Many presidents have used the Resolute desk in the Oval Office or the their study in the Residence. It was made from the timbers of HMS Resolute, an abandoned British ship discovered by an American vessel and returned to the Queen of England as a token of friendship and goodwill. When the ship was retired, Queen Victoria commissioned the desk from William Evenden, Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham, England, and presented to President Rutherford Hayes in 1880.
The desk has twice been modified. Franklin Roosevelt had the whole desk raised on a 2 inch base to accommodate his wheelchair. He also requested that the kneehole be fitted with a modesty panel carved with the presidential seal (he preferred people not see his leg braces and often placed a waste basket in front of his desks), but he did not live to see it installed. However, President Truman liked the eagle motif and had it installed when he came into office in 1945.
Every president since Hayes—except Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford—has used the Resolute desk, although some chose to use it in their private study in the Residence. The desk was made famous in part by a photograph of John Kennedy at work while his son, John Jr., peeked out the front through the kneehole panel.
Kneehole panel, yeah right.
I wonder if Monica ever got stuck in the kneehole, like Pooh in Rabbit’s howse.
Monica wouldnt fit in it,yea I would have taken a bj from her,but as President, Clinton should have at least got the hottest babe out there if I was in his place I would have tried too
Pretty shoddy mod job. The raised base looks ok, just. But the extra panel seems fitted rather poorly.
Isn’t it interesting that the real Presidential seal has the eagle’s head facing the claw holding the palm leaves of Peace, but this Presidential seal on the desk has the eagle facing towards the arrows of War. Hmmmmm—-
Interesting indeed.
wabler – GOOD EYE!!
You’ll enjoy the explanation:
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/turnhead.asp
what do you wanna bet that it has stuff craved in it like:
“kilroy was here”
“WC and ML” (in a heart)
“JFK and MM” (in a heart)
And according to Nicholas Cage, there’s a secret panel with some sort of improbable wooden puzzle lock that the secret service have never found with a map or some asinine thing in it!