Evening star., 1928-11-08
HOOVER familiar
WITH WHITE HOUSE
Constant Contact With PreSi-
dents Gives Intimate KnoWl-'
edge of Mansion.
BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.

BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.
When Herbert Hoover moves into the
White House on March next the in
terror of that historic mansion will not
be at all strange to him. Without any
question of doubt he has been a visitor
at the White House more than any
other man elected to the Office of Presi-
dent.
During the eight years he. has been
| in both the Harding and Coolidge cab
met, and during the war period OF the
Wilson administration while he was
serving as food administrator, Mr..
Hoover has been in the White House on
countless occasions.
He has been all over the famous old
building. It Is doubtful If there is a
room in the house that he has not been
in. He has been a guest at meals and
at other social gatherings on innumera-
BILE occasions, besides the many times
he has been in conference regarding the
business of the Government with the
Presidents with whom he served so in
timately.
It is not recalled that he has ever
spent the night there. At least he is
guest. He actually has spent more
than one night, but not sleeping. Those
occasions were during the dark periods
of the World War, when he and other
members OF President Wilson's so-called
war council foregathered in the library
on the second floor to discuss the trend
of the war, particularly as it related to
the food supplies both in Europe and
In this country
These informal council meetings were
frequent and they sometimes lasted long
into the night and on several occasions
until the next morning.
Knows Personnel.
Not only is the interior of the White
House well known to the President
elect, but he is familiar with its general
routine, as well as its traditions, its
perplexing etiquette and its history.
Moreover, Mr.. Hoover knows the at
taches, most of them by their first name.
He knows a majority of the servants, as
well as the personnel Of the office force,
to say nothing of the members of the
White House police force with whom
he has exchanged greetings during his
visits at the White House.
All Vice Presidents who have become
Presidents we're more or less familiar
with the White House from frequent
visits, but none of these is known to
have been anywhere near as frequent
caller as has been the President-elect
Strangely enough, Mr.. Coolidge's visits
to the White House before becoming
President were less numerous than any
Of the other Vice Presidents who sue
ceeded to the Office. He rarely called,
except on social occasions, during the
OaaYYroaaxy 0f Drocidant Harding
It is not expected that the personnel
of the executive office force or the
White House force will undergo any
appreciable changes when Mr.. Hoover
becomes President. This Is not on ac-
count of his familiarity with the men
who direct and carry on the routine OF
the Office and the mansion, but because
it is not customary.
OF course, Everett Sanders, Mr..
Coolidge's secretary and Edward T.
Clark, his personal secretary, will go
out when the President retires, II rot
sooner. Beyond the appointment of a
secretary and a personal secretary, an
incoming President generally does not
change the employees on the ,,.l Wnite t
House rolls. The presidential military
and naval aides can hardly be ciaSsed
In this connection. They are not rated
as appointments. They are r.erely
Army and Navy and Marine officers
assigned to serve the President in a
more or less social way.
Military Aide.
The military aide to the President
until the last few years held q highly
important position. At least the func-
tions of that Office were many and
varied and the occupant was rated Ill
the nature of major domo" OF the
White House. He was personally In
charge of the social functions, the
management of the household and the
care Of the building and grounds, as
well as in charge Of the Federal build
ings and parks In the capital:
several years ago the military aide
was relieved of the physical care OF the
White House and the grounds and the
Federal buildings and parks. He now
has only to supervise the police force
and serve Jointly with the naval aide
| in the Presidents social and personal
matters. It is not thought likely that
! either Col. Csmun Latrobe, the mill
| tary aide, or Capt. Wilson Brown, COM
mander of the Mayf1ower and naval
aide, will remain after Mr.. Hoover taxes
over the helm OF the Government
Presidents generally prefer to appoint
their own aides and they generally
make selections for personal reasons.
| There does not seem to be the slight
est likelihood of Mr.. Hoover supplant-
ing Rudolph Forster as executive CLERK
Of the White House, which. next to the
secretary and personal secretary, is tne
ranking position on the executive otiice
staff. He has been attached to the
White House for nearly 80 years and
has served in his present capacity fol
nearly 20 years. He is recognized as
an authority on presidential procedure
and the routine of the White House and
the executive Office.
Nelson Webster, disbursing office, who
has been on the White House rolls
equally as long as Mr.. Forster; M. G
Latta, chief clerk, and Clarence Hess
appointment clerk, no doubt, Will De
retained in their present places 1t Is
not expected that Irving Hoover, who
has been chief usher at the White
House, having served in that impor-
tant position since the early days OF the
Roosevelt administration, will be dis
placed. The duties of Mr.. Hoover's po-
sition are such that he is looked upon
as the real major domo." The actual