National Geographic: Inside the White House

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It is a simple mansion,

built of stone and irony,

a symbol of freedom

invested with the labor of slaves

and great statesman alike.

It is like no other place on earth,

a house alive with the past and present.

I deem this reply a full acceptance

of the unconditional surrender of Japan.

...that a strong and a confident

and a vigilant America

stands ready tonight...

It is an odd place,

where the monumental and

the mundane coexist.

to provide a nuclear strike capability

against the Western Hemisphere...

therefore, I shall resign

the Presidency effective

at noon tomorrow.

It is where the most critical decisions

in our history are made.

And where any American can visit.

And all the things that American

Independence means to you

and to me and to ours.

My fellow Americans,

our constitution works -

here the people rule.

Now you will journey

through time and a day

meeting the people

and hearing the stories

that give this powerful place its soul.

For this is more than just an office

or a monument or a home,

it is an American idea

known as the White House.

This isn't the biggest house.

Many and most, in even smaller countries

are much bigger.

This isn't the finest house,

but this is the best house.

It's the best house

because it has something

far more important than

numbers of people who serve,

far more important than numbers

of rooms

or how big it is,

far more important than numbers

of magnificent pieces of art.

This house has a great heart,

and that heart

comes from those who serve.

At the White House,

there is no such thing as a typical day

For those who serve inside,

today will be one of the most intense.

These people, stagehands to history

are preparing the house for the visit

of Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Hi, Brenda, this is Gary Walters

at the White House.

How are you today.

Fine.

Is Jerry in?

Each time a foreign leader

visits the White House,

the President has an opportunity

to showcase the power

and heritage of the nation

in a setting

that embodies them in every wall,

floorboard, and stone.

This is the symbol

not only of the Presidency,

but in the eyes of the world,

of the United States of America.

Nothing compares to the simplicity

and the strength

nothing, nothing in the world like it.

...black tie, the dinner is...

will start off

with the private reception...

Very shortly the Yeltsins will arrive.

To insure a flawless visit,

there are briefings on the 1000 details

of protocol and timing.

Then in terms of the movements,

the arrival back here by the car,

going up to the stage...

The high point of the visit

will be the state dinner tonight.

Dramatic, entertaining, and essential,

the state dinner is the ultimate

expression of White House power.

Not a thing. Not a thing.

Okay, we're gonna start

the escorts out to the South Lawn now...

More than 200 reporters will cover

the visit of the Russian leader.

It will begin in a few moments

with a carefully orchestrated event

called the arrival ceremony.

Will you repeat the name again please.

Ladies and Gentlemen

this is an audience check

from the South Lawn of the White House.

Checking one, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

I'm Mrs. Gore.

I'm Secretary Christopher.

Inside the White House,

with only minutes to go,

the President and the First Lady

receive their final briefing.

The only thing I don't remember

is what are the cues for down here -

both coming and going?

I hope I don't sneeze...

Ladies and Gentlemen.

The President of the United States

and the First Lady.

The White House is

so universally recognized today

that it's hard to imagine

when it didn't exist.

But almost 13 years

after the United States

had declared independence,

the city of Washington

was still nothing

but untamed woodlands.

In 1789, Congress agreed

to build a new capital city.

Ridiculed in New York and Philadelphia,

the city and the President's house

would never have been built

had it not been for one man.

Washington wanted the city built.

By law it had to be occupied

by November 1, 1800

and many forces

were acting against this new city

in the wilderness.

Washington wanted it, he wanted it

in the middle of the country,

he wanted it on the Potomac River.

And he was determined

in having those buildings,

because in having the buildings,

he would have his capital.

Its foundations were dug by slaves,

the intricate stonework

carved by Scottish masons.

More than half the workforce were

foreign born.

The workers lived at the job site

and each morning received a lb. of meat

and all the cornbread they could eat.

After one especially randy night there,

the commissioners overseeing

the project closed down the only house

of prostitution

to have ever operated

on the White House grounds.

When it was finished, it was immense;

a bigger home would not be built

in this country

until after the Civil War.

Today, the power of the symbol

is inescapable,

something every visiting

leader learns upon arriving.

At that moment...

...I become the United States

and he becomes Russia.

And we stand for all of our people.

And if this state visit goes well,

then it's proof that

the Cold War is really over.

And we're making a newer

and better world.

And I don't want to mess it up.

I want to do it right,

because it's the United States.

Conceived by President Kennedy in 1961,

the modern ceremony not only

impresses the visiting leader,

it gives him the distinction

of being welcomed here.

Together we have agreed

to safeguard nuclear materials

and to shut down

plutonium production reactors.

Together we can and we will

make a difference

not only for our own people

but also for men, women,

and children all around the world.

The receiving line's going on

right now inside.

The President and Mrs. Clinton

are receiving the official party.

We have a full day, full slate

in front of us.

We have some canopies to put up yet,

flower material to put around,

there's a lot of activities going on,

yeah.

See ya later.

All right, Jim what else you got?

In the White House basement,

the first preparations

for the state dinner are underway.

Here the butlers will find some

of the 1,500 different pieces of china

to set tonight's tables.

It's one of a hundred different tasks

the White House staff will finish

in their push to the dinner,

now ten hours away.

Upstairs, in the entrance hall,

a receiving line welcoming

the Russian delegation is concluding.

Just a few steps away,

the china is wheeled into

the old family dining room.

The White House is barely large enough

to hold a dinner like the one

planned for tonight.

So this elegant room has been converted

into a giant pantry

so butlers like Buddy Carter

can serve tonight's 150 guests.

There are so many people

that are capable of doing this job,

but I'm one of the few selected

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