Audio

  • Keeping a Log of the House Proceedings

    Historical overview of the practice of keeping a legislative activity log in the House press galleries.
    Interview recorded August 24, 2005 – View transcript | Deed of Gift

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    In 1947, as things were taking on, sort of, new dimensions, and the government is obviously expanding, it’s expanding, and, so, the suggestion was made on both the Senate side and the House side, to maintain a log of activities. Proceedings of the House of Representatives: the date Tuesday, or whatever. And the one-minute speeches were listed, and the subject matter. You didn’t attempt any verbatim note-taking, but it was the subject matter that sort of opened the door to a reporter who may have been elsewhere. He comes in at 1:30, he’s leafing through the one-minute speeches and, say he represents the Omaha World Herald. Well, Mr. [Roman] Hruska of Nebraska. One minute, dash, subject matter. Well then he knows…Generally, he would turn to you and say, “You remember kind of the substance of what he said?” Which usually you did.

    And oh, he said, “I am going to go down and talk to him.” Well, then he would go downstairs. And there was a Republican door to the Speaker’s Lobby and a Democratic door to the Speaker’s Lobby. And the head Page, you would send your card in or something, you want to talk and the fellow would come out and talk to you. And, so that helped him. Well, that became very popular, almost immediately.

  • Remodeling of the House Press Gallery

    Detailed description of the 1967 remodeling of the House Press Gallery.
    Interview recorded August 24, 2005 – View transcript | Deed of Gift

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    And, this new Press Gallery featured, among other things a universal telephone system at two different staff desks, whereas previously it’d been a solo staff desk, and you could answer all twelve phones, booths on the wall. No longer did you get up and page people, walk around. The handout press release system. Before the remodeling, press releases came in. They were one, pinned on the board, and then stacked, one upon another. If you saw something on the board that attracted your eye, you had this pilgrimage through this mountain of paper and press releases to find that spare copy for yourself. Well, I designed cabinetry that had 60 individual slots, and it was rare that we would exceed 60 slots a day on handouts from Members received. And so, you looked, and I had a custom-made rubber stamp, said, “House Press Gallery, Board Copy, Do Not Remove, Slot Number.” And you looked down at Slot 14, and you took one out. And you lived much longer, because you didn’t have all this labor invested in rummaging through the stack. Now that seems like a small thing, but it manifestly improved the efficiency of our operation. It was much swifter. But again, just a small item. And it’s just that very fact, that this multitude of small items melded into a modern-day, efficient, proud-to-have facility in the House of Representatives.

  • Serving Two Masters

    Personal account of the delicate balancing act performed by House Press Gallery directors in their role as mediators between the Members and the press.
    Interview recorded August 31, 2005 – View transcript | Deed of Gift

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    I remember we had a very colorful chairman around here by the name of Mendel Rivers, of South Carolina. And Mendel prided himself on being a southern gentleman. And one day we were having a hearing in the Armed Services Committee Room. And I knew his aide de camp quite well, Anita…again, the last name eludes me a moment. And she sort of motioned me to come up the rostrum. It’s a half-hour preceding the hearing. And Chairman Rivers was there. And he knew me by name, actually. And he said, “What do you know about this reporter?” And he gave me the name. Well, the reporter had a story on the front page of the Post that morning, not all that complimentary of Mr. Rivers. And I’ve forgotten the project that was involved or the matter involved. And he says, “Well, what do you think of him?” And, well, I was always very careful about questions like that. Of course, I’m a fellow…I’m quite cognizant of the fact I’m serving two masters. And I’m definitely endeavoring to do it loyally, both directions. And I said, “Mr. Chairman,” I said, “the only thing I can tell you about him is he’s one of my constituents.” And I had a big grin on. He says, “Well,” he says, and he’s pointing his finger, “I want you to know, I don’t like him!” {laughter} Well, I don’t know if I was supposed to evict him from the press table or not but…So it was just little duties like that, that I never anticipated this diplomatic role. I’m sort of an ambassador from one to the other.

  • Tradition in the House Press Gallery

    Brief account of a longstanding House tradition.
    Interview recorded August 24, 2005 – View transcript | Deed of Gift

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    Members took great pride in the product within their district, whether it was peaches, Vidalia onion, Sockeye salmon, or something. And, to be sure, the Press Gallery was always a recipient of this largesse. There’d be a couple of bushel baskets of freshly picked peaches the day before. You know, not the stuff in the supermarket that was picked last year. And reporters—they would come into the gallery and they would have a big, brown paper box of something—Sockeye salmon from Alaska or something. That came to the Press Gallery quite a bit, and to individual Members. And Bill Dorn was one. He got a bushel of peaches and a big country ham from some company in his district. And it was very commonplace.

Video

  • Eyewitness to History

    Eyewitness account of the shooting in the House Chamber on March 1, 1954.
    Interview recorded May 23, 2007 – Deed of Gift

  • Meeting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Description of a chance encounter with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945.
    Interview recorded May 23, 2007 – Deed of Gift

  • The Nixon Impeachment Hearings

    Background on the decision to hold the Nixon impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary Committee Room in 1974.
    Interview recorded May 23, 2007 – Deed of Gift

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