Presidential predicaments
Tales of descent and ascent
About a year ago I became interested in the story of a Titanic victim named Major Archibald Butt known by his nickname “Archie.” Archie was a first class passenger who was well known in society at the time of the Titanic disaster as the military aide to both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.
A Titanic expert and author named George Behe, who I have become acquainted with in my work assisting with editing the newsletter of the Titanic Book Club, has written three volumes titled “Archie” that total over 2000 pages detailing the letters Archie wrote to his mother and sister-in-law about his life and his time working with Roosevelt and Taft.
When reading these narratives, I found it fascinating to learn how these men handled the everyday nuisances of life. One thing William Howard Taft is well known for is his size, being the largest president on record, weighing at the time of his presidency at about 332 pounds.1 His weight came up often in the letters of Archie as he was responsible for protecting Taft from danger as well as planning excursions where often his great bulk would play a factor.
A Tale of Descent
A story that Behe discusses in Volume One of “Archie” occurred in 1909. Archie helped President Taft plan a tour of the American West. They made several stops together including one near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Taft had been invited to make the trip down the canyon on horseback and was determined to do so. Archie, being the concerned aide and friend that he was, decided that he needed to give his honest feedback to Taft that he was afraid if he made this journey down the canyon with the narrow curves it would be hazardous. Taft, who before this incident had always been described as being in a jovial mood by Archie, responded, “see here! You go to hell! I will do as I damn please sometimes!”
Though Archie could have chosen to leave it at that, his concern got the best of him, and he revisited the matter, to which Taft got irate but finally conceded that he would not make the trek down since Archie was insistent. Archie sensed that when they arrived at the Grand Canyon Taft realized that his advice was sound, although he never admitted it to him other than to say that his wife and cabinet would agree that Archie was right.2
Archie and Taft went on to have an enjoyable trip and a strong friendship in which Taft described Archie as being nearly a brother to him.
In reading this story and others in Volume One of “Archie,” I got a sense of the human side of the men that are so often elevated to legendary status in history. Through the accounts of Archie, I have developed a newfound interest in presidential firsthand narratives. I found another story about a later president dealing with a different type of predicament that I found intriguing.
A Tale of Ascent
What would happen if a president were to get stuck in an elevator?
On February 29, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson was met in the Pentagon garage by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Johnson, McNamara, and eleven other individuals including a Secret Service agent boarded a Pentagon elevator with a max capacity of fifteen. The elevator was ascending to the office of Secretary McNamara when it suddenly stopped moving.
Initially, Secretary McNamara started to push several buttons and the emergency telephone was used to alert the maintenance workers that the elevator was stuck. Johnson was able to advise the group that they should use his notebook containing his speech to pry open the outer doors of the elevator in order to create a draft of air as it was starting to get stuffy after a few minutes.
Several people showed up on the landing, and after about twelve minutes, the outer doors of the elevator were opened. Stopped at about three feet from floor level, the group was able to climb out of the elevator. Lyndon Johnson joked to the secretary that he was going to take the line out of his speech regarding the efficiency that McNamara brought to the defense department.3
It seems that a former experience of Lyndon Johnson at the age of seventeen prepared him for this particular incident. He worked for a time in San Bernardino, California as an elevator operator at a place called The Platt Building. During his campaign in 1964, he made a visit along with his wife “Lady” Bird Johnson to the location where he’d worked in this humble position. He entered the elevator and took over the operator handles, stating to the press, “hurry up fellows. I’ve got a buzz, I’ve got to go up.”
From the fourth floor, he said, “I looked out over the streets where I wasted a lot of time dreaming.”4
Reflections
I find both of these stories endearing. The story about Taft’s trip to the Grand Canyon speaks to the importance of friendship and putting aside our pride at times to cherish what we are able to enjoy in the present instead of focusing on the things that might be out of our reach. The second story about Johnson speaks to the concept of hope and the importance of valuing each phase in the ascension of our life. Each experience we have no matter how ordinary it may seem molds us into the person we become and prepares us for adversity.
I hope you enjoyed reading about these presidential predicaments. Thanks to the dedication of Archie and George Behe for documenting these stories. I have about 1400 pages of “Archie” left that I intend to read, and there is a good chance that I will have more presidential lore to share in the future.
History.com Editors. November 16, 2009. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/white-house-housekeeper-frets-over-presidential-waistline
Behe, George. January 29, 2012. “Archie: The Life of Major Archibald Butt from George to the Titanic.” (Volume 1). Lulu.
Folder, "February 29, 1968," President’s Appointment File [Diary Backup], Box 91, , LBJ Presidential Library, accessed June 15, 2024, https://www.discoverlbj.org/item/pdd-dbackup-b091-f08
“President gives campaign lift”, The Morning Union, 1964, p. 11.
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Loved these stories Sarah. The elevator story seems appropriate for The Silent Sod as elevators have come to be a place social convention seems to dictate we remain silent in while riding. Attending a conference in LA once a few years at the Doubletree hotel, check in registration was at the top (70th!) floor. So Hollywood, a short black and white film plays on the back wall as you whoosh up or down the building in hopes of keeping you entertained during the ride.
Can't wait for more presidential lore!