USA TODAY

November 4, 1997, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION

Bush hopes library will catalog his successes

BYLINE: Richard Benedetto
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 9A
LENGTH: 1526 words
DATELINE: COLLEGE STATION, Texas

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- George Bush has long maintained a strong

faith in people's ability to draw the right conclusions once they
have enough information.
More than once, that faith was rewarded with disappointment, most
deeply in 1992 when he lost his bid for a second term in the White
House to Bill Clinton.
Now, on the eve of Thursday's dedication of the George Bush Presidential
Library and Museum on the Texas A&M University campus here,
the 73-year-old former president is again counting on people to
weigh the evidence.
"I'm not going to write a memoir," he said in a recent interview.
"I'm convinced the people who go to the library will be able
to draw their own conclusions on the accomplishments or failures
of the administration."
If they draw conclusions Bush doesn't agree with, it won't be
for lack of information. This $ 83 million granite, limestone,
marble and glass complex contains everything someone might want
to know about Bush and his three decades of public service -and possibly more.
Clinton and former presidents Carter and Ford are scheduled to
speak at Thursday's dedication ceremony. Nancy Reagan will also
attend, representing former president Reagan, who is suffering
from Alzheimer's disease. Also expected to attend are Bush's eldest
son, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and a host of former world leaders
and Bush aides. Police are preparing for as many as 40,000 spectators.
The Bush library will house 40 million pages of official documents,
2 million photographs and thousands of hours of videotapes of
Bush's presidency and vice presidency. Most of Bush's papers,

except those classified for national security reasons, will be

available to the public starting Jan. 20, 1998. Federal law seals
the papers for five years after a president leaves office.
As part of this year's campaign-finance investigations, researchers
and reporters will want to see if the Bush videotapes contain
any evidence of Bush soliciting political contributions in the
White House. He is on record as saying it never happened.
The museum will trace the 41st president's life from his June
12, 1924, birth in Milton, Mass., through his World War II service
as a Navy pilot, his college days at Yale, his years as a youthful
oilman in Texas and his decades of public service.
Displays feature such dramatic artifacts as a 4-by-12 chunk of
the Berlin Wall, which came down during Bush's presidency, and
a full-size silver Avenger torpedo bomber like the one he flew
in the Pacific.
Video screens show a Navy film of Bush's rescue by the submarine
Finback when he was shot down during the war. A home movie displays
the 1-year-old Bush taking his first wobbly steps.
In one display case, there's a well-worn gold charm Bush carried
for years inscribed "For the love of Robin," the Bushes' first
daughter, who died at age 3 of leukemia.
A segment of the museum devoted to Bush's life since leaving the
presidency will feature the parachute and gear he used last spring
when, at age 72, he jumped from a plane over the Arizona desert.
A section on Barbara Bush highlights her activities on behalf
of literacy and other causes.
"Each president has a legacy. And each presidential library preserves
that legacy, whatever it is. This is the story of one man and
his wife who essentially gave their lives to the country," said
David Alsobrook, Bush Library and Museum director.
Also on view are replicas of the presidential offices aboard Air
Force One and Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's
Catoctin mountains.
"I did a lot of work in the Camp David office and had a lot pleasure
in that office. The other libraries restore the Oval Office, so
we thought we would do something different," Bush said.
The library and museum complex, which includes an apartment for
the Bushes to stay in when they are in town, as well as a burial
plot, were built with $ 42 million in private funds. Once it opens,
it will be operated and maintained by the National Archives, a
federal agency.
Gratitude for Bush's leadership in the Persian Gulf War helped
with the library fund-

raising. Listed among donors of $ 1 million or more are the citizens

of Kuwait, the State of Kuwait, the Bandar Bin Sultan family of
Saudi Arabia, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science,
the Sultanate of Oman, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan and
the People of the United Arab Emirates.
The library's storerooms are full of Bush artifacts, gifts and
memorabilia. Items on the shelves range from the novel (a framed
needlework of a stalk of broccoli handcrafted by a citizen and
sent as a gift) to the practical (a packet of Pepto Bismol tablets
taken from his Oval Office drawer the day he left office).
Also spotted was a pistol target with a human outline bearing
Bush's name. The target, with five bullet holes in the head, was
captured in 1989 by U.S. soldiers in the headquarters of Panama
leader Manuel Noriega.
"Kind of scary," Bush said.
Every president since Herbert Hoover has a presidential library.
There is also one for Rutherford B. Hayes, which was established
by his family and friends. The Hayes and Richard Nixon libraries
are privately operated; the others get federal funding. A Bill
Clinton library is being planned for a yet-to-be-chosen site in
Arkansas.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Presidency: 1877-81
Location: Fremont, Ohio
Opened: 1916
Highlights: A White House carriage that served as a presidential
"limousine"; the Hayes gun collection; and a doll house that
belonged to the president's only daughter.
Herbert Hoover
Presidency: 1929-33
Location: West Branch, Iowa
Opened: 1962
Highlights: Exhibits summarizing Hoover's presidency and
highlighting his humanitarian work before and after his White
House years. Hoover birthplace and grave on site.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidency: 1933-45
Location: Hyde Park, N.Y.

Opened: 1941
Highlights: Built on the Roosevelt family's Hudson Valley
estate. The only library used by a sitting president. Houses 17
million pages of documents, including Eleanor Roosevelt's papers.
FDR home features the tiny radio studio from which he delivered
his famous fireside chats. He and Eleanor are buried here.
Harry S. Truman
Presidency: 1945-53
Location: Independence, Mo.
Opened: 1957
Highlights: A full-scale reproduction of the Truman Oval
Office, with his famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign on the desk;
his 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan presidential limousine; and exhibits
on his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Truman and his
wife, Bess, are buried here.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Presidency: 1953-61
Location: Abilene, Kan.
Opened: 1962
Highlights: Built around the site of Ike's boyhood home.
Library holds 22 million pages of Eisenhower documents from his
presidency; museum features extensive World War II memorabilia.
Ike and his wife, Mamie, are buried here.
John F. Kennedy
Presidency: 1961-63
Location: Boston
Opened: 1979
Highlights: Located on Dorchester Bay, where JFK's 26-foot
sloop, Vicura, is on display. JFK's voice is heard in the theaters
and 20 exhibit videos. Includes a dramatic exhibit on JFK's assassination.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Presidency: 1963-69
Location: Austin, Texas
Opened: 1971

Highlights: The largest library of them all; contains more

than 40 million documents displayed over five floors. Features
Johnson's extensive legislative record on behalf of civil rights
and the poor and a moving exhibit on Vietnam.
Richard M. Nixon
Presidency: 1969-74
Location: Yorba Linda, Calif.
Opened: 1990
Highlights: Built on the site of Nixon's birthplace. Nixon's
presidential papers and tapes are held by the National Archives
because of legal dispute over ownership. But Nixon's pre-presidential
papers are here, and his post-presidential papers are coming.
Highlights Nixon's foreign policy accomplishments. Tapes relating
to the Watergate cover-up can be heard. He and his wife, Pat,
are buried here.
Gerald R. Ford
Presidency: 1974-77
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Opened: 1981
Highlights: On the campus of Ford's alma mater, the University
of Michigan. Contains nearly 20 million pages of papers from Ford's
political career. Separate Ford museum in Grand Rapids, Mich.,
his boyhood home, features a replica of his first campaign office
in a Quonset hut.
Jimmy Carter
Presidency: 1977-81
Location: Atlanta
Opened: 1986
Highlights: Contains 27 million pages from the Carter presidency.
Highlights the Panama Canal Treaty, the Camp David accords and
the Iranian hostage crisis. Using interactive video displays,
visitors can ask questions of Carter and receive answers.
Ronald Reagan
Presidency: 1981-89
Location: Simi Valley, Calif.
Opened: 1991

Highlights: Built on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific.

Features an Oval Office as it appeared when Reagan used it, a
"Meet President Reagan" interactive video and highlights of
his Hollywood career.