National Geographic: Inside the White House Page #2

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I want to do it right,

because it's the United States.

Conceived by President Kennedy in 1961,

the modern ceremony not only

impresses the visiting leader,

it gives him the distinction

of being welcomed here.

Together we have agreed

to safeguard nuclear materials

and to shut down

plutonium production reactors.

Together we can and we will

make a difference

not only for our own people

but also for men, women,

and children all around the world.

The receiving line's going on

right now inside.

The President and Mrs. Clinton

are receiving the official party.

We have a full day, full slate

in front of us.

We have some canopies to put up yet,

flower material to put around,

there's a lot of activities going on,

yeah.

See ya later.

All right, Jim what else you got?

In the White House basement,

the first preparations

for the state dinner are underway.

Here the butlers will find some

of the 1,500 different pieces of china

to set tonight's tables.

It's one of a hundred different tasks

the White House staff will finish

in their push to the dinner,

now ten hours away.

Upstairs, in the entrance hall,

a receiving line welcoming

the Russian delegation is concluding.

Just a few steps away,

the china is wheeled into

the old family dining room.

The White House is barely large enough

to hold a dinner like the one

planned for tonight.

So this elegant room has been converted

into a giant pantry

so butlers like Buddy Carter

can serve tonight's 150 guests.

There are so many people

that are capable of doing this job,

but I'm one of the few selected

that get to do it.

So I take a lot of pride

in what I do and I love it.

Can I speak to Jim please?

Chief Usher Gary Walters

is the house conductor.

He directs everyone

from butlers to plumbers,

all the people who serve the family

and make the house work.

Although he built the house,

George Washington died

before it was finished.

John Adams, intimidated by the expense

of running such a home,

said he'd prefer a row house instead.

But Washington's house held

irresistible allure,

and on the night of November 1, 1800,

Adams became the first President

to sleep in the White House.

Well, he woke up the next morning

and he wrote a letter to his wife.

It seemed to settle in on him.

And it's really, you might say,

the first experience, you know

of a President having in that house

and see by now

it is the President's house.

It seems almost an afterthought,

it was very beautiful,

when he says, you know,

may heaven bestow the best of blessings

on this house and may none

but honest and wise men

inhabit it hereafter.

When the Johnsons

entered the White House,

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