California’s Commanders In Chief

Presidential libraries in Southern California focus on the lives and legacies of U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

 

By Anna Lee Braunstein, F351629

February 2015

 

Southern California is crowned by not one but two presidential libraries, and they are located within 90 minutes of each other (depending on traffic). Each library makes significant contributions to visitors’ understanding of the history of the United States.

Banners wave along the road leading to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, to honor not only the 40th president of the United States but all the men who have served in that office. This lovely building northwest of Los Angeles, with a spectacular view, pays tribute to a man whose humor and warmth permeated everything he did.

 

The museum tour begins with a film overview of his life and career, with Reagan providing part of the narration. The theme that he “started to change a nation and

instead changed the world” carries from the film to the exhibits in the museum.

 

Beginning with Reagan’s Irish ancestry, the first exhibit continues through his childhood and early working career. In the General Electric Theater, clips from his early movies show his appeal as a leading man. The Green Screen Experience next to the theater allows aspiring actors to do a “screen test” opposite the young Reagan. 

 

While working as a national spokesman for General Electric, Reagan found his voice as “The Great Communicator” and developed his skill of connecting with people. His success is shown in displays of his work as president of the Screen Actors Guild and as governor of California.

 

Singular displays have special poignancy. The sweater worn by the “Gipper” in the film Knute Rockne, All American reminds us of not only Reagan’s most famous movie role but also of the time when, decades later, he asked presidential candidate George H.W. Bush to “Win one for the Gipper.” 

 

Passionate letters and telegrams Reagan sent to his beloved wife, Nancy, and examples from the actual diaries he kept reveal more about the man. Visitors can select a date and read a digitized diary entry. In the video “Honor the Arts,” beloved entertainers, many now gone, perform at White House concerts.

 

Posters and news reports set the stage for the story of Reagan’s first election to the White House, but it is the 70 Days room that impacts visitors. Stepping through doors labeled “Hilton Hotel,” you are confronted by television monitors repeating that awful day in 1981 when John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Reagan. The suit the president wore, bullet holes gaping, is on display. As chilling as this exhibit is, it was Reagan who eased the tension after the shooting with a humorous plea that his doctors be Republicans. One doctor’s response — “Mr. President, today we are all Republicans” — brings smiles and tears.

 

Reagan’s presidential years are presented in a replica of the Oval Office. Docents explain how much of the decor reflects his love of the culture of the American West. Standing as centerpiece is a copy of the Resolute desk. The original, still in Washington, D.C., is made from timbers of the British ship that was trapped in Arctic ice. The desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. It was raised to accommodate Reagan’s long legs. As in the White House, the reconstructed desk holds a jar of brightly colored Jelly Belly brand jelly beans, his confectionery of choice. 

 

Display cases illustrate Nancy’s flair for fashion and her advocacy for stem cell research, foster parents, and the Just Say No campaign.

 

Aboard a real Air Force One plane, docents explain such special features as the communications center, Secret Service room, and media center. Evidence of Reagan’s sweet tooth is repeated in the scattered jars of jelly beans and his requirement that a cake always be on board, in case a passenger was celebrating a birthday. Near the plane stands a Marine One helicopter and a 1983 Cadillac limousine with “Gipper” on its license tag.

 

The museum tour continues with a series of unsettling experiences.  The sounds of dogs barking, police yelling in German, and sirens wailing fill the Berlin Wall room. Displays of Cold War implements, such as Stasi decoders from East Germany, remind us of that fearful time, as do newsreel film clips of speeches by Reagan and Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev.

 

High and low points that occurred during Reagan’s career are chronicled in displays about detente with Russia, peace summits, the Iran-Contra scandal, and the deadly Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. A teleprompter stands ready for visitors to read Reagan’s words: “Mister Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

 

After his White House years, Reagan lived at Rancho del Cielo near Santa Barbara, California, enjoying the outdoors. But again, visitors are moved by the handwritten “Sunset of My Life” speech, in which he revealed that he had Alzheimer’s disease, and by the touching eulogies following his death. Reagan still provides inspiration at the end of the tour while narrating a film about the beauty of the American spirit. 

 

Visitors can enjoy a break at the Ronald Reagan Pub, an original tavern that once stood in Ballyporeen, Ireland, and was rebuilt here. The library’s Country Café is another place to eat on-site.

 

This library fulfills Reagan’s words at its dedication: “The doors of this library are open now and all are welcome. The judgment of history is left to you, the people.”

To enter the Spanish hacienda-style Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is to return to the turbulent 1960s and ‘70s. His presidential administration is considered among the best-documented, and this library provides an advanced course in the history of the mid-20th century. 

 

Located in Yorba Linda, California, not far from Anaheim and Disneyland, the library stands amidst the orange and lemon grove once owned by Nixon’s parents. The complex includes the family home as well, which was built in 1920. It contains many of the original furnishings, among them the bed in which Nixon was born and the piano on which he learned to play. A miniature of the house in the entry of the museum shows the likeness of a young Richard at the piano. The Nixons’ burial site is near the home as well.

 

Inside the presidential library building, the tour begins in the theater with a short video clip that explains changes made in 2010 with the addition of the Watergate Wing. Then the film opens with Ronald Reagan placing Nixon’s name in nomination at the 1960 Republican National Convention. This is a preview of the chronological exhibits that follow Nixon’s career, starting with his election to Congress in 1946 and his membership on the House Un-American Activities Committee; his role as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower; his “wilderness years” out of public office; and, finally, his presidency. Nixon’s philosophy of “never giving up” runs throughout the movie and the exhibits.

 

In the hallway are cases filled with letters from celebrities such as Elvis Presley, offering to help with the war on drugs, and Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball, who both praised and chastised Nixon for his efforts regarding the civil rights movement. 

 

In an exhibit showing a 1947 debate between congressmen Nixon and John F. Kennedy over the Taft-Hartley Management-Labor Relations bill, the moderator predicts, “Either of these young men can go far.” Those words were proven prophetic during the 1960 presidential election. Video replays of the later Nixon/Kennedy debates show how television transformed campaigning. We found it refreshing to realize that candidates at that time gave informed answers to questions, rather than canned responses. Throughout the tour, we were transported back to the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, as vintage televisions broadcast Nixon’s famous and infamous speeches.

 

The Wilderness Years exhibit chronicling Nixon’s time out of office includes letters from children showing their sympathy at his narrow loss of the presidency in 1960 (Kennedy won by an estimated 120,000 votes). Additional displays present the family debate over Nixon’s run for California’s governor, and, following that defeat, his appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue a privacy-versus-freedom-of-the-press case.

 

Though the exhibit focusing on his 1968 campaign and victory is modest, his accomplishments are well presented. These include establishing the Environmental Protection Agency and supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The telephone Nixon used to call the moon and talk to astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin is featured alongside a moon rock. 

 

The World Leaders exhibit contains life-size bronze statues of such figures as Russia’s Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Chinese Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir are posed as though in conversation. More world leaders are shown near displays of the magnificent gifts they gave to the president and his wife, Pat.

 

Nixon’s dramatic opening of the door to China is represented in a room replete with Chinese fine art and folk art. During our visit, we met two travelers from China who commented that the exhibit reflected their own understanding of the momentous time when Nixon met with Chairman Mao.

 

A Vietnam War exhibit includes Nixon’s “Silent Majority” speech; the shootings at Kent State University; the My Lai Massacre; and a video of Sen. John McCain returning home from a prisoner of war camp.

 

An exhibit shows first lady Pat’s adventurous life before marriage and her role as Ambassador of Goodwill. Among personal family possessions is a charming photograph of daughter Julie and her later-to-be-husband, David Eisenhower, first meeting during college.

 

The newer Watergate exhibit pulls no punches. The six sections have labels such as “Dirty Tricks” and “Cover Up” and ask questions, including “What did the president know and when did he know it?” Visitors can listen to the notorious Oval Office tapes. Video interviews with Washington Post reporters and comments from investigators and judges provide further corroboration of White House misdeeds. Then Nixon’s dramatic resignation speech is presented as well.

 

After Nixon resigned, he climbed aboard the Army One helicopter to travel from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base. Army One was restored and installed on the museum grounds in 2006. Visitors can climb aboard the aircraft, which seats 16 and cost $1 million to build in 1960.

 

When you visit these presidential museums, you will gain new perspectives on the past and present. Truly, history offers a lesson to us all.

Priceless Car Collection Now At Reagan Library 

• 1956 XKSS owned by Steve McQueen (one of only 16 built).
• 1971 DeTomaso Pantera owned by Elvis Presley.
• Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in the films Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1991).
• 1966 Ford Thunderbird driven by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991).
• 2001 custom Honda Roadster driven by Devon Aoki in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003).

In the Historic Cars Gallery:

• 1913 Mercer Raceabout.
• 1939 Bugatti 57C Atalante.
• 1952 Ferrari 212/215 Inter Spyder.
• 1981 gold-plated DeLorean DMC-12.

In the Heads of State Gallery (through October 2015):

• 1938 Packard Super 8 Parade Phaeton used by Juan and Evita Peron, president and first lady of Argentina.
• 1942 Lincoln Limousine used by presidents Roosevelt and Truman.
• Pope John Paul II’s 1998 Cadillac Papal Parade Phaeton, a.k.a. “The Popemobile.”

Ronald Reagan Library and Museum

40 Presidential Drive

Simi Valley, CA 93065

(800) 410-8354

(805) 577-4000

Email: Reagan.library@nara.gov

www.reaganfoundation.org

 

Admission is $16 for adults, $13 for seniors, $9 for youth, and $6 for children ages 3-10. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.

Yorba Linda, CA 92886

(714) 983-9120

Email: nixon@nara.gov

www.nixonlibrary.gov

 

Admission is $11.95 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $6.95 for students and active military, and $4.75 for children 7 to 11. Open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday.