My 21 Years in the White House
, first published in 1961, is a fascinating account of White House life through the eyes of Alonzo Fields. Serving as head butler and having a career that spanned four administrations from 1931 up until his retirement in 1960, Alonzo Fields weaves together a unique narrative from his private papers and cryptic journals, written while serving 4 presidents; Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
This memoir provides a uniquely intimate primary source account of the U.S. presidents he served, several who came to trust Fields as a close personal friend.
Fields writes his very memorable events like meeting important people like Winston Churchill, Princess Elizabeth of England, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, presidential cabinet members, senators, representatives, and Supreme Court Justices. He was also witness to presidential decision-making at critical times in American history-the attack on Pearl Harbor, the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the desegregation of the military, and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea.