Synopses & Reviews
REILLY OF THE WHITE HOUSE By MICHAEL F. REILLY As Told To WILLIAM J. SLOCUM SIMON AND SCHUSTER, NEW YORK 1947 Photo by U. S. Army Signal Corps STALIN, REILLY, ROOSEVELT AND CHURCHILL Contents Chapter One. A QUIET SUNDAY 31 Chapter Two. THE SUPREME COURTS LOSS 8. Chapter Three, PROTECTING THE BOSS 15 Chapter Four. PROTECTING NAZI TARGET NUMBER I 26 Chapter Five. BOMBS AND SUDDEN DEATH 45 Chapter Six. MR. ROOSEVELT 57 Chapter Seven. BLOOMERS AND HIGH HATS 70 Chapter Eight. MESDAMES ROOSEVELT 80 Chapter Nine. GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS 86 Chapter Ten. A MAN WHO . . . 95 Chapter Eleven. TRAVEL NOTES io Chapter Twelve. ARGENTIA AND CHURCHILL 117 Chapter Thirteen. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF HITS THE ROAD 125 Chapter Fourteen. CASABLANCA BOUND 136 Chapter Fifteen. CASABLANCA 148 Chapter Sixteen. UNCLE JOE is READY 162 Chapter Seventeen. DIPLOMACY A LA RUSSE 168 Chapter Eighteen. FOURTH CAMPAIGN 189, VI C 0 N TENTS Cfaaf Cr 4 tf ZP ft IE VODKA TRAIL AGAIN 2OO Chapter Ff ty. COLONELS AND KINGS 216 Chapter Twenty-One. THE LAST TRIP 225 APPENDIX A 235 APPENDIX B 241 TTHE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON October 21, 1942 Dear Mike Ever elnce ray return to Washington, I have been meaning to write you this personal note to tell you what a magnificent Job you did In making the arrangements for my western trip. Everything clicked beautifully and I did not hear a complaint from any one along the line. I know It was a moat difficult Job to do because of the secrecy but I must aay you had a technloue which worked beyond any of our hopes I dont know how you did It. I realize the difficulties you faced and the enormous P mount of detail connected with such e trip and that Is the reason 1 want you to know - how deeply Iappreciate all that you did to make It a very comfortable and happy trip. With my warm regards. Always sincerely yours. Michael P. Rellly, Esq., United States Secret Service, The White House, Washington, D. C. REILLY of the White House CHAPTER ONE A Quiet Sunday ONE OF THE things I loved most about the White House was the way it reverted to type when given half a chance. Six days a week it was just a bustling modern office building with sleep ing arrangements attached. But on the seventh day the sound and fury were gone and 1600 Pennsylvania became once again a graceful home, in the best Southern tradition. Voices were lowered, ushers walked instead of scurrying, politicians acted like guests and gentlemen. It was on such a peaceful Sunday that I sat in Chief Usher Wilson Searles office, a cubbyhole at the main entrance to the Mansion. In the next room FDR was lunching with his Secre tary of Navy, Frank Knox. Searles and I were discussing fishing, and a bored young man draped in the gaudy golden loops of a Secretary of Navys aide yawned, listened to us, and yawned some more. Searles phone rang and he answered it with, Searles, White House Ushers Office. In a moment he passed the phone on to the aide, saying, Its the Navy Department calling you. Knoxs young man took the phone. Being an old Secret Service man, I kept just a little bit of my ear open for the conversation. It was not only a rude gesture, but completely unnecessary, for the officers gold braid began to flap as he yelled into the receiver My God, you dont mean Pearl Harbors been bombed 3 4 REILLY OF THE WHITE HOUSE The aide listened for a second and then hung up, completely missing the telephone cradle twice before he couldget the instru ment in place. Ive got to see the Secretary at once he told me, and I merely pointed to the room where FDR and Knox were lunching. The aide took off in a full gallop for the room, pulling him self up after a step to turn to me and say Mike, please dont say anything about this. I told him I thought it would be a pretty tough job keeping the bombing of Pearl Harbor a state secret and started telling a few people about it right away. I went to the White House switchboard and told the girl Start calling in all the Secret Service men who are off duty...