Dave Brubeck and the Moscow Summit We were sad to learn of the passing of Dave Brubeck, who died yesterday.  He would have celebrated his 92nd birthday today. In honor of the jazz maverick, and his efforts as an ambassador of music for the U.S. State Department, here’s a photo of Brubeck performing for Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev during the Moscow Summit of 1988.  As The Washington Post described: “During ‘Take Five,’ observers noticed that Gorbachev was tapping his fingers along with the music. “’I can’t understand Russian,’” Mr. Brubeck said at the time, “’but I can understand body language.’” The Moscow Summit marked a thaw in the Cold War, and the day after Brubeck’s performance, President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev would sign the INF treaty ratification at the Grand Kremlin. Photo: Dave Brubeck performing for President Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and Raisa Gorbachev  at Spaso House, Moscow. 5/31/88.
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Dave Brubeck and the Moscow Summit

We were sad to learn of the passing of Dave Brubeck, who died yesterday.  He would have celebrated his 92nd birthday today.

In honor of the jazz maverick, and his efforts as an ambassador of music for the U.S. State Department, here’s a photo of Brubeck performing for Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev during the Moscow Summit of 1988. 

As The Washington Post described:

“During ‘Take Five,’ observers noticed that Gorbachev was tapping his fingers along with the music.

“’I can’t understand Russian,’” Mr. Brubeck said at the time, “’but I can understand body language.’”

The Moscow Summit marked a thaw in the Cold War, and the day after Brubeck’s performance, President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev would sign the INF treaty ratification at the Grand Kremlin.

Photo: Dave Brubeck performing for President Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and Raisa Gorbachev  at Spaso House, Moscow. 5/31/88.

Source: reagan.utexas.edu

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Later that day, the Washington Post proclaimed that the Social Security Act was the “New Deal’s Most Important Act…Its importance cannot be exaggerated …because this legislation eventually will affect the lives of every man, woman, and child in the country.” This poster was distributed from November 1936- July 1937 during the initial issuance of Social Security numbers through U.S. post offices and with the help of labor unions. More - Posters from the Social Security Archives
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On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act.

Later that day, the Washington Post proclaimed that the Social Security Act was the “New Deal’s Most Important Act…Its importance cannot be exaggerated …because this legislation eventually will affect the lives of every man, woman, and child in the country.”

This poster was distributed from November 1936- July 1937 during the initial issuance of Social Security numbers through U.S. post offices and with the help of labor unions.

More - Posters from the Social Security Archives

Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu

“Welcome Home From the Crow-Eaters” A sign on the front of the Washington Post Building greets President Harry S. Truman.  President Truman and V.P. Alben Barkley had just returned to Washington D.C. after their victory in the 1948 election - a victory not predicted by the Washington Post. 
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“Welcome Home From the Crow-Eaters”

A sign on the front of the Washington Post Building greets President Harry S. Truman.  President Truman and V.P. Alben Barkley had just returned to Washington D.C. after their victory in the 1948 election - a victory not predicted by the Washington Post. 

Source: research.archives.gov

This weekend will be the 76th anniversary of the Social Security Act

On August 14, 1935 legislators and advisors crowded into the White House Cabinet Room to witness the signing of the Social Security Act.  News photographers and film crews recorded the moment for history as FDR put his signature on the bill.  Standing directly behind the President was the person most responsible for it - Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. The headline in that day’s Washington Post read “New Deal’s Most Important Act.”

-read more at The FDR Library

Source: fdrlibrary.marist.edu

Remembering Watergate: A Conversation

“You look back on it and it seems like the trail is obvious, but at the time, it was not clear.  The big break in the next couple of days was the simple entry in the address books that two of the burglars…”

-Bob Woodward, April 18, 2011

Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post recently sat down together at the Nixon Presidential Library to discuss their coverage of Watergate.  In a talk moderated by Nixon Library Director Timothy Naftali, they remember events that happened behind-the-scenes at the newspaper.