Page 1 LOG OF PRESIDENT TRUMAN'S TENTH VISIT TO KEY WEST, FLORIDA Nov. 8 - Dec. 9, 1951 Compiled by Commander William M. Rigdon, U.S. N. Page 2 Contents PAGE ROSTER OF THE PRESIDENT'S PARTY, STAFF AND PRESS i THE LOG 1 RECORD OF MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES AT KEY WEST 135 NOV. 8 - DEC. 9, 1951 Page 3 The President's Party The President Mrs. Truman Miss Margaret Truman The Chief Justice Mrs. Vinson Honorable Charles E. Wilson Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN Honorable John R. Steelman Honorable Charles S. Murphy Honorable William D. Hassett Honorable Matthew J. Connelly Honorable Joseph H. Short General Walter B. Smith, USA Honorable Stanley Woodward Rear Admiral Sidney W. Souers, USNR Major General Harry H. Vaughan, USAR Rear Admiral Robert L. Dennison, USN Major General Wallace H. Graham (MC), USAFR Brigadier General Robert B. Landry, USAF Honorable Donald S. Dawson Honorable David H. Stowe Honorable George M. Elsey Mr. Russell P. Andrews Mr. Eben A. Ayers Mr. David E. Bell Mr. Harold L. Enarson Mr. Joseph G. Feeney Mr. J. V. Fitzgerald Mr. Martin L. Friedman Mr. John T. Gibson Mr. Dallas A. Halverstadt Mr. Kenneth E. Hechler Mr. Charles W. Jackson Mr. Milton P. Kayle Mr. James S. Lay, Jr. Mr. David D. Lloyd Colonel Cornelius J. Mara, USA Mr. Philleo Nash Mr. Richard Neustadt Mr. Irving Perlmeter Mr. Roger W. Tubby Page 4 White House Staff Comdr. W. M. Rigdon, USN Yeoman 1/c L. H. Klein, USN Mr. Dewey E. Long Yeoman 2/c B. R. Graebener, USNR Mr. Russel A. McMullin M/Sgt B. Putterman, USA Major G. J. McNally, M/Sgt W. H. Brown, USA Signal Corps, USA Sgt. 1/c P. Tarbell, USA Captain Ray L. Miller, Sgt. R. Zook, USA Medical Corps, USA Sgt. E. F. Gasbar, USA Captain Harvard E. Dudley, Sgt. S. W. Raub, USA Signal Corps, USA Mr. Richard Tracey Warrant Officer R.A. Duffy, USA Mr. Jack Romagna Chief Yeoman C. J. Langello, USN Mr. Robert R. Redmond Chief Yeoman B. L. Winkler, USN Mr. Harry Charnley Chief Photographer's Mate Mr. E. L. Cuckenberger Paul Begley, USN Miss Grace Earle Miss Mary Crowe Secret Service Mr. U. E. Baughman, Chief of Secret Service Mr. Carl Dixon, Assistant Chief of Secret Service Mr. W. T. Taylor, Administrative Assistant Mr. James J. Rowley, Supervising Agent Mr. Henry J. Nicholson, Asst. Supervising Agent Mr. G. A. Behn Mr. J. W. Lemons Mr. J. J. Burke Mr. G. B. McCann Mr. F. M. Boring Mr. R. A. Mampel Mr. J. E. Campion Mr. J. A. Marshall Mr. A. J. Dahlquist Mr. M. S. Mileski Mr. P. B. Doster Mr. V. P. Mroz Mr. A. H. Downing Mr. D. R. Murphy Mr. D. B. Flohr Mr. D. L. Nelson Mr. B.A. Fugler Mr. E. P. Roberts Mr. M. L. Gies Mr. W. J. Rodham Mr. W. R. Greer Mr. R. W. Scouten Mr. R. M. Hare Mr. J. T. Sherwood Mr. R. Henne Mr. S. G. Stout Mr. C. L. Honess Mr. W. F. Shields Mr. R. Jamieson Mr. C. E. Taylor Mr. J. J. Kiljan Mr. R. H. Taylor Mr. H. S. Knight Mr. R. H. Taylor Mr. J. R. Ladas Page 5 Mr. William S. Douglas. O.N.I. Agent Representatives of the Press Mr. Robert G. Nixon International News Service Mr. Merriman Smith United Press Association Mr. Ernest B. Vaccaro The Associated Press Mr. William H. Lawrence The New York Times Mr. Joseph A. Fox The Washington Star Mr. Robert J. Donovan The New York Herald-Tribune Mr. Don I. Irwin The New York Herald-Tribune Mr. Robert C. Young The Chicago Tribune Mr. Jack Doherty The New York Daily News Mr. Frank Holeman The New York Daily News Mr. Robert W. Ruth The Baltimore Sun Mr. Willard Edwards The Baltimore Sun Mr. Edwin Darby Time Magazine Mr. William Hillman Mutual Broadcasting System Mr. Frank Bourgholtzer National Broadcasting Company Bryson Rash American Broadcasting Company Mr. John Edwards American Broadcasting Company Mr. Macon Reed Transradio Press Service Mr. Charles Collingwood Columbia Broadcasting System Mr. Hugo Johnson Paramount News Mr. Dean DeTitta Fox Movietone News Mr. Robert Hess Telenews Mr. George Skadding Life Magazine Mr. John Rous Associated Press Photos Mr. Stanley Tretick Acme-International Pool USS Williamsburg (AGC - 369) Captain E. S. Miller, USN Commanding Officer Lt. Comdr. W. J. Hurst, USN Executive Officer Lieut. W. A. Campbell, USN Operations Officer Lieut. W. C. Slye, USNR First Lieutenant Lieut. P. R. Perkins, USN Engineering Officer Lieut.(jg) R. C. Peniston, USN Navigator Lt. Comdr. L. W. Roberts (SC) USN Supply Officer Comdr. H. D. Warden (MC) USN Medical Officer Page 6 USAF (C-118 "Independence" Crew Colonel F" W. Williams, USAF Commander Major S. J. Minton, USAF Co-Pilot Major E. P. Christensen, USAF Navigator Mr. Gene Lucas Engineering Consultant (Douglas Aircraft Co.) M/Sgt. F. J. Willard, USAF Engineer M/Sgt. B. Sickler, USAF Engineer M/Sgt. G. E. Robinson, USAF Radio Operator T/Sgt. R. E. Hughes, USAF Steward M/Sgt. R. W. Boord, USAF Plane Guard M/Sgt. Leo Borega, USAF Plane Guard S/Sgt. L. D. Campbell, USAF Plane Guard T/Sgt. P. Mitko, USAF Plane Guard Sgt. G. W. Woods, USAF Plane Guard Navy Aircraft (R4DZ No. 17289) Lt. Comdr. Thomas J.. Beare, USN Pilot Aviation Chief Radioman Co-pilot H. F. Haff, USN Aviation Chief Machinists Mate Plane Captain P. L. Meredith, USN Aviation Radioman second class Radio Operator C. R. Fross, USN Aviation Machinists Mate second Engineer class A. Stetka, USN Eastern Airlines Constellation Crew Southbound Trip Northbound Trip Mr. Dick Merrill, Captain Mr. Dick Merrill, Captain Mr. G. A. Bell, Pilot Mr. G. A. Bell, Pilot Mr. P. E. Richardson, Engineer Mr. P. E. Richardson, Engineer Mr. Austin Richey, Purser Mr. Austin Richey, Purser Miss Paula Reid, Stewardess Miss Joan Winter, Stewardess Miss Arminda Inniger, Stewardess Mr. Don Hart, Steward Colonel M. M. Frost, Vice President, EAL Mr. Harry Knapp, Traffic & Sales Manager, EAL Mr. M. E. Selinger, Traffic Representative, EAL Page 7 Western Union Company Staff Mr. C. S. Linkins, National Press Representative, Washington, D. C. Mr. O. D. McEachern, Florida District Manager, Orlando, Florida Mr. W. L. Jenkins, Operator Mr. Roy Arnold, Operator Mr. L. V. Tounsend, Operator Mr. R. A. Rollins, Operator Mr. L. R. Andia, Operator Mr. G. S. Maury, Jr., Operator Mr. Randall Cawthon, Operator Mr. Dale B. Viers, Operator Mr. Lloyd Free, Operator Florida State Highway Patrolmen Captain Reid Clifton Sgt. E. L. Brown Lieut. J. G. Gallup Patrolman M. J. Wilder Sgt. R. C. Webb Patrolman S. R. Walker Staff of Little White House Key West, Florida QUARTERS "A-B" Chief Steward I. Esperancilla, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward E. R. Peralta, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward R. R. Pascual, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward V. Devera, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward M. Sepulchre, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward V. Manuel, USN, U .S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward C. Sola, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward C. Buenavista, USN, Naval Station, Key West Steward First Class S. A. Pollosco, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward First Class J. C. Cepeda, USN, Naval Station, Key West Steward Second Class S. I. Corpus, USN, U.S.S. Key West Steward Second Class A.T. Fernandez, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward Second Class M. Mariano, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward Third Class J. Malapit, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward Third Class D. Manalo, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward's Mate J. Bernandino, USN, Naval Station, Key West QUARTERS "L" Chief Steward C. Bautista, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward P. Soloman, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Steward M. Floresca, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward Second Class B. V. Pandes, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward Third Class A. Manaog , USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Page 8 Steward Third Class C. Lomibao, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward's Mate Z. T. Monzon, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Steward's Mate M. Rosette, USN, Naval Station, Key West Chief Storekeeper W. Gaunce, Jr., U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Storekeeper First Class G. L. O'Neal, USN, U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Electrician's Mate F. E. Sandow, USN, (movie operator), U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Electrician's Mate First Class D. A. Putt, USN (movie operator) U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Chief Hospitalman P. C. Taylor, USN (masseur) U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG Page 9 Log 0f President Truman's Tenth Visit to Key West, Florida Thursday, November 8th The President left Blair House at 7:20 AM and motored to the Military Air Transport Terminal at the Washington National Airport, where the aircraft INDEPENDENCE (USAF C-118 #46505, Colonel Francis W. Williams, USAF, plane commander) was in readiness to transport him to Key West, Florida. Waiting at the airport to join the President for the trip were Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN; Honorable John R. Steelman (the Assistant to the President); Honorable Charles S. Murphy (Special Counsel to the President); Honorable William D. Hassett (Secretary to the President); Honorable Matthew J. Connelly (Secretary to the President); Honorable Joseph H. Short (Secretary to the President); Rear Admiral Sidney W. Souers , USNR (Special Consultant to the President); Major General Harry H. Vaughan, USAR (Military Aide to the President); Rear Admiral Robert L. Dennison, USN (Naval Aide to the President); and Honorable George M. Elsey (Administrative Assistant to the President). Immediately on arrival at the airport, the President and all members of his party embarked in the INDEPENDENCE and, at 8: 00 AM, the INDEPENDENCE was airborne for Key West, Florida. Also embarked in the INDEPENDENCE were: Commander Horace D. Warden, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy; Messrs. James J. Rowley and Henry J. Nicholson of the United States Secret Service; and Mr. Jack Romagna of the White House Staff. The INDEPENDENCE set course direct for Jacksonville, Florida, and cruised at an altitude of 8,000 feet. The President went forward soon after the aircraft had reached cruising altitude and greeted the crew. He again went forward as the plane approached Savannah, Georgia, sat in the pilot's seat and followed the course on the flight chart until, the flight passed over Jacksonville. On clearing Jacksonville, new course was set direct for Key West. The 1,047 mile flight was smooth and uneventful and was accomplished in three hours and fifty minutes. The Press plane (an Eastern Airlines Constellation) which had departed from the MATS Terminal, Washington National Airport, at 7:40 AM, set down at the Naval Air Station, Boca Chica, Florida, at 11:41 AM. The following newspaper and radio correspondents, photographers, members of the White House Staff and Secret Service who had embarked at Washington, left the aircraft at once and made ready to meet the President: Correspondents: Robert G. Nixon, International News Service Merriman Smith, United Press Association Ernest B. Vaccaro, The Associated Press William H. Lawrence, The New York Times Joseph A. Fox, The Washington Star Robert J. Donovan, The New York Herald Tribune Robert C. Young, The Chicago Tribune Robert W. Ruth, The Baltimore Sun Page 10 Jack Doherty, The New York Daily News Edwin Darby, Time Magazine William Hillman, Mutual Broadcasting System Frank Bourgholtzer, National Broadcasting Company Bryson Rash, American Broadcasting Company, Macon Reed, Transradio Press Service Photographers: Hugo Johnson, Paramount News Dean DeTitta, Fox Movietone News Robert Hess, Telenews George Skadding, Life Magazine John Rous, Associated Press Photos Stanley Tretick, Acme-International pool White House Staff: Dewey E. Long, Chief of Communications Grace Earle, Communications Staff Mary Crowe, Communications Staff Warrant Officer Robert A. Duffy, White House Garage Harry Charnley, White House Garage Secret Service: Floyd M. Boring John E. Campion A. J. Dahlquist Paul B. Doster A. M. Downing R. Henne Bart A. Fugler Robert M. Hare J. J. Kiljan H. S. Knight J. R. Ladas J. W. Lemons R. A. Mampel M. S. Mileski Vincent P. Mroz D. R. Murphy D. L. Nelson Emory P. Roberts W. J. Rodham Rex W. Scouten The following guests of the President were passengers in the Press plane: Mr. Joseph G. Feeney (Legislative Liaison for the President); Mr. Roger W. Tubby (Assistant to Mr. Short); Mr. David E. Bell and Mr. David D. Lloyd (Assistants to Mr. Murphy). The INDEPENDENCE put down at the U. S. Naval Air Station, Boca Chica, Florida, at 11:50 AM and simultaneously the President's flag was broken at that station. The President, first to leave the plane, disembarked at 11:55 AM. He and the members of his party were greeted first by Captain Cecil C. Adell, USN (Commander, Naval Base, Key West) and then, in turn, by Captain B. E. Bradley, Medical Corps, USN (Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital, Key West); Captain W. R. Page 11 and Captain Adell then, in company with Major Charles D. Barrett, USMC, inspected the MarineTruesdell, USN (Commanding Officer, Fleet Sonar School); Captain E. H. Eldredge, USN (Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Key West); Captain M. Durski, USN (Commanding Officer, Surface Anti-Submarine Development Detachment); Captain F. W. Parish, Jr., USN (Commanding Officer, Aircraft Development Squadron One); Captain J. W. Davis, USN (Commander Submarine Squadron Four); Captain H. Payson, Jr., USN (Chief Staff Officer, Naval Base, Key West); Captain J. C. Toth, USN (Commanding Officer, Fleet All Weather Training Unit); Captain L. C. Heinz, USN (Commander Destroyer Division 601); Honorable Louis M. J. Eisner (Mayor, City of Key West); Honorable Dave King (City Manager); Honorable Gerald Saunders (Chairman, Board of County Commissioners, Monroe County); Honorable Clarence Higgs (County Commissioner); Honorable C. B. Harvey (City Commissioner); Honorable Bernie C. Papy (State Representative from Monroe County); and Mr. E. F. Trevor (President, Key West Chamber of Commerce). Also present at Boca Chica were: Commander William H. Rigdon, USN; Captain Harvard E. Dudley, USA; and Mr. Russell A. McMullin (members of the White House Staff); Messrs. G. A. Behn, Paul T. Usher, Morgan E. Gies, William R. Greer, John A. Marshall and R. Jamieson (members of Secret Service); and William S. Douglas (Naval Intelligence agent), all members of the advance party that had come to Key West to complete arrangements for the President's visit. Colonel C. J. Mara, USA (Assistant Military Aide to the President), a member of the President's party who had preceded him south in the U.S.S. WILLIAMSBURG, was also on hand to greet the President and other members of the party. Overcast skies and a 63° temperature greeted the President as he disembarked, to begin his tenth working vacation at the Little White House in Key West. The unseasonal weather was the subject of apologies by all the Key Westers on hand at Boca Chica but they were all quick to point out that the weatherman promised better things to come. After an exchange of pleasantries, the President talked briefly with the Washington correspondents and photographers and commented on their garb. Some of them were wearing Confederate army hats, black shoestring ties and trick mustaches. They were inspired to do so by a recent Presidential speech made in Washington to a group of National Guardsmen before whom the President recalled his grandmother's pro-Southern sympathies during the War Between the States. The President and members of his party then embarked in waiting automobiles and, at 12 noon, left Boca Chica for the Naval Station at Key West. As the President left the limits of the Naval Air Station, his flag was lowered at the control tower. Admiral Leahy and Captain Adell rode in an open convertible with the President. The 10-car motorcade, led by members of the Florida Highway Patrol, proceeded southward along U.S. Highway #1, entered the City of Key West via Truman Avenue, thence westward on Truman Avenue to Duval Street, northward on Duval to Caroline Street, and westward on Caroline Street to the Naval Station. Scattered groups - an estimated maximum of 5,000, many of whom were women and children - were out along the way. The blustery wind and overcast sky kept many indoors. The motorcade arrived at the Caroline street gate to the Naval Station at 12:21 PM. As the President entered the gate, his flag was broken atop the Administration building and a 21-gun salute commenced by the station saluting battery. He was "piped aboard" through a line of eight sideboys, standing four abreast on each side of the gate. When just inside the gate, the motorcade paused. "To the Colors" was rendered by a 6-man Marine drum and bugle corps. The President and Captain Adell then, in company with Major Charles D. Barrett, USMC, inspected the Marine Page 12 Guard of Honor, which was drawn up just inside the Caroline street gate. The President shook hands with many members of the guard and remarked to Major Barrett that he had inspected many honor guards since he became Vice President and President, but never had he inspected any group with so many combat citations and Purple Hearts. More than ninety percent of the personnel of the detachment were veterans of the Korean campaign and more than fifty percent holders of the Purple Heart. The President told Major Barrett that it was an honor to have such a guard meet him and warmly congratulated the entire guard. The President and Captain Adell then, at 12:26 PM, reembarked in their car and continued on to the Little White House. The streets of the Naval Station were lined with "white-clad officers" and enlisted men from the Naval Station and the Fleet Sonar School, drawn up in "man-the-rail" formation. The President and members of his party arrived at the Little White House at 12:28 PM, disembarked and entered the house. They were greeted at the front door by Captain Edwin S. Miller, USN (Commanding Officer, USS WILLIAMSBURG) and Lieutenant Commander Leo W. Roberts (SC) USN (mess officer of the WILLIAMSBURG). Captain Adell paid his respects to the President, Admiral Leahy and Admiral Dennison and, at 12:40 PM, departed. The President talked via telephone with Mrs. Truman at 12:40 PM. She was in New York City at the time. The President and various members of the party then retired to their respective quarters and changed to lighter and more comfortable clothing. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 4:20 PM. Mr. Short met with the correspondents at the Press room (Bldg. #128) at 4 PM. Mr. Short, or one of his assistants, met daily with the members of the press, alternating the hour between 12 noon or 4 PM, for the convenience of the correspondents whose "deadline" hours varied. The President retired to his quarters at 6:30 PM and did not come downstairs again this evening. Dinner was served at 7:15 PM. Captain Adell and Captain Miller were guests. After dinner, motion pictures were shown in the dining room at the Little White House. The President did not attend, but Captains Adell and Miller remained for the movies and departed at 10:30 PM. There was no further activity this date. The President talked via telephone with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Margaret Truman (in Birmingham, Alabama) at midnight. * * * * * The President occupied suite #4 at the Little White House. Suite #3 was reserved for the use of Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman. Other members of the party were berthed at the Little White House, in the WILLIAMSBURG, or at nearby Quarters "L". Messes were operated at the Little Page 13 White House and Quarters "L". Both messes were staffed by personnel from the WILLIAMSBURG under the supervision of Lt. Comdr. Roberts. The USS WILLIAMSBURG (AGC-369) was moored at the north quay wall of the Naval Station, about one hundred yards west of the Little White House. She had departed Washington, D. C. on November 1st and arrived Key West on November 5th in order to ready the quarters at Key West and furnish logistic and communication support to the party. Members of the White House Staff, plane crews and the members of the Secret Service detail were quartered at the Naval Station Bachelor Officers Quarters (Bldg. #128) or the Sonar School BOQ (Bldg. #217). The facilities of the Sonar School Commissioned Officers Mess (Bldg. #106) and the Naval Base Commissioned Officers Club at Fort Taylor were made available for their messing. Due to lack of facilities on the Naval Station, the newspaper and radio correspondents and photographers accompanying the President resided at various hotels and motels in Key West. Enlisted members of the White House Staff and plane crews were quartered at the Naval Station Chief Petty Officers Quarters. Major George J. McNally, USA (Commanding Officer of the White House Signal Corps Detachment ) and Mr. Russell A. McMullin (White House Communications Staff) arrived in Key West on October 31st, to arrange for installation of special telephone and telegraph equipment. Messrs. G. A. Behn and Paul T. Usher (of the White House Secret Service Detail), John A. Marshall (Agent in Charge, Secret Service office at Miami), and William S. Douglas (from Naval Intelligence office at Miami) arrived in Key West on November 2nd to coordinate and finalize security arrangements for the President's visit. Commander William H. Rigdon, USN (Assistant to the Naval Aide) arrived in Key West on November 6th to coordinate arrangements for the President's visit. He was accompanied by Chief Yeoman Charles J. Langello, USN (White House Staff), and Chief Photographer's Mate Paul Begley, USN (on temporary duty from the Naval Photographic Laboratory). The primary means of communication employed for classified traffic between Washington and Key West was the duplex radio teletype circuit "WILLIAMSBURG-Navy Department-White House". This circuit could be operated to simultaneously send and receive messages between any two of those stations, with the Navy Department Communication Center controlling the facilities. The Commander, Naval Base, Key West, also established a duplex radio teletype circuit with Washington, paralleling the WILLIAMSBURG-Navy Department circuit, for use in emergency. This alternate circuit was used during the absence of the WILLIAMSBURG from Key West (November 26th-28th). Special telephone service was provided by a private two-position switchboard set up in Bldg. #97 and manned during daylight and heavy traffic hours by Miss Grace Earle and Miss Mary Crowe (of the White House Communications Staff) and at other times by Sergeants Putterman, Brown and Tarbell (of the White House Signal Center). Three direct board-to-board (Washington-Key West) circuits were set aside by the telephone company for our use, and additional circuits we're available Page 14 when traffic required. Telephone traffic between the White House and the private switchboard at Key West totaled 10,366 minutes. News ticker service was provided the President by direct land wire from the White House. The printer was set up in Bldg. #82 and was manned by Sergeant Zook. Daily delivery of Washington, New York and Baltimore newspapers to the Little White House was made through the courtesy of Mr. Harry Knapp, Traffic and Sales Manager of the Eastern Airlines. Thrice-weekly courier service was maintained between the White House and Key West. Naval aircraft and naval officer couriers were employed. A press office and a branch telegraph office were set up in Bldg. #128 at the Naval Station for the convenience of the members of the press. Mr. Carroll S. Linkins of the Washington office of the Western Union company supervised the operation of the telegraph office. In addition to the usual Secret Service detail, an armed guard was maintained around the Little White House by Marine Corps personnel, and a continuous watch was kept at Truman Beach. No general visiting was permitted within the Naval Station and a special pass, signed by the Naval Base security officer and countersigned by a representative of the Secret Service, was required for one to be permitted to enter or leave the grounds of the Little White House. A staff office was set up in the adjacent administration building, with private entrance, and a force under the supervision of Commander Rigdon and consisting of Chief Yeoman Charles J. Langello, USN; Yeoman first class Leander H. Klein, USN, and Yeoman second class Bernard P. Graebener, USNR, handled the clerical work for the President and members of his party. Yeoman Graebener was called home because of death in his family and during his absence Mr. E. L. Cuckenberger (of the White House Staff office) was brought down to augment the office force. A Navy transport-type aircraft (R4DZ #17289, Lt. Comdr. Thomas J. Beare, USN, pilot) was sent to Key West on November 6th. This aircraft was retained at Key West until December 9th for the use of the members of the President's party. One Lincoln convertible, four Mercury sedans and four Ford sedans were made available to the Secret Service by Mr. Cecil Holland, President of the All Miami Motors Co. The Lincoln and the Mercury sedans were used to provide transportation for members of the President's party. Enlisted drivers were furnished by the Commander, Naval Base, and around-the-clock service was available. The Ford sedans were used by the Secret Service detail. Two White House automobiles (Lincoln convertibles) were brought down from Washington by Agents Gies and Greer. One was used for the President and the other was used by the Secret Service as a follow-up car. Mrs. Adell (wife of Captain Adell) and a number of other Navy wives came in several times each week and replenished the floral decorations in the Little White House. These ladies are deserving of special mention for their thoughtfulness and the time and effort devoted to this work. Assisting Mrs. Adell were: Mrs. Harold Payson, Mrs. C. M. Henderson, Mrs. W. H. Truesdell, Mrs. E. H. Page 15 Eldredge, Mrs. J. W. Davis, Mrs. B. E. Bradley, Mrs. M. Durski, Mrs. C. E. Grahs and Mrs. F. B. Lukins. Friday, November 9th Colonel Mara, Mr. Feeney and Mr. Lloyd embarked in the Naval Station fishing boat BIG WHEEL (a converted torpedo retriever boat) and departed from the north quay wall at 7:30 AM for the fishing grounds off Key 'West. The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM and, at 7:50 AM, in company with Admiral Souers, left the Little White House for a walk in and about the Naval Station. They walked along the seawall, past the marine railway, past Truman Beach, and on out to the end of the mole. They returned via the press room at Bldg. #128. The President took a look in but found no one stirring at that early hour. The President returned to the Little White House at 8:15 AM and, at 8:20 AM, sat down to breakfast with Admiral Leahy, Mr. Murphy and Admiral Souers. They were joined later by Mr. Hassett, Mr. Short and General Vaughan. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 9 to 9:30 AM, during which time he dictated a number of letters and memoranda to Chief Yeoman Langello. Chief Yeoman Langello handled his clerical work during the period 8 to 23 November, when he returned to Washington. Chief Yeoman B. L. Winkler served in this capacity from 24 November to the end of the visit. The President spent the entire forenoon about the house as it was still cloudy and too cool for visiting the beach. He devoted much of the morning to listening to phonograph recordings. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Colonel Mara and his fishing party returned at 1:15 PM with a total catch of 38 fish. One was a 55-pound jellyfish caught jointly by Mr. Feeney and Mr. Lloyd. The President retired to his quarters at 2 PM, where he rested until 4:15 PM. Mr. Steelman left the house at 2:05 PM and motored to Meacham Field where he enplaned for Miami. Lieutenant J. T. Haslinger, USN (White House courier) arrived from Washington at 5:50 PM and delivered three sacks of official mail to Commander Rigdon. General Vaughan, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Connelly, Admiral Dennison, Admiral Souers, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Bell, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Tubby and Commander Rigdon attended the reception at Fort Taylor this afternoon given by officers of the Naval Base for members of the President's party. At 7:05 PM, the President talked with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Margaret Truman (in Montgomery, Alabama) via three-way telephone hookup. Page 16 Dinner was served at 7:15 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, movies were shown at the Little White House. The feature picture was "Rhubarb". The short subject "Williamsburg Restored" was also shown. The President did not attend. The President retired to his quarters at midnight. Saturday, November l0th The temperature began a slow rise during the night. The President came downstairs at 7:30 AM. He sat on the south porch, talking with Mr. Short, until 7:40 AM when they left the house for a walk. Leaving the station via the Southard Street gate, they proceeded eastward along Southard Street to Duval Street and northhward on Duval. They stopped near the La Concha Hotel to exchange brief greetings with three of the hotel staff, then continued on to Front Street where the President paused to look out over the Gulf of Mexico. They returned to the Naval Station via the Green Street gate and arrived back at the Little White House at 8:05 AM. At 8:15 AM, the President sat down to breakfast with Mr. Short and Admiral Souers. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:30 to 9:10 AM. He and the members of his staff devoted considerable time during the first ten days of the visit to the preparation of the speech the President was scheduled to deliver on November 20th. At 9:10 AM, Mr. William Hillman called on the President. He departed at 9:30 AM. Lt. Haslinger left the Little White House with three sacks of mail at 9:25 AM, for Boca Chica, where he enplaned for return to Washington. The President, accompanied by Captain Adell, Admiral Souers, Colonel Mara, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Bell, Mr. Lloyd, General Vaughan and Mr. Tubby, left the Little White House at 9:55 AM and walked to Truman Beach at the southeastern end of the Naval Station. Admiral Leahy motored to the beach. On arrival of the party at the beach, Captain Adell paid his respects to the President and left to return to his office. The President and members of his party changed to swim suits and lounged in the sun. The air temperature was then 78°. Later, the President, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Tubby, General Vaughan, Mr. Lloyd and Colonel Mara went swimming in the Atlantic. While the President was swimming, a volleyball match was organized. The team comprised of Mr. Bell, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Fugler, Captain Dudley, Mr. Nicholson, and Mr. Mileski took two straight games from their opponents - Mr. Campion, Mr. Rowley, Colonel Mara, General Vaughan, Mr. Lloyd and Commander Rigdon. The President, Admiral Leahy and Admiral Souers left the beach at 11:25 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Page 17 Lunch was served at 1:15 P.M. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 3:50 PM. Admiral Dennison, accompanied by Captain Adell, left the Little White House at 5 PM and walked to Headquarters, Marine Barracks, on the Naval Base, where they participated in ceremonies observing the 176th Anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps. Admiral Dennison made presentation of the following medals and awards: Bronze Star medal to Sergeant Allen L. Jones, USMC; Sergeant Paul D. McPortland, USMC; and Corporal William R. Wall, USMC; Purple Heart medal to Corporal Gordon S. Salter, USMC; and Corporal Lynn C. Morgan, USMC; and letter of commendation to Corporal H. G. Alexander, USMC. All awards were for service in the Korean theatre. Dinner was served at 7:10 PM. Captain Miller of the WILLIAMSBURG was a guest of the group at Quarters "L". Immediately after dinner, the President retired to his quarters where he remained until 11 PM, when he came downstairs. He talked by telephone with Mrs. Truman (then at Blair House) at 11:30 PM. He remained downstairs and visited with members of his party until midnight, when he returned to his quarters for the night. Following dinner, motion pictures were shown in the dining room at the Little White House. The feature picture was "Captain Hornblower". Today's routine was much the same as that for the remainder of the visit. Breakfast was at the convenience of the guests. The period 8:30 to 10 AM was devoted to staff work; 10 to 12 was reserved for the beach. Lunch was usually at 1 PM. A rest period was observed after lunch. Dinner was served at 7 PM, followed by motion pictures. Sunday, November 11th Brigadier General Robert B. Landry, USAF, Air Force Aide to the President, arrived at the Little White House at 2: 45 AM and joined the party. He came down from Washington via USAF B-25 #0976. The President came downstairs at 7:30 AM and, at 7:35 AM, left the Little White House for a walk that took him out into Key West again. He left the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate, walked eastward along Greene Street to Simonton, southward on Simonton to Southard and westward on Southard back to the Naval Station. He returned to the house at 8:05 AM. The President, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Short, General Vaughan and Admiral Souers sat down to breakfast at 8:25 AM. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 9 to 9:45 AM, during which time he dictated a number of letters to Chief Yeoman Langello. At 9:50 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Admiral Souers, General Vaughan, Colonel Mara and Mr. Tubby left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. They were joined there later Page 18 by Mr. Feeney, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Short, General Landry and Mr. Bell. Captain Adell did not remain. Shortly after arrival at the beach, he paid his respects to the President end returned to his office. He followed this procedure each time he escorted the President to the beach. At the beach, members of the party enjoyed the next hour and thirty minutes sunbathing and swimming. The water was none too warm (73°) but Admiral Souers, Mr. Bell, Colonel Mara and Mr. Tubby joined the President for a brief session in the surf. The usual volleyball match ensued, at which team "A" (Mr. Rowley, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Behn, Lt. Comdr. Roberts, Colonel Mara, Mr. Bell and Mr. Campion) defeated team "B" (General Vaughan, Mr. Tubby, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Greer and Mr. E. P. Roberts) in two out of three hard-fought games. The President, Mr. Murphy and General Landry left the beach at 11:45 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. Hassett and Mr. Connelly left the Little White House at 12:10 PM and motored to the Naval Station Memorial Chapel, where they attended religious services. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Admiral Leahy dined out. The President talked with Mrs. Truman (then at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at Jackson, Mississippi) over a three-way telephone hookup at 1:30 PM. Following this, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3:30 PM. Mr. Feeney, Mr. Tubby, Colonel Mara and Mr. Bell embarked in the BIG WHEEL and left the Naval Station at 2 PM for the fishing grounds off Key West. They returned at 6:30 PM with a catch of 12 grouper, two red snapper and one small sand shark. Dr. Steelman returned from Miami at 4:10 PM and rejoined the party. Dinner was served at 7:10 PM. There were no guests. The President retired to his quarters immediately after dinner. Movies were shown in the dining room following dinner. The feature picture was "On the Riviera". Major McHally returned to Washington this afternoon. Monday, November 12th The President came downstairs at 7:20 AM. At 7:30 AM, he and Mr. Short left the Little White House for a walk. They left the Naval Station via the Southard Street gate, continued eastward on Southard. They paused near the intersection of Southard and Whitehead where the President posed for still and newsreel pictures, after which they continued down Southard to Duval, turned left onto Page 19 Duval, thence to Caroline, westward on Caroline to Whitehead Street, northward on Whitehead to Greene Street. At one point, the President stopped and shook hands with John David Lawler, 12 year old son of Chief Petty Officer John B. Lawler. They returned to the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate and were back at the Little White House at 7:55 AM. At 8:20 AM, the President, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Murphy, General Vaughan, Admiral Souers, Mr. Short and Mr. Hassett sat down to breakfast. Mr. William Hillman called at the Little White House at 9 AM and conferred with the President until 9:30 AM. He departed at 9:35 AM. At 9:50 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Admiral Souers, General Landry, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Lloyd, General Vaughan and Mr. Bell left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon sunning and swimming. Admiral Leahy, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Short, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Hassett came down later and joined the party. At volleyball, Mr. Bell, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Campion, Mr. Behn, Mr. Lemons, Mr. Lloyd teamed up to take three straight games from Mr. Nelson, Mr. Gies, General Vaughan, Mr. Greer, Comdr. Warden and Mr. Rowley. The President, Admiral Leahy, Admiral Souers, General Vaughan, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Bell left the beach at 11:50 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served in the north garden at 1 PM. The group from Quarters "L" joined the President for lunch. The President retired to his quarters at 2:10 PM, where he rested for a short while. He came downstairs again at 3:30 PM and went out to the west garden, where he sat in the sun and read until 4:30 PM. Lieutenant C. Chavis, USN, White House courier, arrived from Washington at 6:45 PM, bringing three sacks of official mail. Mr. Carl Dickson and Mr. W. T. Taylor of the United States Secret Service and Sergeant E. F. Gasbar, USA (of the White House staff) were passengers in the same plane. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner the motion picture "On Moonlight Bay" was shown at the Little White House. The President did not attend. He remained on the south porch until 10 PM, chatting with members of his party. At 10 PM he retired to his quarters. Page 20 Tuesday, November 13th General Landry, Mr. Feeney, Captain Miller and Mr. Taylor embarked in the motor boat BIG WHEEL and left the Naval Station at 7:15 AM for the fishing grounds off Key West. The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM. He and Admiral Souers left the Little White House at 7:45 AM for a walk that took them out through the Southard street gate, up Southard to Whitehead, southward along the west side of Whitehead. At Truman Avenue they crossed over to the east side of Whitehead, reversed course and returned to the Naval Station via the Southard Street gate. They got back to the house at 8:10 AM and, at 8:15 AM, sat down to breakfast. Mr. Dickson left Key West this forenoon, to return to Washington. Mr. William Hillman called at the Little White House at 9:00 AM and conferred with the President until 9:30 AM, then he departed. Lt. Chavis left the house at 9:20 AM for Boca Chica, where he enplaned for Washington. He took with him three bags of White House mail. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, Admiral Souers, Mr. Tubby and Colonel Mara left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Bell, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Lloyd went down later and joined the party at the beach. After sunning for a while, the President, Admiral Souers, Colonel Mara, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Tubby, General Vaughan, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Bell went swimming. While they were enjoying the water, Agent Lemons of the Secret Service Detail, from his position on the sea wall, spotted near the swimmers what he thought to be a barracuda chasing a school of small fish. He gave warning and all those in the water, except General Vaughan and Mr. Bell, who were out near the marker ropes, scurried out. Agents Campion and Nelson, who were manning a rowboat patrol, rowed out, hauled General Vaughan and Mr. Bell aboard and brought them safely ashore. A report which appeared in the Miami Herald headlined the incident "A Fish story about the Big Man Who Got Away". The morning's session at volleyball resulted in a victory for Comdr. Rigdon, Capt. Dudley, Mr. Behn, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Campion and Mr. Fugler, who won two out of three games from Comdr. Warden, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Tubby and General Vaughan. All games were very closely contested. The first game went to 20 points before it was won, 20 to 18. The President, Admiral Leahy, General Vaughan, Admiral Souers and Colonel Mara left the beach at 12 noon and motored back to the Little White House. General Landry and his fishing party returned at 12:30 PM with a total catch of four to show for their efforts - two red snapper (one a l1 ½ - pounder), one blue parrot and one barracuda. Page 21 Lunch was served at 1:10 PM. There were no guests. After lunch the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3 PM. Mr. Feeney and Mr. Taylor left Key West in the BIG WHEEL at 2:30 PM for their second try at landing a big one. Evidently they were again unsuccessful as no report of their catch was ever received. The President came downstairs at 3 PM and went out to the west garden where he sat in the sun and read until 4 PM. Mr. Walter Brown of Palatka, Florida, called at the Little White House at 4 PM and paid his respects to the President. The President talked to Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at New Orleans) at 6:55 PM, via a three-way telephone hookup. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner the motion picture "Texas Carnival" was shown at the Little White House. The President did not attend. He spent the evening on the south porch, chatting with various members of his party. The President retired to his quarters at 10 PM. Wednesday, November 14th The President came downstairs at 7:35 AM and at 7:40 AM, together with Admiral Souers, left the Little White House for a walk. The route they followed took them out the Greene Street gate, eastward on Greene Street to Whitehead, southward on Whitehead to Southard, westward on Southard Street and back to the Naval Station via the Southard street gate. They got back to the Little White House at 8:05. At 8:10 AM, the President sat down to breakfast with Admiral. Leahy, Admiral Souers, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Hassett and General Vaughan. After breakfast the President and General Vaughan went out into the west garden where they posed for photographs made by Chief Photographer's Mate Begley. They were wearing brightly colored Mexican sport shirts. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, Admiral Souers, Colonel Mara and Mr. Short left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Admiral Leahy, Mr. Bell, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Feeney, General Landry, Mr. Steelman and Mr. Murphy went down later and joined the group at the beach. While the President was sunning, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Bell, Colonel Mara, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Hare, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Boring engaged General Vaughan, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Behn, Mr. W. T. Taylor, Mr. Gies, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Tubby at volleyball and defeated them in three straight games. Page 22 The President, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Elsey, Mr. Short, Admiral Souers, General Vaughan, Colonel Mara, and Mr. Murphy went swimming. The President, Admiral Leahy, General Vaughan, General Landry and Admiral Souers left the beach at 12 noon and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Immediately after lunch the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 3:50 PM. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Mr. Connelly and Mr. Short dined out. Lt. Comdr. W. T. Coulson, USN, White House courier, arrived from Washington at 7:30 PM and delivered three sacks of White House mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Major General Wallace H. Graham (MC) USAFR, arrived at the same time and joined the President's party. Captain Eric Savage, USA, and Major Gerald Sullivan, USA, came down from Washington via this same plane to confer with Mr. Dewey Long. The motion picture "Oliver Twist" was shown at the Little White House following dinner this evening. The President did not attend. He remained downstairs, visiting with various members of the party until 10 PM when he retired to his quarters, where he remained for the night. At 11:40 PM, he talked with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at New Orleans) via a three-way telephone hookup. Thursday, November 15th The President came downstairs at 7:50 AM. At 7:55 AM he and Admiral Souers left the Little White House for a walk. They left the Naval Station via the Marine Barracks gate, went eastward on Fleming street to Whitehead, northward along Whitehead to Greene street and returned to the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate. They reached the Little White House at 8:10 AM. At 8:15 AM, the President sat down to breakfast with Mr. Steelman, Admiral Leahy, Admiral Souers and Mr. Elsey. The President conferred with Mr. Elsey in the living room from 8:45 AM to 9 AM. Mr. Elsey had tendered his resignation as Administrative Assistant to the President and was scheduled to leave for Washington this forenoon to wind up his affairs as such. A pre-press conference with the President, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Short, Mr. Connelly, Commander Dennison, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Bell, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Elsey and Colonel Mara attending, was held in the living room from 9 to 9:25 AM. At 9:25 AM, the President, accompanied by all members of his staff, moved from the living room out to the north garden, where he posed for newsreel and press photographs and then met with the newspaper and radio correspondents. The press conference was concluded at 9:50 AM, when the Page 23 President, Captain Adell, General Graham, General Vaughan and Colonel Mara left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. They were joined later by Admiral Souers, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Bell, Mr. Short, Mr. Tubby, General Landry, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Steelman and Mr. Murphy. At 10:05 AM, Mr. Elsey and Mr. Lloyd left for Boca Chica where they enplaned for Washington, D.C. Lt. Comdr. Coulson returned to Washington via this same plane. He had with him two sacks of White House mail. At volleyball this morning, team "A" (Colonel Mara, Mr. Mroz, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Hare, Mr. Behn, Mr. Boring) took two out of three games from team "B" (Commander Warden, Mr. Bell, Comdr. Rigdon, General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Greer and Mr. Nicholson). All games were very hard-fought. The President watched part of the match. The President, Mr. Short, Admiral Souers, General Vaughan, Mr. Bell, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Murphy, Colonel Mara later went swimming. The President, Admiral Leahy, General Landry, left the beored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. At 1:55 PM, Admiral Souers left for Meecham Field, where he enplaned for Miami. Admiral Dennison accompanied him to the airport. The President retired to his quarters at 2 PM, where he rested until 4 PM. Mr. Feeney, General Landry, General Graham, Mr. Connelly and Sgt. Gasbar embarked in the BIG WHEEL and left at 2:30 PM for the fishing grounds off Key West. They returned at 7 PM with a catch of 31 fish - 26 of which were small sharks. Mr. Connelly was a late-starter but he brought home one of the sharks. Dinner was served at 7:15 PM. Captain Miller (Commanding Officer of the USS WILLIAMSBURG) was a guest at the Little White House; Comdr. Warden a guest at Quarters "L". It was Captain Miller's birthday anniversary and it was properly observed with a delicious birthday cake. The motion picture "The Flying Leatherneck" was shown at the Little White House this evening. The President did not attend. The President retired to his quarters at 12:30 AM, where he remained for the night. Page 24 Friday, November 16th The President came downstairs at 7:45 AM and, at 7:50 AM, left the house for a walk. He went out into Key West via the Greene Street gate, northward on Wall Street, past the aquarium, and down to the waterfront. He returned by way of Wall Street, and the Greene Street gate. Admiral Leahy, Mr. Hassett and Major McNally embarked in the BIG WHEEL and left at 8 AM for the fishing grounds off Key West. The President went by the landing at the north quay wall to see them off but missed them by a few minutes. The President returned to the house at 8:15 AM and sat down to breakfast at 8:20 AM. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:40 AM to 9:15 AM. At 10 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Short, General Vaughan, left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Steelman, Mr. Dell, Colonel Mara, Mr. Tubby went down later and joined them. While the President was sunning, Mr. Boring, Mr. Gies, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Mroz, Mr. Rowley and Mr. Hare won two straight games of volleyball from Comdr. Warden, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Greer, General Vaughan, Mr. Nicholson and Mr. Behn. The President, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Bell, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Short and General Vaughan went swimming. The President, General Vaughan and Colonel Mara left the beach at 11:50 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. Hassett, Admiral Leahy and Major McNally returned from their fishing trip at 12:10 PM with a catch of 12, the largest of which were Mr. Hassett's 20-pound barracuda and Admiral Leahy's 19-pound jewfish. Admiral Leahy jokingly told the President that Mr. Hassett's big barracuda was the one that had chased him out of the water a few days previously and assured the President that it was again safe to swim at Truman Beach. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. General Landry General Graham and Sgt. Gasbar embarked in the BIG WHEEL and left Key West at 2:15 PM for the fishing grounds. They returned at 6:45 PM with four yellowtail, three red snapper, one grouper, two barracuda, one amberjack and ten grunts. Mr. Donald S. Dawson arrived at 5 PM and joined the President's party. Honorable Fred Lawton (Director of the Budget) and his assistant, Mr. Elmer Staats, arrived at the Little White House at the same time. Mr. Lawton and Mr. Staats were overnight guests. Dinner was served at 7 PM. Immediately after dinner, the President met with Mr. Lawton and Mr. Staats and conferred with them until 9:15 PM. Page 25 Lt. C. H. Wainscott, USN, courier, arrived from Washington at 8 PM and delivered four sacks of White House mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Lt. Comdr. T. S. McCrory, USN, was a passenger in the same aircraft. The motion picture "Tall Target" was shown at the Little White House this evening. The President did not attend. At 11:15 PM, the President talked with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at Lakeland, Florida.) via a three-way telephone hookup. The President retired to his quarters at 1 AM, where he remained for the night. Mr. Jack Romagna of the White House staff was admitted to the Naval Hospital, Key West, this evening, suffering with acute appendicitis. During Mr. Romagna's absence, Mr. Short's press conferences were reported by Mrs. Weatherford of the Naval, Base legal officer's staff. Saturday, November 17th The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM and, at 7:45 AM, left the Little White House for a walk in and about the Naval Station. He returned at 8:10 AM and, at 8:15 AM, sat down to breakfast with Admiral Leahy. They were joined later by Mr. Lawton, Mr. Feeney and Mr. Staats. At 8:30 AM, Mr. Lawton, Mr. Staats and Mr. Feeney left the Little White House and motored to Boca Chica, where they enplaned for Miami. Mr. Lawton and Mr. Staats continued on to Washington. Mr. Feeney spent the week-end in Miami. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:35 AM to 9 AM. Mr. William Hillman called on the President at 9 AM. He left the Little White House at 9:15 AM. At 9:20 AM Colonel Mara and Lt. Wainscott left the Little White House and motored to Boca Chica, whore they enplaned for Washington, D. C. Lt. Wainscott had with him three sacks of White House mail. Sgt. Gasbar returned to Washington via this same aircraft. At 10 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Graham and General Vaughan left the Little White to House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Admiral Leahy, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Steelman and Mr. Tubby went down later and joined them. The President, General Vaughan and Mr. Tubby went swimming. At volleyball, General Vaughan, Mr. Mroz, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Behn, Mr. Greer, and Mr. Hare took three straight games from Mr. Gies, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Rowley, Mr. W. T. Taylor, General Graham and Mr. Mampel. Page 26 The President, Admiral Leahy, General Vaughan, and General Graham left the beach at 11:50 AM and motored back to the Little White House. At 12: 30 PM Mr. Bryson Rash called on the President. He departed at 12:40 PM. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 3:45 PM. At 6:05 PM, the President talked by telephone with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at Wakulla Springs, Florida) using a three-way conference hookup. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Mr. Connelly dined out. Following dinner, the motion picture "His Kind of Woman" was shown at the Little White House. The President did not attend. It turned quite cool during the afternoon and a log fire was lighted in the living room fireplace. After the movies, the President sat, around the living room and played phonograph records until 1:15 AM when he retired to his quarters. Sunday, November 18th It was blustery and quite cool this morning. The temperature at 7 AM was 56 degrees. Mr. Hassett left the Little White House at 8:20 AM and motored to the Naval Station Chapel where he attended religious services. The President came downstairs at 8:45 AM. He did not take a walk, but went right to the dining room and sat down to breakfast with Admirals Leahy and Souers. At 10:50 AM, the President, accompanied by Captain Adell, Mr. Short, Admiral Dennison, Admiral Souers, Mr. Dawson, General Graham, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Tubby and Lt. Comdr. Roberts, left the Little White House and motored to the Naval Station Chapel where they attended religious services. At 10:55 AM, Mr. Connelly left the Little White House for Boca Chica where he enplaned for Borraga Springs, California. The church party returned to the Little White House at 12 noon. Mr. William Hillman called on the President at 12:40 PM. He departed at 12:45 PM. At 12:45 PM, the President talked by telephone with Mrs. Truman (at Blair House) and Miss Truman (at Wakulla Springs, Florida), over a three-way conference hookup. Page 27 Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Admiral Leahy dined out. After lunch the President sat around the living room, visiting with members of the party. A log fire was maintained in the living room and dining room fireplaces all day long. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Raging Tide" was shown. The President did not attend. The President retired to his quarters at 12:30 AM. Monday, November 19th The President came downstairs at 8 AM. He did not go for a walk this morning. Instead, he joined Admira1 Leahy, Admiral Souers, and Mr. Hassett at breakfast. After breakfast the President visited the staff office in the Administration Building. On his return to the Little White House he went to his desk in the living room where he worked on his mail until 9:45 AM. At 10 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, General Graham, Admiral Souers left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Admiral Leahy, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Bell, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Short, Mr. Tubby, General Landry and Mr. Steelman came down later and joined the party. While the President lounged in the sun a volleyball match was played. General Vaughan, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Rowley, Agent Murphy, Mr. Mroz, Mr. Behn took three straight games from Mr. Nicholson, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Gies, Mr. Taylor, General Graham, Mr. Mampel. Despite the cool weather - it was reported to be the coldest morning of the season at Key West - the President and General Vaughan went swimming. The Secret Service agents followed dutifully, but hesitantly. After his brief swim, the President worked with Mr. Murphy on the speech he was scheduled to deliver on November 20th. The President, General Vaughan, General Landry, Admiral Souers and Admiral Leahy left the beach at 11:55 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. General Graham, Lt. Comdr. McCrory and Mr. Taylor embarked in the BIG WHEEL and departed from the Naval Station at 2 PM for the fishing grounds off Key West. Mr. Feeney returned from Miami at 3 PM and rejoined the party. Mr. Feeney and Mr. Bell were moved to Quarters "A-B", to make room at Quarters "L" for the new group which joined the party later in the day. Page 28 The President met with Mr. Short, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Bell and Admiral Dennison and worked on his speech from 3 to 5 PM. Before adjourning they were joined by Admiral Leahy, Mr. Steelman, General Vaughan, Admiral Souers, Mr. Dawson, General Landry and Mr. Feeney. Comdr. Rigdon and Chief Steward Buenavista were on duty at the time. Lt. A. C. Dragge, USN (White House courier) arrived from Washington at 6 PM and delivered two sacks of White House mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Mr. R. P. Andrews, Mr. D. E. Halverstadt, Mr. K. E. Hechler, Mr. R. E. Neustadt, and Mr. M. P. Kayle, all members of the White House staff, arrived from Washington at the same time and joined the President's party. Mr. Alfred Wagge and Mr. E. L. Cuckenberger (White House staff room) were passengers in the same plane. At 6:30 PM, General Graham and his party returned from their fishing trip. They reported a catch of one 16-pound king mackerel, one 13-pound blue fish and four smaller Spanish mackerel. After dinner, the President retired to his quarters. The motion picture "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine" was shown at the Little White House this evening. Tuesday, 20 November The President was scheduled to leave Boca Chica at 8 AM for Washington, so early reveille was held and breakfast was served to all hands at 6:45 AM. At 7:25 AM, the President, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Short, Admiral Souers, General Graham, General Landry and Mr. Feeney left the Little White House and motored to Boca Chica where the INDEPENDENCE awaited them. All usual security precautions were observed but because of the hour of departure no honors were rendered. Captain Adell, Admiral Dennison and General Vaughan accompanied the President to Boca Chica. The President and members of his party arrived Boca Chica at 7:45 AM, disembarked and immediately boarded the INDEPENDENCE. Captain Eldredge and most of the Washington correspondents and photographers were on hand to see the President off. The INDEPENDENCE was airborne for Washington at 8 AM. In addition to the President, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Murphy, Admiral Souers, General Graham, General Landry and Mr. Feeney, Mr. Long and Agents Rowley, Nicholson, Behn, Boring, Taylor, Henne, Ladas, Nelson and Murphy were passengers in the INDEPENDENCE. Mr. Long had with him three sacks of White House mail. Mr. Bell, Lt. Dragge, Lt. Comdr. McCrory and Agents Downing and Greer embarked in the Naval mail plane and left Boca Chica at 8:15 AM to return to Washington. As the INDEPENDENCE was passing over Florence, S.C., the President went forward where he greeted the crew and checked the progress of the flight. Page 29 Mr. Hassett left the Little White House at 8:30 AM and motored to Boca Chica. At Boca Chica he enplaned for Fort Pierce, Florida, where he spent the day. The INDEPENDENCE put down at the Washington National Airport at l2:05 PM, completing the 1047 mile flight in four hours and five minutes. The night was smooth and uneventful and was made at an altitude of 11,000 feet over a course via Jacksonville, Florida. Mrs. Truman was at the airport to greet the President and accompanied him to the Blair House. Mr. Hassett returned to Key West at 5:30 PM. After dinner, the motion picture "Submarine Command" was shown at the Little White House. Following the movies, all members of the party present at Key West retired to the living room where they listened to the radio broadcast of the President's address before the Women's National Democratic Club at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Many of the Washington correspondents and photographers spent the afternoon and evening in Miami Beach as guests of the Eastern Airlines and the City of Miami Beach. The Eastern Airlines Company sent a special plane to Key West to take them to Miami Beach, and returned them the following day. Wednesday, November 21st The INDEPENDENCE, with the President, Mrs. Truman, Chief Justice Fred H. Vinson, Mrs. Vinson, Mr. Short, Honorable Stanley Woodward (American Ambassador to Canada), General Landry, Captain R. L. Miller (MC) USA (Assistant to General Graham), Mr. Long and Agents Rowley, Nicholson, Behn, Flohr, Honess, McCann, Sherrod, Stout, Shields, C. E. Taylor and R. H. Taylor embarked, departed from the Washington National Airport at 10 AM on the return flight to Key West. Course was set via Jacksonville, Florida, and the flight was made at altitude 18,000 feet. Good weather and beam winds were encountered over the entire route. As the INDEPENDENCE passed over Raleigh, North Carolina, the President took Mrs. Vinson forward and escorted her on a tour of the flight deck. Mrs. Vinson was introduced to the various members of the crew who explained to her the workings of the myriad of instruments in the INDEPENDENCE. Later as the airship approached Key West, Colonel Williams took the ship on a wide circle over the city so that the President and those in his party could get an aerial view of Key West. The INDEPENDENCE put down at Boca Chica at 1:40 PM, when the President, Mrs. Truman, the Chief Justice, Mr. Vinson and other members of the party left the plane to be greeted by Mr. Hassett, General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison, Captain Adell, Captain Bradley, Captain Truesdell, Captain Eldredge, Captain Durski, Captain Parish, Captain Davis, Captain Payson, Captain Toth, Captain Heinz, the Honorable G. B. Harvey (newly installed Mayor of Key West) and City Commissioners Delio Cobo and Jack Delaney. After exchange of greetings, the President and the Chief Justice talked briefly with the newspaper and radio correspondents while newsreel and press pictures were made. All hands then embarked in waiting motor cars and, at 1:48 PM, left Boca Chica for the Naval Station at Key West. Page 30 The President and the Chief Justice rode in car #1. The motorcade, led by members of the Florida Highway Patrol, proceeded down U. S. Highway #1 to Truman Avenue, to Duval street, thence north on Duval and west on Caroline street to the Naval Station, where the President arrived at 2:10 PM. The same honors wore rendered the President on his return this afternoon as were accorded him on arrival November 8th. At the Caroline Street gate, the President left his car and, in company with Major Barrett and Captain Adell, inspected the Marine honor guard. On completion of inspection of the honor guard, the President and Captain Adell reembarked in their respective automobiles and continued on to the Little White House where the party arrived at 2:17 P.M. On reaching the Little White House, members of the party retired to their respective quarters, having had lunch aloft in the INDEPENDENCE. The President went to work at his desk in the living room while the Chief Justice and the ladies looked around the house and the garden. Mr. Long brought with him two bags of White House mail. Lt. H. S. Herrick, White House courier" arrived from Washington at 5:30 PM with additional mail and motion picture film for the Presidential party. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. At 8 PM the motion picture "The Lavender Hill Mob" was shown at the Little White House. The President, Mrs. Truman, the Chief Justice, Mrs. Vinson and various other guests attended. At 10:10 PM, the President talked via telephone with his sister, Miss Mary Jane Truman (in Kansas City) At 12:40 AM, the President and Mrs. Truman talked by telephone with Miss Margaret Truman (at Tampa, Florida). The President and Mrs. Truman retired to their respective quarters at 12:45 AM. Thursday, November 22nd (Thanksgiving Day) The President came downstairs at 7:20 AM. He left the house at 7:25 AM for a walk in and about the Naval Station. The President returned to the Little White House at 8:05 AM and at 8:10 AM sat down to breakfast together with Mr. Hassett. Following breakfast, the President moved to his desk in the living room, where he worked on his mail until 9:15 AM. Page 31 At 9:20 AM, Lt. Herrick left the Little White House for Boca Chica, where he enplaned for Washington. He took with him two bags of White House mail. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Tubby and Mr. Hechler left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Andrews, Mr. Short, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Tubby and Mr. Neustadt went down later and joined the party at the beach. The Chief Justice and the ladies remained at the house. After sunning for a while, the President, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Woodward, General Vaughan, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Hechler and Mr. Short went swimming. Mr. Dahlquist, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Woodward, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Rowley and Mr. Usher teamed up to take two out of three games of volleyball from Mr. Flohr, Mr. Nicholson, General Vaughan, Mr. Behn, Dr. Miller, Mr. Gies, Mr. Tubby and Mr. Kiljan. The President left the beach at 11:40 AM and motored back to the Little White House. At 12:45 PM, the President and Mrs. Truman talked by telephone with Miss Margaret (at Tampa, Florida). Thanksgiving dinner was served at 2 PM. The dining room was appropriately decorated, with harvest time as the theme. Pumpkins, ears of ripened corn, fall flowers and leaves used in the table and sideboard decorations had been sent down from Washington. The menu consisted of: JUMBO SHRIMP COCKTAIL ROAST TURKEY - CHESTNUT-OYSTER DRESSING - GIBLET GRAVY CRANBERRY SAUCE CANDIED SWEET POTATOES CREAMED GREEN PEAS PARKERHOUSE ROLLS - STRAWBERRY PRESERVES MOULDED PINEAPPLE - COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD ASSORTED CHEESE - CRACKERS - MINCE & PUMPKIN PIE - PLUM PUDDING HARD SAUCE FRUIT CAKE MIXED NUTS - ASSORTED MINTS - HARD CANDIES CHOCOLATES FRUIT PUNCH DEMI-TASSE Dr. Miller was a dinner guest at Quarters "L". The President retired to his quarters at 3 PM, where he rested until 4 PM. Page 32 At 4:15 PM, Mrs. Truman and Mrs. Vinson left the Little White House by motor for a sightseeing tour of Key West. They were accompanied by Lt. Comdr. Roberts. They returned to the house at 5:20 PM. A light buffet supper was served in the living room at the Little White House at 7:30 PM. Following supper, the motion picture "Here Comes the Groom" was shown, Mrs. Truman, Mrs. Vinson and a number of the other guests attended. Mrs. Truman retired to her quarters at 12:05 AM. The President retired at 1 AM. Friday, November 23rd Dr. Miller, Mr. Halverstadt and Mr. McMullin departed at 7:30 AM in the BIG WHEEL for the fishing grounds off Key West. The President came downstairs at 7:50 AM. He did not go for a walk this morning. He sat on the south porch, reading the morning paper until 8:15 AM when he sat down to breakfast with General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison and Mr. Hassett. The Chief Justice and Mrs. Vinson left the Little White House at 8:50 AM and motored to Boca Chica, where they enplaned for Washington. Mrs. Truman and Admiral Dennison accompanied them to Boca Chica. Chief Yeoman Langello returned to Washington in the same aircraft. At 9:50 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Kayle and Mr. Hechler left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Woodward, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Short, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Hassett and General Landry joined thorn there later. At volleyball Mr. Rowley, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Behn, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Usher, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Shields won two out of three games from Comdr. Warden, General Vaughan, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Gies, Mr. Dahlquist, Mr. Flohr and Mr. Kiljan. Only the President and Mr. Woodward went swimming this morning. The water temperature was 69 degrees. The President, General Vaughan, General Landry left the beach at 11: 50 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1:15 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3:15 PM. Mr. Halverstadt, Captain Miller and Mr. McMullin returned from their fishing trip at 2:15 PM with a catch of eight red snapper, 18 barracuda and five grouper. Page 33 At 3:20 PM, the President left the Little White House and motored to the Naval Hospital where he paid a call on Mr. Romagna who was recuperating from an appendectomy. The President was accompanied by Admiral Dennison. They returned to the Little White House at 4 PM. Lt. C. H. Wainscott, USN (White House courier) arrived from Washington at 7 PM and delivered two bags of mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Chief Yeoman B. L. Winkler, USN (White House staff) was a passenger in the same aircraft. Dinner was served at 7:10 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner the motion picture "David and Bathsheba" was shown at the Little White House. Neither the President nor Mrs. Truman attended. Mrs. Truman retired to her quarters at 8:15 PM. The President retired at midnight. Saturday, November 24th The President came downstairs at 7:20 AM. He sat on the south porch, reading the morning paper, until 7:35 AM when he left the house for a walk. He left the Naval Station at the Greene Street gate, walked eastward on Greene to Simonton street, southward on Simonton to Fleming street, westward on Fleming and came back to the Little White House by way of the Marine Barracks gate. Returning to the house at 7:55 AM, he sat down to breakfast at 8:05 AM. At 9:30 AM, one sack of White House mail was dispatched to Washington in custody of Chief Aviation Machinist's Mate Baszak, pilot of the mail plane. Lt. Wainscott, the regular courier, was permitted to remain in Key West until Tuesday, November 27th, to visit friends. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Hechler and Mr. Halverstadt left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. General Vaughan, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Short, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Hassett went down later and joined the beach party. After sunning for a while, the President, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Short and Mr. Dawson went swimming. Mr. Woodward, Mr. Neustadt and Mr. Hechler tried their hand at boating. The usual volleyball match developed, in which Mr. Hechler, Mr. C. E. Taylor, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Doster, Mr. Woodward, Comdr. Warden, and Comdr. Rigdon dropped two out of three closely contested games to Dr. Miller, Mr. Behn, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Gies, Mr. R. Taylor, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Shields, Mr. Usher and General Vaughan. The President and Dr. Miller left the beach at 11:45 AM and motored back to the Little White House. A picnic lunch was served in the north Garden at 1 PM. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3 PM. Page 34 Mrs. Truman left the Little White House at 2:15 PM for Key West for some shopping. She returned at 4:10 PM. Mr. Steelman returned from Washington at 4 PM and rejoined the party. The President talked by telephone with Miss Truman (at West Palm Beach, Florida) at 4 PM. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Born Yesterday" was shown at the Little White House. The President, Mrs. Truman and various other members of the party attended. Miss Margaret Truman arrived at the Little White House at 1:40 AM. She had motored down from West Palm Beach after her concert there this evening. She was accompanied by Agent Burke. The President, Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their respective quarters at 2 AM. Sunday, November 25th The President came downstairs at 7:45 AM, and left the house at 7:50 AM for his morning walk. He left the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate, proceeded eastward along Greene to Whitehead Street, southward down Whitehead to Caroline Street, eastward to Margaret Street, southward to Fleming, and westward on Fleming to the Marine Barracks gate. He returned to the Little White House at 8:20 AM. Mr. Hassett left the Little White House at 8:30 AM and motored to the Naval Station Chapel, where he attended religious services. The President and Mr. Woodward sat down to breakfast at 9 AM. At 10:45 AM the President, Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman, Captain Adell, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Short, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Halverstadt and Mr. Hechler left the Little White House and motored to the Naval Station chapel, where they attended religious services. After the services, Admiral Dennison, on behalf of the President, presented Chaplain Menges with a copy of his sermon of November 18th which had been autographed by the President who added congratulatory comments in his handwriting. The entire party returned to the Little White House at 11:55 AM. At 12:05 PM, the President, Miss Truman, Captain Adell, General Landry, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Halverstadt, left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach while Mrs. Truman motored down. Mr. Tubby, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Hechler and General Vaughan were at the beach when the President arrived. Mr. Dawson, Mr. Steelman and Mr. Hassett went down later and joined the President. Page 35 At volleyball, Miss Margaret, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Behn, Mr. Shields, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. C. Taylor, Mr. Kiljan, Mr. R. Taylor and Mr. Tubby teamed up to take three straight games from General Landry, Comdr. Warden, General Vaughan, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Neustadt, Comdr. Rigdon and Mr. Dawson. After absorbing some sunshine, the President, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Woodward all went swimming. While the President was swimming, Miss Margaret walked up the beach in search of sea shells. The President, Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman left the beach at 1:35 PM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 2 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 4 PM. Miss Truman and General Landry played several sets of badminton in the east garden. The President watched them for a while and then returned to the house. Dinner was served at 7:35 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner the motion picture "Here Comes the Groom" was shown. The President, Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman and various other members of the party attended. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their quarters at 12:15 AM. The President retired at 12:40 AM. The President approved the Naval Aide's request to send the WILLIAMSBURG to Miami for several days so as to afford the crew opportunity for liberty and recreation at that port. At 8 PM, the WILLIAMSBURG, with Admiral Dennison embarked, sailed for Miami. Prior to her sailing, Presidential communications were shifted to the Naval Station, and General Vaughan and General Landry, who had been quartered aboard, were moved to the Little White House. Monday, November 26th The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM and left the Little White House at 7:45 for his morning walk. His course took him out through the Greene Street gate, eastward to Duval Street, southward to Southard Street, and westward along Southard back to the Naval Station. He returned at 8:05 AM and, at 8:10 AM, sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett. The WILLIAMSBURG arrived at Miami this forenoon and was moored at pier #3. Mr. Kayle returned from Miami this forenoon and rejoined the party. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM. Page 36 At 9:10 AM, Mr. David Noyes and William Hillman called on the President. Mr. Hillman departed at 9:40 AM. At 10 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Noyes, General Vaughan, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Kayle and General Landry left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Short, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Hassett went down later and joined them. At volleyball, General Vaughan, Mr. Nicholson, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Usher, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Gies, Mr. R. Taylor, Mr. Flohr, Mr. Hechler teamed up and took three straight games from Dr. Miller, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rodham, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Halverstadt, Captain Dudley, Mr. Rowley and Mr. Behn. The President, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Tubby, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Steelman went swimming. The President and Mr. Noyes left the beach at 11:35 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served in the north garden at 1 PM. Mr. Noyes and Dr. Miller were guests. After lunch the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3:30 PM. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman left the Little White House at 2:30 PM, by motor, for a sightseeing tour of Key West. Agent Shields accompanied them. They returned to the house at 3:40 PM. The President conferred with Mr. Noyes from 3:30 to 4 PM, when Mr. Noyes departed. Lieut. H. S. Herrick, USN, White House courier, arrived at the Little White House at 6:45 PM and delivered two sacks of White House mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Mr. Irving Perlmeter (White House staff) came down from Washington via the same aircraft and joined the President's party. Mr. Robert R. Redmond (White House staff) was a passenger in the same plane. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. At the conclusion of dinner a surprise birthday party was tendered General Vaughan. There was the usual birthday cake with an appropriate number of candles. Then the opening of his gifts and reading aloud of the gift cards. Mr. Hassett had spent much of the day at the local variety stores collecting a motley assortment of gifts for the General. Each member of the party made his selection from Mr. Hassett's grab-bag and then penned a birthday message to accompany his present. Miss Truman supervised the wrapping of the gifts and served as hostess during the party. Following dinner, the motion picture "Angels in the Outfield" was shown at the Little White House. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman attended but the President did not. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their quarters at 10 PM. The President retired at 12:10 AM. Page 37 Tuesday, November 27th The President came downstairs at 7:25 AM and left the house a few minutes later for a walk. He left the Naval Station via the Marine Barracks gate, walked eastward along Fleming as far as Margaret Street, turned left onto Margaret, thence-northward to Caroline Street, westward on Caroline to Simonton Street, northward on Simonton to Front street. He stopped at the Caribe Restaurant, owned by Sebastian Cabrara III and his wife, Rosemary, and drank a cup of coffee. On a previous walk when the President passed the Caribe, Mr. Cabrara had invited the President in for a cup of coffee. The President presented Mr. Cabrara an autographed dollar bill in return for his coffee and then left and returned to the Naval Station via the Greene street gate. He returned to the Little White House at 8:10 AM and, at 8:15 AM, sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett. General Vaughan, General Landry, General Huft, Dr. Miller and Mr. Redmond embarked in the BIG WHEEL and departed at 6:30 AM for the fishing grounds off Key West. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:30 to 9:15 AM. Lieut. Herrick left the Little White House at 9:20 AM for Boca Chica where he enplaned for Washington. Mr. Andrews, Mr. Halverstadt, Mr. Hechler, Mr. Kayle, Mr. Neustadt, Mr. Tubby and Lieut. Wainscott returned to Washington by this same aircraft. When the mail plane got ready to depart Tampa, where it had put down to refuel, it is understood the pilot had to use considerable coercion to get Mr. Andrews and Mr. Halverstadt back aboard, they had so thoroughly enjoyed the stop-over there. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman left by automobile at 10:15 AM for West Palm Beach, Florida, where Miss Truman was scheduled to give a concert in the evening. Agents Shields and Burke accompanied the ladies. At 10:20 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Short, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Hassett and Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach, where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Steelman came down later and joined them. Mr. Woodward, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Short, Mr. Steelman and Mr. Dawson joined the President in a swim in the surf. In the morning's volleyball canter, the team comprised of Mr. Woodward, Mr. Dawson, Captain Dudley, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. R. Taylor and Mr. Flohr swept a three-game series from Mr. Rowley, Mr. Behn, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. C. Taylor, Mr. Dahlquist and Mr. Marshall. The President and Mr. Dawson left the beach at 12:35 PM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1:30 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 4 PM. Page 38 General Vaughan and his fishing party returned at 2:45 PM with a catch of one 10-pound red snapper and several small grouper. General Vaughan reported that he caught no fish but did catch up on his sleep. The WILLIAMSBURG departed Miami late this afternoon to return to Key West. Dinner was served at 7 PM. General Landry dined out. Following dinner, the motion picture "Streetcar Named Desire" was shown at the Little White House. The President did not attend. The President retired to his quarters at 11:30 PM:. Wednesday, November 28th The President came downstairs at 7:25 AM. He spent the next few minutes on the south porch, reading the morning newspaper, and then left the house for a walk in and about the Naval Station. He returned to the house at 7:45 AM, saw Mr. Steelman off on his trip to Atlanta, Georgia, and then walked over to the north quay wall from where he watched the WILLIAMSBURG as she was moored on her return from Miami. The President got back to the Little White House at 8 AM and went in to breakfast, in which he was joined by Mr. Woodward. General Landry left the house at 9:20 AM and motored to Boca Chica. At Boca Chica he enplaned for Washington. The President and Captain Adell left the Little White House at 9:55 AM and walked to Truman Beach. The President was joined there later by General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Short and Mr. Woodward. The President, General Vaughan and Mr. Woodward went swimming. At volleyball, team "A" (Captain Dudley, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Mileski, Mr. Sherwood, Comdr. Rigdon) took three straight games from team "B" (Comdr. Warden), Mr. Dawson, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Behn, General Vaughan, Mr. Fugler and Mr. Perlmeter). Mr. Hassett left the house at 10:15 AM and motored to Boca Chica. At Boca Chica he enplaned for St. Petersburg, Florida, where he visited friends. The President, General Vaughan and Comdr. Warden left the beach at 12 noon and motored back to the Little White House. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman arrived from West Palm Beach at 1:25 PM and rejoined the party. They motored down from West Palm Beach and were accompanied by Agents Gies, Shields, Burke and Jamieson. Lunch was served at 1:30 PM. There were no guests. Page 39 At 2 PM, the Honorable H. Freeman Matthews, Deputy Undersecretary of State, and General John E. Hull, USA, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, arrived from Washington to confer with the President. They were accompanied by Colonel John R. Beishline, USA, Aide to General Hull. Admiral Dennison and General Vaughan met them at Boca Chica and escorted them to the Little White House. The President conferred with Mr. Matthews, General Hull, General Vaughan and Admiral Dennison from 2:15 PM until 4:30 PM. Mr. Matthews and General Hull had received word that one of the motors on the USAF C-54 (SAM 9114) that had brought them to Key West would require replacing, so a Navy R4DZ was made available to return them to Washington. Mr. Matthews and General Hull left the Little White House at 4:55 PM for Boca Chica, where they enplaned for Washington. General Vaughan and Admiral Dennison accompanied them to Boca Chica. Mr. Short held a special press conference at 5:30 PM, to report on the meeting which the President had with Mr. Matthews and General Hull. General Graham arrived at the Little White House at 6:45 PM and rejoined the President's party. He came down from Washington via the mail plane. Lt. Comdr. J. P. Cheney, USN (White House courier) arrived at the same time and delivered two sacks of official mail. Mr. Eben A. Ayers, Mr. Harold L. Enarson, Mr. Philleo Nash and Mr. Charles W. Jackson (all of the White House Staff) came down in the same plane and joined the President's party. Sergeant S. W. Raub, USA (White House staff) and Captain E. B. Grantham, Jr., USN, were passengers in the same aircraft. Mr. Hassett returned from St. Petersburg at 7:15 PM. Dinner was served at 7:20 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Quo Vadis" was shown at the Little White House. The President, Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman and all members of the party except Admiral Dennison attended. Captain Miller, Captain Grantham and Comdr. Warden were guests for the movie. The President, Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman all retired to their respective quarters at 11:30 PM. Thursday, November 29th The President came downstairs at 7:25 AM. It was raining at the time so he did not go for his usual morning walk. Instead, he worked at his desk in the living room from 7:30 AM to 8:20 AM. Captain Ray L. Miller, MC, USA, left the Little White House at 7:40 AM for Meacham Field, where he enplaned to return to Washington. The President sat down to breakfast at 8:30 AM. By the time he had finished his breakfast it had stopped raining, so at 8:45 AM, he left the house for a walk in and about the Naval Station. He returned at 9 AM. Page 40 At 9:30 AM, Lt. Comdr. Cheney left the Little White House for Boca Chica, where he enplaned to return to Washington. He took with him one sack of White House mail. Mr. E. L. Cuckenberger returned to Washington via the same aircraft. The President, Captain Adell, Mr. Nash, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Jackson, General Vaughan, and Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House at 10 AM and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. Mr. Woodward, General Graham, Mr. Dawson and Miss Truman went down later and joined the group at the beach. After a period of sunning, the President, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Nash, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Perlmeter went swimming. Miss Truman spent most of her outing walking up and down the beach searching for sea shells. At volleyball, Mr. Rowley, General Vaughan, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Behn, Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Gies, Mr. Roberts teamed up to take two out of three games from Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Enarson, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Fugler and Mr. Flohr. The President, Miss Truman, General Vaughan and Mr. Davidson left the beach at 11:50 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. Yancey LeGette, a personal friend, called at the Little White House at 11:55 AM and paid his respects to the President. He departed at 12:05 PM. A pre-press conference was held at the Little White House at 12:15 PM. Attending were: The President, Mr. Short, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Perlmeter and Mr. Woodward. Lunch was served at 1:15 P.M. There were no guests. General Graham, Captain Miller, Captain Grantham and Mr. Redmond embarked in the BIG WHEEL and departed at 2 PM for the fishing grounds off Key West. At 3:55 PM, the President, Mr. Short, Mr. Hassett, Admiral Dennison, Captain Adell and Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House and walked to Building #128 on the Naval Station. On the way, the President stopped and spoke to Jackie and Brucie McAllister, children of Comdr. J. A. McAllister. From 4 to 4:20 PM the President held a formal press conference in the main lobby of Bldg. #128. At 4:20 PM, the President, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Short, Admiral Dennison and Mr. Perlmeter left Bldg. #128 and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. David Noyes and Mr. William Hillman called on the President at 4:30 PM. They departed at 5 PM. Page 41 Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Anne of the Indies" was shown at the Little White House. Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman and various other guests attended. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their quarters at 11:30 PM. The President retired at 11:50 PM. Friday, November 30th The President came downstairs at 7:20 AM and left the house at 7:25 AM for a walk. He left the Naval Station via the Marine Barracks gate, went eastward on Fleming Street to Duval Street, northward on Duval to Olivia Street, westward along Olivia to Whitehead Street, northward on Whitehead to Greene, and back to the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate. He returned at 7:55 AM and sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett at 8 AM. At 9:55 AM, the President, Miss Truman, Captain Adell, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Nash, Mr. Dawson, General Vaughan, General Graham, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Short, left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. It was still cloudy but not so much as yesterday. At volleyball, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Gies, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Behn, General Vaughan, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Campion teamed up to take three straight games from Miss Truman, Mr. Dawson, Capt. Dudley, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Flohr, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Perlmeter, General Graham and Mr. Mileski. After the volleyball, the President, Miss Truman, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Nash, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Short all went swimming. At 11:50 AM, the President and Miss Truman left the beach and motored back to the Little White House. At 12:45 PM General Walter Bedell Smith, USA, Director of Central Intelligence Agency, arrived at the Little White House to confer with the President. He was a week-end guest of the President. Lunch was served at 1:15 PM. After lunch, the President, Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman, General Smith, Admiral Dennison, General Graham, Mr. Hassett and Mr. Woodward walked over to the nearby boat landing at the north quay wall where they embarked in the Naval Station fishing boat BIG WHEEL. They departed from the Naval Station at 2:15 PM and proceeded to a point in the northwest channel off buoy #16 and approximately five miles distant from the Naval Station. Here they dropped anchor at 2:50 PM and bottom fished until 4:15 PM, then they got underway again to return to Key West. Mr. Steelman returned from Atlanta at 4:10 PM and rejoined the party. Page 42 The fishing party returned to the Naval Station at 5:20 PM. The President reported a catch of one, Mrs. Truman, three, and Miss Truman, one (a small catfish, which cost her 50¢ as she had wagered with Comdr. Rigdon that she would come back empty-handed). General Smith caught the most - seven and General Graham the largest fish - a 10-pound mackerel. The President fished only for about 20 minutes and then surrendered his tackle and took his customary afternoon nap. He slept for about an hour while the others carried on. Lieut. D.G. Giancola, USN (White House courier) arrived from Washington at 6:30 PM and delivered two sacks of White House mail to Comdr. Rigdon. Captain B.W. Hogan (MC) USN, was a passenger in the same aircraft. Dinner was served at 7 PM. Mr. Hassett dined out. Following dinner the motion picture "My Favorite Spy" was shown. All members of the party except the President and General Smith attended. The President and General Smith retired to the President's suite where they conferred from 8 to 10:15. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired at 11: 45 PM. The President retired at 12:15 AM. Saturday, December 1st General Smith, General Graham and Captain Grantham embarked in the BIG WHEEL at 5:30 AM and departed for the Dry Tortugas area for a day of fishing. The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM. He left the house at 7:45 AM for a walk in and about the Naval Station. He returned from his walk at 8:25 AM and, at 8:35 AM, sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Steelman. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 9 to 9:30 AM, during which time he dictated a number of letters to Leander H. Klein, Yeoman First Class, USN. Chief Yeoman Winkler, the regular yeoman for the President, was not available at the time. Lieut. Giancola left by motor at 9:20 AM for Boca Chica, where he enplaned to return to Washington. He took with him two sacks of White House mail. Mr. Redmond and Sergeant Raub were passengers in the same plane. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Short, General Vaughan, Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. They were joined there later by Mr. Jackson, Mr. Nash, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Woodward, and Mr. Steelman. At volleyball, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Per1meter, Mr. Mileski, Mr. Honess, Comdr. Rigdon and Mr. Campion teamed up to take two out of three games from Mr. Behn, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Rowley, General Vaughan, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Gies, Mr. Flohr and Mr. Woodward. The President did not go swimming - the surf was quite rough and the water milky - but Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Short, Mr. Nash, Mr. Ayers and Mr. Woodward did. Page 43 The President and General Vaughan left the beach at 11:55 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. Charles E. Wilson, Director of Defense Mobilization, arrived at the Little White House at 12:50 PM to confer with the President. Admiral Dennison met him at Boca Chica and escorted him to the house. Mr. Wilson was an overnight guest of the President. Just before lunch, the President and Mr. Wilson went out to the west garden. There they posed for newsreel and still pictures. Lunch was served at 1:15 PM. Following lunch the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 4:15 PM. Mrs. Truman left the house at 3:15 PM and motored to Key West where she kept a personal appointment. She returned at 4:30 PM. The President, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Steelman went out to the north garden at 4:15 PM, where they conferred until 5:25 PM. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner the motion picture "Man With a Cloak" was shown. Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman, Mr. Wilson and various other guests attended. The President went upstairs at 12:25 AM. He came back downstairs at 12:50 AM and together with Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman, Mr. Steelman and Admiral Dennison, waited for word of the return of the fishing party who had been overdue since 10:30 PM. Admiral Dennison left the house at 1 AM and went to the Naval Base Headquarters to check on the BIG WHEEL. The President talked by phone with Admiral Dennison at 1:37 AM and, upon being assured the BIG WHEEL was out of danger, retired at 1:40 AM. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman went upstairs at the same time. Sunday, December 2nd After a rather rough twenty-four hours, the BIG WHEEL finally made it back to Key West at 4:50 AM., when General Smith, General Graham and Captain Grantham, somewhat disheveled and exhausted, disembarked and left for their respective quarters. The party had spent the previous day fishing near Dry Tortugas. They departed Dry Tortugas at 6:20 PM, Saturday, for the 65 mile return trip, expecting to reach Key West by 10:20 PM. When about 20 miles distant from Dry Tortugas they began to encounter very rough seas and had to reduce speed to mere headway. They could not turn about and put in at Fort Jefferson for the night, as the channel there was unlighted. The heavy seas continued, causing their progress to be nil and making it impossible to check their position. So, at 11:15 PM, they reported their predicament to the Commander Naval Base and a Coast Guard boat was sent to their assistance. The Coast Guard boat contacted them at 1:30 AM, when about 10 miles southwest of Cosgrove Light, took position Page 44 to the windward of the BIG WHEEL so as to make a lee, and escorted them back to the Naval Station. The day's fishing had been fair. General Graham caught 20 yel1owtails, four grouper, five grunts, one margate and three porgie; General Smith, one barracuda, one 13-pound grouper (which a 12-foot hammerhead shark tried to take off his line); and Captain Grantham claimed 15 yellowtail and three grouper. The President came downstairs at 8:10 AM. He did not go for a walk. He and Mr. Wilson sat down to breakfast at 8:15 AM. At 8:30 AM, the President and Mr. Wilson left the Little White House for a short motor tour of the naval base. They stopped at Truman Beach for about 10 minutes and returned to the Little White House at 8:50 AM. At 10:55 AM, the President, Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman, Captain Adell, Mr. Wilson, General Smith, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Short, General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Woodward, Mr. Enarson, left the Little White House and motored to the Naval Station chapel where they attended religious services. The church party returned to the Little White House at 12:15 PM. General Graham put in his appearance at the house at 11:30 AM - still quite wobbly - and chose Comdr. Rigdon as his victim for a 20-minute lecture on "Why Would Anyone Ever Want to Join the Navy?" A picnic lunch ("chicken in the basket") was served in the north garden at 1 PM. There were no guests. At 1:55 PM, Mr. Wilson, General Smith, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Dawson left the Little White House for Boca Chica to enplane for Washington. Admiral Dennison and Mrs. Truman accompanied them to Boca Chica. Mr. Wilson and his group were delayed at Boca Chica more than an hour because of motor trouble on their plane. The President retired to his quarters at 2 PM, where he rested until 4:30 PM. Dinner was served at 7: 05 PM. There were no guests. Mr. Short and Mr. Hassett dined out. Following dinner the motion picture "Clouded Yellow" was shown at the Little White House. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman and various other guests attended. General Landry arrived at the Little White House at 8:39 PM and rejoined the party. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their quarters at 9:45 PM. The President retired at 11:42 PM. Monday, December 3rd The President came downstairs at 7:50 AM. He and Mr. Hassett left the house at 7: 55 AM for a walk. They left the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate, Walked northward on Whitehead to Front Street, eastward on Front to Simonton Street, southward on Simonton to Fleming street, Page 45 westward on Fleming and back to the Naval Station via the Marine Barracks gate. They returned to the Little White House at 8:10 AM and, at 8:30 AM, the President sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett and General Graham. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 9 to 9:40 AM. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, General Graham, Mr. Ayers left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. They were joined there later by Mr. Nash, Mr. Short, General Landry and Mr. Steelman. At volleyball, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Gies, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Flohr and Capt. Dudley lost two out of three games to Mr. Behn, Mr. Campion, Mr. Lemons, Mr. Enarson, Lt. Comdr. Roberts and Comdr. Rigdon. The President, Mr. Short, Mr. Ayers and Mr. Enarson went swimming. The President, General Vaughan, General Graham and General Landry left the beach at 11:55 AM and motored back to the Little White House. From 12 noon to 12:30 PM, the President posed for still and newsreel picture sequences portraying his workday while vacationing at Key West, receiving pouch mail from Commander Rigdon, dictating to Chief Yeoman Winkler and conferring with his staff outdoors. Lunch was served at 1 PM. Captain B. W. Hogan (MC), USN (Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Md.) was a luncheon guest. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 4:10 PM. General Graham, despite his protestations of Sunday, had planned to go fishing with Captain Hogan this afternoon but at the last minute reneged on him. Miss Truman left the house at 2:30 PM, walked to the beach where she spent the next hour and thirty minutes. Mr. Stowe arrived at the Little White House at 5:10 PM and joined the party. Dinner was served at 7:05 PM. There were no guests. The entree served was field duck brought down by General Landry. A belated birthday party was held for General Landry since he was absent on Saturday, December 1st. Lieut. A. C. Dragge, USN (White House courier) arrived from Washington at 7:15 PM and delivered two sacks of White House mail. Following dinner, the motion picture "Golden Girl" was shown at the Little White House. Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman and various other guests attended. Page 46 Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman retired to their quarters at 12:20 AM; the President retired at 12:55 AM. Tuesday, December 4th The President came downstairs at 7:30 AM. He did not go for his morning walk as it was raining at the time. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 7:50 to 8:30 AM. The President sat down to breakfast at 8:45 AM. At 9:30 AM, Lieut. Dragge left for Boca Chica with three sacks of mail to enplane for Washington. Captain Hogan, Captain Grantham and Mr. Romagna returned to Washington via the same aircraft. The rain cleared up by 11:00 AM. From 11:00 AM to 1 PM, the President sat out in the garden, enjoying the bright sun. Miss Margaret joined him for part of this time. A picnic lunch was served outside at Quarters "A-B"; and on the porch at "L", at 1 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, all hands assembled in the west garden where they posed for a group picture by the Navy photographer. At 2:10 PM, the President, General Landry, General Graham, General Vaughan, Miss Truman and Mr. Steelman left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. Admiral Dennison motored down. Mr. Storm, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Nash, Mr. Perlmeter came down later and joined them at the beach. Mr. Nash entertained the group with his guitar and folk songs. At volleyball, Admiral Dennison, Lt. Comdr. Roberts, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Roley, Mr. Lemons, Mr. Behn and Mr. Fugler divided two hard-fought games with General Vaughan, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Enarson, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Shields, Mr. Flohr, and Mr. Campion. After absorbing some sunshine, the President, Miss Truman, General Vaughan, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Nash and Mr. Stowe went swimming. The President, Miss Truman and General Vaughan left the beach at 3:45 PM and motored back to the Little White House. Mr. Mar1in Brown, Postoffice Inspector, arrived from Washington at 5:30 PM and delivered one sack of White House mail. Page 47 Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Mrs. Truman retired to her quarters immediately after dinner. Following dinner, the feature picture "Best Bad Men" and a kinescope of a recent speech by Frank McKinney were shown at the Little White House. The President, Miss Truman and various others attended. Miss Truman retired to her quarters at 10:00 PM. The President retired at 11:50 PM. Wednesday, December 5th The President came downstairs at 7:15 AM. He and Mr. Hassett left the house at 7:25 AM for a morning walk. They left the Naval Station via the Greene Street gate, walked southward on Whitehead street to Southard Street, eastward on Southard to Duval, northward on Duval to Fleming, westward. on Fleming to the Marine Barracks gate and back to the Naval Station. They returned to the Little White House at 7:45 AM and, at 7:55 AM, sat down to breakfast with Mrs. Truman, Miss Truman and General Graham. Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman left by motor at 9 AM for Miami, where they entrained for Washington and New York, respectively. General Graham accompanied them as far as Miami. Agent Gies chauffered them to Miami. Agent Shields accompanied Mrs. Truman on to Washington and Agent Burke accompanied Miss Truman to New York. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, General Landry, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Nash, left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach. Mr. Short, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Stowe, Mr. Hassett, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Steelman went down later and joined them. At volleyball Admiral Dennison, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Rowley, Mr. Behn, Mr. Knight, Mr. Mampel and Mr. Scouten teamed up to take two straight games from Captain Dudley, Mr. Short, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Flohr, General Vaughan, Mr. Perlmeter and Mr. Nicholson. The President, General Vaughan, Mr. Nash, Mr. Short, Admiral Dennison and Mr. Perlmeter went swimming. The President, General Vaughan and General Landry left the beach at 11: 55 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 3:30 PM. General Graham returned from Miami at 3:55 PM. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Page 48 Lt. Comdr. C. H. Grainer, USN (courier) arrived from Washington at 7:10 PM and delivered two sacks of White House mail. At 8:25 PM, the President, accompanied by Captain Adell and all members of his party except Mr. Hassett, left the Little White House and motored to the Naval Base theatre where they viewed a showing of the motion picture "I Want You". They returned to the Little White House at 10:15 PM. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 1l:30 PM to 12:15 PM. He retired to his quarters at 1 AM. Thursday, December 6th The President came downstairs at 7:25 AM. He left the house at 7:30 AM for a walk in and about the Naval Station. He returned to the house at 8 AM and, at 8:10 AM, sat dorm to breakfast with Mr. Hassett. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:40 AM to 9:15 AM. At 9:25 AM, Lt. Comdr. Grainger left for Boca Chica with 3 sacks of White House mail to enplane for Washington. Mr. Short, General Graham, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Enarson, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Nash returned to Washington via the same aircraft. The President did not go to the beach this morning. Instead, he worked at his desk in the living room and his suite, until 11:30 AM, when he moved out into the west garden, where he sunned until lunch time. Mr. F. J. Lawton (Director of the Budget) and Mr. W. F. McCandless (Bureau of the Budget) arrived at 12:50 PM to confer with the President. They were overnight guests. A picnic lunch was served in the north garden at 1 PM. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 3 PM. At 3:10 PM, the President met with Mr. Lawton, Mr. McCandless, Admiral Dennison, Mr. Steelman, Mr. Stowe and General Landry and discussed the 1953 fiscal budget. The meeting adjourned at 5:45 PM. At 6:30 PM, the President talked by telephone (3-way hookup) with Mrs. Truman (at the Blair House) and Miss Margaret Truman (in New York). Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Westward the Women" was shown. The President did not attend. The President retired to his quarters at 12:20 AM where he spent the remainder of the night. Page 49 The INDEPENDENCE was ferried to Miami this forenoon, where minor repairs were made to the aircraft at the Pan-American Maintenance Shops. Friday, December 7th Mr. Steelman left the Little White House at 7:20 AM for Meacham Field where he enplaned for Washington, D. C. The President came downstairs at 7:40 AM. He left the house at 7: 45 AM for his morning walk, from which he returned at 8:05 AM. He left the Naval Station via the Marine Barracks gate, walked eastward on Fleming to Simonton, northward on Simonton to Greene, and westward on Greene back to the Station. At 8:10 AM, the President, Mr. Lawton and Mr. McCandless posed for still and newsreel pictures in the west garden. Mr. Lawton and Mr. McCandless left the Little White House at 8:20 AM for Boca Chica, where they enplaned for Miami and thence to Washington, D. C. At 8:25 AM, the President, Mr. Hassett and Mr. Perlmeter sat down to breakfast. At 9:55 AM, the President, Captain Adell, General Vaughan, Mr. Stowe, and Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. General Landry motored down later and joined the party. At volleyball, Mr. Mroz, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Scouten, Mr.Gies, Mr. Flohr and Mr. Perlmeter teamed up to take three straight games from General Vaughan, Comdr. Rigdon, Mr. Behn, Captain Dudley and Mr. Nicholson. The President, Mr. Stowe and Mr. Perlmeter went swimming. But the big event of the day was when Mr. Gies qualified as "expert" by swimming all the way out to the ropes, a distance of approximately 100 yards. The President, accompanied by General Vaughan and General Landry, left the beach at 11:55 AM and motored back to the Little White House. Lunch was served at 1 PM. There were no guests. Admiral Dennison and Mr. Perlmeter dined out. Following lunch the President retired to his quarters where he rested until 3:30 PM. Dinner was served at 7 PM. There were no guests. At 7:30 PM, Mr. J. V. Fitzgerald, Mr. M. L. Friedman, Mr. J. T. Gibson of the White House staff and Mr. J. S. Lay, Jr., Executive Secretary, National Security Council, arrived from Washington and joined the President's party. Lt. D.G. Giancola, USN (White House courier) arrived at the same time and delivered three sacks of White House mail. Mr. Richard Tracey (White House staff) came down on the same plane. Page 50 At 8 PM, a special newsreel covering the recent visit of Princess Elizabeth to Washington was shown at the Little White House. The President and all members of his party attended. The President did not remain for the feature picture "Crosswinds". The President retired to his quarters at 1 AM, where he remained for the night. Saturday, December 8th Mr. Hassett left the Little White House at 6:30 AM and motored to the station chapel, where he attended religious services. The President came downstairs at 7:25 AM. He went right to his desk in the living room where he worked on his mail until 7:45 AM. He left the house at 7:45 AM and took a walk in and about the Naval Station. The President returned to the house at 8:20 AM. At 8:35 AM, he sat down to breakfast with Mr. Hassett. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 8:15 to 9:15 AM. At 9:15 AM, Mr. William Hillman called on the President. He departed at 9:30 AM. Lt. Giancola left the Little White House at 9:35 AM for Boca Chica, where he enplaned for Washington. He took with him two sacks of White House mail. At 10 AM, the President, Captain Adell, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Lay, Mr. Friedman and Mr. Perlmeter left the Little White House and walked to Truman Beach where they spent the remainder of the forenoon. General Vaughan, General Landry and Mr. Stowe went down later and joined the party at the beach. At volleyball, Mr. Gies, Mr. Flohr, Comdr. Warden, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Friedman, Mr. Stout and Mr. Tracey teamed up to take two out of three games from General Vaughan, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Lay, Mr. Scouten, Lt. Comdr. Roberts, Mr. McCann and Mr. Perlmeter. The President, Mr. Perlmeter, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Lay and Mr. Stowe went swimming. The President, accompanied by General Vaughan and General Landry, left the beach at 11:30 AM and motored back to the Little White House. The President worked at his desk in the living room from 11:35 AM to 12:45 PM. A picnic lunch was served in the north garden at 1 PM. There were no guests. Following lunch, the President retired to his quarters, where he rested until 4 PM. At 5:25 PM, the President talked by telephone with General Omar Bradley, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shortly after this, he announced to the members of the party present that he had Page 51 decided to return to Washington tomorrow, December 9th, instead of Sunday, December 16th, as had been planned. Dinner was served at 7:15 PM. There were no guests. Following dinner, the motion picture "Blue Veil" was shown at the Little White House. The President retired to his suite at 11:30 PM. Mr. U. E. Baughman, Chief of the Secret Service, arrived in Key West this afternoon. Sunday, December 9th The President came downstairs at 7:55 AM. He left the Little White House at 8 AM for a brief walk. He returned to the house at 8:10 AM and sat down to breakfast. After breakfast, the President moved out to the west garden, where he read and sunned until 10:30 AM. Mr. Stowe left the house at 10: 40 AM for Boca Chica where he enplaned for Havana and thence for Mexico City. The President did not go to church nor to the beach - he sat around the house all morning visiting with various members of the party. A picnic lunch was served in the north garden at 12:30 PM. While lunch was being served, party baggage was moved to Boca Chica and loaded aboard the INDEPENDENCE. The President, members of his party and Captain Adell left the Little White House at 1:20 PM and motored to Boca Chica. Since it was Sunday, no honors were rendered on his departure from the Naval Station. The motorcade, led by Florida State Highway Patrolmen, left the Naval Station via the Caroline Street gate, continued eastward on Caroline to Simonton street, southward on Simonton Street to Truman Avenue and eastward along Truman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard to Boca Chica, where it arrived at 1:45 PM. The President and all members of the party disembarked on arrival. The President bade Captain Adell and Captain Eldredge goodbye, talked briefly with newspaper and radio correspondents present and, at 1:55 PM, went aboard the INDEPENDENCE. The INDEPENDENCE was airborne for Washington, D. C. at 1:56 PM. Embarked were: The President, Mr. Hassett, General Vaughan, Admiral Dennison, General Landry, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Friedman, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Lay, Mr. Perlmeter, members of the party; and Comdr. Warden, Comdr. Rigdon, Messrs. Rowley, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Behn, Mr. Baughman and Mr. Gies. The press plane (an EAL constellation) departed Boca Chica for Washington at 2 PM. Embarked were: Messrs. Nixon, Smith, Vaccaro, Lawrence, Fox, Irwin, Ruth, Willard Edwards, Holeman, Darby, Hillman, Bourgholtzer, John Edwards, Johnson, DeTitta, Hess, Skadding, Rous, Tretick, Linkins, Long, McMullin, Duffy, Charnley, Tracey, Buckley, Campion, Sherwood, Fugler, Roberts, Lemons, Honess, Mampel, McCann, Hare, Scouten, Mroz, Knight, Doster, Dahlquist, R. Page 52 H. Taylor, C. E. Taylor, Kiljan, Rodham, Mileski, Usher, Knapp, Selinger; Mesdames Darby, Beare, Hess, Willard Edwards; Chief Yeoman Winkler, M/Sgts. Zook, Tarbell, Putterman, Brown, Misses Earle and Crowe and Master Johnny Hess. The Navy plane (R4DZ #17289) departed Boca Chica at 2:15 PM for Anacostia. Embarked were: Aviation Chief Photographer Begley, Chief Stewards Rangasa, Pascual, Floresca and Sepulchre, and Stewards Mariano, Corpus, Macaraeg and Manalo. The 1047 mile flight to Washington was made at an altitude of 21,000 feet so as to top all weather en route and to take advantage of favorable winds. The course followed was via Jacksonville, Florida. The INDEPENDENCE arrived at the Military Air Transport Terminal, Washington National Airport, at 5:35 PM. The press plane which had accompanied the INDEPENDENCE north, landed five minutes ahead of the INDEPENDENCE. Mrs. Truman, Miss Margaret Truman, Secretary of Defense Lovett, Attorney General McGrath, Undersecretary of State Webb, Admiral Leahy, Admiral Souers, were among those waiting at the airport to welcome the President. The President disembarked at once, talked briefly with the newspaper and radio correspondents and, then, together with Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman, left by automobile for the Blair House. Agents Flohr and Stout left Key West this afternoon to drive the two White House Lincoln convertibles back to Washington. Captain Dudley returned to Washington via privately owned vehicle. The Navy plane arrived at Anacostia at 7:48 PM. The WILLIAMSBURG departed Key West at 6 PM and arrived at the Naval Gun Factory, Washington at 3 PM, Wednesday, 12 December, to complete the exodus from Key West. Page 53 RECORD OF OFFICIAL TEMPERATURES AT KEY WEST MAXIMUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM MINIMUM NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 8 71 63 25 80 70 9 68 66 26 80 70 10 77 70 27 80 70 11 79 69 28 82 72 12 77 68 29 75 73 13 81 74 30 77 67 14 84 78 15 85 79 DECEMBER 16 85 76 1 78 67 17 83 62 2 79 72 18 61 57 3 82 74 19 62 59 4 82 69 20 70 64 5 84 70 21 74 65 6 82 73 22 75 67 7 81 74 23 78 67 8 80 74 24 78 68 9 80 70 * * * * *

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