Transcripts For CSPAN3 First Ladies Influence And Image 2015

Cooperation with the White House Historical cooperations. Through conversations with experts, video tours and questions with the audience, we tell the stories of americas 45 first ladies. Mimi eisenhower on first ladies, influence and image. This is about 90 minutes. Today, it is our pleasure to entertain for the first time, our first lady, at this her belated Birthday Party. begin video clip to mamie many happy returns. To mamie with music, 160 million join in our chorus. To mamie with music, to mamie, with love. Susan swain a birthday tribute to Mamie Eisenhower, televised nationally by cbs in march of 1956, just a few weeks after her husband, president Dwight Eisenhower, announced his bid for reelection. Tonight, 1950s america and the life and times of first lady Mamie Eisenhower. Good evening and welcome to cspan series, first ladies influence and image. Tonight is Mamie Eisenhowers turn. And here to tell us about her life are two people who have spent a lot of time with first ladies, and in particular in marilyn holts case, Mamie Eisenhower. Shes a historian and author of a biography called, Mamie Eisenhower, the generals first lady. We also welcome back edith mayo to the table. Edies been one of our guiding forces among academic historians on first ladies for this whole series. Its nice to see you again. Edith mayo nice to be back. Susan well, what should we take away watching that piece of video from the 1950s . [laughter] about her popularity . About the use of television . Marilyn irvin holt the film clip you showed from the Birthday Celebration in march, 56, this is shown. And obviously, its an election year. And immediately, the democrats want equal time because this is in their view a campaign ad. And william paley, who was president of cbs, and a very close friend of the eisenhowers, says, no, no, no, its not equal time because this is nonpolitical entertainment with the first lady. Well, obviously, mamies birthday is in november, were just a few days away from it right now. And this is in march. So obviously, there was some political background to this. But if you watched the show at the time, what you saw besides the singing and the celebrating were a lot of people talking about mamie, and with real affection, and wanting to get across or reemphasize how really popular she was at the time. Susan edie mayo, what should we know about television and the presidency in the 1950s . Edith mayo well, the eisenhower campaign was the first televised campaign. And so there were a whole range of new techniques that were brought to the fore for that campaign. And there were there were these wonderfully rehearsed maninthestreet interviews that were supposed to be spontaneous, but were obviously quite rehearsed. But that was that was quite a new feature for a campaign. And then you had all the, you know, the little bouncing balls and bouncing elephants and so forth that were ike for president and we like ike and i like ike and everyone likes ike. So there were a whole range of new techniques that came to the fore. I think part of the excuse, if you will, about having this celebration for mamie was that she so epitomized the 50s, particularly with american women. That if she hadnt been there to do it, someone would have had to invent her, i think. Susan well have 90 minutes to learn more about Mamie Eisenhower and her full life, with the eight years that the eisenhowers spent in the white house. And the one special thing about this program, we have live cameras at the eisenhowers farm in gettysburg, pennsylvania. That farm is about 90 miles away from washington, d. C. It takes about two hours to drive there and then outside of the very famous Historic Town of gettysburg. Its about six miles away from town center. The eisenhowers bought this in the 1950s and spent their white house years and also their retirement years there. Susan right now, youre looking at mamies bedroom. You will learn about mamies affection for pink during this program, and you can see lots of evidence there in the bedroom that she created for herself in her retreat away from public life. Well be back to that later on throughout the program. Were going to go back in time and learn a little bit about Mamie Eisenhower Mamie Geneva Doud her biography. And to do that, lets go back to that special in 1956 where they talk a bit about her biography as well. [video clip] and i hope that you, the members of our organization, and our distinguished guests, will enjoy this salute to our first lady. A Birthday Party is really a party when some of the party inaudible . How do you do . And thank you for inviting me. You know, birthdays almost seem synonymous with memories, like albums. So weve brought along this special album for you. Its filled, we hope, with fond remembrances, musical and pictorial. And now heres a picture of the three doud sisters, circa 1906. And heres a denver debutante visiting in san antonio, texas about 1915. And your wedding dress, and the portrait in your inaugural gown when you became our first lady. Take one fresh and tender kiss. Add one stolen night of bliss. One girl, one boy, some grief, some joy. Memories are made of this. You cant beat the memories you susan a little bit of a capsule view of Mamie Eisenhowers biography. But tell us a little bit more. She was born in boone, iowa and its worth noting that she is the end of a generation, really, the last first lady born in the 19th century. Marilyn irvin holt she was born in 1896, boone, iowa. And she was our very last first lady to be born in the 19th century. Her family lived in boone until she was about eight years old. And then they moved to colorado and thats where she grew up. And one of the photographs shows here in san antonio. Her in san antonio. The family would winter in san antonio partly because of one of , her Sisters Health problems, rheumatic fever. She was almost an invalid. And so they would winter. And while they were in san antonio, they went to well, they went with some friends to Fort Sam Houston and thats where mamie was first introduced to ike. Susan Second Lieutenant at the time. Marilyn irvin holt Second Lieutenant, very serious. She says he said when theyve written about this meeting that he was really not interested in any kind of girl or girlfriend. He was very, you know, duty and his job in the military. And mamie just kind of swept him off his feet. Susan or vice versa. Marilyn irvin holt or vice versa. Susan and whirlwind courtship. Edith mayo absolutely. Susan and they married a short time really after they met. Whats interesting is that her she was wealthy. She was a debutante. And her father warned her off of military life. Marilyn irvin holt he warned her off. He said first of all, his mamies parents really liked ike, going to the phrase of the campaign. They thought he was a wonderful young man. And her father even told her that when he was coming around to visit, that she ought to quit being so flighty and going off with other young men to parties; that they should Pay Attention she should Pay Attention to ike. But when they got married, he told mamie they absolutely could not expect any money from him. They would have to live on ikes military pay. And mamies response was, well, i didnt care about that. I just wanted that man. Susan it was probably quite a surprise, even with her fathers warning, to go from a debutantes life to a tiny military apartment. Marilyn irvin holt well, living a very comfortable life with plenty of money. I think it was quite a shock for her. But she had learned from her father about budgeting and how to spend money and how to save money. So, though i think it was difficult in the early days of their marriage, she always managed to live on ikes salary. Edith mayo and not only that, but in kind of a atypical rolereversal, mamie is the one that handled the familys finances. Marilyn irvin holt and later, she said that was the secret to a good marriage. If you wanted to keep within your finances was that the husband should turn the check over to his wife; that if he started purchasing things and opening accounts that, you know, everything would just go to hell in a hand basket. Susan well, its interesting because were going to talk about her as the epitome of the media creation of the 1950s woman, that women lived in all kinds of ways in the 1950s. But theres this stereotype of the 50s woman that she seems to embody. But she was handling the finances. He was domestic. He cooked the meals. Marilyn irvin holt he cooked the meals. Edith mayo yes, he did. Edith mayo mamie, she took a domestic science class when they became engaged, but because they moved their marriage date up to july the 1st, rather than in november after she turned 20, her domestic science classes were cut short. And im not sure she was that serious about them anyway. So, he really did the cooking. He knew how to do that. Susan i want to invite you, as we do each week, to be participants in our program as we learn more about American History through the lives of the first ladies. We have three ways you can be involved. Our phone numbers will be on the screen. You can dial us if you live in the eastern or central time zones at 2025853880. If you live out west, mountain pacific and farther west, 2025853881. You can tweet us using the twitter handle at first ladies. Or you can post on our facebook page, where theres already a number of comments and a good conversation going on. Weve mixed your comments in throughout our 90 minutes together. So they are married. How soon after their married is their first child born . Edith mayo im thinking its three years. Susan and he get the unusual nickname of icky. [laughter] Marilyn Irvin holt icky. Doud dwight. When i see it spelled, i want to pronounce it ikee, because it sounds better than icky. But doud dwight. And he was just the apple of their eye. And also, everybody on the post he wherever they were, he was like the little mascot that everybody just took to. And he died at the age of three. Scarlet fever. And it happened so quickly that and in that time period it sounds strange to say today, but couples could almost expect to have at least one child die of some childhood disease, because the medical care there just werent the things that you could do about it. And the eisenhowers were absolutely devastated. Susan now, edie, you can verify cause youve been with us all along the way for this whole series that many of the president s and first ladies lost children. Edith mayo yes, yes. Its a recurring theme in most of the president ial families all the way from the beginning. Susan but even though its commonplace, its certainly never easy. Edith mayo no. Its its always a horror story, no matter when it happens. And in a you know, in an era before antibiotics and modern drugs susan mmhmm. Edith mayo you you have it happening frequently. Susan they did have another son. Excuse me. Marilyn irvin holt yes. Then their son, john, is born. And one of the things that john said and i think he said in several different venues is that his parents never made him feel as if he was a replacement for the child that they lost. That he was his own person, his own special self. And that i think that was the way the eisenhowers as a couple were. They took people as they were, but that didnt mean that they totally forgot the first child. They just made another place for another child in their lives. And mamie was, i would say, overprotective of john. Susan understandable, huh . Marilyn irvin holt with yes. Edith mayo yes, very much. Susan so, though their early years at was one of ike being gone a lot. So how often were they together . Marilyn irvin holt there there was one year in which they moved three times. So and sometimes, when he was posted for a very short time, mamie might go back to denver and live with her family. And there was a period of time when ike was on a transcontinental convoy, which was a military exercise to take military trucks and other transport all the way across the country to test the roads, the bridges. And really, they found out how bad americas transportation road system was. But during that whole time months mamie was with her parents because she couldnt live on the post. So, they were back and forth. And thats something that every military wife faced at one time or another. You might live in who knew how many different posts in a very short period of time. You could expect multiple moves, and, really, sometimes long separations. Susan and this would carry to their white house years . They were always entertainers. Edith mayo yes, absolutely. They they did a lot of entertaining on their various posts. And many times, the eisenhower home was called club eisenhower because of their entertaining of the troops and and, you know, the military personnel. Marilyn irvin holt yes. Edith mayo and going back to, you know, how many moves they made over the period of years, i think thats why they they, number one, treasured their years in the white house, because it was a permanent home for eight years. And then, you know, purchasing the farm in gettysburg. I mean, that was their their their first home. Susan family home. Edith mayo i have a photograph to show the audience about of mamie in a jeep. Susan how at what point in their in his career did they become popularly known . Marilyn irvin holt i would say at well, in the 30s, certainly. Susan that early . Marilyn irvin holt but even even when they were first married, and they were at Fort Sam Houston, they very quickly became a couple that invited other military couples into their home. Theyd have, like, saturday or sunday night evenings, pot luck, play cards very social and they had a rented piano that mamie played, and they sang. This photograph was taken in 1944 the summer of 44, not too long after dday. And this is at camp lee in virginia. Someone mamies behind the wheel of the jeep as if she can actually drive it. By her own accounts, she had not driven an automobile since 1936. Susan oh, my. Marilyn irvin holt but they wanted a photo opportunity. And the two women who are in the jeep with her are also friends of hers, longtime military wives who had had the same kind of moving experiences, long susan separations . Marilyn irvin holt separations from their husbands. Susan so, the war comes, and Dwight Eisenhower, of course, as all of our viewers know, was tasked with leading Marilyn Irvin holt mmhmm. Susan the allies in europe. Where was mamie during the war . Edith mayo for the for most of the time, she lived in washington, d. C. In an apartment. She wanted to be in washington, hoping that there would be times that ike would be allowed to come back home, which he did a couple of times. And also, their son, john, was at west point. So, any opportunity that he had for time off vacation time, like in thanksgiving or christmas she wanted to be close at hand in order to see john. And it was only later in the war that for a period of time, she went to stay with a sister. Susan lets take our first phone calls from mark watching us in indianapolis. Susan hi, mark. Youre on the air. Mark yeah, hi. How are you doing . I just have a question for your your guests. Im just wondering if any one of them could tell me what life was like in the philippines or panama for Mamie Eisenhower. And also, i just cant wait until next week when you guys finally talk about Jackie Kennedy. Thanks for your call. Thank you. Susan life in the philippines . Marilyn irvin holt life in the philippines and life in panama both of them were extremely uncomfortable for mamie. The heat and the humidity. Particularly in panama, it was somewhat primitive. The philippines physically where they lived was much more comfortable. They had a very nice apartment. It was airconditioned after a period of time. She really had a difficult time in terms of just the environment. She did not do well in the heat. And there were periods of time, especially in the philippines, that she suffered some health problems. Susan in earlier in our history, there were a number of generals who were elected to the white house. In more modern times, how did the world prepare the first couple for life in the white house . Edith mayo well, i think particularly for mamie of course, with ike, there were all kinds of executive and administrative decisions that he was used to making as a general. But for mamie, the entertaining of heads of state while he was commander of nato really, you know, according to her own testimony, was was something that really prepared her for entertaining in the white house. I mean, she knew how to do it. She was confident about doing it. She actually loved that part of the first ladys role. Susan jeffrey is in milledgeville, georgia. Hi, jeffrey, youre on. Jeffrey hey, there. Good evening. My question was about how politically involved mamie was before she was entered the white house. Because i know ive read that the general Dwight Eisenhower was not political before he was elected president. And that, you know, before he was even elected in 1952, he didnt know which party he was a member of. So i was wondering if mamie was any more political than her husband. Susan did she ever express much interest in politics . Marilyn irvin holt no. Actually, she once said that she and ike were probably two people that knew less about politics than anybody else. Now, mamie did make comments about politics in terms of party, but that was with her father and letters back and forth. And her father was a pretty strong republican. And so mamie i think just out of politeness would sometimes commiserate with him in a letter that roosevelt had done something that her father didnt approve of. But mamie was not political in the least. Susan were at the world war ii years, and weve gotten questions from both facebook and twitter. And we knew we were going to get them. And thats about Kay Summersby. Brandon mccall asked on twitter did ike have an affair with Kay Summersby . And if so, did mamie know and how did she handle it . Who was White House Historical<\/a> cooperations. Through conversations with experts, video tours and questions with the audience, we tell the stories of americas 45 first ladies. Mimi eisenhower on first ladies, influence and image. This is about 90 minutes. Today, it is our pleasure to entertain for the first time, our first lady, at this her belated Birthday Party<\/a>. begin video clip to mamie many happy returns. To mamie with music, 160 million join in our chorus. To mamie with music, to mamie, with love. Susan swain a birthday tribute to Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>, televised nationally by cbs in march of 1956, just a few weeks after her husband, president Dwight Eisenhower<\/a>, announced his bid for reelection. Tonight, 1950s america and the life and times of first lady Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>. Good evening and welcome to cspan series, first ladies influence and image. Tonight is Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>s turn. And here to tell us about her life are two people who have spent a lot of time with first ladies, and in particular in marilyn holts case, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>. Shes a historian and author of a biography called, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>, the generals first lady. We also welcome back edith mayo to the table. Edies been one of our guiding forces among academic historians on first ladies for this whole series. Its nice to see you again. Edith mayo nice to be back. Susan well, what should we take away watching that piece of video from the 1950s . [laughter] about her popularity . About the use of television . Marilyn irvin holt the film clip you showed from the Birthday Celebration<\/a> in march, 56, this is shown. And obviously, its an election year. And immediately, the democrats want equal time because this is in their view a campaign ad. And william paley, who was president of cbs, and a very close friend of the eisenhowers, says, no, no, no, its not equal time because this is nonpolitical entertainment with the first lady. Well, obviously, mamies birthday is in november, were just a few days away from it right now. And this is in march. So obviously, there was some political background to this. But if you watched the show at the time, what you saw besides the singing and the celebrating were a lot of people talking about mamie, and with real affection, and wanting to get across or reemphasize how really popular she was at the time. Susan edie mayo, what should we know about television and the presidency in the 1950s . Edith mayo well, the eisenhower campaign was the first televised campaign. And so there were a whole range of new techniques that were brought to the fore for that campaign. And there were there were these wonderfully rehearsed maninthestreet interviews that were supposed to be spontaneous, but were obviously quite rehearsed. But that was that was quite a new feature for a campaign. And then you had all the, you know, the little bouncing balls and bouncing elephants and so forth that were ike for president and we like ike and i like ike and everyone likes ike. So there were a whole range of new techniques that came to the fore. I think part of the excuse, if you will, about having this celebration for mamie was that she so epitomized the 50s, particularly with american women. That if she hadnt been there to do it, someone would have had to invent her, i think. Susan well have 90 minutes to learn more about Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> and her full life, with the eight years that the eisenhowers spent in the white house. And the one special thing about this program, we have live cameras at the eisenhowers farm in gettysburg, pennsylvania. That farm is about 90 miles away from washington, d. C. It takes about two hours to drive there and then outside of the very famous Historic Town<\/a> of gettysburg. Its about six miles away from town center. The eisenhowers bought this in the 1950s and spent their white house years and also their retirement years there. Susan right now, youre looking at mamies bedroom. You will learn about mamies affection for pink during this program, and you can see lots of evidence there in the bedroom that she created for herself in her retreat away from public life. Well be back to that later on throughout the program. Were going to go back in time and learn a little bit about Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> Mamie Geneva Doud<\/a> her biography. And to do that, lets go back to that special in 1956 where they talk a bit about her biography as well. [video clip] and i hope that you, the members of our organization, and our distinguished guests, will enjoy this salute to our first lady. A Birthday Party<\/a> is really a party when some of the party inaudible . How do you do . And thank you for inviting me. You know, birthdays almost seem synonymous with memories, like albums. So weve brought along this special album for you. Its filled, we hope, with fond remembrances, musical and pictorial. And now heres a picture of the three doud sisters, circa 1906. And heres a denver debutante visiting in san antonio, texas about 1915. And your wedding dress, and the portrait in your inaugural gown when you became our first lady. Take one fresh and tender kiss. Add one stolen night of bliss. One girl, one boy, some grief, some joy. Memories are made of this. You cant beat the memories you susan a little bit of a capsule view of Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>s biography. But tell us a little bit more. She was born in boone, iowa and its worth noting that she is the end of a generation, really, the last first lady born in the 19th century. Marilyn irvin holt she was born in 1896, boone, iowa. And she was our very last first lady to be born in the 19th century. Her family lived in boone until she was about eight years old. And then they moved to colorado and thats where she grew up. And one of the photographs shows here in san antonio. Her in san antonio. The family would winter in san antonio partly because of one of , her Sisters Health<\/a> problems, rheumatic fever. She was almost an invalid. And so they would winter. And while they were in san antonio, they went to well, they went with some friends to Fort Sam Houston<\/a> and thats where mamie was first introduced to ike. Susan Second Lieutenant<\/a> at the time. Marilyn irvin holt Second Lieutenant<\/a>, very serious. She says he said when theyve written about this meeting that he was really not interested in any kind of girl or girlfriend. He was very, you know, duty and his job in the military. And mamie just kind of swept him off his feet. Susan or vice versa. Marilyn irvin holt or vice versa. Susan and whirlwind courtship. Edith mayo absolutely. Susan and they married a short time really after they met. Whats interesting is that her she was wealthy. She was a debutante. And her father warned her off of military life. Marilyn irvin holt he warned her off. He said first of all, his mamies parents really liked ike, going to the phrase of the campaign. They thought he was a wonderful young man. And her father even told her that when he was coming around to visit, that she ought to quit being so flighty and going off with other young men to parties; that they should Pay Attention<\/a> she should Pay Attention<\/a> to ike. But when they got married, he told mamie they absolutely could not expect any money from him. They would have to live on ikes military pay. And mamies response was, well, i didnt care about that. I just wanted that man. Susan it was probably quite a surprise, even with her fathers warning, to go from a debutantes life to a tiny military apartment. Marilyn irvin holt well, living a very comfortable life with plenty of money. I think it was quite a shock for her. But she had learned from her father about budgeting and how to spend money and how to save money. So, though i think it was difficult in the early days of their marriage, she always managed to live on ikes salary. Edith mayo and not only that, but in kind of a atypical rolereversal, mamie is the one that handled the familys finances. Marilyn irvin holt and later, she said that was the secret to a good marriage. If you wanted to keep within your finances was that the husband should turn the check over to his wife; that if he started purchasing things and opening accounts that, you know, everything would just go to hell in a hand basket. Susan well, its interesting because were going to talk about her as the epitome of the media creation of the 1950s woman, that women lived in all kinds of ways in the 1950s. But theres this stereotype of the 50s woman that she seems to embody. But she was handling the finances. He was domestic. He cooked the meals. Marilyn irvin holt he cooked the meals. Edith mayo yes, he did. Edith mayo mamie, she took a domestic science class when they became engaged, but because they moved their marriage date up to july the 1st, rather than in november after she turned 20, her domestic science classes were cut short. And im not sure she was that serious about them anyway. So, he really did the cooking. He knew how to do that. Susan i want to invite you, as we do each week, to be participants in our program as we learn more about American History<\/a> through the lives of the first ladies. We have three ways you can be involved. Our phone numbers will be on the screen. You can dial us if you live in the eastern or central time zones at 2025853880. If you live out west, mountain pacific and farther west, 2025853881. You can tweet us using the twitter handle at first ladies. Or you can post on our facebook page, where theres already a number of comments and a good conversation going on. Weve mixed your comments in throughout our 90 minutes together. So they are married. How soon after their married is their first child born . Edith mayo im thinking its three years. Susan and he get the unusual nickname of icky. [laughter] Marilyn Irvin<\/a> holt icky. Doud dwight. When i see it spelled, i want to pronounce it ikee, because it sounds better than icky. But doud dwight. And he was just the apple of their eye. And also, everybody on the post he wherever they were, he was like the little mascot that everybody just took to. And he died at the age of three. Scarlet fever. And it happened so quickly that and in that time period it sounds strange to say today, but couples could almost expect to have at least one child die of some childhood disease, because the medical care there just werent the things that you could do about it. And the eisenhowers were absolutely devastated. Susan now, edie, you can verify cause youve been with us all along the way for this whole series that many of the president s and first ladies lost children. Edith mayo yes, yes. Its a recurring theme in most of the president ial families all the way from the beginning. Susan but even though its commonplace, its certainly never easy. Edith mayo no. Its its always a horror story, no matter when it happens. And in a you know, in an era before antibiotics and modern drugs susan mmhmm. Edith mayo you you have it happening frequently. Susan they did have another son. Excuse me. Marilyn irvin holt yes. Then their son, john, is born. And one of the things that john said and i think he said in several different venues is that his parents never made him feel as if he was a replacement for the child that they lost. That he was his own person, his own special self. And that i think that was the way the eisenhowers as a couple were. They took people as they were, but that didnt mean that they totally forgot the first child. They just made another place for another child in their lives. And mamie was, i would say, overprotective of john. Susan understandable, huh . Marilyn irvin holt with yes. Edith mayo yes, very much. Susan so, though their early years at was one of ike being gone a lot. So how often were they together . Marilyn irvin holt there there was one year in which they moved three times. So and sometimes, when he was posted for a very short time, mamie might go back to denver and live with her family. And there was a period of time when ike was on a transcontinental convoy, which was a military exercise to take military trucks and other transport all the way across the country to test the roads, the bridges. And really, they found out how bad americas transportation road system was. But during that whole time months mamie was with her parents because she couldnt live on the post. So, they were back and forth. And thats something that every military wife faced at one time or another. You might live in who knew how many different posts in a very short period of time. You could expect multiple moves, and, really, sometimes long separations. Susan and this would carry to their white house years . They were always entertainers. Edith mayo yes, absolutely. They they did a lot of entertaining on their various posts. And many times, the eisenhower home was called club eisenhower because of their entertaining of the troops and and, you know, the military personnel. Marilyn irvin holt yes. Edith mayo and going back to, you know, how many moves they made over the period of years, i think thats why they they, number one, treasured their years in the white house, because it was a permanent home for eight years. And then, you know, purchasing the farm in gettysburg. I mean, that was their their their first home. Susan family home. Edith mayo i have a photograph to show the audience about of mamie in a jeep. Susan how at what point in their in his career did they become popularly known . Marilyn irvin holt i would say at well, in the 30s, certainly. Susan that early . Marilyn irvin holt but even even when they were first married, and they were at Fort Sam Houston<\/a>, they very quickly became a couple that invited other military couples into their home. Theyd have, like, saturday or sunday night evenings, pot luck, play cards very social and they had a rented piano that mamie played, and they sang. This photograph was taken in 1944 the summer of 44, not too long after dday. And this is at camp lee in virginia. Someone mamies behind the wheel of the jeep as if she can actually drive it. By her own accounts, she had not driven an automobile since 1936. Susan oh, my. Marilyn irvin holt but they wanted a photo opportunity. And the two women who are in the jeep with her are also friends of hers, longtime military wives who had had the same kind of moving experiences, long susan separations . Marilyn irvin holt separations from their husbands. Susan so, the war comes, and Dwight Eisenhower<\/a>, of course, as all of our viewers know, was tasked with leading Marilyn Irvin<\/a> holt mmhmm. Susan the allies in europe. Where was mamie during the war . Edith mayo for the for most of the time, she lived in washington, d. C. In an apartment. She wanted to be in washington, hoping that there would be times that ike would be allowed to come back home, which he did a couple of times. And also, their son, john, was at west point. So, any opportunity that he had for time off vacation time, like in thanksgiving or christmas she wanted to be close at hand in order to see john. And it was only later in the war that for a period of time, she went to stay with a sister. Susan lets take our first phone calls from mark watching us in indianapolis. Susan hi, mark. Youre on the air. Mark yeah, hi. How are you doing . I just have a question for your your guests. Im just wondering if any one of them could tell me what life was like in the philippines or panama for Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>. And also, i just cant wait until next week when you guys finally talk about Jackie Kennedy<\/a>. Thanks for your call. Thank you. Susan life in the philippines . Marilyn irvin holt life in the philippines and life in panama both of them were extremely uncomfortable for mamie. The heat and the humidity. Particularly in panama, it was somewhat primitive. The philippines physically where they lived was much more comfortable. They had a very nice apartment. It was airconditioned after a period of time. She really had a difficult time in terms of just the environment. She did not do well in the heat. And there were periods of time, especially in the philippines, that she suffered some health problems. Susan in earlier in our history, there were a number of generals who were elected to the white house. In more modern times, how did the world prepare the first couple for life in the white house . Edith mayo well, i think particularly for mamie of course, with ike, there were all kinds of executive and administrative decisions that he was used to making as a general. But for mamie, the entertaining of heads of state while he was commander of nato really, you know, according to her own testimony, was was something that really prepared her for entertaining in the white house. I mean, she knew how to do it. She was confident about doing it. She actually loved that part of the first ladys role. Susan jeffrey is in milledgeville, georgia. Hi, jeffrey, youre on. Jeffrey hey, there. Good evening. My question was about how politically involved mamie was before she was entered the white house. Because i know ive read that the general Dwight Eisenhower<\/a> was not political before he was elected president. And that, you know, before he was even elected in 1952, he didnt know which party he was a member of. So i was wondering if mamie was any more political than her husband. Susan did she ever express much interest in politics . Marilyn irvin holt no. Actually, she once said that she and ike were probably two people that knew less about politics than anybody else. Now, mamie did make comments about politics in terms of party, but that was with her father and letters back and forth. And her father was a pretty strong republican. And so mamie i think just out of politeness would sometimes commiserate with him in a letter that roosevelt had done something that her father didnt approve of. But mamie was not political in the least. Susan were at the world war ii years, and weve gotten questions from both facebook and twitter. And we knew we were going to get them. And thats about Kay Summersby<\/a>. Brandon mccall asked on twitter did ike have an affair with Kay Summersby<\/a> . And if so, did mamie know and how did she handle it . Who was Kay Summersby<\/a> . Marilyn irvin holt Kay Summersby<\/a> was often referred to as eisenhowers driver, but there were several people that drove ike around. Her primary job was to keep his appointments calendar, to make sure that the right people got in and out and to meetings. And she was at eisenhowers headquarters. She was engaged to an american officer who was tragically killed in the fighting in north africa. And she stayed on at the headquarters and rumors began that they were having an affair. The research i did and i think what other people are beginning to look at for example, the letter that truman said he had that eisenhower was going to ask mamie for a divorce. I think there have been a number of historians that have debunked that now. I don believe that there was an affair because its hard, for one thing, i mean, theres other proof, but its hard to imagine that eisenhower, the allied commander of the european theater, is acting like a school boy, puppy love kind of, you know, following kay around, which is what she alleges in her book past forgetting. Did mamie know . Well, there wasnt anything for mamie to know except the rumors were extremely hurtful to her. And it was the kind of thing that went on and on, especially after summersbys book and there was the madefortv movie. And that was very hurtful for mamie. Susan edie, what do you have to say about the affair . Edith mayo i have not i have not done that kind of research in any kind of primary sources. I, like everyone else, have heard the rumor. I know the family denies it very vehemently. But its interesting to hear somebody whos actually looked at the primary sources. Marilyn irvin holt and its not just the family. When summersbys book came out, and several people who were still alive and had been at the eisenhower headquarters, including one of summersbys roommates, just came out and said, no, this never happened. It was, like, the person who was saying this happened, they didnt even recognize. They couldnt explain why she would have decided to say this. Susan jane is watching us in killeen, texas. Jane thank you. A lot of military wives and wives of retirees are watching tonight. Thank you so much for the show. Much of this is still true. My question, were mrs. Eisenhower and mrs. Nixon friendly . Did they play bridge together . Their children were of different ages. How did that work out . Edith mayo they were friendly. And i think the friendship continued after the eisenhowers were out of the white house. But there was always a friendly relationship. The story goes that mamie liked pat immediately when she first met her. She said, oh, youre just the cutest little thing, the prettiest little thing. And i think it took off from there and the friendship continued. Susan bernard in albany, georgia. Youre on. Bernard hello, how are you doing this evening . Susan good evening. Bernard yes, oh how are you doing this evening . Susan yes, sir. Were fine. Whats your question for us . Bernard ok. I understand that during the inauguration ball, i cant remember if it was in 53 or 57, she wore a pink gown. And from that point on, that gown that color was named mamie pink. Do you all know anything about that . Does that color still exist, mamie pink . Susan well, thanks. Were going to see a lot of it during this program, as a matter of fact. [laughter] you asked the right question of our guests. Our guest, edie mayo, has actually in her role at the smithsonian, was responsible for creating the very popular, still popular first ladies gowns exhibit. So what about her gown . Edith mayo yes, its mamie pink. It was a pastel peau de soie. And she decided that she wanted to have a little extra flair, is the way she put it. So she had nettie rosenstein, who was the designer, put 2,000 rhinestones, pink rhinestones on the gown so that it would sparkle and glitter. And mamie pink was a color that was very, very popular in the 50s, part of not only a wardrobe color scheme, but also a household color scheme. And she had, you know, charcoal gray and pink was also a big color combination in the 50s. And she had a number of gowns, formal gowns that were charcoal gray and pink. So i dont know whether the that particular shade still exists, but it certainly it certainly was popular in the 50s. Susan Dwight Eisenhower<\/a>s career continued to be successful. Heres just a look at some of the important positions he held before the white house supreme allied commander during world war ii. After the war, he came back to washington and served in d. C. As the army chief of staff at the pentagon. He left the military and went to Columbia University<\/a> in new york, where he served as president. And then president truman appointed him as supreme nato commander. Susan it was around this time as he was at Columbia University<\/a> in that late 1940s, 1950, where the two of them began to consider their retreat in gettysburg, pennsylvania. Were going to take you there in just a moment, but first of all were going to hear from mamie herself many years later as she at the farm and talking about how important it was for the Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> id sort of like to have you all come and sit here on the porch with me, where ike and i spent so many happy hours. And where we could sit and look out and the green and trees and the grass and the angus cattle are still up here in the fields. Peter slen and on your screen now is the formal living room at the eisenhower farm in gettysburg, pennsylvania. Joining us in the entryway is alyce evans, who is a park ranger, National Park<\/a> service. Alyce evans, how is it that the eisenhowers came to gettysburg . And why this property . Alyce evans well, when the eisenhowers began to think about retirement, gettysburg was a natural choice. The eisenhowers had actually lived here once before in 1918 during the first world war. And also, general eisenhower was fascinated by the history of gettysburg. He was a civil war buff from childhood. So that definitely pulled him here. He was very interested in farming. He wanted to find basically a farm that needed a little bit of help, and that would keep him busy in retirement. Slen so this was a working farm when they bought it . Evans yes, it was. It was a dairy farm. Slen and how many acres . Evans 189 acres. Slen bought in 1950, when did they start living here . Evans its a little complicated. Shortly after they purchased the farm, he was sent overseas to work with nato. So he returns, of course, in 52 to run for the presidency and the house begins renovations in 53. So it was not inhabitable until 1955. Slen so during his presidency, how many days did they stay here at the farm . Evans we can document 365 days that they spent here. Slen one full year. Evans yes. So very important in the president ial years. Slen after the presidency . Evans this was their primary residence. It was actually the only home they ever owned in their 50 years of marriage together. So until both of their deaths his in 69 and her in 79 this was their primary residence. Slen after jfks inaugural ball or inauguration in january of 1962 sic , what happened . Evans well, they got in the car, drove up in this terrible snowstorm, a secret service car following behind them. They get to the front gate. They get to open it themselves. The secret service kind of waves them off, and there they are. They start their retired life together. Slen and president eisenhower did the driving . Evans yes, he did. Slen well, were here in the entryway, and weve been hearing about the color pink already in our program. I just want to start by pointing out a very pink room over here. Evans yeah, the dining room, of course, shows i think mamies love of color there, the rich, dark pinkred there, so very typical of mamie. Its decorated for thanksgiving right now. This is very typical of the sentimentality she had towards holidays. She loved having her friends and family together on those important days. Slen and how original is everything . Evans the house is 98 percent original. We have very few reproductions. The table is actually their silverware, their dining table ware there. Slen and you have the place setting. You see mamie on the right on the end, and the president on the left on the end. But then youve got dick and mrs. Nixon. And thats how the name cards read. Evans yes. Oh, yes, yes. But of course, especially after it became apparent their families would be united in marriage, when David Eisenhower<\/a> began dating julie nixon, and then of course the engagement announcement. I mean, they were definitely very close to the nixons. They were friends as well as political partners. Slen how much of the decorating did mamie do in this house . Evans mamie this is really her. This is her taste, her design. She did have an interior decorator that assisted her, Elizabeth Arden<\/a>, but she was sort to consult with. This really is mamies taste. Slen and throughout the evening, well bring you into other rooms and other areas of the house. But finally, alice evans, just to put a period on a conversation that they were having back in washington, Kay Summersby<\/a>. You and i had a little conversation. Did Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> ever meet Kay Summersby<\/a> . Evans she did once at a kind of formal event in washington after the war. It wasnt, i mean, mamie was not really affected by that meeting. You know, she was aware of the rumors, but you know, she just met the very graciously met her and then went on with her life. It wasnt something that affected her. Slen and we will be back to the eisenhower farm in gettysburg later. video clip ends swain it was around the time of the purchase of the farm that the eisenhowers began to be drafted by both political parties, and they were not partisan, as weve just told us, and both parties thought they could recruit him. Tell us the story of how the republicans were ultimately successful. Irvin holt well, the republicans, what you find there is there is this grassroots movement, citizens for eisenhower, little groups of people all over the country forming and pushing for eisenhower to run for president and to run as a republican. And when hes in nato, when theyre in europe and hes at nato, there are people actually flying, including jackie cochran, to see ike, to try and talk him into running on the republican ticket. And he is not he doesnt come out and say what he will or will not do because of his position and what hes doing at nato. And one of the stories mamie tells is theyre in france, hes with nato, its about christmas time, theres a people are sending christmas packages from the United States<\/a>, and they open this one package and its from a group, citizens for eisenhower. And there are all these little beanie hats and ties and i like ike pins, and thats what they all say, i like ike. So theyre having guests over, and while ike is in the library, phone call or whatever, mamie gets this box and they all put this paraphernalia on, so when he comes back into the room, there they are, and she said he took one look and his face turned red with anger and then just burst out laughing because they all looked so ridiculous. Swain president truman appointed him to the nato position, thought perhaps that eisenhower was a democrat. What was the tension between the trumans and the eisenhowers over this . Mayo you know, i dont know that much about that. Im sure you know more about that than i do. Irvin holt obviously, theres been a great deal said and written about, you know, how badly truman and eisenhower came to dislike each other. And how did they feel, and how cold were they . But mamie and mrs. Truman were good friends. Mamie went to mrs. Trumans spanish classes. Theres a photograph of bess showing mamie around the white house, and they look like two girlfriends giggling in a corner. Mamie knew how and regardless of what somebodys political affiliation was, she could get along with them. And that was the case. If their husbands were having problems, that didnt affect how mamie and bess truman would get along. Swain well, once the decision was made, how wholeheartedly did mamie throw herself into the campaign . Mayo i think very wholeheartedly. I think she loved the attention. I am not sure that her part in the campaign was scripted. I think she just sort of threw herself into it, and you know, it turned out to be a watershed for president ial wives and political campaigning. I think she was a a great boon to the Republican Party<\/a>. They liked the fact that she connected with the women of america, and people started asking for her on the eisenhowers campaign train. They did a whistle stop across the country, and people would, at the end of ikes speech, would would say, we want mamie, and there was a lot of clapping and you know, calling for mamie to come out on the on the rear of the train. And so then he began saying, and now would you like to meet my mamie . And this is a wonderful photograph of them. And of course she was a tremendous hit. She would court local politicians, she would give little interviews. So, she turned out to be quite an asset. Swain we visited the eisenhower president ial library and museum in abilene, kansas, which is the hometown of Dwight Eisenhower<\/a>, and obviously a place that you can go visit. Youre seeing pictures of it on the screen right now. And they showed us some of the campaign memorabilia that they have in the collection thats related to Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>. Lets watch. William snyder the 1952 campaign is significant because for the first time in American History<\/a>, women outnumbered men in the electorate. The eisenhowernixon campaign catered to this new demographic, with all kinds of fashion accessories, including the eisenhower official campaign hat, designed by one of mamies favorite hat designers, sally victor. Also, all kinds of rhinestone jewelry, including earrings and heartshaped pendants. I like ike buttons as clipon earrings for the ladies. Notice that mamies name comes first on the mamie and ike charm bracelet. Theres even a mamie pink, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> comb. We want mamie and i like mamie buttons. And of course, no lady is not complete without a corsage. All of these accessories wouldve been worn with this wonderful ike print dress, often worn at Campaign Rallies<\/a> and conventions. Now, lets go to the museum to see some more campaign memorabilia and what mamie wore to the first inauguration. Out here in the museum, we have a number of drawers full of campaign memorabilia, including the wonderful i like ike gloves that go with the ike dress, mamie and pat on campaign buttons, and even i like ike stockings for the ladies. Of course, all of this heavy campaigning and mamies involvement lead to eisenhower winning the 1952 election. Mamie becomes first lady and proudly wears this suit to the inauguration. This was designed by hattie carnegie, and of course the pillbox hat by her favorite hat designer, sally victor. Mayo yes. And we have a wonderful collection of ike memorabilia and Campaign Materials<\/a> from mamie. Swain has there ever really been an election since where there was so much Popular Culture<\/a> . Mayo no. Not to that extent. The Republican Party<\/a> just went completely wild with putting out materials that promoted the campaign and mamie herself. And i think that this resonated with people because, as the curator was saying, this is the first time that womens vote had caught up with the number of men voting. Women had gotten the vote in 1920, but their voting participation had always lagged behind until 1952. So ivy baker priest, who was the head of the Womens Division<\/a> of the Republican Party<\/a>, had come up with three areas that would appeal particularly to women in the campaign, and they they emphasized bringing the boys home from korea, which was imaged in the sense of bringing your husband, your son, your boyfriend home, and ike was the great military hero who was going to do that. The second thing that they emphasized was the socalled mess in washington, which supposed scandals within the truman administration, and it was imaged in the sense that any housewife could clean up a mess in her home. So, there were all kinds of cleaning pails and scrub brushes and brooms and lapel pins in the shape of brooms that were put out by the eisenhower campaign, so that women would identify with cleaning up the mess in washington. And the third thing was the economy. And that was imaged as every woman has to stay within her budget and why shouldnt the government do the same . And so they put out all kinds of enormous grocery bags that said, you know, ike and dick on them. That was supposed to indicate that that you know, any woman could balance her home budget, and therefore the government should do the same. And the grocery bags were going to be extra large, because this was how much more your your budget was going to go if you elected ike and dick. Swain in about in 1953, about 50 percent of American Homes<\/a> had television, and that number just kept growing and growing as we got closer to the 1960s. And also the rise of the Public Relations<\/a> profession in the United States<\/a>, and we see it here in full flower, with all of these inaudible . Mayo yes, there were a lot of advertising men who migrated bodily into the campaign and imaged ike and mamie as a commodity, a product that could be sold to mrs. American consumer. Swain and worth noting that on the other side, Adlai Stevenson<\/a> was divorced . Irvin holt right. Mayo and he was also a unitarian, which many people thought was Something Like<\/a> an atheist, whereas ike and dick were imaged as, you know, family, godfearing men. And that was going to be the bulwark against what was then called godless communism. Swain and we also had the great war hero against the cerebral. Irvin holt exactly. Mayo exactly. Irvin holt and also with mamie, even though you have these campaign managers, image makers, and so forth, she is someone that the image makers are not making her who she is. She is being herself. Mayo and thats why i said earlier, if she hadnt come along and done what she did, just being herself, she wouldve had to be invented. Irvin holt exactly. Because shes so natural in that situation. Mayo yes. Swain and a question from brian watkins, how much influence did mamie have in ikes declaration as a republican . Do we know . Irvin holt we dont know for sure. I have wondered, but i dont think that theres any discussion that they made public about how they decided or he decided. And im not sure if her father, being a republican, and he and ike being on very good terms had an influence. I just dont know. Swain heres. Irvin holt well, it more it has more to do with who would have been running for president in the republican slot if not eisenhower. And eisenhower really agreed to run because when he looked at the other candidates, he couldnt see them especially if they were going to be isolationists in the world as it was, after world war ii. Swain postworld war ii. Irvin holt it was almost as if he said, well, if it has to be me, i can handle this better than these people can. Swain david is watching us in san francisco, and youre on. Hi, david. David ph david ph hi. Swain were listening. David, go ahead, please, with your question. David ph david ph yes. I was curious as to what eisenhowers stance or position was on the civil rights issue in the 1950s. Swain okay. Thanks very much. Well talk a little bit more about that later, but briefly . Irvin holt well, eisenhower is finally beginning to be recognized by historians for his contributions as in the civil rights era, not only for brown v. What happened with little rock and sending troops in, but eisenhower, for example, integrated washington, d. C. Swain in what way . Irvin holt well, in every way. Washington had been a segregated city. Swain since. Irvin holt . In terms of where people can stay. Swain . Since Woodrow Wilson<\/a> . Irvin holt yes. Going back to wilson. And eisenhower they just simply integrated the city. But theyre swain how do you integrate the city . In official washington, how do what were they doing . Mayo well, i think they were they were inviting blacks to attend white house functions. I dont know how they dismantled the segregation in the the government positions, but that also was something that went on during the Eisenhower Administration<\/a> was a desegregation of the federal workforce. Swain well, its notable in the people wearing the eisenhower the ike dresses. Irvin holt yes. Swain that there were several africanamerican women. Mayo right, right. And i i think he never really until recently, got the credit for the very strong stand that he took in little rock in sending the federal troops. Swain mmhmm. Mayo i mean, that was just a shocking thing, i think, in the 1950s. I mean, by the time you get to the 60s and Everybody Knows<\/a> about Lyndon Johnson<\/a> but, you know, in the 50s, this was this was a quite shocking move. Swain edie mayo made the point of the incredible entertainers that the the couple were throughout their professional lives together, both military, private, and then to the white house. And one of the things that really changed about the the number of social events they would have is the rise of air travel, and also postwar diplomacy. So, there were many more visits of official people coming to washington during the eisenhower years than previous president s had seen. Were going to return to gettysburg to the farm to look at how they the eisenhowers entertained there, to help us understand how they did this officially. Much of it translated into their time in the white house. Peter slen im with alyce evans. What are we seeing on the screen right now . Evans were seeing, of course, mamie and her iconic inaugural gown from 1953. This is actually a copy of the white house portrait, done by thomas stevens. Slen and right below that is a piano. Evans yes. Of course, mamie was a big piano player. She didnt think a home was a home without a piano. You see, of course, her sentimentality in all the photographs of friends and loved ones, family members on the sofa on the piano there. Slen now, alyce evans, we are in the formal living room, a rather large room. Evans yes. Slen how much entertaining was done in there . Evans surprisingly, not a lot of entertaining. You would think in this gorgeous space that they would want to use it. President eisenhower was not a particularly big fan of this room and its decor. But it definitely shows mamie as first lady in this room her understanding of etiquette and sort of rules and regulations. Especially if someone had taken the time to present them with a gift, she wanted to put that gift on display. Slen well, how did they furnish this room . Evans this room is mostly decorated with gifts given to them throughout the years from friends, family and dignitaries. Theres only five objects in this room that they purchased for themselves. Slen how is it that the eisenhowers were able to keep their gifts . Evans i get that question a lot. You know, president eisenhower was our last president who as allowed to keep all of his gifts. Slen now, alyce evans, were looking at a lot of tchotchkes. Evans yes. Yeah. Mamie, of course, let slip at a press conference she liked porcelains, so a lot of those gifts were presented to her. Slen and before we get too far, i want to ask you about this portrait of Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>, this other one that we have up here in the yellow dress. Evans yes, that portrait was actually done before she was first lady. It was actually painted in 1948 while ike was still at Columbia University<\/a>. I think this portrait is really it really captures her spirit. You know, i think you see a little bit of her vitality, and certainly, her femininity in this portrait. Slen before we leave this room, two other items we want to ask you about. Number one, the table in front of the couch. By the way, is the the upholstery on the couch is this all original from the eisenhowers . Evans yes, it is. Yes. This sofa is actually quite interesting. They purchased it in 1933, and then actually had a slipcover made for it to match the new decor here. But the coffee table in front of the sofa, i think, is one of the most important pieces in the home. This was actually a gift from mrs. Syngman rhee, the wife of the president of south korea. And it came on the Year Anniversary<\/a> of the ceasefire there in korea the end of the korean war. Its a gift to mamie, though. It says, in korean, basically, from the wife of the president of south korea to the wife of the president of the United States<\/a>. So, ike might have found the solution to the korean war, but mamie got the table at the end. Slen where did that fireplace come from . Evans the fireplace was actually a gift from their white house staff on the occasion of their 38th wedding anniversary. I know this piece was actually in the white house at one point. It was installed while Franklin Pierce<\/a> was our president. Slen how did they how were they able to get some white house property here in their home . Evans well well, you can sort of trace that back to julia grant. You know, she was actually redecorating the white house, and marble had kind of fallen out of fashion. Wooden fireplaces were the rage. She had the marble fireplaces removed, and they were put into storage, and then, basically, auctioned off. They were sold into private hands. During the 50s, the white house staff was able to track down this piece and present it to the eisenhowers, cause it was in the Lincoln White<\/a> house. And lincoln, of course, was a very important figure to president eisenhower. Slen so, alyce evans, how would the eisenhowers use this room . When was it used . Evans really, the big time of year it was used was christmas. They would put their Christmas Tree<\/a> in front of the fireplace. Theyd have presents for all their grandchildren spread all across the room. Mamie would be at the piano playing christmas carols. Therell be singalongs. So, that was really when this room was used in those important family times. Slen when World Leaders<\/a> would come to see president eisenhower here, he wouldnt entertain them here . Evans no, he would not. He would do that on the porch. Slen and we will see the porch next time we come back to gettysburg. video clip ends swain thanks to our colleague peter slen, who is in gettysburg, pennsylvania at the eisenhower farm. So, the entertaining at the white house was notable. For example, the queen of england, Queen Elizabeth<\/a> came. Irvin holt yes. Swain how important an event was that . Irvin holt well, the eisenhowers entertained more heads of state, more foreign dignitaries. Mayo yes. Irvin holt . Had more state dinners than any previous administration. And certainly part of that has to do with the change in transportation. Mayo and his position. Irvin holt and his position. Mayo his leadership in europe. Irvin holt yes. Mayo all those years. Irvin holt and he knew, he had met all these people, and mamie had. Mayo right. Irvin holt . In nato. And so, when Queen Elizabeth<\/a> and Prince Philip<\/a> come to the United States<\/a>, eisenhower says, well, we have this we reacquainted ourselves yes, there they are reacquainted ourselves with old friends, because they knew Queen Elizabeth<\/a> when she was still princess. And they felt that way about so many of the people that they had met; they were just remeeting them again and entertaining them in a different place. Mayo but interestingly, its Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> who returns large scale, elegant entertaining to the white house. Most people think of Jacqueline Kennedy<\/a> as the person who did that, but its really Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>, after several decades of curtailed entertaining in the white house with the depression and world war ii, and the then the truman renovation of the white house when they were living at the blair house and couldnt entertain in the white house. So its mamie who brings back really large scale, elegant entertaining. crosstalk . To the white house. Swain and she has a period of exhibitions and president ial and first lady memorabilia. How significant a decision was it, and why was it made, that president s after eisenhower could no longer keep the gifts they were given . Mayo i think they were afraid that it would look like bribery or some kind of, you know, prompting of a returned political favor for the gift. And so, that was that was made illegal. Swain and where do all those gifts go . Because president s still get lots and lots of gifts from the public and from World Leaders<\/a>. Mayo they usually they either go to the state department or they go to the national archives. And through the archives, they often turn up at president ial libraries. But theyre not owned by the president and first lady. Swain now, one of one statement a president and first lady can make is not is who they invite, but also who they do not invite. And one person they did not invite to the white house was senator joe mccarthy. Irvin holt actually, mrs. Mccarthy was invited. She was invited to teas, a receptions. She did not attend. Swain and whats the significance of that . Irvin holt i think she was making a political statement on her husbands behalf not to cross the door into the white house. Swain now, some people watching this dont know who joe mccarthy is, so a very quick snapshot. Irvin holt oh my goodness. Swain i know its true. crosstalk mayo well, he was he was. crosstalk he was the senator that went after socalled communists in government positions. And it was sort of like a salem witch hunt, if you will. They saw communists under every. crosstalk . Desk, under every chair. He went after all kinds of people that were supposed to have had some affiliation with the communist party or a communist party front or somebody who leaned toward the communists in the 30s and 40s. And he did a great deal of harm to a great number of peoples careers and personal lives. And the reason that mamie would not invite him to the white house entertainments was that she disagreed with the the methodology that he used and the ruining of peoples reputations and careers. Swain and this question is actually connected. Lauren drop on, facebook, writes, i remember reading somewhere that she was a big fan of i love lucy. thats lucille ball. The tv star, the comedienne. The viewer asks, did she try to help lucy in any way when lucy was being investigated by the House Unamerican Activities Committee<\/a> . Irvin holt absolutely yes. When lucy had been brought before the committee and, of course, she and desi arnaz are terrified that their careers are over with. Mayo that theyre ruined. Irvin holt and its ikes birthday. Were back to the birthday times again. Its ikes birthday, and mamie invites lucy, desi and vivian vance and. crosstalk swain william frawley. Irvin holt . To the white house, and she says to entertain. Well, they do a little bit of entertainment for ikes birthday, but then mamie makes a point of having lucy and desi sit with her and ike for the dinner portion of the evening. Shes not saying anything about it. Shes just making a very public statement. crosstalk . About who she invites and where they sit, and how theyre treated when they arrive. Swain Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> brings a generals wifes sensibility to the running of the white house. Were going to return to the Eisenhower Library<\/a> in abilene, kansas, to learn more about how she approached life in the white house. William snyder as a young girl, mamie was diagnosed with a heart condition. In later years, she was under Doctors Orders<\/a> to stay in bed three days a week. Well, that was a little too much for mamie, so she compromised and stayed in bed every day until noon. But, she was a busy lady. She would still meet with her staff. And to do that, she would get up in the mornings, do her hair, put on her makeup, and then wear these lovely bed jackets and lay back down in bed. As well see in the library we have many notes from those meetings. While wearing the bed jackets that we saw in the museum, mamie would often meet with her secretary to plan the days events. As first lady, mamie ran the white house with military precision. Her schedules were often blocked out in as few as five minute increments for a day. We have schedules from every year that mamie was first lady. For example, on this schedule, we see that not only did she have a diplomatic dinner, but the next morning she was planning to cut the ribbon at the National Presbyterian<\/a> church bazaar. The handwritten notes are changes that mamie would make when she would meet with her social secretary, mrs. Mccafferty . Some of the things that mamie would discuss with her social secretary were of a personal nature. For instance, here shes shopping for Christmas Gifts<\/a> for their grandchildren, and she wants to buy this doll for her granddaughter susan. But mamie was always particular about the budget, and she even kept her figures so that she would never go over budget, even shopping for family presents. Swain life in the Eisenhower White<\/a> house, how many people lived with them there . Irvin holt well, they sometimes had mamies mother, elivera, live there. The eisenhower grandchildren did not live there; they visited very often, spent huge amounts of time. And the press loved them, loved to photograph them playing in the front of the building or sometimes they would have photographs of them inside playing. But, basically, its ike and mamie and for long periods of time mamies mother. Mayo mamie also said that any day was a good day when her grandchildren were there. Irvin holt yes. Swain the someone asked us earlier and made the reference to the stereotypical 1950s woman. Heres one way that that stereotype plays out. It was documented that mamie visited the Oval Office Just<\/a> four times during ikes presidency. So, will you talk a little bit about the separation of the wifes role versus the husbands role that was a stereotype of the 1950s . Mayo yes, very much a division of labor. The women would would handle the food, the entertainment, the family. The president would handle the country, the politics. Swain but we had just had a Roosevelt Administration<\/a> where. Mayo but that was such a departure that, and such an anomaly for the time that it didnt get institutionalized until much later. Irvin holt and part of that was mamies military background, too. She once made the comment that a wife never went near her husbands command post, his point of operations. It just simply wasnt done. And so again, that separation of their spaces. Swain and it was a busy eight years in the Eisenhower White<\/a> house for the president. And we have a list of just some of the big things that were happening during the eisenhower presidency, to show you. And here were doing it while were looking at video, so if we can make the transition. The russia launches sputnik and the cold war really bursts onto the international scene, tension between the United States<\/a> and russia; there was the red scare. And we heard earlier about senator joe mccarthy and the role that he played in the United States<\/a> during the red scare; the rosenberg espionage trial; also the u2 spy plane shot down over russia. Here at home, rosa parks did her famous bus ride in montgomery, alabama. There was the Arkansas School<\/a> desegregation case which both of our guests referred to; also, the creation of the interstate highway system. Nasa was established, and our two last states, number 49 and 50, came into statehood, alaska and hawaii. And Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> was not involved in any of this. She wasnt an issues person at all. Mayo she did not discuss issues publicly. That was not her job, as she saw it. Privately, she was very opinionated; had some very strong ideas on a number of social issues, but she simply was not an activist the way that we think of women speaking out today. And in fact, she was probably the last president ial wife that didnt have a particular cause while she was in the white house. That was something that, you know, that Eleanor Roosevelt<\/a> had done, but bess truman had not done. And so mamie her whole background would not have lent itself to her doing that. But shes shes the last first lady where thats the case. Irvin holt she had she launched lots of charity drives. She was a spokesperson for the american heart association. But you cant say that those were causes and projects the way that it became institutionalized. Mayo theyre totally unpoliticized. Irvin holt yes. Mayo theyre very traditional. Irvin holt after with Jacqueline Kennedy<\/a>, after her and mrs. Johnsons beautification projects, a first lady was expected to have a project. Mayo exactly. She wasnt considered a serious first lady if she did not have a cause or project. Swain 19 years after she left the white house, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> sat down with Barbara Walters<\/a> to give her views on the role of the first lady. Lets watch. begin video clip Barbara Walters<\/a> do you think president s today need their wives help . Mamie eisenhower i dont know. Theyre getting it, but i dont know whether they want it. Maybe they dont want it. laughter i dont think that you can i think you have to do your husband has to a man has to be encouraged. I think i told ike every day that we lived how much i thought he was, how good i thought he was. You know, your ego has to be fed. end video clip swain a little bit on the role of the first lady. Gary robinson wants to know what would mamie say is her greatest contribution to the role of first lady. Mayo i would think that she would say that it was giving ike a comfortable home life where he could relax and get away from the pressing issues of the day. I think her greatest contribution was in institutionalizing the first lady as the campaigner. I think thats the role that has has really carried on with later first ladies and in american political life. Swain what would your answer be . Irvin holt i would agree that privately, it would be creating that home. And when she said homemaker, she meant it in the truest sense making a home that was comfortable and welcoming and gave ike a place to escape, and for their friends and family to enjoy themselves and to be together. Publicly, i think her contribution as a first lady was projecting someone who really was interested in anyone and everyone without any consideration for their political, social, religious background. To say that she was nonpolitical, almost it sounds like, well, its too good to be true. But i think basically she was interested in people for who they were, and they they realized that in her and responded to her. Swain were their Public Opinion<\/a> polls in politics at the time . Irvin holt there were Public Opinion<\/a> polls, but but it was they really didnt ask those kinds of questions so you cant gauge it against today. Swain one of the things she did to preserve eisenhowers sense of peace, i guess, was the creation of camp david, named after their grandson. We now hear about it all the time in politics. There was something there before called shangrila. Mayo shangrila. Swain so how did how did it become an official president ial retreat . Mayo there had been previous president ial retreats. The hoovers had set up camp rapidan on the Rapidan River<\/a> in virginia. But that had sort of been unused because it was a rocky, hilly kind of terrain that Franklin Roosevelt<\/a> couldnt use. And so roosevelt had set up this president ial retreat called shangrila. And then when eisenhower was in office, he renamed it camp david after his grandson. Swain regina crumkey wants to know did mamie invite any former or future first ladies to the white house . Pat nixon probably doesnt count. laughter . Because she was the Vice President<\/a> s wife. But were they friends with the reagans, for example . I know they traveled to california frequently. Irvin holt they really didnt know the reagans. They knew the reagan they new nancy davis reagans parents and socialized with them in california. And nancy reagan did meet them and actually in the collection at the eisenhower president ial library, there is a notice of ronald and Nancy Reagans<\/a> marriage, but its a marriage announcement. Its not an invitation to the wedding. So, they really knew each other more different generationally because ike and mamie were better friends with her parents. But as for first ladies, yes, mamie was friends with bess truman, although bess didnt often come to the white house afterwards; with edith wilson; and certainly all the, well, mrs. Kennedy, mrs. Johnson would have come to the white house as senate wives when their husbands were in congress because they would have been invited to those functions. Mayo luncheons. Swain while were talking about family life and how mamies job was really to preserve and encourage it, were going to return to their farm at gettysburg and learn a little bit more about family life. Slen alyce evans is with the National Park<\/a> service, a park ranger and a mamie expert here at the gettysburg eisenhower house. First of all, how much square feet does this entire property have i mean, inside . Evans inside, its about 14,000 square inches sic . Slen about 14,000. Ok. What room are we in now . Evans were in the porch. I think its one of the most important rooms in the home. Slen why . Evans this is really where they lived, and thats what mamie said that, you know, we lived on the porch. This room was really the private life of the eisenhowers here, and the Family Center<\/a> of the home. Slen and it was set up with some couches and chairs, and over here a tv. Evans yes, a sign of, you know, the family of the 1950s is going to be spending time here, the television. They were our first president ial couple to really watch television together in the white house. Slen so what would be a typical evening here on the porch . Evans well, the eisenhowers would have their dinner here on tv trays, watching Walter Cronkite<\/a> on the evening news; depending, you know, what time of year, what time it was, watching i love lucy or the Lawrence Welk<\/a> show. Ike liked westerns like bonanza or gunsmoke. Slen and where would the president sit . Evans the president would sit in that chair facing the television, that rocking chair. Slen this rocking chair, and thats his actual chair. Evans yes, that is the actual chair he sat in. Slen and then theres an Old Fashioned<\/a> or an early version of a remote. Evans yes, there is. That was, of course, the president s sort of territory there. Mamie used to joke that he used to flip all the time through all three channels looking to see what was on. Slen and where would mamie be sitting . Evans mamie would sit across from him. Slen off to the left. Ok. What kind of conversation would they have . Would they talk . Evans oh, yes. The eisenhowers were great conversationalists, and thats certainly a skill that mamie had not just as first lady, but as a hostess. She loved people and she loved socializing. Slen when ike was president and after the presidency, what kind of what kind of guests would come and be here on the porch with them . Evans all guests came to the porch here in the house, be it their grandchildren, you know, visiting and coming in to see grandma and grandpa. I think also very equally important, dignitaries came to this room to talk to the president. And if the first lady was here, of course, shed be involved in those conversations. Slen who were some of those dignitaries . Evans lots of bigwigs from that time period winston churchill, of course; charles de gaulle, and i think probably most famously, Nikita Khruschev<\/a> and his visit in 1959 to the United States<\/a>. Slen and . Evans and khruschev sat here and sort of had a little thaw in the cold war here with the president and his family. Slen well, moving on down, there seems to be a little breakfast room here. Is that this what this is . Evans yeah. Slen what would this room have been used for . Evans this was yeah, sort of an area that would the couple would play cards here. The ladies would play here and the gentlemen would sometimes play at the other end of the room or in ikes den. I like this area because i think its really mamie here in this part of the room. The president liked to paint here on the the porch. And she they spent so much apart in their married life but especially in their retirement years. If ike was here painting, she would be at this table playing cards, solitaire or reading a book, doing crossword puzzles. she said she just liked to be in the same room with him because they had spent so much time apart in their married lives. Slen now alyce evans, in this little space here with the wicker chairs, et cetera, i counted 12 ashtrays and four lighters. Evans yes. This is the 1950s and 1960s. Both the president and first lady smoked. Ike actually gave up cold turkey though after the war, which is amazing for a man who smoked four packs of cigarettes a day during the war. Mamie smoked for a little bit longer than her husband did. Slen now behind us, its all covered up now but what is behind these screens and these drapes . Evans the eisenhowers had a beautiful view of their cattle fields where eisenhower raised black angus here on the farm and also portions of the Gettysburg National<\/a> military park. Slen what kind of security would they have . Evans of course, they had secret service during the eight years that he was president. And then after kennedys assassination, they had secret service again until both of their passings, mamie until 79. Slen well, one interesting story you told me about Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>, t. V. And secret service. Evans oh yeah. Mamie came up with some unique tasks for her secret service men. She loved soap operas. Her soap opera of choice was as the world turns and as first lady and even in retirement, you know, sometimes she had to miss her daily episode of as the world turns. So guess whos watching it . A secret service man taking notes for her. Slen and he would have to present those. Evans oh yes. Hed have to present so she wouldnt miss any of those important plot twists. Slen after Dwight Eisenhower<\/a>s death in 1969, she stayed here. Evans yes. Slen what kind of visitors did she have on her own . Evans mamie tried to continue, you know, entertaining to a degree. I mean, it was much more quiet when mamie was here. But of course, friends and family were always welcome. Mamie was very lonely, of course, after the president died so she very much welcomed friends and family to come here and keep her company. Slen did she have livein help . Evans yes. There were three Staff Members<\/a> that lived in the house. Mamie had a series of maids that assisted her. And then there was sergeant moaney and his wife. Sergeant moaney had been assigned to ike during the war and his wife, dolores, came here with him and became the cook, he was the valet and they were very close to the eisenhowers. Slen and dolores is still living . Evans yes, dolores is still living. She lives in washington, d. C. She still keeps very close contact with the eisenhower family. Slen well, we have one more stop on our tour. And well be upstairs the next time you come back to the eisenhower farm. Swain thank you, peter slen. And we were all wondering about the secret Service Agents<\/a> who got the duty to transcribe the soap operas during the Eisenhower Administration<\/a>. Well, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> was enormously popular but she really was shielded from the press. She gave only News Conference<\/a> in 1953. Shed been asked by the New York Herald<\/a> tribune to write a regular column. She declined. This was all the advice of their of the eisenhowers p. R. People. Mayo yes. Swain but she always made it onto the best dressed list . Mayo yes. Every year she was in the white house. Swain next, were going to show a little bit of mamies style and. Mayo wonderful. Swain . This is this is you. laughter get ready to talk about this when we come back. Were going to return to abilene and the Eisenhower Library<\/a> for a look at mamies style. begin videotape William Snyder<\/a> im surrounded by just a few of the items that kept mamie on the 10 best dressed list every year she was first lady. She often worked with mollie parnis, one of her favorite designers for her suits and dayware outfits. This is the outfit she wore to the formal opening of the Saint Lawrence<\/a> seaway where she and ike met Queen Elizabeth<\/a> and Prince Philip<\/a>. Another custom design dress is this that is referred to as the eisenhower toile. This is a printed cotton fabric with many of the houses that the eisenhowers lived in during their marriage. It also includes the fivestar symbol for the fivestar general eisenhower. These are a few examples of mamies day dresses. She was very fond of the color pink and wore it in many different shades and styles. Many of the dresses you see are sleeveless. She always said that her arms were ikes favorite feature and so she chose to show them off. This is a handmade dress that shows mamies attention to budget. This one has an exceptionally long hem in it that she would raise and lower so that the hem line was always in fashion. Jackie kennedy is well known for the little black dress. And here are two examples of mamies favorite little black dress. Mamie always said she would never dress like an old lady. These gowns that she wore well into her 70s and 80s show her love of bright colors and wild fabrics. Like any highfashion lady of the day, mamie loved hats. This is just a small sampling of some of them that we have in the collection and one of the favorite designers was sally victor. No outfit is complete without a fabulous pair of shoes and no one knew that better than mamie. As a matter of fact, many of the shoes we have in the collection say, made expressly for mrs. Dwight eisenhower. Mamies love of fashion did not begin in the white house. This dress and undergarment from the mid1920s shows her love of fashion. She was about 30 years old, too old to be considered a flapper but still very stylish for the day. Lets go take a look at some of the exhibits that focus on mamies style. Mamie was well known for her trademark hair style. Special bangs were called the mamie look and you could even purchase fake bangs to clip into your hair into your hair at all of the drug stores during the 1950s. Mamie often would go to the Elizabeth Arden<\/a> salons to get her hair done and Elizabeth Arden<\/a> had one of her hair stylists create these drawings so that mamie could take them with her so that if she had to go to another stylist, her hair would always be perfect. Swain ok, edie mayo, you are on. This series is called influence and image. How much did she influence american womens looks in the 1950s . Mayo oh, she was extremely popular. She, you know, set off a rage for pink. She set off a rage for bangs. Everybody wanted to look like mamie. She was it seems a little strange to us postJacqueline Kennedy<\/a> but she really epitomized the best in in taste and dresses and and accoutrement, if you will, for the 1950s and everybody tried to copy her look. And the the interesting thing about the bangs was that they she first started wearing bangs in the 1920s after the death of their son, icky, had sort of resulted in the eisenhowers growing somewhat apart. And when they were sent to panama, his Commanding Officers<\/a> wife sort of took her under her wing and said, you have to do something to rescue your marriage. And one of the things she decided to do was to take a renewed interest in her personal appearance. And thats when she had her bangs done. And so that was a a sort of symbol to both of them of the rapprochement in the marriage. Later when she was in paris, when when ike was the head of nato, she started frequenting the Elizabeth Arden<\/a> salon in paris run by elizabeths sister, gladys. And then when she came to new york, she frequented the new york salon of Elizabeth Arden<\/a>. And after the inauguration, the first inauguration, Elizabeth Arden<\/a> wrote to her and said, now that youre in the public eye, i noticed that when you first came back, your hair looked absolutely beautiful but it hasnt been quite the same since. So i asked our stylist to render these structural drawings which you saw in that film clip, which are now at the Eisenhower Library<\/a> of the steps that a hair stylist must take in order to achieve the mamie look and the mamie bangs. and therefore you, you know, in your travels across the country and around the world, you can take these structural drawings with you and go into any Elizabeth Arden<\/a> salon and have your hair turn out beautifully. Swain and heres a connection with our current first lady. laughter . Who made waves with her bangs. Mayo right. Mayo and with her sleeveless gown. Absolutely. Harkening back to Mamie Eisenhower<\/a>. We have a list of the things that Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> was created first for. One was they were the first first couple to kiss at the inauguration and has been a historical trend, as women werent even invited to early inaugurations and then there was a splash the first time a woman rode in the inaugural parade. Mayo yes. Mrs. Taft. Swain so they actually went so far as to kiss one another after the inauguration to demonstrate their affection for one another. She completed the white house china collection, created the vermeil room at the white house, invited the first to invite t. V. Actors to the white house weve talked about the i love lucy group there and used first to use camp david as an official retreat for the president. And edie mayo would add establish the role of the first lady as a campaigner. Mayo as campaigner. Swain we have really were running out of time pretty quickly here. Im going to go to robert watching us in portsmouth, new hampshire. Robert, youre on. Your question. My question is Jackie Kennedy<\/a> has been mentioned a few times tonight and im curious how the eisenhowers viewed the kennedys and in particular, how mamie viewed jackie and the differences between them. Irvin holt well, i would say that jackie and mamie got off to a very rocky start and that was never righted. Part of it is the the difference in age but it really beginning with a misunderstanding and it was just very rocky when mamie took jackie through the white house for her tour before the inauguration. And mrs. Kennedy was telling mamie already the plan she had for renovations and that didnt really sit very well with mamie and it went on from there. But i have to say that later, when they were trying to raise funds for whats now the kennedy center, the Eisenhower Administration<\/a> had already been planning for a Cultural Center<\/a> in washington, d. C. And when the kennedys were continuing the plan for that, ike and mamie, as retired first couple, did a lot of public speaking and appearances on television to promote the Cultural Center<\/a>. Swain our guests talk about the fact that the eisenhowers were smokers and in 1955, eisenhower president eisenhower suffered a heart attack. He spent 19 days in walter reed hospital, presumed that at some point during that time, dick nixon took over the role, or was he able to carry on his duties the whole time . Irvin holt to no. Nixon they wanted things to carry on as normally as possible. Youre talking about the first or second. crosstalk his first one. Nixon continued to hold cabinet meetings. They wanted for the country to see that everything was moving along as it should be because when the first announcement came of eisenhowers heart attack, the stock market plummeted, there was almost a panic. And so to show people they were on an even keel, nixon stepped in. Swain and even despite this, eisenhower made the decision to seek reelection, and we have a very brief clip, a 1956 campaign ads, looking at, again, how mamie appealed to women during the 1956 election. begin video clip female so much of our future rests with the women of our country. Theyre the homemakers. The whole family unit revolves around them. Everything that affects the familys welfare affects them first. And everything in the familys life benefits from their influence. They do the family buying. They see that everybody in the Family Circle<\/a> is wellclothed and wellfed. But beyond this, they are the custodian of its values and aspirations for the future. In their hands lies the training of our young people to whom they pass on the Rich Heritage<\/a> of our nation, its love of peace and justice, and its passion for freedom. The women of our country swept dwight d. Eisenhower into office four years ago. They will probably decide the election this time. And they like ike. And heres somebody else they like, too. Ikes beloved mamie, whose smile and modesty and easy, natural charm make her the ideal first lady. Lets keep our first lady in the white house for four more years. November 6, vote for dwight d. Eisenhower. Swain and keep the eisenhowers in the American Public<\/a> did. The eisenhowers served out the next four years, and then, of course, the 1960 election brought john kennedy into the white house, where he campaigned against eisenhowers Vice President<\/a> , richard nixon. The eisenhowers went back to public or private life, back to gettysburg. Were going to go back there again soon. Right now. begin video clip slen and for 19 years, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> lived in this house and all of her life, nearly, she had this picture on every dresser in every house she lived in. Alyce evans, what is that . Evans and thats ikes senior picture from west point, as he gave her that photograph while they were dating. It says, to the dearest and sweetest girl in the entire world. And she always had that on her dresser after that. Slen and, of course, a pink phone and lots of pink things here in the dressing room. But now, to an explosion of pink, the master bedroom. Evans well, i think the decor in this room is very telling of their lives together. Every bedroom they ever lived in, mamie painted the walls this color green and then decorated in pink. They were their two favorite colors. So i think this is real dedication, a real love, that a fivestar general slept under the pinkest sheets here. Slen the original duvet cover. Evans yes. Slen . Bedspread. And this is where they shared until 1969, when ike died. Now, the breakfast set on the bed . Evans yes. Mamie, of course, spent most mornings in bed, sort of conserving her strength. She had suffered from rheumatic fever as a child. So she would have breakfast in bed. Shed have a cute pink tray brought up, with a special breakfast set, and she would have her breakfast her. Then she would answer letters, plan her agenda for the day, meet with Staff Members<\/a> or the cook, whoever she needed to, to plan the day. Slen 1979, she had a stroke, right there. Evans yes, yes. She had the stroke that would eventually end her life here. They found her and then she was taken to walter reed, where she would eventually pass away then in november. She had the stroke in september. Slen alyce evans, the eisenhower home, open to the public. Will they be able to see everything that weve seen today . Evans yes. If you come and visit us, youll see every room and much more. Slen hours . Evans this is ours, the american peoples. Slen no, hours . Sorry. Evans and were open from 9 am until 4 pm is the last bus of the day. The site closes at 5o clock or 5 15. Slen just off the edge of the gettysburg civil war battlefield, this is the eisenhower farm in gettysburg, pennsylvania. Swain and our thanks to the staff of the gettysburg farm and also to the Eisenhower Library<\/a> we are selling this book to you at cost, so if you would like a memento about this series, it is available will stop each week, we have a special item from the first ladies. Maybeeek, it is eisenhowers award from the american heart association. I have to express my surprise, as she was a big smoker. Her final years and her legacy. How do we wrap this up about what we should understand about maybe eisenhower . I think one of the things most telling, she did not think about having a legacy. She thought about what she had , an as a first lady important job. Her contribution to American Life<\/a> and her legacy would be what she said to barbara in that one interview. That, when asked, how do you want to read be remembered, she co just good friends are and that is how she felt about the american people, that she was a good friend to them. It is a generational change, in our next program we will move into the youngest couple moving into the white house, the kennedys. We look forward to learning about how the country continues to change. That is it for the Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> program. We think our guests for their work. Eisenhower, the generals first lady. Book, Mamie Eisenhower<\/a> first lady. Thank you very much for watching, and great to have you in the white house. Of American History<\/a> tv is featuring cspans american first ladies, influence and image for the rest of the year. Next week, we look at Jacqueline Kennedy<\/a>. Each weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Wives and mothers, some of them had children and grandchildren who became president s and politicians. They dealt with the trials and joys of motherhood, the pleasure into chaos of raising small the tragedy of loss. First ladies looks at the first ladies of america, many of whom raised families in the white house. Lively stories, fascinating an illuminating feed based on cspans first ladies series. Available as a hardcover or ebook from your Favorite Book<\/a> seller or online. On monday, as the Supreme Court<\/a> starts the new term, new series. S its on the premier, we take a look at the real story behind a famous case delving into the political battles between outgoing president john adams, the new president thomas jefferson, and john marshall. Marshall and established the court as the interpreter of the constitution. Decision,marbury vs madison. Landmark cases explores 12 Supreme Court<\/a> rulings by revealing the life and times of the plaintiffs and justices and defendants in these cases. T premieres next week for background on each case as you watch, order your copy of the companion book for 8. 95 plus shipping. Recently, American History<\/a> tv was at","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia801208.us.archive.org\/4\/items\/CSPAN3_20151005_000000_First_Ladies_Influence_and_Image\/CSPAN3_20151005_000000_First_Ladies_Influence_and_Image.thumbs\/CSPAN3_20151005_000000_First_Ladies_Influence_and_Image_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240623T12:35:10+00:00"}