appointed by and works directly for the president of the united states and is head of the staff of the executive residence at the white house. i was accountable to the president and the first lady for the activities that took place in the white house and on its grounds. my primary charge was to carry out their desires as they relate to three main functions. first and foremost for the executive residence is the home of the president and his family and is as such a place where their privacy is guarded with vigor by those who work there. second, it is the side of official and ceremonial activities of the presidency both in the house and on its grounds. finally, the residents, its grounds, are a museum of our american history. for those of you who may not have had an opportunity to visit the white house, this historical

site, this is a place that is visited by over one million visitors each year. this is a cutaway of the normal group where the visitors come in on the ground floor, go through a number of rooms, they go up the stairs to the state floor or first floor of the white house through the east rim, the three parlors, the state dining room and exit through the north portico. i was responsible for administering the executive residence of the white house and directing the 92 members of the residence staff, the staff is comprised of the administrative usher's office, the curator's office, which takes care of the extensive furnishings of a stork nature -- historic nature, and all the paintings of the white house. they responsible for the calligraphy office produces a

handwritten invitations to white house events. the florist shop that provides cut flower arrangements throughout the residence and for all events. the housekeeping staff, the food and beverage preparation and service staff, which included the executive chef, a pastry chef, three assistantships and their kitchen store, as well as the maître d'and six butler's. without leaving them out certainly the maintenance staff. the white house is the consummate this old house. it included highly skilled carpenters electricians, operations engineers, furniture handlers, painters and plumbers. the chief usher also supervises the national park service staff of 24 gardeners that take care

of the 18 acres of grounds and gardens. my staff and i administered developed, and track the expenses -- expenses for these activities. the chief usher establishes the budget for the executive residence, approximately $12 million. i was responsible for tracking billing, and presenting to the president and the first lady more recently it was the first lady, each month the bill for their food, beverage, dry cleaning and personal items used by the family and their personal guests. most people do not realize the president pays for these expenses out of his own pocket. for your general information, i will give you a brief history of the white house itself with the exception of our first president, george washington.

every president has lived in the house. president washington was instrumental in the planning for the house. on march 14, 1792, a competition was announced offering a premium of $500 for a metal of equal value to the winning award designs for the white house, the president's house. the winner was chosen by george washington. the designs were to be submitted in four short months. excuse me. james home bain won the competition. he was hired to supervise the construction of the house.

the cornerstone of the white house was laid three months later on october 13, 1792. for those of you who think your federal government can react quickly, there is an example that at least it could. president washington died december 14, 1799 before the house was completed. our first president, john adams moved into the unfinished house november 1, 1800. during the war of 1812, following the british defeat of napoleon in 1814, british troops enter the city of washington on the evening of august 14, 1814 building -- burning the public buildings as they moved to the capital to the white house. after leaving the house, british

troops were stationed around the exterior of the home at the shot of the single pistol when they were told to throw lighted torch or through -- torches through the windows. the interior of the house burned rapidly and after a few hours the fire consumed everything inside. a thunderstorm arose in the cold water from the thunderstorm put out the final flames and partially save the exterior walls. the house was pretty much destroyed except some exterior stonework. the treaty ending the war was signed in 1815 following andrew jackson's victory over the british about of new orleans. in the joy of victory, the

congress decided to rebuild the presidents house, and james hi obain was rehired to rebuild it. the next major renovation came in 1902, the congress appropriated nearly $500,000 for the restoration of the house and the construction of an executive office building, allowing for the first time for the offices of the president to be moved outside of the house and into a separate building. that addition, known today -- known as the executive office building today is known as the west wing. that is not where the tv show was filmed. after the renovation, public tours were limited to the entrance and the adjacent east

room. president and mrs. harding almost immediately after taking office in 1921 open the view of the other rooms on the first floor of the white house including the blue and red parlors as well as the state dining room. the latest and most expensive renovation came during the administration of president truman. after president roosevelt's death in 1945, president truman became aware of the problems with the house, and with the concurrence of the congress initiated a commission to look into the structural integrity of the residence. it was determined it needed extensive rebuilding. in fact, it was suggested that the structure be torn down. there was a movement to move the seat of the government to the

center of the country, which was ohio. president truman was adamant that the original stone wall be saved. a plan was devised to retain the exterior stone walls and build a concrete and steel building within. the old stone walls would be penned to the new structure retaining evidence of the original design while providing some modern conveniences and adding to subfloors with utilities and storage. while the renovation was going on the president and mrs. truman moved to the blair house >> that is basically the history of the white house we see today. now i will give all of you a peek into the lives of the

presidents of the lives i have served. i served the nixon administration as a member of the secret service, until his resignation in 1974. during that time, i was assigned to different posts throughout the white house, getting to know the people who worked there and their responsibilities. after the litigation surrounding --, i was one of six officers to have control over the presidential papers and tapes. after the court had appointed the secret service as conservatives -- conservators. soft kind and gentle are not often words attached to president nexen, but his highness was known to those who knew him. one individual was a white house

doorman by the name of freddy mayfield. he worked the evening shift in film and night and was an added crash an ardent fan of the local baseball team. freddy and president nexen had long conversations about baseball. the president was also a great fan and he loved their talks. after returning to the executive residency one spring afternoon, following his trip to the baseball game, the president got in the elevator, he was throwing his ace ball up and -- baseball up and down. freddy asked if he could look at it. after becoming close to freddy the president tossed the ball to him and said, keep this, it will

be a memory of our baseball discussions. on president nixon's last day in office, i was working at the police center. members and demonstrators in the vicinity of the white house where a constant concern for the secret service security and for the white house staff. the president had been working in his old office building office which was across the street from the west wing and some time in the early afternoon was going to return to the executive residence. word was passed to us that the president did not want to see anybody on his last trip from the executive office building to the residency and he did not want to go through the west wing , which would be his normal route. we were directed to have the officer in the press briefing room, adjacent to the

president's path draw the shape shot and lock the door that led out onto the driveway. at the prescribed time, the notice was given, the windows were covered. since i was working in the police control center, we began to receive telephone calls from reporters, their network chiefs and the fire department complaining about the way that the press where being treated and can find -- confined, that was unsafe and they were fire code violations. within 15 minutes, the president returned, the door was unlocked, the shades were opened and the world crisis passed. upon president nexen's departure, the burden of the past few years was removed from the white house.

the fords entered. they were two of the most nice people you could ever want to meet. i was made aware of a position made in the ushers office. i had worked for years with those people in that office. i was attracted immediately to the opportunity as i admired the work in that office and the wonderful people who worked in the executive residence. i applied and was chosen to work there. my first three months of service in that office was as an understudy to the ushers learning the ways of the first family and the executive residence. the assistant ushers worked on a rotating schedule. one shift began before the president awoke, and the transfer took place around 2:00 p.m. it ended around the time that the first lady and president

retired for the evening. my first introduction to president ford was made by the chief usher. it took place at the conclusion of my first state dinner. this happened at the elevator. he was waiting or mrs. ward who was -- mrs. ford. she was a dancer. she was always the last to leave the floor. the week following my introduction to the fords i was placed in rotation. it was a quiet sunday morning. at about 8:00 a.m., the telephone rang and i answered. the ushers office, may i help you? the other voice at the other end was president forward. i immediately thought that i should stand, but my knees hit the desk. i listened as the president said, good morning, gary.

could he make a note to have someone check my shower? i don't have hot water. after i recovered from the fact that the president did not have hot water, i realize that i was never called by my first name by a president before. knowing that the engineers were available to check out the problem, the first family was scheduled to go to church within an hour, i said certainly. i will have the engineers check the shower as soon as you depart for church. his answer stunned me. he said, oh, don't bother. it is sunday, there is really no hurry. it has been that way for a couple of days and i forgot to tell people. [laughter] anyway, i have been using that he's -- betty's shower. needless to say, when they left

for church we fixed the problem. that was the case with the fords, growing close to the family. each evening freddy mayfield was jokingly asked the president when he was going to invite him for a swim at the swimming pool. president ford would laugh and say, one of these days, when we both have a little more time. late one afternoon, the president called and said gary, freddy has asked about a swim with the president and i think this could be a good time. we ask him to meet me in the cabana and 15 minutes? tell him not to worry about a swim suits, we can get an extra that we keep. his voice was light and mischievous as the temperature that november evening was 30

degrees, with the wind chill in the teens. i informed freddy of the president's invitation and told him he better watch what he asks for in the future. he did go to the cabana where they had a very nice swim. both returned to the residence lasting. -- laughing. freddy never forgot his presidential swim. he also never asked about another joint swim with the president. later he confided in me that he nearly froze getting into and out of the swimming pool. the inauguration of president jimmy carter in 1977 brought three families to the white house. not only did daughter amy move in and occupy bedrooms on the

second floor, they also had two sons, and their wives occupying suites on the third floor. in fact, karen gave birth to a son, james earl carter the fourth, giving the white house its first and fit president in many decades -- infant resident in many decades. the president wanted the air set no higher than 65 degrees. there was a very small office that was a problem. it was on the first floor of the executive resident -- residents, just off the entry hall. the office was shared by three people, the chief usher, his assistant, and the duty usher, who sits in front of a single

pane, double hung window that is 14 feet in height. it is a typical window throughout the residence. despite efforts to seal these window frames to prevent air gaps, the prevailing cold wind from the north fell directly on the duty usher for hours at a time. this is difficult at night, when the cold air coming in was almost unbearable for anyone sitting in front of that window. with no immediate solutions, we enlisted the services of the engineers to keep our thermostat set at a comfortable level. we removed the visible thermometer from the thermostat and painted it read -- red at

the 65 degree mark. so anyone looking casually at the thermometer was see that it was 65 degrees. [laughter] please don't tell president carter. the president was not a fan of the billiards table in the private quarters and asked if it could be replaced by a ping-pong table as he enjoyed playing with his sons. on a number of occasions, the president invited me for a match. the first time i played, i wondered what the protocol was. should i lose? or play hard and try to win? after a couple of minutes, i understood that he was pretty good and i played to my best. after losing the election to ronald reagan, the president and mrs. carter wanted to share appreciation to the resident staff for their service. they invited everyone on the staff to the presidential

retreat in the mountains, at camp david. there was a luncheon for the staff and then the president and mrs. carter took everyone around on a personal tour of the entire camp. the camp became the site of his most important presidential success, camp david accords between the president of egypt and the premise or of israel -- prime minister of israel. the result of the camp david meetings was the signing of a peace treaty, signed on the north grounds. many things have been said about president reagan, but i can tell you from my own experience what you saw was what he was although portrayed in the press as only an actor, he was never

on stage as a president. he was the same person behind the scenes that he stand -- that you saw on television. he was firm in his beliefs. he always had a smile on his face and a good word for everyone he passed. for state dinners, this was a procedure that was established by reagan, whereby the chefs and butler's would serve the food about two weeks before the actual dinner was to take place. on these occasions, the meal would be presented exactly as it would be for the state dinner. there were four courses for each meal, including dessert. platters for 10 persons, that is how many that would be at each table. the president and mrs. reagan served themselves from the platters. this conflict a number of

things, they could visually inspect the presentation, see if they would be difficulty serving themselves, determine if there was sufficient food on the platters to accommodate guests, and taste the food. at the conclusion of the meal, mrs. reagan would come in to the kitchen and discuss options and give suggestions to the chefs making minor changes or sometimes making major changes in the menu. in 1985, the then chief usher announced his retirement and recommended that i follow him. i was appointed the seventh chief usher on january 5, 1986. one of my most memorable experiences in the white house

came in december 1987. president reagan invited mr. gorbachev to the white house. following their stork meetings -- his stork meetings -- historic meetings, the nuclear arms talks with the soviets, this was after he was calling the ussr the evil empire. there was a great deal of apprehension and tension surrounding this meeting at the white house. even though it was designed around the dismantling of nuclear arms at 1:45 p.m. on december 8, 1987, the president and general secretary came together in a white house. there was a short ceremony that ended with the signing of the treaty. it was followed by statements

broadcast to the world from the state dining room, calling for the government to work together and pledging new cooperation between two superpowers. a podium was placed in front of the fireplace where there was a famous portrait of abraham lincoln looming as the backdrop. for the first time in my years at the white house, we lighted a fire in the fireplace, it warmed the room. it was truly surreal. there were few people in the room and i was lucky enough to be one of them. as the speeches progressed, i could feel the falling of the cold war and the end of the evil empire. whenever president reagan traveled to camp david, he never forgot to collect acorns for the squirrels that lived in the white house rose gardens. he would put nuts in his pockets

, take them to the office on monday morning and scatter them outside the office for the squirrels. one weekend when he did not go to camp, obviously he did not collect acorns. the following monday, an important meeting with the staff was disrupted by the squirrels. became -- they came to the door of the oval office and were on their hind legs scratching at the glass, looking for acorns. [laughter] after that, the executive grounds superintendent who worked at the white house since the 1950's had his grandson collect acorns every weekend and they left them on president's desk each monday morning so that the squirrels could be fed properly. in fact, the day before the president left office, and his

eyes george bush became president, president reagan wrote a note on white house stationery and placed it in a planter box adjacent to the oval office door. the note was to his friends the squirrels, warning them about the bush's dog he was moving in the next day. [laughter] whenever anyone discovers that i worked at the white house, their question is, what president did you like the most? my answer is always the same every president whom i had the privilege to serve was very kind to me and my family. that being said i will say without a doubt, there will never be a nicer family to work for man -- than the bush family, especially george and barbara

bush. president bush known to us now as 41, distinguishing him from his son, was probably the most qualified man to ever be president. his father was a united states senator, he had been a successful businessman, and ambassador to the united nations, director of the cia and a two-term vice president. he was a consummate diplomat and gentlemen. barbara bush had one of the quickest wits i have ever known. she was a grandmotherly figure and the last first lady of the 1950's mold. her family was foremost in her life. mrs. bush had a constant companion, her dog millie, also an author by the way millie, not mrs. bush. when i inquired about millie's

arrival, she coming up worry. millie was off with their friends in kentucky where she was getting married. [laughter] i tried to look serious, but i soon learned that explanation. in march, millie had delivered six puppies in the parlor. with mrs. bush there by her side. in fact, i took a mattress from a room and gave it to mrs. bush for her comfort during the delivery. the next day, she presented each child with a puppy and two of them are given to close friends. one of the puppies ranger, was given to the president and became his dog. each day i was a chief usher, i

would present myself to the president as they were on their way to the oval office. i presented myself principally for their convenience, in case they had something to tell me or i had information to pass along to them. frequently, president bush would invite me to walk with him while the dogs walked in the gardens doing what dogs do in the morning. it was on one of these walks that i learned how deeply that the president and mrs. bush were terminated -- tormented by the death of military men and women come up from desert storm. i also learned that he called each family to offer condolences. george bush did not hide his emotions well, often times he

had to stop and wipe tears from his eyes. when year, -- on president bush was searchinge year, -- one year, president bush was searching for an idea for his wife's birthday, some comfortable shoes as she was getting older. these shoes were made of canvas. as a joke, he decided to get one of each color. after he presented her with a gift, she began to wear the shoes everywhere, turning it around on him. but that was not good enough for mrs. bush. she went a step further. she would wear a different color on each foot, giving her an endless combination of choices. [laughter]

on a trip to asia in 1992, the president got sick with a stomach virus in japan, but attempted to keep his busy schedule. much to his embarrassment, he regurgitated at the table of the prime minister at a formal dinner. it was captured on film by the news and repeatedly shown. give the president -- to give the president a welcome home you would never forget and put an end to the embarrassment, i assembled 20 members of the resident staff in the reception room, it was here that the president would enter the white house out of the view of the press and other staff. i procured a desk mats -- desk mask -- dust mask for each person.

barbara bush put on one of the masks. then she said, george bush is going to fire each and every one of you. the president had lagged behind, making a short statement to the press. he took one look at us and laughed. then he proceeded to have the photographer take pictures. mrs. bush told us later that it was just what the president needed to get over his embarrassment. like i said, we had a unique bond with the first family. the clintons moved in to the white house in 1993. during one of my early conversations with mrs. clinton after the election, she asked what we could do to occupy chelsea and some of her friends on inaugural night while the

adults were at the ball. mrs. clinton was interested in having some food and some fun for the youngsters. working with the curators, we developed a plan for a sophisticated to party. -- pizza party. and a scavenger hunt. the curators developed an extensive list of facts about the white house that required each group to travel all the levels and rooms of the white house. chelsea and her guests had to answer certain questions, find things like a hidden staircase, and obtain food items to bring to the kitchen. teams of 3-4 were chosen and for the next hours, the youngsters roamed the white house. one of the most difficult

problems for families the white house is feeling comfortable enough to gather friends for conversation and fun. on the occasion of mrs. bush's birthday on october 26, 1993. her staff wanted to have an old-fashioned costume party. given the proximity to halloween of course. there were to be about 150 guests for a buffet and dancing. everyone was to be dressed in costume. in keeping with the theme, i and another, decided that the resident staff serving the party should also be in costume. these were the white house butler'ss.

the clintons were surprised. they had found a cat, and named it socks. he was not a house cat. the fence around the white house -- and this presented a problem. i am not a cat lover, but we

obtained a large device that could be screwed into the ground and we attached a rope to it. the other end was attached to a shoulder harness and socks. for months the sort, but then -- this worked, but then i received a call from a police officer on the southbound -- south ground . he said that socks needed an assistant. i could see socks in a tree. evidently, he had chased a squirrel up the tree, and literally to the end of his rope and was hanging by his harness in midair and definitely in distress. [laughter] i had someone responded with a

ladder. socks was saved. from that time forward, socks was kept a safe distance from squirrels and trees. president clinton was one of the great conversationalists of our time. when he talks to you, nothing else intervenes. not his schedule or other activities. you had his full attention. he required -- he acquired a reputation for chronically being late to events. when a meeting friends and acquaintances he had not seen for years, he could remember their names and their

interactions. this is confirmed when he hosted the georgetown 25th anniversary of his class in 1993, for over 600 couples. he stood in a receiving line for more than three hours, greeting guests by name and asking about their families, also by name. on november 9, 2000, on the 200th anniversary of the first president's moved into the white house, there was a dinner held in the east room. it was the only dinner i attended. this was three days after that is the -- this was three days after the disputed election between al gore and george bush. needless to say this complicated

the move of the bush family into the white house. fortunately, the bush's were familiar with the white house and the staff. it was accomplished with that order. and on real day of 2001, brought me some discovered that i'd never experienced. important was this day and it was compliant on a schedule. it was mandated that the new president take office at noon. president clinton, as i mentioned, was known for being late. the president-elect who was standing across the street was known for being extremely cultural. the schedule called for a greeting of the bushes at the north portico by the president at 10:30 a.m.

as time drew near, the president was not in place to greet the president-elect. at 10:20 a.m., i was told that the president-elect was moving toward his limo. i told his aides in no and certain -- no uncertain terms to stop him at the door. i immediately looked for the eighth of president clinton and none were to be found. -- aidses of president clinton and none were to be found. after searching, i learned that the president was in the oval office. i told her the president he needed to come immediately to the north portico as the president-elect was on his way and it would be embarrassing for him not to be there. it could not believe that i was issuing orders to a president and an incoming president.

the president hurried to the north portico and the greeting took place on time. the president and mrs. bush were playful with each other. they affectionately called each other names. spot, one of the puppies of millie, was the president's dog and companion. sometimes during the day he would take a short break from the oval office and hit a tennis ball that the dog would chase and return. spot, born at the white house also died there a few years

later. her health deteriorated rapidly in her few months. on the night before spot died, the president carried her to the southbound where they had played so much ball. he lay beside her on the ground wrapping him self around her, so gently and stroking herself -- stroking her on her head. those of us who watched were drawn to tears. minix morning, he could not take her to the doctor's office to be euthanized. he said that he had set his goodbyes. i asked mrs. bush if she wanted us to take spot. she said no, i will do it. the president was an athlete of

extraordinary skills, this was supported when his doctors measured his resting heartbeat at 50 beats per minute, which matched that of lance armstrong. he did not jog, he ran. especially on the hottest days. within a few years of moving into the white house he was distraught at hurting his legs and hips. he looks for in other exercise routine. he did not find anything that he liked and allowed him to be outside. he was introduced to off-road biking by some staff and he took to it with vengeance. he loved the aerobic exercise. he even broke a track bike that the designer said cannot be broken. they ended up redesigning that

line of bikes. certainly my most terrifying day at the white house was september 11, 2001. what most people do not remember about that day, that evening in particular, that mr. -- that the president was to host a picnic at the white house for the united states congress, the cabinet, the vice president and other high officials. if the terrorists had attacked the white house just eight hours later, most of the government would have been assembled on the south lawn. to this day, it is my firm belief that united flight 93, that crashed into the ground in pennsylvania, was heading to the white house, not the capital. those who fought back on that

airplane, i believe they saved my life. i was fortunate enough to later attend their memorial service. when i decided to return in 2007, the president and mrs. bush surprise me with a large reception, inviting individuals from every administration i had served. at a small ceremony before the reception, he presented me with an award. on a number of occasions i talk about the relationships between the resident staff and the first family. the resident staff is a unique group both in their dedication to the presidency and their talents. we develop a strong relationship with each family and that is not only a bond of respect for the presidency, but also a fondness of shared experience. at the end of each administration, just before the

president reaches the north portico, we share one last emotional goodbye. the resident staff gathers in the state dining room and present the president with the flag that flew over the white house that was there the day he took over the white house and to the five that was there -- the flag that was there when they leave. it is one of the saddest moments of each of the lives of the people in that room. that sadness is not quickly forgotten. or erased from memory. we must put aside and quickly get ready for a new family that will be moving into the white house in a few short hours. i understand there is an opportunity for questions and i would be glad to answer anything.

if i do not want to answer it i will just say no, and i learned that from mrs. reagan. [laughter] [applause] any questions? >> if you were writing a job description for your job as a sure -- usher, what would you write? >> common sense would be at the top of the list. i would compare this job to that of a general manager of a hotel. the responsibility is to safeguard the first family. the resume would not necessarily be long, but it would require a lot of common sense and trying to be able to serve the presidency.

>> >> serving all the different presidents, did you avoid politics? >> i did. i was lucky enough to serve both republicans and democrats and the great thing about the job i had and all the resident staff had, is that we got to know the families as families. we were there to try to take the drudgery out of their day. they had enough to do. the first ladies as you have learned, they had their own responsibilities. they can not worry about some of the small things, like you will fix the plumbing the cooking of the dinner, that is what the resident staff is therefore. -- there for. and the resident staff is there

to serve the presidency, not the president. >> during the nixon years, you were there and we had john dean here two years ago during this symposium. he was there as a major part of the watergate issue. how does the residency staff deal with that comment as that turmoil and tempest is going around and bringing in that situation, to make it more difficult, or do they carry on as normal? >> we tried to make it as normal as possible for the family. certainly every administration that i worked for had it major obstacles placed in front of them. it was our responsibility to take care of the everyday

things. we wanted to see if we could not take some of that burden. but i do not want to downplay, we get close to the families. when there is a death in the family, a mother or father, it is taken hard by the staff and we understand that. as well as some of the other problems that occur as we are in office. the staff gets very close to the family. one of the things that most people do not know is that the secret service goes to a certain point, and then they stopped and behind those doors is where the executive staff is. >> another question back here. >> what is the hardest part of the first lady and her children adjusting to living in the white house? >> it is tremendously difficult

for families to live there and just be a normal family. children going to school in a car by the secret service and having people set out by their door, maybe that is fun for an eight-year-old, but by 13 years old, that is not as fun. especially if they want to go on a date. it is not easy living in the white house, that is why the staff tried to provide privacy for the first family. there is a point at which nobody goes without permission. and that point is determined by the first family. >> was it anything like downton abbey? >> no.

the resident -- residence is not as formal as some of those in european houses, although the name chief usher comes from the old british term meaning head of the household. there are customs that remain at the white house, the staff still is very responded to be in service to the president, but it would be a far reach to say it is anything like downton abbey. >> mr. walters, i have a simple question. during your tenure, who was your favorite social secretary that you worked with? >> somehow, i have that would come up. of course it was mrs. marshall. -- patricia marshall. [applause] [applause]

we spent probably more time with each other than we did with our spouses, working. >> absolutely working. >> this is a lighthearted question, but i noticed when you are talking about the ping-pong you didn't say if he won. >> that is right, i didn't. [laughter] >> you mentioned at one time there was a suggestion during mr. truman's administration that they tear down the white house and start over. i wonder have they ever been serious about recommendations if the president and his family lived separate from his office? some studies have shown it would

be good to have a chance to get out of one's residency and work apart from it, rather than having it all in one building. >> i'm sure that every president and first lady feels that way, that they could leave the white house behind and go elsewhere. that is one reason why the -- y camp david is such a blessing. they can drive to camp david take the helicopter there, and spend the weekend there. there are some people on the staff who do not want to hear me say it, but the white house staff is much more reluctant to call the president or the first lady at camp david, then they are if they are just next-door in the white house. i think there have been considerations, but having the benefit of the white house home

and office so close at hand, with everything that goes along with it, i think it is important to the presidency and there will not probably be a change. >> i was curious about the personal expenses which you said that the first lady and president pay themselves, like toothpaste and personal items, they pay all that themselves and i didn't realize if they are entertaining, if they are entertaining anything to do with the presidency i'm sure that that is picked up, but i'm assuming that any personal friends that come in, they would pay for the meals, can you detail that? >> any item that they use personally or their guests use personally so it is not an official guest not a state

dinner, because those are reimbursed. the state department, political events are reimbursed by the political entity that is response over the event. but any personal items that the president and the family and personal guests use are paid for by the president, bottled water and in the accounting that i talked about, if we get a crate of eggs for the kitchen and two eggs go to the president's breakfast in the morning, those two eggs are accounted for. if three dozen eggs go to the dinner for the state department, that is accounted for. if three eggs go to a lunch, a gust of the family, that is charged along with the eggs in the morning. we keep track of everything. we keep track of the broken eggs too.

they pay for all personal expenses. >> first of all, thank you for the might mean -- enlightening session. can you share with us the most outrageous or memorable request that was ever made? >> i have never had an outrageous request to the president of the united states. [laughter] at least none that i'll share. [laughter] >> your remarks are incredible because they humanize the people in the white house. you plan to write your memoirs for people to read? >> at this time, no. i was able to get -- probably the only person that spoke to both president and the first lady on a daily basis, and i believe that their privacy is

more important than my telling that part of the story. most things are related to you today are things that the president and first lady have mentioned in a casual conversation and i know that that information is out there. it is their history not mine. as i get further away from when i retired and the second bush administration, i have had people ask me, you have to put this down, some of these stories should be told. i had an incredible opportunity to see history and i/o thanks to the presidents who kept me there. >> behind you. >> and wonder what your typical day was like as far as how many hours a day you worked and if you had children, did they get to interact with the family members? >>