The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.74 (536 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B00CQY9E5K |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 273 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In this gossipy, sometimes amusing, sometimes irritating account, Klara describes how the interior arrived at its present form. Characters, famous and relatively obscure, flit in and out of the narrative, creating frequently humorous situations. From Booklist By 1949, according to Klara, the White House was in an advanced state of decrepitude. Klara writes with a strong sense of the ironic, and he is careful to point out that more substantive world events were going on under Truman’s watch. This is a light, generally enjoyable look at a historical sideshow. --Jay Freeman . Wooden beams were rotting, floors were dangerously unstab
Leaving only the mansion's facade untouched, workmen gutted everything within, replacing it with a steel frame and a complex labyrinth deep below ground that soon came to include a top-secret nuclear fallout shelter,The story of Truman's rebuilding of the White House is a snapshot of postwar America and its first Cold War leader, undertaking a job that changed the centerpiece of the country's national heritage. While the Trumans camped across the street at Blair House, Congress debated whether to bulldoze the White House completely, and the Soviets exploded their first atomic bomb, starting the Cold War.Indefatigable researcher Robert Klara reveals what has, until now, been little understood about this episode: America's most famous historic home was basically
His freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, American Heritage, and The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications. history." Klara has been a staff editor for several magazines including Adweek, Town & Country and Architecture. ROBERT KLARA is the author of the critically acclaimed 2010 book FDR's Funeral Train, which historian and author Douglas Brinkley
Wonderful read about Harry Truman and the White house. Richard Shore This is a highly recommended read if you ( and who doesn't ) like Harry Truman. Having recently finished David McCoullough's "Truman", and that's a major accomplishment ("Truman"" is thousand pages, 800 would have been enough, Tuchman would said it all in 700) you would think you know Harry Truman. Would like to find time to elaborate on my thoughts on Klara's "Hidden White House",but f. An exhaustively researched, briskly paced narrative about a historic project most Americans know nothing about This would really be a An exhaustively researched, briskly paced narrative about a historic project most Americans know nothing about Adam Lenhardt This would really be a 4.5 star review if Amazon allowed half stars.It's one of those little known facts about America's most famous residence: There have really been two White Houses; the one designed by James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800, and the one designed by President Truman (along with White House Architect Lorenzo Winslow and the Commission on the Renovation of the Exec. .5 star review if Amazon allowed half stars.It's one of those little known facts about America's most famous residence: There have really been two White Houses; the one designed by James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800, and the one designed by President Truman (along with White House Architect Lorenzo Winslow and the Commission on the Renovation of the Exec. Loch J said hard to comprehend what this entailed even with the amazing amounts of research and photos. It is hard to comprehend what this entailed even with the amazing amounts of research and photos. For anyone connected with either politics or construction it is a must read. Of course, history buffs have to be included, too.I'll never quite fathom how any government really works. This book helps understand it.