Our Presidents

lbjlibrary: May 18, 1965. LBJ speaks about Head Start: “This...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:40 -0400

May 18, 1965. LBJ speaks about Head Start:

“This is a very proud occasion for him [Sargent Shriver, head of the Office of Economic Opportunity] and for us today, because it was less than 3 months ago that we opened a new war front on poverty. We set out to make certain that poverty’s children would not be forevermore poverty’s captives. We called our program Project Head Start.

“The program was conceived not so much as a Federal effort but really as a neighborhood effort, and the response we have received from the neighborhoods and the communities has been most stirring and the most enthusiastic of any peacetime program that I can remember.

“Today we are able to announce that we will have open, and we believe operating this summer, coast-to-coast, some 2,000 child development centers serving as many as possibly a half million children.”

Full text here. Read the booklet here. Lots of OEO promotional videos for Head Start available on our YouTube channel playlist here.

Jimmy Carter waving from Air Force One. 5/17/77.

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:33 -0400

Jimmy Carter waving from Air Force One. 5/17/77.

Brown vs. Board of Education On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court...

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:16:00 -0400

Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court Opinion. 5/31/55. http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_brown_v_boe.html

Brown vs. Board of Education

On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision overturning “separate but equal” as unconstitutional, stating that segregation in public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment.

Four years earlier, members of the Topeka, Kansas, Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine governing public education through a class action suit when they were denied the opportunity to enroll their children in the white-only schools.

When the Topeka case made its way to the United States Supreme Court it was combined with other NAACP cases from Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. The combined cases became known as Oliver L. Brown et. al. vs. The Board of Education of Topeka (KS).

You can see the original Complaint against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Court Order, and correspondences between President Eisenhower about Brown vs. Board of Education from Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Papers as President here.

Pictured: Supreme Court Opinion of Brown vs. Board of Education, pages 1-3. 5/31/55.

-from the Eisenhower Library

Bill to Break the Sound Barrier If you were the first woman to...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:36 -0400

Bill to Break the Sound Barrier

If you were the first woman to break the sound barrier, who would you pick to fly the chase plane behind you?

Jacqueline Cochran tapped her friend, Colonel Chuck Yeager for the task for her May 18, 1953 flight. A logical decision, since he was the first pilot to break the barrier in 1947.

Here is his final bill for his expenses, including the replacement of dead chickens that stampeded when her low-flying Sabre jet flew over a ranch.

More — Jacqueline Cochran, World Famous Aviatrix

-from the Eisenhower Library

jfklibrary: Being that today is the opening of “Gatsby” we...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:30:20 -0400

jfklibrary:

Being that today is the opening of “Gatsby” we thought it fitting to share this snippet of a letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway sent Fitzgerald the typescript of “A Farewell to Arms”, and Fitzgerald wrote back about ten pages of commentary and edits, ending his critique with a compliment about the book overall, saying “A beautiful book it is.” After reading the ten pages of criticism of his book, Hemingway added his own colorful language (pictured) on the bottom. But, we know from later drafts that he did consider some of the advice! (From the Hemingway Collection at the JFK Library)

The S.S. Mayaguez Crisis — This Week in 1975 President...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:57:36 -0400

The S.S. Mayaguez Crisis — This Week in 1975

President Ford briefs the Bipartisan Congressional Leadership on the seizure of the American merchant ship S.S. Mayaguez on May 14, 1975.

The Mayaguez had been seized in international waters off the coast of Cambodia on May 12. Over the next two days President Ford and the National Security Council closely monitored the situation, ultimately deciding to use air strikes and send in Marines to rescue the boat’s crew.

President Ford received word that the Mayaguez and its entire crew had been safely recovered shortly after 11:00 p.m. on the 14th, and at 12:30 a.m. he made the official announcement to the press.

In accordance with the War Powers Act, on May 15 President Ford sent a letter to the Speaker of the House and president pro tem of the Senate regarding the Mayaguez incident. Read the President’s account of his actions here.

-from the Ford Library

Baseball great, Jackie Robinson with President Eisenhower and...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:31:24 -0400

Baseball great, Jackie Robinson with President Eisenhower and comedian Joe E. Brown at the White House on May 14, 1957.

-from the Eisenhower Library

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Red Cross Uniform ER used this uniform...

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:27:10 -0400

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Red Cross Uniform

ER used this uniform during her 25,000 mile tour of the South Pacific in August-September, 1943 as a representative of the American Red Cross. The First Lady also wore a second uniform made of seersucker fabric during her trip.

-Check out more artifacts from the FDR Library’s “100 Days” Countdown Tumblr

Happy Mother’s Day weekend! Lady Bird Johnson with...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:32:54 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day weekend!

Lady Bird Johnson with daughters Lynda and Luci, and their husbands. (L-R) Charles Robb, Lynda Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, Luci Johnson Nugent (holding the dog Yuki), Patrick Nugent. 9/30/67.

-from the LBJ Library

More — First Ladies as mothers and daughters

lbjlibrary: May 10, 1966. Only three days after McNamara...

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:54 -0400

lbjlibrary:

May 10, 1966. Only three days after McNamara called LBJ with concerns about spending more than projected in Vietnam, James Webb, the head of NASA, calls LBJ with similar worries about his agency. Webb is concerned that NASA may not be able to meet its objectives in space within the budget constraints: he is worried about keeping up with the Soviets, and about ensuring the safety of astronauts.

LBJ acknowledges Webb’s concerns, but suggests that asking for a tax increase will cause more problems in the long run because of its negative impact of the November election. Around the 4 minute mark, he suggests a novel strategy, one often used with “haberdashers and Safeway grocery stores”: delay payment of some bills into the next fiscal year.

Above: a selection of NASA achievements from the Johnson years to date, from Great Images in NASA. Top L: X-15 Mounted to B-52 Mothership Pylon in Flight, Top R: M2-F1 In Tow Flight, Mid L: Glenn at the Cape, Mid R: White Floats out the Open Hatch, Bottom L: Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 Rendezvous, Bottom R: Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight

usnatarchives: President Johnson and his first school teacher ...

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:07:28 -0400

usnatarchives:

President Johnson and his first school teacher Mrs. Kathryn Deadrich Loney—“Miss Kate”—sat together as President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 into law
on Sunday, April 11, 1965.

The ceremony took place at Junction School, the one-room schoolhouse near Stonewall, Texas, where Johnson began his education. The Act was the first general aid to education law, represented a major new commitment of the federal government to education, and focused on disadvantaged children in city slums and rural areas.

What do you remember about your first teacher?

For more great photos of teachers all week, visit the National Archives Education page on Facebook.

(Image: Photograph of President Lyndon Johnson at the Signing Ceremony for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act at the Former Junction Elementary School, Johnson City, Texas, 04/11/1965. From the White House Photo Office Collection at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum http://research.archives.gov/description/2803432)

— in Stonewall, TX.

On May 11, 1976, President Ford signed the National Science and...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:33:54 -0400

On May 11, 1976, President Ford signed the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization and Priorities Act of 1976. First proposed in June 1975, this legislation established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

This May 8 decision memo from James Cannon to the President outlines the main provisions of the bill. In addition to designating the director of the OSTP as the President’s adviser on science and technology this legislation also called for an intensive study of the way the government utilized science and technology to solve problems. From President Ford’s remarks:

“Those of us here today share a very strong view that science and engineering and technology can and must continue to make great contributions to the achievement of our goals.”

-from the Ford Library

Happy Birthday to Harry Truman, born on May 8 in 1884! This...

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:26:02 -0400

Happy Birthday to Harry Truman, born on May 8 in 1884!

This post-Presidential photograph shows Truman holding a copy of the famous Chicago Daily Tribune declaring “Dewey Defeats Truman.” The newspaper had relied on early Gallup polls to predict the winner, but the polls were wrong. Truman was reelected.

The 33rd President grew up in Independence, Missouri, (now the site of Harry S. Truman Library & Museum) and after serving in World War I, he returned home and he married Bess Wallace, his childhood sweetheart. In 1934, he was elected to the Senate. He had only been Vice President for a few weeks when FDR died, and Truman was sworn in as 33 President of the United States.

For more Presidential photos and history, visit the new Our Presidents boards over on Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/ourpresidents/

from the U.S. National Archives

Iconic Presidential Photos The Presidential Libraries are now on...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:48:00 -0400

Iconic Presidential Photos

The Presidential Libraries are now on Pinterest. You’ll find some of the most requested images from the holdings of all 13 Presidential Libraries.

We’re pinning the historic moments, meetings with world leaders, Air Force One, First Ladies, and much more. You’ll find a fair share of White House pet pics too.

Take a look and let us know what else you would like to see!

http://pinterest.com/ourpresidents/

Photos: Lyndon B. Johnson gives Senator Richard Russell the “Johnson Treatment.” 11/7/63.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower Meeting the Troops Prior to the Normandy Invasion. 6/5/44.

The Big Three — Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference. 2/9/45.

John F. Kennedy points to a reporter at a news conference. 11/20/62.

Gerald R. Ford in the Oval Office. 3/25/75

ourpresidents: “The mission of this Allied Force was...

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:04:50 -0400

ourpresidents:

“The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241, local time, May 7th, 1945.

EISENHOWER”

Top secret document sent by General Eisenhower to his superior officers to inform them that his mission was fulfilled - Germany was defeated and the war in Europe was over.

-from the Eisenhower Library

Alan Shepard gears up for his flight as the first American in...

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:37:00 -0400

Alan Shepard gears up for his flight as the first American in space. May 5, 1961.

This photo from the holdings of the Eisenhower Library shows astronaut Shepard preparing for his record setting flight as the first American man in space.

-from the Jacqueline Cochran Papers, Federation Aeronautique International Series. National Archives ID #7065300

This post was originally a Doc of the Week from the Eisenhower Library

lbjlibrary: May 5, 1965. This photo is taken of people in Santo...

Sun, 05 May 2013 10:00:43 -0400

lbjlibrary:

May 5, 1965. This photo is taken of people in Santo Domingo reading a public message from LBJ to the rebels in the Dominican Republic, amidst the rubble from the fighting.

LBJ Library, National Security File, Country File Dominican Republic, “USIA Situation Report, 5/65.” Documents 11a and 30b.

jfklibrary: In honor of Mother’s Day, here’s an entertaining...

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:59:45 -0400

jfklibrary:

In honor of Mother’s Day, here’s an entertaining letter from JFK’s mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, to President Kennedy.

In 1962, Rose Kennedy wrote to Soviet Premier Khrushchev asking for an autographed photo. Learning that his mother had reached out to the Soviet Premier, JFK wrote her this letter asking her to please check with him before she took it upon herself to correspond with heads of state as requests like hers are “subject to interpretations.” The timing is interesting, considering JFK wrote back to Rose almost immediately after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In response to this letter, Rose Kennedy wrote back, saying: “I understand very well your letter, although I had not thought of it before. …When I ask for Castro’s autograph, I will let you know in advance!”

From the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Papers/JFK Library

Space Food, Brownies, Apollo 11 Tomorrow is Space Day at the...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:48:55 -0400

Space Food, Brownies, Apollo 11

Tomorrow is Space Day at the National Air and Space Museum! The Presidential Libraries of the National Archives will be there hosting a Mission Checklist hunt.

If you are in Washington D.C., come by to accept your mission and search for Apollo items at the National Archives and the Air and Space Museum.

Among your necessities: compressed brownies sealed in 4-ply laminate.

Learn more about space food from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Photo courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

More — Nixon and the Apollo Program

whitehouse: President Obama just took off from the South Lawn...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:00:41 -0400

whitehouse:

President Obama just took off from the South Lawn of the White House.

He’s headed to Mexico and Costa Rica to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America.