arrived at El Toro. When the chopper was in place for the arrival I would plug in the telephones.
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| Marine One Waiting for Departure |
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| WHCA retrieving the Bat Phone from AF-1 |
There was also a four-pronged plug in the nose of AF1, two
lines for passenger use and parallel connections for the ramp phone. I would be
standing near the nose of AF-1 usually with a Telco technician and immediately
after the plane taxied to a stop, I would plug in the phone lines. This
reestablished the plane’s communications link to the White House that had been
broken because the plane’s long-range radios became ineffective on the ground.
My job was then to watch that nothing happened to the line or to the telephone
that sat at the bottom of the rolling staircase. Officially, that phone was known
as the “Ramp Phone”, but we all knew it as “the Bat Phone” because it sat on a
rather odd popup stand.
President Nixon deplaned and, after pressing the flesh for a while, walked right past me, and waving to the gathered crowd walked to the Presidential chopper waiting to take the President to the San Clemente compound. Imagine! Me! Just 20 feet from the President of the United States! (I worked at Cannonball, so I did not get to see him that close, unlike the people that worked in DC.) I then walked over to the chopper and removed the plug and Marine would depart for San Clemente.
I also had to work all departures from El Toro. The telephone lines had to remain connected until immediately before the plane took off. After the bat phone was disconnected and stowed on the plane and the stairs were rolled away, only one job remained – to disconnect the phone lines. I would stand under the right side of the plane’s nose, my left hand resting on the plug, staring at the nose wheel located just a few feet beside me. I always had three things I had to do.
- Listen for the Plane door (on the other side of the plane) to slam shut. That was (maybe still is) the signal to the pilot (Colonel Albertazzie at the time) to begin taxiing. The plane would then immediately start to roll, albeit slowly.
- Quickly pull the plug out and slam the cover shut.
- Run like Hell to get out and around the now moving nose wheel without getting run over, all the time knowing that Col. Albertazzie could not see me and did not know exactly where I was!
I still get a little queasy when I think about how quickly that wheel started to move and how fast and far, I had to run to avoid it and those big “people inhalers” hanging under the wings of the plane.
During one visit in 1970 I was asked to look at a pager that Col Albertazzie, the pilot of AF1, had been using. I met with the AF1 radio operator, Bill Justus to pick up the unit and take a look at it. I worked with Justus several times after that. I worked all of the arrivals and departures at El Toro while I was assigned to San Clemente.
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| Cockpit of (26000) in 1970 |
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| Communications Console on AF1 |
Air Force One Sam (26000) aka “The Spirit of 1976” was retired while President Nixon still was in office and replaced by Sam (27000). Air Force One (SAM 27000) transported the Nixon’s back to San Clemente and was retired in 2001 and now on display at the Reagan Presidential Library!
Nixon’s Final Trip on AF1 occurred on August 9, 1974 when the President and First Lady returned to San Clemente.
The Army's
Executive Flight Detachment, Army One was identical to the Marines and Marine
One. Army One was a white top that would rotate with Marine One in supporting
the President, they were stationed at Ft. Belvoir Va. While I was in charge of the San Clemente
CCT, our repair shop shared a hanger with the Marine One and Army One crews,
while they were at El Toro on Nixon's visits to The Western White House.
The only reason that I knew that Army One existed was because I worked with
them and even shared facilities at San Clemente and Key Biscayne.
I did get to know a few of the people assigned to Army One, I would work
more closely with the Army, mainly because the Marines, were more aloof and El
Toro was a Marine base. I always interfaced with MSG Julian Hill who was the NCOIC
of the detachment. I also knew CWO Ron Bean who was in the pilot seat on that
unforgettable night in the Bahamas when Army One crashed in the water while
trying to land with Secret Service Agents aboard. The 1972 crash in the Bahamas
was the last time I saw anyone from the Executive Flight Detachment.
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| President Nixon’s final flight on Army One (1974) |
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| Presented to the CCT by the crew of Army One (1971) |
Ironically, Army one would become closely tied to President Nixon. LTC Gene Boyer and Army One would transport President and Mrs. Nixon on their final trip to Andrews AFB to board AF1 to return to San Clemente when the President resigned from office in 1974.
President Ford transferred the assets of Army One to the Marines. Army One had been permanently transferred to Homestead AFB to support Key Biscayne and they were moved back to Davidson Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, VA. The Army and Marines alternated the Presidents trips to San Clemente and Key Biscayne on a monthly basis until the Army unit was deactivated. Homestead AFB was host for the Army One unit and later the WHCA troops after President Nixon resigned.
The Army's Executive Flight Detachment was
officially deactivated in 1976 thus leaving the Marines as the only helicopter
flight service for Presidential use.
Army One: has been restored and is
now on display at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda CA.
14 Nov 71 to Washington DC-Lincompex for High Frequency Radio
I was sent back to the WHCA shop in Georgetown to be trained on a new piece of terminal equipment for high frequency radio telephone circuits.
I arrived at the Baltimore MD airport and was picked up by a friend who I would be staying that also worked at the radio shop.
The new terminal was known as LINCOMPEX,
which improved
performance of HF SSB audio circuits, more particularly when reception
conditions are poor on account of noise and fading. By sending a compressed
signal and expanding the signal on the receiving end, the two main advantages
of using LINCOMPEX, was the constant loss feature which makes singing
suppressors unnecessary and thus avoids the 'lock-out' trouble, and the muting
of noise between utterances.
Training lasted for a week, and I returned to San Clemente.
Living On a restricted Marine Air Station
The Marine base at El Toro and Tustin also had everything segregated by rank you had sections for enlisted, NCO, Senior NCO, and Officer in the Movies, Clubs and Housing. We lived in Senior NCO Quarters at the Tustin, Lighter than Air (LTA) Station; this is where they serviced any remaining blimps. Goodyear used this facility regularly. There were many times that we had access to officer facilities by showing only our WHCA ID's. We would wear suits when working trips but wore casual when back at our home base.
Blending in on a Marine base and working and living
at the El Toro Marine Air Station, was not as easy as it might sound. We never wore uniforms, so no one knew what
rank we were. I had to argue with the barber not to cut off my sideburns
whenever I would get a haircut. You know the barber only had one
attachment for their clippers that they used on all Marines.
Our youngest daughter, Patty, ironically was born at 2am on Feb. 8, 1971 and at 6am a major earthquake rocked Los Angeles! I had returned home from the hospital around 3:30am and laid down on the couch to get a little sleep before the kids got up that morning, I was awakened at 6am by the rattling of all of the dishes and pots and pans in the kitchen, the whole house was shaking. Don, Bob, and Kathie came running out of their bedrooms startled and scared but by the time we realized it was an earthquake it was over! Once I got the kids settled down, I called the hospital to see if Joanne and Patty were OK. Joanne was in bed when the quake hit and said that all she could do was to lay there while the bed moved, the blinds shook and the toilet flushed, but they were both fine. Although it only lasted about 60 sec. there was major damage throughout Los Angeles, but we were all safe. We were living on the LTA facility at Tustin, I was very surprised that we had no damage and the blimp Hangars that were directly behind us were intact without any visible damage.
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The Lighter than Air facility (LTA)
in Tustin Ca |
The Tustin LTA has been closed
and decommissioned and all of the Quarters that we once lived in have been
bulldozed. The Blimp hangars are still standing but are in a state of disrepair.
The Goodyear blimp is no longer serviced at the LTA facility
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| The
Cross Kids (1972) |
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| Joanne and Patty (1971) |
Over the years the CCT was deployed to many locations worldwide. It not only supported the President, First Family, White House Sr. Staff including the Press corps and the Secret Service Protection Details on the extended visits to the Western White House, but the CCT also handled many side trips to Los Angles, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, San Diego, Loma Linda CA., as well as Hilo Hawaii, Agana Guam, and several trips to Palm Springs.
The CCT also provided the Vice President
communications support on west coast trips. In a two-year period, the VP
traveled to Phoenix twice, Tucson, New Orleans twice, Los Angles, Newport
Beach, San Diego, and Palm Springs four times to play golf. The VP stayed with
either Bob Hope or Frank Sinatra houses while golfing. Vice President Agnew
participated in the Bob Hope desert Classic in 1971.
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| Home on Tustin LTA (Blimp Hangar in background) |
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The San Clemente annual picnic (1972) In June of 1972, I would be transferred to the Key Biscayne Communications detachment in charge of the Detachments permanent communications systems. Joanne and the kids packed up and we were off to Florida. The San Clemente Communications Detachment was scaled back when President Nixon resigned from office in 1974; however, a small group remained to support the Secret Service until the Nixon’s moved to New Jersey in 1980. The CCT was eventually moved back to the east coast to be redeployed at Ft. Ritchie MD. |
President's News Conference at the Century Plaza Hotel | ||
Type of Activity | Live Press Conference | |
Location | ||
Location | Century Plaza Hotel Los Angeles, California | |
Date of Activity | July 30 1970 | |
Coordinates | 34.05556°N 118.41694°W | |
President Nixon was scheduled to hold his 11th Press Conference from Los Angeles on live TV to a national audience. The speech was to be broadcast live from the Century Plaza Hotel at 8:00 pm on July 30 1970.
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| The Main Entrance of the Century Plaza Hotel |
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| Richard Nixon's Press Conference Remarks |
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| The President at the conclusion of his Press Conference |
09 Aug/27 Aug 70 to Thurmont MD to build CCT’s HF Control Console
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Typical HF installation on overseas trips (URT 23) While I was in Thurmont I stayed with a friend of mine who worked at Camp David. I had worked with Denny McCloud for several years while I was assigned to Cannonball, but now Denny was on the Camp David CCT and he was building the control console that would be in Camp David’s CCT package. |
Political Rally Supporting the Re-Election of Gov. Ronald Reagan | |||
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Type of Activity | Campaign Speech and Political Rally | ||
Location | |||
Location | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim Ca | ||
Date of Activity | October 30 1970 | ||
Coordinates | 33.802455°N 117.919843°W | ||
The purpose of President Nixon’s visit to California in October was to Campaign for all of the Republican candidates running for public office. California Governor Ronald Reagan and Senator George Murphy were also running for re-election in 1970. The President had attended a rally in San Jose just prior to coming to San Clemente.
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| President Nixon at a political rally for Gov. Ronald Reagan and Senator George Murphy |
The President and Mrs. Nixon departed from San Clemente in Army One accompanying them was, Governor Ronald Reagan and Senator George Murphy.
Note: The President spoke at 7:37 p.m. in the Anaheim Convention Center. His remarks were videotaped for broadcast at 8:30 p.m. on the CBS television network on time purchased by the Republican National Committee.
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| President Nixon at the Anaheim Convention Center |
The President opened by giving an endorsement to Governor Reagan and Senator Murphy.
“I cannot tell you what a proud moment it is for me to be addressing the Nation, for the first time in this campaign, from my native State of California. And I join with all of you in this great hall, and those of you in California, in giving my enthusiastic endorsement to the entire State ticket, and particularly to the leader of that ticket, a man who is the first man of the first State---Ronald Reagan.”
“And I also give my enthusiastic endorsement to all of those on the national ticket, the candidates for the House of Representatives, and to our candidate for the United States Senate for reelection-George Murphy”.
When the rally concluded the Presidential Party departed by Army One and returned to San Clemente.
Unlike the problems we had a couple months earlier with the PA system at the Century Plaza Press Conference, this event went off without any problems.
It was now time to collect and tear down everything and return the equipment to our repair shop at El Toro.
The Vice President at a Republican Fund Raiser | ||||
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Type Of Activity | Speech and Fundraiser | |||
Location | ||||
Location | Newport Beach CA | |||
Date of Activity | 01 Nov 1970 | |||
Coordinates | 33°40′34″N 117°43′52″W | |||
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| The Newporter Inn in Newport Beach CA |
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| Poolside Reception On December 2nd the Vice President departed the Hotel and motored to Orange County Airport to return to Washington DC. Once the Vice President departed we packed up our equipment and returned to El Toro as the President was still in CA and it was Election Day and we had a lot of activity remaining before the President departs on December 4th to return to Washington DC. |
VP Agnew vacations in Palm Springs Ca. | |
 Welcome to Palm Springs | |
Type Of Activity | Communications Support Trips |
Location | |
Location | Palm Springs California |
Date of Activity | Nov. 19 1970 to Dec. 27 1971 |
Coordinates | 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″W |
The CCT was designed to be a quick response highly mobile unit. We were deployed on several occasions to Palm Springs CA with the President and also provided the Vice President communications support on west coast trips and he would come to Palm Springs several times to play golf. The Vice Presidents visits were usually pretty simple to set up and once finished required little activity because nothing was scheduled other than short motorcades to and from the golf course.
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| Our Motel in Palm Springs |
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| Edom Hill Radio Site |
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| The Hearst Residence Front Entrance |
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| Palm Springs International Airport |
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| Vice President Agnew and Frank Sinatra Golfing in Palm Springs |
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| Fore!!!!! |
1971 NBA All Star Game | |||
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Type Of Activity | NBA All- Star Game | ||
Location | |||
Location | San Diego California | ||
Date of Activity | Jan 12 1971 | ||
Coordinates | 32°45′19″N 117°12′44″W | ||
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| Entrance to the San Diego Sports Arena |
MVP: Lenny Wilkens
EAST ALL-STARS (107) | ||||||||
Player, Team | Min. | FGM | FGA | FTM | FTA | Reb. | Ast. | Pts. |
Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia | 19 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
John Havlicek, Boston | 24 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
Willis Reed, New York | 27 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 14 |
Earl Monroe, Baltimore | 18 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
Walt Frazier, New York | 26 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Johnny Green, Cincinnati | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Dave DeBusschere, New York | 19 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Lou Hudson, Atlanta | 17 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 |
Gus Johnson, Baltimore | 23 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
John Johnson, Cleveland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Bob Kauffman, Buffalo | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wes Unseld, Baltimore | 21 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 |
Tom Van Arsdale, Cincinnati | 11 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
Jo Jo White, Boston | 22 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
Totals | 240 | 49 | 118 | 9 | 18 | 68 | 25 | 107 |
WEST ALL-STARS (108) | ||||||||
Player, Team | Min. | FGM | FGA | FTM | FTA | Reb. | Ast. | Pts. |
Connie Hawkins, Phoenix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jerry Lucas, San Francisco | 29 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 12 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee | 30 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 19 |
Dave Bing, Detroit | 19 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Jerry West, Los Angeles | 20 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
Elvin Hayes, San Diego | 19 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
Bob Love, Chicago | 21 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
Wilt Chamberlain, Los Angeles | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
Jeff Mullins, San Francisco | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Geoff Petrie, Portland | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Oscar Robertson, Milwaukee | 24 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Dick Van Arsdale, Phoenix | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Chet Walker, Chicago | 19 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
Lenny Wilkens, Seattle | 20 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Totals | 240 | 43 | 95 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 31 | 108 |
Score by Periods: | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Totals | |||
East | 26 | 34 | 23 | 24 | 107 | |||
West | 30 | 32 | 20 | 26 | 108 | |||
Referees: Mendy Rudolph and Ed Rush.
Attendance: 14,378.
1971 Bob Hope Desert Classic | |
 12th BOB HOPE DESERT CLASSIC at Bermuda Dunes Country Club | |
Type Of Activity | Golf Tournament |
Location | |
Location | Palm Springs California |
Date of Activity | 10 Feb 1971 to 14 Feb 1971 |
Coordinates | 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″ |
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| Frank Sinatra’s estate in Palm Springs |
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| The Palm Springs International Airport |
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| The Vice President golfing in the 1971 Bob Hope Desert Classic with Bob Hope |
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| A great souvenir from the 1971 Desert Classic |
Award Presentation to Samuel Goldwyn | |||
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Type Of Activity | Award Presentation | ||
Location | |||
Location | Beverly Hills California | ||
Date of Activity | 27 Mar 1971 | ||
Coordinates | 34°4′23″N 118°23′58″W | ||
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| President Nixon’s remarks as he Presents the Medal of freedom to filmmaker Samuel Goldwyn |
The Vice President at a Republican Fund Raiser | ||||
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Type Of Activity | Speech and Fund Raiser | |||
Location | ||||
Location | San Diego CA | |||
Date of Activity | 01 Nov 1970 | |||
Coordinates | ||||
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| Vice President Agnew talks to reporters |
Award Presentation to the 1st Marine Division | |||
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Type Of Activity | Award Ceremony | ||
Location | |||
Location | Camp Pendleton California | ||
Date of Activity | 30 Apr 1971 | ||
Coordinates | |||
April 30, 1971 to Camp Pendleton with President Nixon
In April of 1971 the First Marine Division returned from Vietnam and was to be greeted by President Nixon. The event was scheduled to take place at Camp Pendleton, since the site was only 10 min from the Western White House the CCT was told to break out the recording equipment to rehearse the welcome home ceremonies. So here we were all radio and switchboard guys setting up on the Parade Field (which nobody could set foot on when they were not in a parade).
Anyway, Gen Redmond, Major Freed, and I do not remember all of the WHCA officers were out there, but we set up the PA and microphones where we thought they needed to be as the Troop Commander shouted commands. The problem was that when he was in front of the division no one could hear him, and we could not put a mike stand there! Gen Redmond came over to me and asked if we could run a mike cable out on the parade field and lay the microphone on the ground. It took two min. and that solved the problem. After rehearsal we took all took shovels and buried the cable thus inventing the “turf” microphone, the Marines could not believe that we were digging up their parade field and not going to the brig for doing it. I returned to Camp Pendleton the day before the event was to take place to meet with the WHCA recording guys to help them set up the site and to point out where the Troop Commander would be positioned. All went well at the speech the next day at the official Welcome Back ceremonies.
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| The President being escorted to receive salute |
A striking scene on the Parade Ground at Camp Pendleton on 30 April 1971, as RN reviews the 1st Marine Division before awarding it the Presidential Unit Citation. On POTUS’s left is the Corps Commandant, General Leonard F. Chapman. What appears to be dust is, in fact, smoke from the artillery weapons that had just fired a 21-gun salute. There was a large crowd of wives and dependents, as well as invited dignitaries, on bleachers behind the photographer and on the other side of the troop formation. Thanks to Jack Brennan for sending his personal copy of this hitherto unpublished photo.
President Nixon went to Camp Pendleton, California, to award the Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) For Extraordinary Heroism to the First Marine Division.
The
First Marine Division was activated aboard the battleship Texas at the beginning of 1941. It is the
oldest, largest, and most decorated division in the United States Marine Corps,
having received nine Presidential Unit Citations.
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| President Nixon and Commandant Chapman review the Troops |
The President spoke on the Parade Ground just after noon. Also, on the stand with him were USMC Commandant General Leonard F. Chapman, and Navy Under-Secretary —and later Senator— John Warner.
The President’s Speech began by welcoming the Division home:
This is one of the proudest moments of my service as President of the United States–to be here for this ceremony; to award this Unit Citation, the eighth Unit Citation this division has received in its long and proud history, to the First Marine Division; and to welcome home the major elements of that division from Vietnam.
As
I welcome you home, I can say to you that the Nation is proud of you. I can say
to you, you come home mission accomplished.
He continued, providing a context for their service in Vietnam:
When you went to Vietnam 5 years ago, you found a country there with millions of South Vietnamize under Communist rule, and the whole country threatened by a Communist takeover.
As
you return, you left a South Vietnam with the South Vietnamese now assuming the
major burden of their own defense, and soon developing the capability for their
complete defense without the assistance of American fighting men.
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| President Nixon Addressing the 1st Marine Division |
Because of your service and the service of other Americans, we can now say that Americans can continue to be withdrawn at approximately or almost at a division a month. And because of your service and the service of other Americans, we can set as our goal–and achieve the goal–of a total withdrawal of all Americans; that goal to be achieved when the South Vietnamese have developed, as they will develop, the capability of defending themselves, and when we have returned all of our prisoners of war wherever they may be in Southeast Asia
And now to the many of these marines who are young marines, and most of you are young marines, may I refer a bit to the history of this division going clear back to World War I, when the Fifth Regiment, which later became part of the First Marine Division, served them. It is a proud and distinguished history. The names are proud in the history of the Marine Corps, and they are proud in the history of this Nation: Belleau Wood, in World War I; Guadalcanal in World War II; Inchon, in Korea; and now Vietnam.
The question that I am sure must be in your minds is: What will the verdict of history be about your service in Vietnam? Certainly, in terms of personal heroism there is no question about the verdict of history. Forty-eight members of the First Marine Division were awarded the Medal of Honor. It is the most decorated Marine division of all. This is the second Unit Citation in this war.
And there are other heroes in this division–heroes who received no medals; heroes who had a kind of heroism that was not required of your grandfathers who served in World War I or your fathers who may have served in World War II–a kind of service that was special to Vietnam: building a nation, building schools and hospitals and clinics, and helping people, and contributing thousands of dollars of your own funds for helping the people of Vietnam gain what you wanted them to gain–the right to build a nation free from outside control.
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| Presentation of the Presidential Unit Citation to the 1st Marine Division |
He ended on a proudly personal note: As I stand here today, I look back again over the history of this country. The marines and other Americans who fought in World War I thought they were fighting in a war to end wars, and then their sons fought in World War II.
The marines and other Americans who fought in World War II, after it ended, and the United Nations was formed, thought that now at long last we can have an era of peace. And then their younger brothers fought in Korea, and their sons fought in Vietnam.
Now the question is: What happens after Vietnam? How do we end the war? What kind of a peace do we want? And we do want peace.
As I think of peace and as you think of peace, I think of the hundreds of schoolchildren who are here today. I think that the kind of peace we want–and this is our goal is just not peace in our time but peace in their time.
By your service you have done your part in trying to achieve that kind of peace, and I pledge to you that in the conduct of our foreign affairs we shall bring this war to an end in a way worthy of your service and the service of other Americans-to achieve a just and a lasting peace; to achieve what Americans have never had in this century: a full generation of peace.
So proudly today, as Commander in Chief, as one who was proud to serve with you and your predecessors in World War II, I say, America welcomes you home with pride, and we will not fail you in winning the peace.
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded the 1st Marine Division:
THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR
EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM TO FIRST MARINE DIVISION (REINFORCED) FLEET MARINE FORCE
For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam from 16 September 1967 to 31 October 1968. Operating primarily in Quang Nam Province, the First Marine Division (Reinforced) superbly executed its threefold mission of searching for and destroying the enemy, defending key airfields and lines of communication, and conducting a pacification and revolutionary development program unparalleled in the annals of warfare. With the Division responsible for over 1,000 square miles of territory, it extended protection and pacification to more than one million Vietnamese. The countless examples of courage, resourcefulness, and dedication demonstrated by the officers and men of the First Marine Division attest to their professionalism and esprit de corps. Their combat activities were skillfully carried out in the face of adverse weather and difficult terrain such as canopied jungles, rugged mountains, swampy lowlands, and hot, sandy beaches. During the enemy Tet-offensive in late January of 1968, the First Marine Division dealt a devastating blow to enemy forces attempting to attack Danang. Again, in May 1968, the Division totally crushed an enemy drive directed against the Danang area through the Go Noi Island region southwest of Danang. The Division achieved this resounding victory through the skillful coordination of ground forces, supporting arms, and aircraft support. Most action in the I Corps Tactical Zone during August of 1968 was centered in the First Marine Divisions tactical area of responsibility.
The enemy, now looking for a victory which would achieve some measure of psychological or propaganda value, again mounted an attack of major proportions against Danang but were thoroughly repulsed sustaining heavy casualties. The valiant fighting spirit, perseverance, and teamwork displayed by First Marine Division personnel throughout this period reflected great credit upon themselves and the Marine Corps and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
RICHARD NIXON
After
the ceremonies, President Nixon greeted the crowd of some 10,000 by circling
the Parade Ground standing in the back of a jeep. After saying goodbye to
Commandant Chapman, the President started walking towards his waiting
limousine, for the short drive back to San Clemente. Suddenly, a remarkable
thing happened. A crowd of Marines carried President Nixon on their shoulders
for about 15 yards as he toured the parade grounds after welcoming home the 1st Division from Vietnam, a base
spokesman said Saturday. The incident Friday was not seen by most spectators,
but television cameras picked up a distant shot of the President being lifted
and carried until Secret Service agents called a halt.
The
witnesses said the Marines involved were from Camp Pendleton and the 1st
Division. “The President walked by the bleachers and waved,” said a corporal.
“Suddenly about 15 to 20 guys spilled out of the bleachers, grabbed him, and
put him on their shoulders. “They went about 15 yards when the Secret service forced
them to put the President down.”
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| The President Departs with his daughter Trisha |
Nixon then shook hands with many of them….the witnesses said. It was quite a sight to see!
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| 1st Marine Division Insignia |
MCB Camp Pendleton Insignia
Presidents Trip to Palm Springs Ca | |
 Annenberg estate (Sunnylands) | |
Type Of Activity | Communications Support |
Location | |
Location | Palm Springs California |
Date of Activity | 1 May 1971 to 2 May 1971 |
Coordinates | 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″W |
The President was accompanied by several guests including, Henry Kissinger, Bebe Rebozo and Robert Abplanalp. Shortly after their arrival the President and his party started a round of golf on the course located on the 200-acre estate. President Nixon would always stay at the estate of Walter Annenberg the owner of TV Guide, Seventeen and many other publications and was the ambassador to England.
The Annenberg estate known as Sunnylands came with everything including a golf course with 18 holes situated in Rancho Mirage, CA. the 200-acre estate and had been used as a winter retreat by the couple beginning in 1966, when the house was completed.
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| Sunnylands Main House |
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| Annenberg’s study |
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| Main Entrance |
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| Sunnylands Golf Course |
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| Aerial view of the Annenberg estate complete with its 18 hole golf course |
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| Edom Hill Radio Site |
Although we had the switchboard and radio equipment installed and ready to go, we still did not have any radio keying circuits installed. After many hours of waiting for the telephone company to install these remote keying lines, we were finally able to test with the switchboard and finished up at about 4AM and left the estate. The one thing that I learned during this trip was that I could actually nap for a few minutes on the back of a golf cart.
The next morning the President and his guests played another round of golf. I have no idea who won but when they finished, they had lunch.
At 1:55 pm he President boarded Army One and flew from the Palm Springs estate of U.S. Ambassador Walter Annenberg, back to the Western White House in San Clemente. As soon as we heard that Army One had arrived back at San Clemente, we started to remove our equipment and load all of it into the rental truck.
It had been only a little more than 24 hours since we were notified of the visit to Palm Springs and about 30 hours without sleep and the President was gone, it was now time for us to return to El Toro and finish the Presidents stay at San Clemente.
Letters of Commendation
11 May 71 to Camp Pendleton CA-ORE
Since the CCT was meant to be a fast response team that could respond quickly, DCSU HQ decided to surprise us with an Organizational Readiness Evaluation (ORE). I received a call from Mr. Douglas at about 7:30 in the evening to assemble the team ASAP at our El Toro shop.
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| Camp Pendleton’s main entrance |
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Abandoned Quonset Huts |
Frank Sinatra’s Retirement Concert | |||
| |||
Type of Activity | Indoor Theater Concert | ||
Location | |||
Location | 135 North Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California | ||
Date of Activity | June 13 1971 | ||
Coordinates | 34°3′29″N118°14′50″W | ||
09 June 1971 to Los Angeles Ca with Vice President Agnew
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| Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Ahmanson Theater |
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| Ahmanson Theater |
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| Frank Sinatra's retirement concert |
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| Inside the Ahmanson Theater where Frank Sinatra's retirement concert was held. |
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| Frank Sinatra’s retirement in 1971 |
President Nixon Announces his Visit to China | ||
 NBC Studios in Burbank CA | ||
Type Of Activity | Televised News Conference | |
Location | ||
Location | Burbank CA | |
Date of Activity | July 15 1971 | |
Coordinates | 34°09'14.7"N 118°20'00.5"W | |
The President and first Lady arrived in San Clemente on July 3rd 1971 for an extended stay at the Western White House. At the time we were unaware of what would come in two weeks. The President’s trip was pretty routine without many side trips and seemed more like a working vacation as the Senior Staff was very busy. On July 13th Henry Kissinger arrived and participated in a series of meetings with the President and the Senior Staff.
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The President and Henry Kissinger arrive at NBC Studios with HR Haldeman and Ron Ziegler |
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| The President Announces his Planned Trip to China |
July 15, 1971
Thank you and good night.
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| The President’s handwritten notes from that day, before delivering his announcement: |
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| NBC Studios site of President Nixon’s announcement that he was going to visit China in March of 1972 |
Aborted trip to the Bohemian Grove | |
 Entrance to the Bohemian Grove | |
Type Of Activity | Unknown Presidential Function |
Location | |
Location | Santa Rosa/Monte Rio CA |
Date of Activity | 29 July 1971 |
Coordinates | |
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| C130 Hercules Cargo Transport |
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| Passenger jump seats We arrived at Hamilton AFB at 6:30 am and started to unload our equipment, there were rental vehicles available to transport the equipment to a nearby hotel where we would meet with the Secret Service advance team who would reveal to us the Presidents itinerary. |
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| The Bohemian Grove just outside of Monte Rio, CA. |
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| Two future U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, are pictured with Harvey Hancock (standing) and others at Bohemian Grove in the summer of 1967. |
Loma Linda University Medical Center | |||
| |||
Type of Activity | Announcement to build new Hospital | ||
Location | |||
Location | Loma Linda Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA | ||
Date of Activity | 20 Aug 1971 | ||
Coordinates | 34°03′09″N 117°15′51″W | ||
20 August 1971 to Loma Linda with President NixonThe San Clemente CCT made many side trips while President Nixon was vacationing at the Western White House in San Clemente. These side trips were usually in and out visits that only required one central location to be installed and turned up. We would set up the radio site, Switchboard, Comm. Center, and start preparing the speech site at the Loma Linda University Medical Center! The President's itinerary was to arrive on Marine One, spend about two hours on the Ground and then return to San Clemente. B/C/S FM Base stations were installed at the medical center to support the USSS and White House Staff. President Richard Nixon visited Loma Linda University, August 20, 1971 and announced the construction of a $28.9 million dollar Veterans Administration hospital in the Loma Linda area. The new Veterans Administration hospital will replace the 521- bed hospital in San Fernando, California in which 48 patients and employees died in the earthquake of February 9 1979. Shortly after the announcement was made, four southern California geologists criticized the selection of the Loma Linda site. They all felt that this area had a higher earthquake potential than most of southern California since two of the biggest earthquake faults ran within several miles of Loma Linda. They said that since 1918 there have been six quakes in the area that have been over six points on the Richter scale.
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| Marine One arrives at Loma Linda Medical Center |
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| President Nixon announces the construction of a new VA hospital in Loma Linda |
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| President Nixon remarks |
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VA Hospital at Loma Linda Medical Center |
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| Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center Loma Linda Ca |
The President's Trip to Santa Catalina Island | ||
 The Casino in Avalon on Catalina Island | ||
Type of Activity | Boat Excursion to Santa Catalina Island | |
Location | ||
Location | Santa Catalina Island CA | |
Date of Activity | August 28 and 29 1971 | |
Coordinates | 33° 23′ 0″ N, 118° 25′ 0″ W | |
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| . Blackjack Mt. radio site |
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| .WHCA radio site overlooking Catalina Airport |
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| Approaching Catalina Island's Airport in the Sky |
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Airport in the Sky Main Terminal |
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| The Newporter Inn in Newport Beach CA |
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| Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach CA |
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| The President on board the Mojo en-route to Santa Catalina Island |
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| Avalon Bay at Catalina Island |
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Motorola Radio Training | ||||
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Type Of Activity | Technical Training | |||
Location | ||||
Location | Schaumburg IL | |||
Date of Activity | Sep 19 1971 to Sep 25 1971 | |||
Coordinates | 42° 4'5.20"N 88° 2'44.47"W | |||
I had been working on Motorola FM equipment for a number of years, all of my training had been on the job until 1971 when I was sent to Schaumburg IL to Motorola’s manufacturing plant to be trained on hand held FM radios and radio pagers.
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| Motorola’s Headquarters Schaumburg IL |
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| Motorola P-33 5w FM transceiver |
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| HT-220 1.5w FM Transceiver |
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Paging system Encoder |
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| Motorola Page Boy radio paging unit |
The Kissinger Advance Trip To China, Hilo Hawaii | |
 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Hilo, HI | |
Type of Activity | Communications Support Trip |
Location | |
Location | Hilo HI |
Date of Activity | 13 Oct 1971 |
Coordinates | 19°42′20″N 155°5′9″W |
13 October 1971 to Hilo Hi with Henry Kissinger
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| Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu HI |
Lincompex Training (1971)
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WHCA Radio Shop site of Lincompex training |
The new terminal was known as LINCOMPEX, which improved performance of HF SSB audio circuits, more particularly when reception conditions are poor on account of noise and fading. By sending a compressed signal and expanding the signal on the receiving end, the two main advantages of using LINCOMPEX, was the constant loss feature which makes singing suppressors unnecessary and thus avoids the 'lock-out' trouble, and the muting of noise between utterances.
Training lasted for a week and I returned to San Clemente.
Dedication of the Eisenhower Medical Center | |||
| |||
Type of Activity | Hospital Dedication | ||
Location | |||
Location | Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA | ||
Date of Activity | November 27 1971 | ||
Coordinates | |||
The San Clemente CCT made many trips to Palm Springs in support of the President and Vice President. Most of the visits were only golf outings but, on November 27 1971 President and Mrs. Nixon attended the dedication of the Eisenhower Memorial Hospital and Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert CA.; also in attendance were Mrs. Eisenhower, Vice President and Mrs. Agnew and Governor and Mrs. Reagan all of which had protection details that need access to our communications either directly or indirectly.
We had to install the CP and the WHCA Comm-center in a nearby hotel for the USSS and WH staff the switchboard was installed in the GTE central office in Palm Springs. There was a radio site on Edom Hill which overlooked Palm Springs Airport, The Medical Center and the Annenberg estate where the President always stayed. WHCA had installed Baker and Charlie base stations that we turned up when a trip was eminent. We also installed FM radios at the USSS CP, close to the speech site.
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| Bob Hope at the ground Breaking Ceremony |
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| Bob Hope donated the land for the Eisenhower Medical Center |
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| President Nixon speaks at the dedication of the Eisenhower Medical Center |
Mrs. Eisenhower, Vice President and Mrs. Agnew, Governor and Mrs. Reagan, President and Mr. Hope [laughter],1 all of the very distinguished guests who are here on the platform and who are here in the audience:
And so on this occasion, we as Americans, thinking of one of our great men, thinking of this institution that honors him, dedicate ourselves to the tasks ahead: of building a strong, healthy, vigorous America; meeting the challenge of building a world of peace for us, and for all people in the world.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Citation: Richard Nixon: "Remarks at the Dedication of the Eisenhower Memorial Hospital, Eisenhower Medical Center, Palm Desert, California." November 27, 1971. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=3237.
_______________________________________________________________________________
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A private tour of the facility followed the dedication |
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There was also a small reception held following the dedication |
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| The President and Bob Hope enjoy a round of golf |
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The Nixon’s return to San Clemente |
It was time to retrieve all of our equipment and return to Our facility at El Toro MCAS.
Program from the Dedication
Support trip to Palm Springs Ca. | |||
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Type Of Activity | Communications Support Trip | ||
Location | |||
Location | Palm Springs California | ||
Date of Activity | 27 Dec 1971 to 4 Jan 1972 | ||
Coordinates | 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″W | ||
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| The Rancho Mirage Country Club |
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| The Tamarack Country Club |
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| Frank Sinatra’s estate at the Tamarack Country Club |
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| Bob Hope golfing with Vice President Agnew |
State Visit of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato | |||
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Type of Activity | Summit Meeting | ||
Location | |||
Location | La Casa Pacifica San Clemente Ca | ||
Date of Activity | January 6 1972 | ||
Coordinates | 33.390989°N 117.597081°W | ||
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| The President greets steel workers at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. |
The President arrived at the Western White House the night before his proposed trip to NSSC and made the 60 mile helicopter flight to the San Diego Naval Air Station on Jan. 4th where the Presidential Limo waited. The motorcade then proceeded to the shipbuilding yard.
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| Construction is underway of a super-tanker at the NSSC’s shipyard in San Diego. |
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| Prime Minister Sato Arrives at the Western White House |
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| Departing from the Western White House |
“I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation for the opportunity given me to renew my long, personal friendship with President Nixon during the 2-day talks with him. I am confident that these meetings have contributed to strengthen the unshakable relationship of mutual trust and interdependence between the peoples of the United States and Japan.
On behalf of the Japanese delegation, I would like to express my sincere thanks for the warm hospitality extended to us by President Nixon.
I would also like to extend to President Nixon my best wishes for his health, and hope that his forthcoming visits to Peking and Moscow will bring about fruitful achievements for the peace and prosperity of the world.
I thank you.”
Citation: Richard Nixon: "Remarks on Departure of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato of Japan From the Western White House." January 7, 1972. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=3685.
These meetings took place just prior to President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.
The Presidential Visit to China | |||
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Coordinates: 39°54′50″N 116°23′30″E | |||
Country | China | ||
Settled | 473 BC | ||
Elevation | 43.5 m (143 ft.) | ||
Population (2009) | 22,000,000 | ||
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| President Nixon and his advisers on AF1 in route to China |
Adventures in Key Card Changing
While most of the WHCA teams were deployed on the China trip and since President Nixon was in China during my first week with WHCA, Tom Maier can say without any fear of contradiction, that he spent more time in the White House, and more specifically, the “Oval Office,” than he did that week.
One of the first tasks that he “got” to do while at 13A was to check the Secure Telephones (they were using the apartment-refrigerator-sized KY-3s back then) in the Oval Office, the president’s EOB office and the office of the Military Aide. This was a real kick and something they always let the “newbies” do, although in a very-well-supervised way. There were always two people involved. We first had to check with the WHCA Duty Officer to find out whether the President was in or expected to be in either of his offices. If he was, the check on that phone was put off until later.
However, the Duty Officer didn’t seem worried at all about intruding on the Military Aide. We would always knock before entering his office but Nixon’s Military Aide, Major General Brent Scowcroft, seemed more like your grandfather than a high-ranking General Officer who was on daily speaking terms with the President. If he was in the office, he would just smile and motion us on in. We quickly replaced the key cards, performed the phone check and left.
In the evenings, we also had to replace the “key cards” in the KY-3 for the President’s Office. Although the phone itself sat on the President’s desk, the KY-3’s enclosure was in a small kitchenette (as I recall) located off the office. If the president was out of the office, we would enter directly through his secretary’s (i.e. Rosemary Woods of the 18-minute-tape-gap fame) office, pass through a corner of the President’s Office and then turn hard right into the kitchenette. But if the President was in his Office (which almost never happened at night) we had to enter the kitchenette through a hallway door.
Although the exact sequence of events are foggy to him now, one night there was apparently some sort of miscommunication between us, the Duty Officer and the Secret Service. Because the President WAS in his office, we entered from the hallway, as we were supposed to do.
Apparently, the noise we made alarmed one of the Secret Service agents in the Office because as he bent over to change the key cards…it was a tight squeeze as Tom recalls…the agent burst into the kitchenette from the Office side scaring the ever-loving’ crap out of us.
Fortunately, there were no repercussions over the confrontation, but my heart was pounding for quite a while after that.
Don Camel remembers the China Trip
I remember a lot of milestones on that trip. I was on the team in Hangchow and stayed at the West Lake resort which was the equivalent of our Camp David. We had a welcome banquet on the evening of the arrival, and ALL the U.S. party was invited to attend. This was White House Staff, USSS, WHCA, and the traveling WH Press Corp. We were all seated at round tables with 8-10 people and the crowd was probably close to 400 people total. Even the camera and sound folks were considered part of the team.
The "Official Diaz" included the President and Dr. Henry Kissinger, and the Chinese had an equal number at the table. Then the rest of the tables were organized Alphabetically by last name. I can’t remember all the names at my table, but we were about table #3 and very close to the front. David Brinkley, Steve Bull, Don Cammel, Walter Cronkite, John Chancellor....you get the picture. In the overflow hall next door, one of the tables close to the end of the alphabet included the name Albert Redman (the current Commander of WHCA). I was instructed to go take his seat and leave mine open for the Colonel. We were all seated and waiting for the "Official Party" to arrive and suddenly, a couple of security guards approached my seat. They looked stern, but they basically escorted me back to my proper seat! Colonel Redman was not exactly happy, but we American's had absolutely zero input on seating, in their society, everyone in the hall except the head table was considered equal.
WHCA personnel always stayed in an approved "hotel" style building in Hangchou. (That was the proper spelling in that era, along with Peking instead of Beijing used today. All of the meals were served family style at round tables seating 8 people and there was a window for each meal. A small group of Supervisors would remain in work areas when the meal started, and once the first group was finished, the next group of people would go to the dining area witch was a screened in Porch. At the end of the hall the screens had been replaced with temporary vinyl or glass covering.
It was VERY cold in the eating area. The last group of people would arrive, and they would scan all the other tables. Some serving platters were still piled high with something that you could not identify. Quick lesson, if the rest of the team left it there, don't even bother to taste it. We would point to completely empty serving dishes with just a hint of some kind of sauce and indicate we wanted more of that item. Still often a mystery, but we avoided tasting a lot of items that were non-starters. Of course, there was NO selection of anything "beef" since cows are sacred. We once had a dish that resembled "beef stew" in a very strange chartreuse sauce, and it was delicious. We ordered more and it was a big hit. We then asked, "What are we eating? Found out that I like "Muskrat"! Yak!
Our hosts enjoyed watching our movies, and especially Steve McQueen in "Bullet" which must have been shown a dozen times during our visit. Not to let out any secrets, but team members, and the USSS to break the boredom, did often engage in a friendly game of low stakes poker. Some of these games would last for several hours and shift workers would replace empty seats. Second secret....there was Chinese beer available. I am not a beer drinker, but did like the local Orange soda that was kind of like a Stewarts Orange from the US. Everything was always served at room temperature. Sometimes it was the pantry porch, which was cold, and sometimes the room next to the hot water boiler in the machine room.I decided that I wanted some ice and with sign language, the house boy finally understood. He departed and was gone for so long, I forgot that the request for ice was even made. After over an hour, he came back out of breath, obviously been running in the cold outside in February, and had a bucket of ice. He scooped some in the glass and opened a bottle of Orange for me. Then he watched as I poured it over the ice. After I had let it cool off for a couple of minutes, I raised it to my mouth to take a drink. On my first drink, I almost choked and blew orange out my mouth and nose. Really a class act, but it seems the flavor was just like I remembered my Dad's minnow bucket. The ice had be procured at the fish market. Later we found out that this kid had ran almost the equivalent of 3 miles to get this ice. We chilled few bottles of both orange and beer in the remaining bucket, but certainly didn't pour anything else over the ice!On the next trip to China (Ford 1975) we had just finished bringing all the equipment into the hotel from airport on the first day there. We were relaxing in our room designated for the comm center. Being aware of possible hidden cameras and or bugs in the rooms, we were hot and thirsty so we went over to one of the light fixtures and said, "sure would be nice to have something to drink" and about 2 min's later, there was a knock on the door and there was a Chinese busboy with a tray of those Chinese Orange drinks. Coincidence?? Whatever, the drinks were appreciated. Just glad we didn't have any of the fish flavored ice that we had on the first trip in 72..Laundry on overseas trips was always a problem but we had mixed results on the 1972 trips to China and then Russia.
In China after a few days, we received instructions through the houseboy about laundry. No, problem, just place you items in a small bag in the closet and leave it at the foot of your bed. Don Cammel decided to test this service, and took about 3 pairs of underwear, some socks, and a couple of polo shirts and tried it out.
The houseboy picked up the bag and took off down the hall on the dead run! It looked like he was stealing something! No worries, in about 3 hours, he reappeared with a mess hall tray being held high in the air, and on the tray were all my very clean, ironed underwear, socks, and shirts! Really the definition of pardon the pun, but a "Chinese Laundry". Don spread the word, and the entire team enjoyed the same results without and problems for the remaining 3 weeks of our stay and we can't say enough good about the service.
Now let’s fast forward a couple months to our visit to Russia. Don was assigned to the team in Kiev. he once again was the "test" case for how the service in Kiev was going to work. The front desk seemed a little confused, but it was explained to place items in a pillowcase type bag, and drop it off at the front desk. No inventory was necessary, probably because they couldn't read English. he took a few items, mostly underwear, and some perma-pressed shirts, and maybe a pair of dockers type pants. He dropped them off at the front desk at about 0900, and the next morning at about 1030, the House Boy delivered the laundry, and it was once again, an excellent experience.
He again spread the word at the joint Count Down meeting with 45 WHCA, 30 USSS, and 15 WH Staff, along with another 20 State Department people. So several people took bags to the front desk, and we quickly received a memo from the Embassy, saying that future drop offs should be in a Conference Room on the first floor. It also instructed that returned laundry would be delivered to a claim room on the top floor of the hotel, turned out to be a large banquet room.
The next day, we looked out our WHCA Office window, and the bags of collected laundry was being dropped down a chute from about the 3rd floor, into a large dump truck! We soon started expecting the return of our laundry.
After almost a week, they told us it would arrive the next morning. We went up to the banquet room, and there were rows of tables set up like a flea market. One table had 400 pair of every brand of underwear known to man, the next table 700 socks not matched to each other, and then of course another table with various under shirts, yellow arm pit stains, some with holes, some very new, many very old. Then our regular shirts, slacks, and everything else. It was obvious that someone had a new "red" sweatshirt and now there was one table of "pink" underwear. Each of us tried to walk through an identify our items. Very difficult without names or markings. Really a lot of J.C. Penney underwear.
This massive pile of laundry remained huge for several days, many items no one wanted to claim in front of others. WHCA did not have any female members at that time, but the State Department and USSS might have had a couple women. They were not pleased about their various "cup sizes" being observed by all of us "dirty old men in training". Remember, they hauled this off in a dump truck, so it was a huge amount of clothing.
The memos from the front desk to go claim your items continued to get frantic as we were closer to visit day. In the end, there was still enough laundry to fill 3 giant boxes like a truck load of toilet paper from Sam's Club. The WH Advance told them to just donate any unclaimed items to charity after we left.
About 5 months later, the WHCA Vault received 3 large boxes shipped through the COMSEC courier service from the US Embassy Annex in Kiev. You guessed it, all the remaining unclaimed laundry from that visit! They once again asked people to come check it out and claim any missing items. After a few months, they were donated to the Salvation Army. Some team members were able to process claims for "lost items" and received a check for replacement. The paper drill was very long, depreciation schedule for used underwear is actually listed in a government document somewhere!
President Nixon held many meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during the trip, which included visits to the Great Wall, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.
The Nixon’s tour the Great Wall of China
The Nixon’s tour the Great Wall of China At the conclusion of President Nixon's trip, the United States and the PRC Governments issued the Shanghai Communiqué, a statement of their foreign policy views and a document that would remain the basis of Sino-American bilateral relations for many years. Kissinger stated that the U.S. also intended to pull all its forces out of the island of Taiwan. In the communique, both nations pledged to work toward the full normalization of diplomatic relations.
Letter of Appreciation
Certificate of Membership Commemorative Paper WeightPresident's Travel Itinerary
Agana the Capital of Guam
B-52 departing Andersen AFB to Vietnam We arrived at Andersen AFB early in the morning on February 11, 1972, as soon as we unloaded all of our equipment and got settled in the hotel. We met with some government and military personnel to find locations suitable to install our communication equipment. Andersen was the perfect location because of its tight base security.From early 1972, Andersen AFB was the site of one of the most massive buildups of air power in history. The influx of bombers, crews, and support personnel pushed Andersen's military population past 15,000. Over 150 B-52's lined all available space on the flight line.We utilized three locations on Andersen to set up the mini switchboards, the crypto equipment in the Comm. Center, and the HF SSB and FM radios. Since the arrival would take place at Andersen and the President and Mrs. Nixon would stay in a nearby private residence. We decided to install Baker/Charlie and Sierra base stations in the same building as the Switchboard and Comm. Center. This would make it an easier installation for the keying lines to the radio consoles and paging system that terminated at the switchboard...We installed a URT-23 HF Transmitter with two R-1051 receivers to work with the WHCA people on mainland China. We were given a schedule of specific dates and times that we were allowed to test on our assigned frequencies. Once we completed testing we went to 24hr coverage on all communications activities
R-1051 SSB Receiver
URT-23 1KW SSB Transmitter The President arrived on February 20, 1972 and spent the evening on Guam before continuing his flight to mainland China.
The WHCA Mini-switchboard The President, Mrs. Nixon, Dr. Kissinger, and a few Staff members arrived in Peking on February 21, 1972 to begin one of the most historic events in history. The President would spend seven days in China, during that period of time the WHCA installations on Guam would be the focal point for most of the communications to and from the President and his Staff.
The President left China on February 28, 1972 and we immediately started to remove our equipment and got ready to load it on a C-141 returning from China with some WHCA personnel and the Key Biscayne CCT.Guam became the staging area for all equipment and personnel returning from China. Of course, the C-141 Crew was tired of running shuttles from the three trip locations in China to Guam, so on arrival the aircraft was grounded for repairs and for a new crew was assigned to fly us to HI.
The KBCCT flew directly to Guam from China by the most direct route. Some details are fuzzy, but they remembered the Exchange and Snack Bar were closed on their arrival at Anderson AFB, Maybe they were just tired and ready for a good old American Cheeseburger, however the only food available was a mobile "Hot Dog Cart" in front of the Exchange. and it was bought out in record time! Those were some nasty hot dogs, but they ate every one of them! When they left China, it was late in the day then when they arrived in Guam the C-141 when they arrived had to be unloaded and then reloaded on the plane that we had loaded with the equipment from the Guam stop. The long flight from China to Gaum plus the 2+ hour time shift gives you a long very day.
We had been on Guam for 35 days and were all anxious to get home, but the Military Customs Officers on Guam had other ideas they read the rules, and they were NOT going to allow anyone to enter the U.S. territory from the People's Republic of China. Since we were on Guam we were not required to go through customs however by sharing the plane with returning WHCA personnel we had to wait while the Customs Officers contacted the State Department in Washington DC.
The answer was to defer our customs clearance until we reached the U.S. instead of Guam. Finally, The plane was loaded, and we were ready to depart Guam for a couple of days of rest in Honolulu, Hi. We received clearance and departed Guam for Hickam AFB, once again we had a major problem with the C-141. All of the equipment that we loaded on the C-141was deck mounted and not as simple as moving a dozen pallets, so they wanted to fix the aircraft instead of unloading it. The Hickam AFB folks were like the people in Guam, checked the regulations and deferred the Customs clearance to mainland U.S.
We were all ready for some R&R after spending close to a month preparing and executing this very historical event. We stayed in Hawaii for almost three days at the Ala Moana Hotel on Waikiki beach in Honolulu both the El Toro CCT and the Homestead CCT again boarded the aircraft.
Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu HI Both the El Toro CCT and the Homestead CCT personal were on the aircraft along with all of the communication equipment from both stops. We landed at El Toro MCAS, and it was very hot and with typical Marine logic, we had to stay on the hot aircraft for almost an hour. While the Customs Agents were discussing the process they needed to follow, the El Toro Team started un-strapping their portion of the equipment, and setting aside all of the PX purchased Sony and Pioneer stereo equipment of this era that they purchased in both Guam and Hawaii. Finally, the El Toro Customs said they would only clear the El Toro team members to remove their equipment and would be getting off the plane at El Toro, so, March 2, 1972 the San Clemente CCT returned to their home base at El Toro MCAS form Guam and the China trip was over.
EL Toro Marine Corp Air Station operations The rest of the personal and equipment were deferred to the next stop. There were both DC folks bound for Andrews Air Force Base (AAFB), and the Key Biscayne CCT headed to Homestead Air Force Base still on board and they were not allowed to deplane at El Toro.
By the time the Key Biscayne CCT arrived in Homestead, they had been officially in country for over 7 days, and still not cleared by Customs. When the Key Biscayne team arrived at Homestead, they had one member that was a Navy person, and his mind set from folklore was that items purchased via the PX were gray market and had no warranty unless you paid the duty taxes. The Customs guy was so cool. He told him, I don't know how to fill out this paperwork, but I will call my boss. He lives in Ft Lauderdale and will take two hours to get here.
Because there was a pending visit by the President to Key Biscayne there were helicopters ready to take some of the team members to Walkers Cay. These people basically hugged their families, got a new suitcase, and headed out for the weekend. Bottom line is the people from Key Biscayne never did clear customs, the Customs Agent from Fort Lauderdale called his guy and said, just let them in.
Little did I know that in three months I would be transferred to Key Biscayne and live on Homestead Air Force Base.
Vice President Agnew’s Visit to New Orleans | |||
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Type Of Activity | Republican Party Fund Raiser | ||
Location | |||
Location | New Orleans LA | ||
Date of Activity | 24-25 April 1972 | ||
Coordinates | 29°57'22.7"N 90°03'56.2"W | ||
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| Aboard AF-2 Speechwriters William Safire and Pat Buchanan with VP Spiro Agnew |
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| The Roosevelt Hotel |
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| The Royal Orleans Hotel |
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| New Orleans International Airport |
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| Site Of Departure |
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