White House Revealed (2009) - full transcript

It's the most powerful house
in the world,

a place where decisions
affecting millions of Americans

are routine business;
and during war,

the future of the planet
waits on choices made here.

But the White House
is something else, too.

It's a home, a refuge for
the President and First Family

to escape extraordinary burdens,

and a place to just live.

It's a tough position,
the presidency.

They're always under
the scrutiny of prying eyes,

and they need some sanctuary.



The 95 people

who make up
the White House Residence Staff

make that possible:

ushers... butlers...

housekeepers... chefs...

problem solvers...

even friends...
intensely loyal, nonpartisan

and dedicated to serving
President after President.

They are constant witnesses
to history.

From scandals, to resignations,

to national tragedies,

these workers
are at the heart of the action,

eyewitnesses to the most
powerful person in the world.

I've seen every President
that I've served.



I've seen them laugh,
and I've seen them cry,

every single one of them.

That's the one thing
you get to do

when you're the chief usher.

You get to hear an awful lot
from the source.

They just do their jobs

and make the residents of the
White House feel it's their home,

and they're very special
in every way, and all of them.

There wasn't a bad apple
in the bunch.

The White House has been home

to every American President,
except George Washington.

John Adams
was the first President

to actually live here,

and when he arrived
in November 1800,

he brought his servants
with him.

Subsequent Presidents
continued the tradition

of bringing their own staff,

in many cases, slaves,
for decades

until Congress approved funding

for a permanent staff in 1840.

Today, there are 95 people
working inside the White House,

known as the Residence Staff.

Their workplace is also uniquely
designed as a living space.

The 132-room Executive Mansion

includes
the three floor residence,

where the President
and First Family live

and entertain...

the West Wing,
where the President works...

and the East Wing,

where the First Lady
and her staff have offices.

But the heart
of the working White House

is here in the Ushers' Office.

The Chief Usher manages
the entire Residence Staff.

President Bush, Sr:
Called Chief Usher, I think.

That's right. But he's so much more
than that.

He really ran the White House.

When I went to work there
and told friends

that I was an usher
at the White House,

they thought I was working

in the theater
at the White House, seriously.

But Mrs. Eisenhower
didn't like the name,

Mrs. Kennedy
didn't like the name,

but they couldn't think of
a better name,

so it stayed
as the Ushers' Office.

We're a small group,
but very efficient group.

We know what we have to do
and how to handle it.

Smithsonian Curator,
Jim Deutsch,

has been studying White House
workers for more than a decade.

One thing that we, as
folklorists at the Smithsonian, do

is we study living culture.

We study the traditions.

The Smithsonian Center for
Folk Life and Cultural Heritage

brings history to life,

taking it directly
to the people.

White House workers
have been part

of the Smithsonian Folk
Life Festival in Washington, DC,

and their stories
are being showcased

in a national traveling exhibit.

Workers at the White House

represent a very special and
distinctive occupational group

who are bearers
of wonderful traditions.

They have amazing memories.

They have been witnesses
to great amounts of history.

For Chief Usher Gary Walters,

the simple act of lighting
a fire in the fireplace

became a powerful symbol

when Soviet leader, Mikhail
Gorbachev, visited in 1987.

Gorbachev had come to sign

the Intermediate Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty,

a giant step forward
in ending the Cold War.

But after that treaty signing
in the East Room,

the two Heads of State walked
into the State Dining Room,

and they stood
before two podiums,

separated by only the great
fireplace in the State Dining Room,

which we lit that time,

for the only time
that I can remember

when I was at the White House,

and then, they talked
to the world.

And as the warmth from the fire

relieved the coolness
in the room,

it's rather trite to say,

but I could really feel
the Cold War ending.

It was a very emotional time
for me.

It was the most historic
moment that I can remember.

You're not just seeing history
on television or something.

You're actually part of it

and, you know,
realize the context

in which you're dealing.

This is history every day
at the White House

that's being made
in one form or the other.

The Presidents,
every one of them,

Presidents and First Ladies,

have talked about
that sense of history.

Never got over it.

I felt a sense of awe the first
time I walked into the residence

and to the Oval Office
as I did the day we left,

same sense of awe,
same sense of respect,

same grasp of wonderful history

that surrounded that place.

And so, you never get over it,

you never want to get over it.

It was very, very special.

The crucible of history

leaves coworkers
feeling like family;

and for some, the White House
becomes a family business.

Lillian Rogers Parks was 12

when she first started going to the
White House with her mom in 1909.

Her mother, Maggie Rogers,
worked as a maid under President Taft.

Lillian went on
to join the staff

as a seamstress in 1929,

during
the Hoover Administration.

What greater pride

could there be in asking
your children

to work in the same place
you were working in,

carrying on a family tradition?

President and Mrs. Hoover

expected the staff
to be virtually invisible.

When the workers
heard three bells,

it meant the President
was moving,

and they had to disappear
from sight.

Alonzo Fields,
who served as a butler

and maitre d'
for more than 20 years,

remembers what it was like.

You heard the three bells.

You took off.
You got behind doors.

You didn't stay in the corridor.

You'd get off the floor
and get into a closet.

If people hear the bell,
and man,

they'd run just like
a mouse would run for his hole.

The cat came in, you'd run
into that little closet.

Years ago, incredible
loyalty and excellent work

weren't any shield
to intolerable treatment,

even in the White House.

Starting around 1909
to about the mid-1930s,

there were segregated facilities

for the White
and the Black workers.

For Alonzo Fields
and many others,

it was hard to comprehend.

This, I just
couldn't understand.

I didn't appreciate it at all.

To me, the White House,
as the example for the country,

there it should be
that equality be shown.

Those days are over,

but the dedication of the White
House Residence Staff is unchanged.

With the idea of transition
and continuity,

it's very important
among White House workers.

And so,
when one President leaves,

the staff remains,

and they provide the glue
that keeps the presidency going.

You can ask the staff
in the White House.

That's the first thing they say.

Oh, this is the guy that never
made the same dessert twice.

Roland Mesnier
is the longest-running

Executive Pastry Chef
in White House history.

You can't compare
the White House

with any other establishments.

I don't care
where you have been,

the White House is,

first of all,
for me, the sacred place.

For 26 years, Roland
served five Presidents

and their families,

beginning with President Carter.

Today,
Roland's mind is a rolodex

of every President's
favorite dessert.

Two of them were famous
for loving dessert,

more than even
everybody else was:

President Reagan
and President Clinton.

When Reagan came in,
of course, President Reagan

loved, loved chocolate,
one of his favorite things,

but Mrs. Reagan was not too
keen for him to have it too often.

So, when Mrs. Reagan
maybe was out of town,

doing business in California,

we will very likely sneak in a beautiful
chocolate dessert to the President

with crunchy stuff in it.

He loved crunch,
always something crunchy.

The first President Bush

appreciated almost
any type of food.

George Bush, Sr.,

I must say,
from all the Presidents,

is the one who was the most
adventurous in eating different food.

President Clinton
presented special challenges.

He was allergic to flour,
dairy products, and chocolate.

So that leaves very little for
the Pastry Chef to work with,

but he loves dessert, too.

There have to be dessert
in every meal.

So, many things
were created for him.

He loved carrot cake.

He was a big favorite
of carrot cake.

And what he was
not supposed to do,

he loved chocolate cake;

and, you know,
sometimes he would fight me,

because when we were at a party,

and chocolate cake was served,
we made a carrot cake for him.

He said, "Roland,
I don't want that.

I want a piece of chocolate."

I said, "Mr. President,
this is not your cake."

He said, "You're wrong.

It is my cake for today."

And the next day, guess what?

The eyes all puffed up.

I can tell
when he's been a bad boy.

His eyes get all puffed up.

So, you know,
but he's the President.

He can have whatever he wants.

And then George W. Bush,

of course, cake and ice
cream was always a big favorite.

I, Lyndon Baines Johnson...

But working on the White House
Residence Staff

isn't all ice cream and cake.

I will faithfully execute...

the office of the Presidency
of the United States.

The office of the Presidency
of the United States.

Inaugurations are particularly
trying for the Residence Staff,

both professionally
and personally.

Inauguration Day
is the hardest day on the staff,

not from just a physical aspect
of moving one family out

and moving another family in,

but certainly from the aspect
of the emotional change.

You've lived, literally lived...

sometimes, it's the first people

that they see in the morning,

and the last people
they see at night.

So, you've lived
with these families

for four or eight years

and watched,
in the case of Chelsea,

grow up from a young girl
to a young woman;

the Bush girls, in college,
when they started,

and now one of them's
gotten married.

In 1992, President Bush
and Governor Clinton

waged a grueling race
for the White House.

Just a few months later,
they put rancor aside,

and President Bush turned over
the keys to the new President.

Welcome to your new house.

Good to see you. Good luck, sir.

It was a peaceful and
seamless transition of power,

but still an enormous adjustment
for everyone.

For every First Family
coming in,

it is a shocking experience.

All of a sudden, you're in
this big historic house.

You have all these people
running around, staff members.

And if you have never had
personal servants,

it is an adjustment.

That morning,
the incoming First Family

has tea with the outgoing
Administration.

They are deserving, entitled to,

and are owed
the same level of intensity,

respect, and dignity

that we gave
the previous First Family.

Now, when they come in,

they bring all sort of guests
with them, the new family.

So, we are in the kitchen
cooking and baking all day long

to make all sorts of
things, just in case they say,

"Oh, well, do you have
a carrot cake somewhere?

Do you have a cheesecake?
Do you have cookies?

Do you have ice cream?"

You don't know
what they may ask of you,

because you don't know anything
of this new incoming family.

Once in a lifetime events
seem to happen every month

at the White House.

State dinners are probably
the most complicated.

They require solid teamwork
and months of preparation.

Every part
of the Residence Staff,

including butlers,
florists, and chefs,

has to work
as an intricate team.

Oh, a state dinner
is an amazing,

an amazing occurrence.

You know, I would... you know,
while it's called a state dinner,

I think it really
is more like a Broadway play,

in terms of
all the different components

that come into it
to make it work.

There are literally
thousands of people involved,

and the chefs
are one component of that.

State visits begin with
an official arrival ceremony

in the morning.

Leaders come from all corners
of the globe.

For their first state dinner
in 1994,

the Clintons hosted the
Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Anwar Sadat,
the President of Egypt,

visited the Carters in 1979.

Prince Charles
and Princess Diana

were among the many guests
of the Reagans.

South African leader
Nelson Mandela

personally met with
many of the Residence Staffers

on his state visit
in the summer of 1998.

State dinners have
a thousand essential details,

and nothing is left to chance.

Once the final menu
is decided on,

we would rehearse it, and
rehearse it, and rehearse it,

make sure we had it
just exactly right,

because working
at the White House

isn't like a hotel
or a restaurant.

If the dinner doesn't go well,

it's not you can give them
ten percent off the check

and a free glass of champagne.

You really have embarrassed
the First Lady;

and goodness knows,
you would never want to do that.

And the dinner,

everything just had to be
so perfect,

no fingerprints
on the wine glasses.

If there was ever a chance
to shine for the chefs

and for our whole staff,
that was it.

By evening,
the President and First Lady

greet the visiting
Head of State and his wife

on the North Portico
of the White House

for the big event.

The media is on hand
to film everyone's arrival.

After passing
through the receiving line,

guests are seated
in the State Dining Room,

and the leaders' toasts begin.

Mr. President, I raise my
glass to you and to Mrs. Bush,

to the friendship
between our two countries

and to the health,
freedom, prosperity,

and happiness of the people
of the United States of America.

Mr. President.

Back in the kitchen,
it's showtime.

Everything is timed,
down to the second.

The kitchen's
on the ground floor,

and the State Dining Room
is one floor above,

so all the food has to be
transported upstairs

to the butler's pantry
and adjoining family dining room

before it is served.

Then you have the main course.

The main course, again,

you're not going to find
some strange meat.

We're not going to be serving
octopus for a state dinner.

Okay?

That would be a big disaster.

Usually, the food is designed
not to be offensive to anyone,

meaning, forget about garlic.

Forget about curry.

Forget about
all these very strong spices.

The Clintons
started a new tradition:

holding state dinners
outside under a tent

to accommodate more people.

This state dinner for India
had more than 900 guests.

This is where the best
of the world come to eat,

so everything has to be thebest.

After dinner,
guests are entertained

in the East Room.

It's a long day for the staff.

It usually starts about 5:00
in the morning of the actual day

and goes well after midnight.

By the time
we finish cleaning up,

sometimes it's 2:00 or 3:00
in the morning of the next day.

State dinners are challenging,

but Christmas season
at the White House

is the most
demanding time of year.

Like in January,
the first year we got there,

Nancy came up
from the flower shop and said,

"All right, what will be
the theme of the Christmas?"

I said, "Are you kidding?
It's January."

And she said,
"We start working right now."

The residence staffers
are busier than elves,

trimming trees...

decorating rooms...

making treats.

Workers are there
around the clock,

and this becomes
your second family,

your family away from home.

Well, I was the first woman
ever to work as an usher

in the White House.

I began during
the Christmas season,

which, for the Residence Staff,
is the busiest time of year.

It's absolutely crazy
during Christmas,

because there are
so many events,

and there's so much planning
and last-minute changes,

and, you know, it's a fun time.

It's a beautiful time,

but it's kind of crazy
in the Ushers' Office.

It was fun, because you loved
seeing people come there,

and admiring the beauty
of the White House at Christmas,

and just being
in that majestic building,

so that offset the...

Exhaustion... angst about having
so many events.

The chefs have their fair
share of holiday madness, too.

Roland Mrs. Laura Bush wanted
to have on the dessert table

Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory.

So, I came down to my shop,
and I was very puzzled.

I said... I stopped
my staff from working.

I said, "Excuse me,
everyone here,

but can you tell me
who the hell is Willy Wonka?"

I didn't grow up
with Willy Wonka.

I don't know Willy Wonka.

We don't have that story
in France,

so I had no idea what he was.

What do I do now?
Buy the book? Yes.

Read the books,
and where do I go next?

Home Depot
to buy all sort of pipes,

and pots, and everything.

And Willy Wonka came alive.

I became Willy Wonka.

People used to say to me, "Roland,
you're as crazy as Willy Wonka."

Even with the never-ending
demands of the White House,

First Families
need time to relax

and just be with each other.

And the White House staff
helps them carve out privacy

in the most public place
in the world.

First and foremost,

it is the home
of the First Family,

and it's the place where
they can go, and reside,

and feel comfortable
in their privacy.

Once the public
goes out each day,

and once the activities of the
Presidency are done for the day,

the entire residence,

not just the second
and third floor,

which some people refer to
as the President Apartment,

but the entire residence

is the home of the President
and his family.

The First Family lives

on the second and
third floors of the residence.

The second floor
has five bedrooms,

including the famous
Lincoln Bedroom,

a small kitchen, a dining room,

and seven baths.

The third floor is where
the First Family goes to relax.

It houses the billiard room,
workout room, and solarium.

It's also where some of
the Residence Staff has offices.

The South Lawn
of the White House

is the First Family's backyard.

The Truman Balcony,
on the second floor,

provides both privacy
and a spectacular view.

But all the Presidents
also have talked

about sitting
up on the Truman Balcony

and feeling in touch
with the American people,

because they could look out
across the expanse of the South Lawn

into the Ellipse,

and hear people
playing baseball and soccer,

and the traffic going by,

and looking at
the Washington Monument

and the Jefferson Memorial
in the distance.

One thing that makes
the White House so distinctive

is this mix
of public and private.

It is a private residence,
you know.

A family lives there,

and yet it is the
public symbol of the Presidency,

and the workers
at the White House

have to straddle
both the public and the private.

Privacy is a very big issue
with First Families,

some more than others.

The Reagans were private people,

but they enjoyed
having the staff around.

The Bush 43 President
and First Lady,

they enjoy the staff,

but they like
a lot of private time.

You have to learn
to adjust to that.

It's just
an individual preference.

You know, there's 95 people
on the Residence Staff,

plus all the other staff
that are around,

and you have to trust
that those people

are going to provide you
with a degree of privacy.

It's not easy.

The Presidency is not easy.

The White House staff also
develops an instinctive sense

of how to deal
with sensitive situations.

We would try, I guess,

everybody who worked
at the residence

would always try to judge
the temperature, if you will,

of the House,
and this temperature really

was how the First Family
was feeling.

As a chef, you can make
a huge difference

in the days of Presidents
and First Ladies.

Those people have
a lot of bad days,

a lot of bad days,

a lot of bad news,
a lot of bad things,

and this is when you
have to know what to serve.

The Monica Lewinsky scandal,

during
the Clinton Administration,

was rough on everyone.

And I was very sad
to see our President,

and First Lady, and Chelsea

being hurt so much
every single day.

There's nothing you can say,

but you can use your job
the best you can,

and my job, at the time,
is to make dessert.

This is why I decided to come up

with this strawberry cake
at the time.

I said, you know, "I know
he's going to love that.

This is right down his alley."

The first night
we served him that cake,

as he was eating by himself.

He ate by himself
for a few days.

He ate half of the cake
by himself, a 10-inch cake.

Mrs. Clinton had
her own comfort food.

Mrs. Clinton
loved her mocha cake,

and I knew,
when she had down day,

when she was down,

that's what she loved best,
to have a slice of mocha cake.

And I did quite a few cakes in
that period of time, mocha cake.

And I was glad
I could do something, you know.

Friday morning, 11:37,
the President's jet lands

at the Dallas Airport,
Love Field.

The White House has been home

to some of our nation's
most painful tragedies,

and the White House staff
has to work,

even as they grieve.

Several thousand
enthusiastic Texans are on hand

to give the President
and Mrs. Kennedy a warm welcome.

Usher Nelson Pierce
will never forget

that tragic Friday
in November 1963.

At 12:45,
I got to the East Gate,

and the police officer said,

"Pierce, hurry
and get to the office.

The boss has just been shot.

It appears as though
something has happened

in the motorcade route.

Something, I repeat, has
happened in the motorcade route.

There's numerous people
running up the hill,

alongside Elm Street,
there by the Simmons Freeway.

When I got to the office,
of course, the TV was on.

We were watching everything,
and I was the one

that actually got the call
from Texas

that his death was official.

And Rex Scouten said,
"Call the engineers

and have them
lower the flag on the House."

So, I called the engineers,

and then I called
GSA Flag Control Center

and told them
the death was official,

to have all flags
on ships at sea,

embassies all over the world,

fly their flags at half staff
for 30 days.

Within minutes,
flags all over the country

were lowered to half staff.

And that got me right here,

and for 30 days,
I had a problem,

because I was the one
that gave the order

to have all those flags
flown at half staff.

Within ten minutes after
Air Force One departed Dallas,

Mrs. Kennedy
had her secretary call us

and tell us
that she wanted the funeral

as much like Abraham Lincoln's
as possible.

The ushers got in touch with the
Curators' Office immediately,

and the Curators got in touch
with the Library of Congress,

and the amount of research
that went on

in a matter of just a few hours
was incredible.

Went up in the East Room

and helped the people
drape the black batten

around the chandeliers
in the East Room,

and set up the casket podium,

and was there when
the casket was brought in

before the review
of the First Lady.

Everything was done
as close to Lincoln's funeral

as we could do it,

even down to the decoration of
the White House in black crepe.

But the White House staff
couldn't plan for everything,

especially their own feelings.

That night,
when they brought him back,

and put him in the East Room,

that's when it really set in
that he was really gone.

And seeing Mrs. Kennedy there,
when she came in,

that was really a sad time.

That's when it really hits you.

I saw Mrs. Kennedy
coming down the ha

from the East Room,

and wondered
what I would say to her

when she came around the corner
to the elevator.

And there was a time
when our eyes met,

as she came around the corner,

and there was
a rapport between us

that I had never known,

and I knew
I didn't have to say a word.

She still had on the pink dress
with the blood stains.

And it was a very difficult
time in my life;

and even now, I have trouble
thinking about it

and talking about it.

To see the caissons
come up the north driveway,

through the northwest gate,
and pick up the President,

pretty awesome.

Chills went down my spine.

I haven't talked about this
in years.

One of the worst days
at the White House

in recent history
was September 11, 2001.

Chief Usher Gary Walters
didn't go home

for three straight days.

The morning, September 11th,
I had walked out with Mrs. Bush.

She was on her way
to the Capitol.

And as she was
getting in the car,

as the Secret Service agent
was assisting her,

he turned to her, and to me,
and said,

"You might want to
watch television, Gary.

There's been a plane fly into the
World Trade Center in New York."

I walked into
the Ushers' Office,

and the television was on,

and there were three or four
of my assistants

that were standing there

and sitting and watching
the television.

And just as I walked
into the room,

I saw a plane
fly into the building.

And I stopped, and I looked,

and I asked my assistant,
I said,

"How did they
get that on tape so quickly?

I understand a plane
just flew in."

And he looked at me,
and it was like somebody hit me

with a fist in the stomach.

He said,
"That's the second plane."

Wasn't any doubt in my mind,

at that point,
we were under attack.

And somebody came
and grabbed me and said,

"Roland,
you've got to get out now."

I said, "What for?
Are you crazy? No!"

"I mean now!"

And that lady was a little lady.

She grabbed me and pushed me
out of the shop

and said, "Now go!"

I was up on the second floor

when I saw the explosions
at the Pentagon.

I looked back
over my left shoulder,

down towards the river,
and across the river,

and there was this column

of what appeared to be
khaki-colored smoke.

And it turned out,
I learned later,

it wasn't the smoke.

It was actually
the Pentagon stone vaporizing

and followed very, very quickly
by this jet black...

the jet fuel burning.

I was trying to round up
my staff,

but getting everybody outside

and then trying to find
everybody,

and the panic on the street

for a couple of hours
after the attacks,

it was, it was traumatic.

What most people
don't realize is that that day,

we were supposed to have
the Congressional Barbecue

on the South Lawn
of the White House.

Twelve hours later, the entire
United States government

would've been on the South Lawn
of the White House,

with the exception of
one secretary to the President.

Had that occurred at night,

and had the White House
been a target,

they would've
been able to wipe out

the entire
United States government.

But I knew the President was
coming back to the White House.

And given the urgency
of what had occurred,

he wasn't going to be able
to land somewhere else

and motorcade
into the White House.

So, I was determined
that we were going to get

the picnic tables
off of the lawn

and clean things up

so that the helicopter
could come back.

To make a long story short,

we were able to finally
clear the picnic tables off.

Even though the Secret Service
had told everybody

to evacuate and everything,
we stayed behind.

I had five people
that stayed with me.

The President was able
to land there later that night

and speak to the American people
from the Oval Office.

And if you ever see
those pictures again,

when the helicopter
lands, you'll see picnic tables

stacked all the way
around the South Lawn,

as the President
walks to the Oval Office

to give the address that night.

The Residence Staffers

are the permanent eyes
and ears of the White House.

They witness historic events,

but they also see everyday
facets of life in the White House,

and gain an unvarnished view

of our Presidents
and First Ladies.

LBJ would go around
grading you all the time,

give you A's and B's
and D's and F's.

You know, he would turn around

and tell
the White House policemen,

"Well, you got an F.
Go find another job."

Mrs. Reagan was very particular,

and she had an idea about
how the residence should look.

She was particular about
her personal belongings.

She had a lot of collections.

She had collections
of Limoges boxes.

She had collections
of jade frogs.

She had collections of
silver picture frames.

We would have a table
that might be 6 X 6.

We might have 100 items
on that table.

And in order to dust every day,

we had to pick up the items
and dust

and put them back

exactly the way
they were located.

At that point, we started
photographing the collections,

so that we would know

exactly how things should be
put back after we cleaned,

and that was a big help.

It's still being used.

That system is still being used
in the residence.

Barbara Bush was
the grandmother to the staff.

She knew each member
of the staff by name,

first name,

and she would often
go down and see them.

We have engineers there,

and she would go down into
the bowels of the basement,

where most First Ladies
didn't go,

and see, visit, and see
what they were doing.

They were so wonderful,
and we had those two wild dogs.

They weren't wild, but that...
when we would go on a trip,

they'd be put downstairs
with the engineers.

And once I went down
without giving them notice,

and it said on the blackboard,
"Wash those two stinking dogs."

And they were humiliated,

but the truth was
they were wonderful.

They washed the dogs,

which was not
on their agenda at all.

President Bush 41
started a horseshoe tournament

with the Residence Staff.

And they loved it.

I'd sit in the Oval Office

and hear
those horseshoes clanking down,

and there at the Southwest Gate,

they'd be practicing
for the next encounter.

It was really fun.

I think it was good for morale,
certainly good for my morale.

I just absolutely loved it.

Ron Jones, from Housekeeping,

was the staff's best player.

I could never beat him
on a good day,

or any other day.

But some days,
even Presidents get lucky.

And Ron and I stood there
in the Executive pit,

and for some reason,
he clutched up,

and I beat him badly.

And he said,
"We've got to have one more."

I said, "No, Ron,
this was one game only.

And don't worry. I'm not
going to tell anybody about it."

The minute he walked
through the hedge,

I got on the telephone
and called the ushers

and the other butlers,
and I said,

"Ask Ron how the match
went today, will ya?

Tell him."
It was just wonderful.

It's not just Presidents
and First Ladies

that staffers
feel affection for.

The White House
is often home to children.

To see Chelsea there as a...

I think she was in
the seventh grade

when they came in... in braces.

And we watched Chelsea mature.

She was with us for eight years.

The First Families'
cats and dogs

get plenty of attention, too.

I have never seen
a White House pet

that I didn't like.

The Fords had a Golden Retriever
named Liberty,

and they made the puppies
available to the staff.

My fellow Americans,
thank you for joining Nancy...

The Reagans had Rex,
a cavalier King Charles Spaniel,

named after the former
Chief Usher of the White House,

Rex Scouten.

Millie and Ranger were the
Bushs' beloved Springer Spaniels.

Ronald Reagan
used to feed the squirrels.

And our dogs
liked to chase squirrels.

And so, when he left
the White House,

he put a sign
right outside the Oval Office

that said, "Beware of the Dogs,"

for the squirrels, you see.

And they would go
across the White House lawn,

both Ranger and Millie,

and they'd get a huge count
on these squirrels.

They'd do them in,
and it was wonderful.

We were applauding them.

You'd see Mrs. Bush out
walking on the grounds,

which she did often.

And then you'd see Millie
right behind her,

or right in front of her.

Well, Millie was wonderful.

You know,
when she had her puppies

there at the White House,
up on the second floor,

we built a special box for her,

and she had
all her puppies right there.

It was just spectacular.

Everybody was so excited.

Barney and Mrs. Beasley

became a part
of the residence family, too.

And Barney loved my shoes
at the White House.

Every time, if I would be
in the elevator among 10 people,

15 people, and Barney comes in...

go between the peoples' legs
to come to my shoes,

because he find on my shoes

chocolate, sugar, flour, butter.

You should have seen him
licking my...

I had the cleanest shoes
in the White House with Barney.

There's another inevitable
cycle of emotion for the staff:

the sadness when First
Families leave the White House.

So, you get to live with them.

You know them intimately.

And when they leave,
it's a pretty emotional time.

You're not going to be
around them any longer.

The Residence Staff leaves
their politics at the door.

Their job is ultimately
a commitment to the Presidency,

not the individual President.

When President Nixon resigned,

many loyal staffers felt
a deep sense of sadness.

That was a very sad time,

because you could
see the man deteriorate

almost
from day to day, physically,

and there wasn't anything
you could do to help him.

On the day of her husband's
resignatio

Mrs. Nixon asked
electrician Bill Cliber

for one last favor.

When she saw me there, she said,

"You take care of him, Bill."

And I said, "Sure.

Whatever he wants, I'll do it."

So, he walked ahead of me
with his entourage

and went on over there,
and I walked on up.

I went and stood to the
right-hand side of the President,

and he went through his speech.

Therefore, I shall
resign the Presidency,

effective at noon tomorrow.

Vice President Ford
will be sworn in as President

at that hour in this office.

After his speech,
he just turned around and says,

"It's all over, Bill."

I said, "Unfortunately,
you're right."

And, you know, those people,

you're just a little person
in their life,

but sometimes,
they feel so lonely.

I mean, being on top
of the mountain

sometimes
is a lonely, lonely place.

It's a White House tradition
for the Residence Staff

to gather
in the State Dining Room

for the final farewell.

The President and First Family
say goodbye

before they head to the Capitol
for the changeover.

And they came down,
and the three of them...

Chelsea, and Mrs. Clinton,
and the President...

they didn't say a word
when they first got there.

They just stood in the middle,

and they looked at each and
every one of us in the eyes,

and that made a lot of people
just plain break down.

It's just as emotional
for the Presidents.

I find that I cry
whether it's good news,

bad news, or no news.

And this was very emotional,

because they were all
like family,

and they just did a superb job,

and it's like saying goodbye
to a son or a daughter.

You walked out that door,
and wow!

I found it very difficult
to keep my composure.

We took one last circle

around the South Lawn
with the dogs,

and then came back,
greeted the Clintons.

And as we were leaving,

I snuck through from
the Oval Room and hugged them...

I'm going to cry
talking about it...

but hugged the ushers
and the staff goodbye.

Roland Mesnier finally retired
from the White House in 2004,

after 26 years of service,

but the White House
has never left him.

I'm still in the White House
in my mind.

I'm still making dessert
for state dinners,

when I know there is one.

I still worry about
what the family eats every day,

because I was
so much part of it.

This house has a great heart,

and that heart comes
from those who serve.

After a hard day,
I'd always get a lift from them,

because I might be
a little down,

but they always smiled.

The bond between
First Families and staff

is so genuine,

it inspires incredible loyalty.

It is the defining experience

for generations
of White House workers.

And it's an honor to be able
to just go in every day,

and see the President
and the First Lady

and talk with them
and their families.

We always felt we were
the luckiest living humans.

The White House Residence Staff

doesn't try to make history,

but they help
make history possible.

They're anonymous to the public,

but the Presidents
know their names.

And people treat you
so generously

and with so much kindness,

you want to show
your appreciation

in any way you possibly can.

So, President 41,
when he sees me,

you know what he does?

The hug.

You know, it makes you feel
very special,

you know, makes you feel
like all those years

you spent in the White House,
you worked very hard,

but they were worth it
because of that, you see.

That's the icing on the cake.