Transcripts For CSPAN3 George Washingtons Study 20240713

Private study at his mount vernon, virginia estate. Doug bradburn, the estates president and ceo, talks about the artifact there and how washington used the room, and what that tells us about his life and work. This program originally live streamed on Mount Vernons Facebook Page and youtube channel. It is part of a series of Online Events intended to keep visitors connected with mount vernon during its closure to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic. Im once again hear from mount vernon. Im doug bradburn, president and ceo of George Washingtons mount vernon. Today, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you inside the mansion, into George Washingtons study. This is what i like to call his man cave. In some ways it is almost the opposite of the place we visited last time. Newook at the room, which was a state room, where George Washington was showing off to the public his ideas of what the Young Country should emulate, also his history. Also, his own emphasis on agriculture. This space is private space. This is the space where George Washington did his business with the estate, conducted private correspondence, the room that he got dressed in every morning. After billy lee was injured, christopher shield we know [inaudible] in the mornings when he was out mount vernon doing correspondence before he got ready to go out and do his field. Didn the place that he allow other people to come in, because he had personal secretaries throughout the years that worked in here, visiting historians who would have been , and othershis room certainly would have been in this room. Private space for George Washington, and this whole side of the house was private as well. What we are going to do today is walk us through this is one of my favorite spots in the mansion, and it is a great place to think about the superiority of this mans mind. He was an incredibly powerful thinking man and a reader that corresponded a lot of what he did was done inside lets figure that guy out a little bit. [inaudible] and the think we are ready to go over here. Washington used the study for business and pleasure. Did he wants to know, use the study for business and pleasure . Yes is the answer, he did. Is where business could be conducted, so the business of managing the great state of mount vernon, 8000 acres at the including adeath, grist mill, thousands of acres rentedt which he to other tenants as well as land beyond that he hoped to sell. He had a huge and slave labor force for the time in virginia, or so, and the management of this place was like running a business. On the other hand, he also used this space for his own reading and leisure, [inaudible] a room filled with mementos of his past life, a painting of his remnants of the war and his papers themselves. It is where he could be himself, where he could be alone, where he could work diligently, do the moreof the estate but also private speculation, rumination, reading, and all the things that you do when you have your own study. Was the study always used for this purpose or to the rooms or did the room serve as Something Else at the time . Washington inherited it after the death of his sisterinlaw and his sisterinlaws childs brother, [inaudible] when he created the new room on the other end of the house, he also created a wing, which was deprived of him. Unlike the new room space, which allowed for a high domed floor room, this has two floors. The study and washingtons bedroom directly above, including up closet and a private staircase. This was a private wing of the house, that had George Washingtons study, and a private jet chamber bedchamber for george and Martha Washington. In a locked from the set of the building, so it is a private space. , andvisitors came to him he offered them room it was like a well search well served tavern. Most of the people would not have had access to this side of the building. [inaudible] is asking a difficult question what is my favorite thing about George Washingtons study . I love the idea of a private space for George Washington. He was such a public figure. This is a place he housed all of his books in that beautiful book press behind me and by his desk he would have had one full [inaudible] this place would have been chock full of stuff. We have a lot of original objects that George Washington had in this room. Many of them are here, including you can see the portrait of Lawrence Washington on the wall. You can see the fan chair directly behind me here, which is a lot of fun we will talk about that. This wouldf have been crammed with space. [inaudible] they do an dies, inventory of all their possessions. They go through room by room, and washingtons inventory has what was in his house. The core records are the ,fficial public legal document the men who created the inventory were assigned by the about it,they lied they could be arrested or held in contempt of court and held for damages. Really good source that we used to understand how this space was used, and it is a treasure trove to understand. We dont have nearly the amount we would have seen on a day that he died. You would have had seven guns alone in this room. 11. D have had he would have had his cloak from his presidency. His revolving chair, which rotated, was in here. Multiple tables, stacks of maps, stacks of prints, books all over and multiple checks. [inaudible] which matt will show off year, and one of my favorite items which i just tweeted about, George Washingtons strongbox, in the corner over there on the window. It is hard to see, it is a small ax and. Out of wh Martha Washington actually brought that into George Washingtons life when she came. George washingtons death, this strongbox held one half of all of his wealth. Wealth in stocks, wealth and jewelry, finen other mementos anm a life worth living, extraordinary life. The room is filled with those things. In addition to that, the box on the wall, the original of John Paul Jones is in here. They were in this space [inaudible] the french minister of finance and louis the 16th helped fund the American Revolution, as well ze on thencredible friec wall behind me. This was done by thurgood right, showing washington in a world crowd, celebrated as [inaudible] he tried to get a commission to create an equestrian George Washington, and also painted George Washington in 1983 in new york. You can see that online as well, this was given to George Washington and attaining on the. All here maybe we can look at some of these specific items in more detail. All the itemsere in the room removed and cleaned, and do any of the books belong to washington . How often do we clean the space or remove items . We have one of the best historical selections expert teams in the world. We make sure that it is cleaned off, the priceless items and heirlooms, to make sure they will last for generations. Sometimes they are required to do special conservation on them. What is most extraordinary is George Washingtons president ial share. It is a chair which rotates, called the uncommon chair, based on a french gondola style chair, 1789 and ork in no, bone, bone wheels that allowed it to turn and slide back and forth. You could roll it across the room. This is the chair washington used as president of the United States. When we did conservation, i think that could beef done with final be done with five later. It is a tremendous chair. It was also at one point in the possession of president Andrew Jackson as well. President s have owned before it came back here. Often we have to do conservation in time, and we are making an exact replica of the chair which will show up in here, and then the original chair will go permanently to our museum gallery, where people can see it. [inaudible] think,the great items, i in your study guides maybe i have understudied it, but i feel what is so crowded about the globe, George Washington is to becomeperson president , and one of the first things he commissions is a globe of the world. London may come but london made, most likely, and that is in our newseum because it is so fragile. That is an interesting story to o. Tried to purchase the globe auctionlic that the washington family held of many of washingtons items in the early 20th century, and he was not able to get it. Jefferson would have seen that globe and [inaudible] already quite out of date by the early 19th century, because the map changed dramatically. Here i go, rambling on again. How often does it get cleaned . We clean once a day and make sure everything is nice and tidy ride here tidy right here. Another question, to the architecture of mount vernon influence the design of the white house . Question. Ting there are some similarities, and they are both emulating classical styles of design that were popular, and size anglo cized, and the think in some ways, George Washington would have loved to build here, if something happened to [inaudible] i could be wrong. When he hired someone to create some boarding houses that he built in washington, d. C. At the time, so we have a pretty good sense of what his style was like. How many objects are in the room what do we got . And how do we know whether arranged or not . We do not have a strong sense of how the room was arranged. We know the mental was there, he had windows that go all the way was there, hentle had windows that go all the way down, and a door that exits to a little hallway between the pantry and the dining room. Because we dont have everything in the room, every aspect was hard choices, where were the walnut tables that he had in addition to the desks that he had in this room . Some of the great items have givens move to carol work, [inaudible] he commissioned his secretary in 1790 6, 1797. It was the secretary he would move back to mount vernon. It has a beautiful rolltop desk with, and as you can see the rolltop, you can have lots of little drawers and little items in there. Washington also had a working desk to keep papers and [inaudible] commissions the sideboard that he puts in the new room on the other side of the house. Know a quill was a will was stored in this desk in the top when he died. The fan chair ok. I do not know if you can get a good view of the fan chair, but it is a winter chair that you sit in and you pump the pedals on the feet, and it makes this piece of fabric, leather in this case, swing back and forth and cool you. [inaudible] with himshington sat more than any other painter, going back all the way to his 1770, 1772 painting. Washington had, this is not the original that he owned, but it is an 18thcentury original fan chair from the philadelphia maker. We have lots of other great items in here. There is a chest here that has George Washingtons initials that have been engraved in a copper plate in it. During the American Revolution, this would have been carried from camp to camp. Also, in our archaeological dig, we have found multiples of these chests with this engraving on it as well. Telescope [inaudible] and of course you have great views out the window here, surveying equipment to this room, some of which is represented here. There is a piece of coral on his desk which he acquired on his trip to the caribbean, an interesting object that washington kept. Booksicularly enjoy the that George Washington owned. Answer,tion i need to which things are original to George Washington, nothing behind me is original. These are 18thcentury books, but they are not the ones that washington actually owned. The georgen of washington president ial library, and you can take a look at those books. Before our time is up, i want to talk about history. Lets take another question. A viewer wants to know if there were two desks in the room, and which desk he used . [inaudible] withi see as a man inredible, varied interests multiple disciplines using a lot of the space in an unusual way. We do not know how he worked in his own environment. There are stories that are told about him writing corresponden stretch thatat a were told by his granddaughter, nelly, and remembered by others. Typically aasnt worker, and the time he was write thehe would letter out, and make a fair copy of that letter. [inaudible] the amount of correspondence had, he clearly spent hours at desks in this room working hard. Know, could you tell me if George Washington had a british or southern accent . Dr. Bradburn what did George Washington sound like is a great question, and there are wonderful scholars of the different dialects of the americas in the 18th century. Likely he would have had some sort of virginia accent, not likely a british accent like you britishagine an elite or Poetry School it. Ould have been a slower drawl i cannot mimic it myself [inaudible] southerners, westerners, you can see those parodied in newspapers at the time, particularly when they are trying to make fun of someone. There is a moment in time when there is a lot of political anger out west, in kentucky, over the alien sedition acts during the washington presidency. They used the spelling to make caricature kentucky accent. Believe in the great state of kentucky and it is sort of rhythmic. A a sort of accent we could recognize as regional dialect today. Washington would have been part of that, but we do not know what he actually sounded like, but im sure it was awesome, and that is all i can tell you right now. What else . Any questions . How much time would president washington have spent in his office . Timee question is how much he would spend in his office it a diff and a typical day. They describe a sort of typical day and a typical day for George Washington is to wake up upstairs in the bedchamber and get prepared for the day. In these would be kept closet behind me, this black door that you can see behind me. Personal he would get andared for the day early he would work on his correspondence for a few hours before he would go out into the estate. Had 8000 acres, there was plenty to do and he would get back to the Mansion House and get changed again before dinner at 3 00. 3 00 dinner sounds early, but not in the 18th century. All of the guests would eat be in a large space on the piazza outside. Spend some time after the dinner in the study before on correspondence rejoining the family and guests. Or the evening conversation pardon me. Thats from talking too much. We get a good sense of this room being regularly used throughout the day. Here andoften retire do more correspondence, some reading which was described as we all read in the bed. The books are in the bedside table when he passed away, including a brandnew went on agriculture. Reading is an important one that i want to get to. What was the most wellknown paper that was written . The most important document here is his last will and testament, which was obviously a private document. It was a very Public Document because George Washington, when he signed with the top of his will, it says George Washington, formerly president of the United States. It does not say George Washington, planter of genia. It is very much in recognition of him as a public figure and that his will would be published and circulated widely, and it is a very important document because of the legacy it revealed of George Washington. He greatest thing he does is freed all of the slaves that he owned personally. Guaranteed in the will they would be freed at the death of Martha Washington. The challenge for washington had frees been is how do you slaves he owned in a way that is not going to separate families . Marthas used them during her life but were not owned by barth and could not be freed by martha. Washington was clear about this before he died but his will ask as a separation in which the 130 slaves he owned at mount vernon and the others he owned on york river were free, not just freed, but were provided for education for those youths under the age of 21, under the majority where they would be trained the same way in the county courts, they were taught a trade which allowed them to make sure they could own a living in their adulthood. The other thing washington would provide for his pensions for these slaves and for the elderly who could no longer work. Some of these were paid by the washington estate. George washington is imagining a future in which these formerly enslaved people would be working in the community and is a crucial document. Inn news of his emancipation his will got out, it was inated in antislavery philadelphia, there is a stunning eulogy to George Washington, celebrating his act saying it was the last act that has made him a figure for all americans to celebrate. It really is worth reading. Recognizednk it is as much as people would have loved for washington to free all the slaves in his lifetime, which he could not figure out how to do. An importantmes arrow in the quiver of the Antislavery Movement for white and black in the north of the United States. Wants this toarly take place, this 18thcentury notion that he could emulate behavior similar to his agricultural forms. He wanted to show how to do it here and that would trickle down in the world. It is an oldfashioned idea of what rave men are supposed to do as political agents of society. Way of political, radical change, but washington was not a radical man. He lived and died in the 18th century. Is the most important item we know was written in this space but it is worth studying and there was a lot more that is done here. You talk about the planning of yorktown. The planning of yorktown is an interesting question because as you know, George Washington, when he rides off in 1775 to attend the second continental , that congress has just heard about lexington getting [audio difficulties] july, ihat session in think its june 15th or Something Like that, 1775. He goes to boston to take over this ragtag army and he does not come back to mount vernon again on the time until 1781 march to yorktown. The whole story of the march to yorktown is fascinating because he does not want to attack yorktown, he wants to attack new york. Because hes like ahab with the white whale. He lost new york in desperate circumstances and in some cases, people complained about his leadership. I tend to disagree, given the quality of the troops he had and the lack of a name, its hard to anyway could have thing york is like this he wants to figure out how to capture it. When the french come in, they bring in the navy and so maybe now he will have the chance. With the french navy, he can assault the fortress of new york, take it back from the british and declare this revolution over. Someday, we are going to get that chance, but it wasnt meant to be. A great opportunity arose in army wasornwallis having to walk having to march northward. They were being decimated by malaria and small part and smallpox. French fleet could get down to the chesapeake and hold the british there, then the french art sorry, the American Army under washington could get down and pin them in and that is ultimately what happens. That effort was slammed in multiple places. Greatn see online the historic home in which you can see the wallpaper that was on the room in which George Washington slept in. Here atlso planned mount vernon. George washington in mount vernon for three days in 1781, in which they would have talked about the logistics, talked about the plan, and final plans were made in williamsburg as the siege played itself out that washington knew well, though he was not an expert in he sees warfare as very much a practice of professional engineers, so he was able to use french expertise to have a siege of the position in which gradually you would move closer and closer until you could put the enemy in an untenable position where they would have to surrender. Once the siege began, as long as some remarkable thing that didnt happen, washington said it was as mathematical as clockwork that the siege would be success and the french were key to that story. In this room, washington would have many things to remind him of the great french support of aeffort, including great question about yorktown. Americanfair to say independence was solidified in that group . I would say yes, including mount vernon. You can see that in the washington trail which goes here all the way down to yorktown. Important onean why mount vernon matters. It is a place where great things happen and great things are still happening today, so washingtons planning of yorktown should be considered one of the Great Stories of our independence. Man in thehe painting on the wall . Why dont i step over here the lighting makes it a little challenging. Im going to come a little closer here. Can you see the painting . This is a painting by an unknown artist, Lawrence Washington. This was hanging here in the study of George Washington. They had a tremendously interesting relationship because lawrence was many years older than George Washington, i think 17 years older. Somebody could check and tell me where i am wrong. But he was essentially a father figure for George Washington after the death of their father, augustine washington. Mother wasingtons different than Lawrence Washingtons mother, so they are half brothers. But they were as close as brothers. When people died in young ages, often times, these people were as close families. So lawrence is very close to George Washington. Lawrence lawrence is often at mount vernon. It is lawrence that helps washington get that commission hely on in virginia so ultimately owes his military career to lawrence. Connection ande they went on a trip to barbados together. He diedtimately when George Washington was 19 years old. So lawrence had a major impact, not only as someone who helped him navigate what he should be training for as a young man, but also introduced him to the fairfax family. Washington married the daughter of colonel william fairfax, here right down the river and that family gave George Washington his start in the world. An unknown artist, but thats the original painting that was here. Do you have any questions . I remember hearing martha dressed in the bedroom and washington just and george dressed in the study. Common . Hat theres nothing really common about the Washington Home virginians particularly lived in. They had a very large house by the standard of 18thcentury virginia. Within that class of people of the leading gentry of the country, it was very common for women to have separate spaces where they could keep their closet, they could keep their bedchamber separate because they were able, therefore, to have their personal space, their personal servant, and it was very common going back to european factions amongst elite leaders. If you go to a palace in europe, you would have room service for into the rank of gentry as well. Gentry ranksel of in the world. About georgetion washingtons reading and the books here. That is great because i wanted to get into that a little bit. This book rested behind me would have been filled with his own books. In fact, the inventory lists them. Perhaps not all of them because we are always doing research here on some books that might have been left out and were not here at the time he died. One of the reasons the inventory pageon, if you transcribe six to page 20 of the inventory, there are a long list of titles of books. Books were very valuable in the 18th century, so they have to be done carefully. Tend to be themselves hand down from generation to generation. Surveyor that was william owned by fairfax, who i talked about. There are also two copies of don quixote, which i will talk about in a moment as well. Agriculture, military science, the latest novels, books on travel and geography. What i like to think about in the context of that inner man of washington, those six inches , he built thiss library over a lifetime. He does not inherit the library of someone else, he doesnt purchase someone elses big library. Each book in the library has a story, when he acquired it, how he might have acquired it, did he get it as a gift or did he purchase it for a particular purpose . Here we have a guy whose father died when he is 11 years old. Add different skill sets over time and you are going to see these skills in books over the library. There are books on mathematics, geography, these are things he needed as a surveyor, so you can age 17, 18,or by 19. By the time he is 21, he is in the virginia regiment and start buying books on military science. There are also the latest books on infantry and guerrilla warfare. Books that are increasingly important to him. He does not read french or spanish musso he requires an heh translation started to acquire books on agriculture and started to acquire books on law and history as the crisis between the colonies and parliament start to heat up and become a test of ideas as well as a test of interest. You can see he is acquiring these things over time. Its fascinating to see a man who is clearly a lifelong learner and we see it not only in the books he buys, but in the letters he writes to other people about what they need to be doing. Letters to officers, the american officer corps in the revolutionary war to practice their operations and to read. Story about the american officer corps being tremendous readers and a hessian officers journal in new jersey, he has a knapsack of an american officer and when he has ist, he finds all it a bunch of books. As washington did in the field, he had a bookshelf that had a whole collection of books with him. He is a great reader. So we dont think of him in all the great eminences of the revolution, we have franklin, jefferson, and these others associated with learning. We dont see washington, necessarily but he is an enlightenment figure who has a real interest in the latest ideas of improvement but also buteves through reading, also by doing you can improve yourself. About the donory quixote volumes which are in here which is a curious story itself. [audio difficulties] purchased the one which is in english language translation published in london in 1786. He purchased this in philadelphia on the same day, september 17, 1787, the same day he signed the constitution. That is really extraordinary. We know that because he kept rigorous accounts. Of fourhave a copy , its thengravings finest edition of donkey hody of the century and he acquired this one as well, so why do we have these . We know why because the letter ofsts between the ambassador the spanish king to the United States who wrote to george he wrote, your excellency, i enclose the finest edition of donkey hody ever made. I remember when we were together in philadelphia and you mentioned you did not know the great cervantes. So here, i have given you a gift made from the best materials all from spain. I only wish it was an english so you can enjoy it. But washington had already purchased the copy of don quixote. Ere he is at a dinner party we have all been at those parties were around people who say have you read such and such a book and you have two choices you either say you have yeah you pretend you have read the book or say i dont know that i have read the book and end up looking like a fool. Washington is with the ambassador of spain and all these imminent figures. What do we know about washington . He cannot tell a lie. So he says i dont know cervantes. Newhe says there is a addition at this philadelphia bookshop that you can get at such and such a place and George Washington buys his own copy on his way back to mount vernon. It tells you about the man. Its a small, small story, but is like us in many ways and we always try to fill in those gaps he always tried to fill in those gaps in his education when he found out what they were. Passagesere any secret located in the library or study . Are there any secret passages . Sadly, there are no secret therees in the sense that is a bookcase that opens up and a staircase going down to the templer gold we have been searching for since the 15th century. In fact, there are doors clearly [audio difficulties] humphreys in the 1780s would have been in this room. Others during his presidency would have been in here. Stay cool while you are dictating your messages. He hired a series of secretaries that organized all of the correspondences from the revolution. After the war, partly putting together his record, but he also understood this would be an important resource and he wanted it wellmaintained and cared for properly. People would have been working in here in different capacities. What did he use to keep track of time in his study . Washington loved washington loved timekeeping. He owned a number of washes a number of watches. His gold watch with cap here in the room. That when was probably not in daily use as a timepiece, but he had some remarkable items. Theres one on the desk here. It is a pocket sundial given to him by the french and it is a gorgeous instrument. Its no bigger than three inches and it has a sundial that you pull up and holding your hand and you would see the shadow on the dial itself as a way to tell time. Franklin would have picked this up through one of those many shops in paris. The room was filled with these kinds of extraordinary little object that are clever and interesting and speak to the mind of George Washington, who was a bit of a tinkerer. He was mechanically minded. He had a chair that spun here, he had commissioned rolling wineglasses for his table. Tinkering and these kinds of useful objects fill a special place in his heart. Gift from the great franklin to the Great Washington , a pocket sundial, what an extra ordinary thing. Can we view the fireplace . Yes. Lets take a look at the fireplace. One of the things you will wood graine faux on the paneling. Its painted for a more consistent woodgrain to look like a more expensive wood than it actually is. Lookis pine and painted to like mahogany or some such fine would. Has antal itself the ul inlay and [audio difficulties] washington was a great aficionado of the english style that emerged in the 18 century and spread in this region of virginia. We have men on horseback riding and washington throughout the 17 80s was an avid fox hunter and had both successful and failed efforts to capture the foxes around here. Living in honor of mount vernon, not in this house, but the house built for the resident superintendent in the 1930s. There are plenty of foxes around that populate the woods of mount vernon still. [audio difficulties] says tell you what the fox it sounds like someone being tormented to death. It is screaming and terrifying and it is really quite remarkable. Of a tangent a bit there. I apologize. What else do we have . Did he invite guests into this room . Famous guestste into this room . Absolutely. You would have had Thomas Jefferson in here. This would have been a room for private discussion where he would have people he is doing business with and sensitive political conversations. Its not an area with a lot of access to the house. You can close it off and have private conversations here. He could have conversations anywhere on his grounds here but any band of note who visited , james madisonon is one who probably would have been here. They were talking about the deficiencies of the u. S. Constitution. Adams spent some time here before he went to philadelphia, writing and talking to George Washington about what their strategy would be when they went to philadelphia to make sure their plans for a Stronger Union could be put into place. Potent the most conversations would have happened in this space. That is my educated guess based on the way George Washington worked and how this room would have been used. It would have been the place he kept all of his legal documents and he would not be dragging these all over the house. Is there anything in the room that they dont know what it was used for . Chair, whichhe fan is unusual and a letterpress on the floor. There is an object to be used for copying letters on the table where you would write a letter would make a copy like an 18thcentury xerox machine. It wasnt perfect, but it was something George Washington and many other people used to make sure their legal and personal correspondence would be safe. Some of the beautiful items in mentioning, this is remarkable. Me [audioind difficulties] in our museum. Is that face was considered by many to be the best likeness of George Washington ever made. An extraordinary image of a man, 53 years old at mount vernon. He got a commission from the prince of europe and the wealthiest people around. Hes the finest portrait sculptor in the world at that time, certainly in europe and had to come all the way to this distant place, mount vernon, at a time when George Washington was a private citizen to make his likeness is an incredible thing. Its one of the objects that was here. We have another in this room and that is of John Paul Jones. It is a terracotta bust. He clearly was a great admirer of jones, a great celebrate her of the valor of american arms and naval exploits and a revolutionary hero. One more question. You can keep sending in your questions and we can handle them over time. Letters would washington write in a typical day . How any letters would washington write in a typical day . I dont know the answer to that. What a great question to end on. One of the things that is exciting about George Washington is the Research Opportunities that are open for people. There are many things we dont know. There are many queries. You would probably have to pick a certain time in his life and take a look at them. Look at the papers of the George Washington project at the ansity of virginia incredible collection of every letter George Washington wrote and every letter he received. That project is extraordinary because it has been going on between the mount vernon association, the university of virginia, the National Historic 1968 withhives since a lot of private funding as well. Finished not yet transcribing and annotating all the letters of washingtons extra ordinary correspondence. So to get to your question of how many did he write per day . He wrote a lot more during the American Revolution and he did between the revolution and constitutional convention. The colonial time, that confederation, under the articles of confederation, 17831789 probably 89 when he becomes president. [audio difficulties] and theymostly done are still not close to finishing the revolutionary war time. Most he wrote during his life was during the revolutionary war. Clerks. Ots of hes dictating a letter. Alexander hamilton, write a letter to colonel woodburn in virginia and make sure theyve got the resupply from philadelphia. Write out the order in his own way and washington would cite washington would sign it. Was of his correspondence written by him alone. That was at the normal pace of life, as a man who was a plantar. It is running the presidency or the revolutionary war. During the presidency, you have another big volume of letters. Some of them are official correspondence, but many others that are personal and political things that are washington is doing himself. It is a fascinating question and one that does not have an easy answer to it, but the information is out there for the theirresearcher to put story on that. Thank you so much again for being with me and one of my georgee spaces, washingtons study. Go ahead and look online and see all about this great estate and the work we are doing here. I encourage you to share our resources with those who would be interested in them, subscribe to our different channel, like our different products and you, to come up can become a member of mount vernon by becoming a member during this challenging time. We hope these resources are here for you. Ntil next time you are watching american his , covering history cspanstyle with event coverage, eyewitness accounts, archival films, lectures in college classrooms, and visits to museums and historic places. All weekend, every weekend on cspan three. 25 years ago, a massive truck bomb exploded outside the alfred p marra Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children. Sunday, at 9 a. M. Eastern, American History tv expect with carrie watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and museum, talking about the attack and how it is a member today. At 10 a. M. Eastern, the 25th anniversary commemoration. And sunday at 11 a. M. , a compilation of events surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing. The bombing in Oklahoma City was an attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens. Andas an act of cowardice it was people. Real4 p. M. Eastern on america the 1996 training program, managing terrorism events come of the oklahoma experience. At 5 30 pm on oral histories, the fbi recorded interviews with special agents, investigators, and a survivor. I just turned around in my chair and rare back and was getting ready to discuss the next item i mentioned when the bomb went off. It had to be longer, but it was just like seconds and all the girls that was in the office disappeared. Sunday, on American History tv on cspan3. Andrew kiniry served as a medic during world war ii and he recounts his tour of duty after dday and the battle of the bulge. This interview was conducted in the National World war ii interview conducted this interview in 2010 for its oral history collection. Today im with mr. Andrew kiniry. I was born november 15, 1921