The Media and the Presidents

This photograph by Joseph J. Scherschel shows President Richard M. Nixon and President Georges Pompidou of France in the Oval Office on February 24, 1970. The pair are seen amid a photography opportunity for members of the press following an arrival ceremony for Pompidou on the South Lawn. The press can use this moment to ask questions of the president and foreign head of state to comment on earlier private discussions.

This photograph by Joseph J. Scherschel shows President Lyndon B. Johnson giving a press briefing in the Rose Garden, likely on July 29, 1965. The Rose Garden is located on the west side of the South Grounds, just outside the Oval Office. It has gone through several incarnations: a vegetable garden in the first part of the 19th century, a “colonial” garden in 1902, and replaced with a rose garden in 1913. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy wanted to expand the garden for official functions and events. His idea became the Rose Garden, designed by horticulturist, gardener, and close friend of the Kennedys, Rachel Lambert Mellon. The garden was installed the following year, becoming a green theater for official ceremonies and a special place for the first family’s private enjoyment.

This photograph shows President Lyndon B. Johnson giving a televised press conference in the East Room of the White House on July 13, 1965. In this press conference, President Johnson offered an update on the war in Vietnam and news of Russia's acceptance of the US-lead effort to reconvene the Disarmament Committee. Notably, he issued the nomination of Thurgood Marshall as solicitor general. Marshall was the first African-American to serve as solicitor general, making him the highest-ranking black government official in American history.

This photograph shows a press conference held outside the West Wing entrance in May 1966, during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. The press had had a dedicated work space in the White House since the construction of the West Wing in 1902. The press area was moved around the West Wing and next door in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before taking over space above the White House swimming pool, installed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, during the Richard M. Nixon administration.

This photograph shows the press waiting in the Press Lobby in the West Wing. The press has had a dedicated work space in the White House since the construction of the West Wing in 1902, though the press area was moved around the West Wing and next door in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before being assigned to a room built above the White House swimming pool, installed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, during the Richard M. Nixon administration.

This photograph shows the West Wing press area during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. The press has had a dedicated work space in the White House since the construction of the West Wing in 1902, moving around the West Wing and next door in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before settling in the room built above the White House swimming pool. This particular iteration was enlarged under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and decorated under President John F. Kennedy. Abbie Rowe, the White House photographer for the National Park Service, is seen standing to the right in a dark gray suit and black rimmed glasses. Rowe documented the presidents and the White House from the Franklin D. Roosevelt through the Lyndon B. Johnson administrations.

This black and white photograph is of members of the press posing for a picture on the South Lawn of the White House. The photograph was taken during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry S. Truman in the Oval Office addressing a large group of reporters, announcing Japan's surrender to the press.

In this black and white photograph, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt give a joint press conference in the Oval Office of the White House, December 23, 1941. Churchill's visit came in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States formally entering World War II earlier that month. The Prime Minister would go on to make numerous visits to Washington throughout the conflict.

In this black and white photograph, a photographer takes a picture President Warren G. Harding playing with the Harding family pet Airedale terrier, Laddie Boy, in front of the South Portico of the White House. Harding’s presidential campaign slogan was "Return to Normalcy" following the end of World War I, and Laddie Boy was the perfect representation of this shift. He even sat in on meetings and had his own cabinet chair. This photograph is from the Herbert E. French Collection, of the National Photo Company at the Library of Congress, which captured life in Washington, D.C., from the Wilson to the Hoover administrations.

This photograph was taken on the day after election day as President Harry Truman displays the issue of the "Chicago Tribune" that reads "Dewey Defeats Truman." Truman had in fact won the election despite polling numbers indicating he was behind. The newspaper went to press before the results were fully known, resulting in the disastrously wrong headline. The photograph was taken in St. Louis when someone handed Truman a copy of the paper and he held it up in victory, preserving the mistake for all time.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry Truman in the Rose Garden with cartoonists who have sketched him.

In this black and white photograph, President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets with members of the press in the Oval Office as they gather around the President’s desk for a press conference.

In this black and white photograph by Harris and Ewing, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his 13th Fireside chat describing the accomplishments of the 75th Congress, progress that has been made relating to the Great Depression, and the upcoming 1938 elections. President Roosevelt's fireside chats were one of the most well-remembered features of his presidency. He delivered 30 broadcasts between 1933 and 1944 and expanded the use of mass media technology to connect the president with the American public.

In this photograph, taken on October 5, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses students visiting from India in the Rose Garden.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President-Elect John F. Kennedy speaking to reporters outside the West Wing.

This photograph by Robert Knudsen shows President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office with reporters during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. On the date this photo was taken, October 23, 1962, U.S. Navy ships moved into place around Cuba to set up a quarantine, which Kennedy ordered with the signing of Proclamation 3504.

This black and white photograph by David Hume Kennerly shows President Gerald R. Ford swimming in the White House swimming pool for reporters. This swimming pool is different from the one built in 1933 during the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, which was indoors and paved over in 1970 to become the Press Room.

This black and white photograph by David Hume Kennerly shows President Gerald R. Ford visiting the Press Room and waving to reporters.

This photograph shows President George W. Bush speaking at the podium in the Press Room during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Press Room was created in 1969 under President Richard Nixon in the location formerly used for a swimming pool. It was renamed the James S. Brady Press Room in 2000 after the press secretary to Ronald Reagan who was injured during an assassination attempt in 1981.