White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters

by Robert Schlesinger

In White House Ghosts , veteran Washington reporter Robert Schlesinger opens a fresh and revealing window on the modern presidency from FDR to George W. Bush. This is the first book to examine a crucial and often hidden role played by the men and women who help presidents find the words they hope will define their places in history.

Drawing on scores of interviews with White House scribes and on extensive archival research, Schlesinger weaves intimate, amusing, compelling stories that provide surprising insights into the personalities, quirks, egos, ambitions, and humor of these presidents as well as how well or not they understood the bully pulpit.

White House Ghosts traces the evolution of the presidential speechwriter's job from Raymond Moley under FDR through such luminaries as Ted Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., under JFK, Jack Valenti and Richard Goodwin under LBJ, William Safire and Pat Buchanan under Nixon, Hendrik Hertzberg and James Fallows under Carter, and Peggy Noonan under Reagan, to the "Troika" of Michael Gerson, John McConnell, and Matthew Scully under George W. Bush.

White House Ghosts tells the fascinating inside stories behind some of the most iconic presidential the first inaugural of FDR ("the only thing we have to fear is fear itself ") and JFK ("ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"), Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" and Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speeches, Bill Clinton's ending "the era of big government" State of the Union, and George W. Bush's post-9/11 declaration that "whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done" -- and dozens of other noteworthy speeches. The book also addresses crucial questions surrounding the complex relationship between speechwriter and speechgiver, such as who actually crafted the most memorable phrases, who deserves credit for them, and who has claimed it.

Schlesinger tells the story of the modern American presidency through this unique prism -- how our chief executives developed their very different rhetorical styles and how well they grasped the rewards of reaching out to the country. White House Ghosts is dramatic, funny, gripping, surprising, serious -- and always entertaining.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Historical, Writing, Us Presidents, Biography Memoir

592 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2008

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters traces the work of the “ghosts” behind US Presidents from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to George W. Bush.

Written by Robert Schlesinger, son of former special assistant to President Kennedy Arthur Schlesinger Jr, the book examines the influence of the mass media on Presidential communications; the evolving oratorical style of each President; the link between speeches and public policy; the origins of memorable phrases such as FDR’s “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” and George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil”; and the difficulties of determining authorship of particular phrases and speeches.

(A recent Australian example illustrating the often contentious question of authorship is the very public battle between former Prime Minister Paul Keating and his speechwriter Don Watson over the provenance of what is arguably the nation’s best known political address, the “Redfern Speech”. Delivered in 1992, it was the first time an Australian Prime Minister publicly acknowledged that European settlers were responsible for the difficulties indigenous Australians continued to face. In his book, Recollections Of A Bleeding Heart. A Portrait Of Paul Keating PM, Don Watson claimed the speech as his own work; Paul Keating responded in a scathing article in The Sydney Morning Herald:

“The point of this article is to make clear Watson was not the author of the speech… Watson had an important facilitatory role in my period as prime minister; on occasions he also had a role in policy. But in the end, the vector force of the power and what to do with it could only come from me.”)

As a former political speechwriter myself, I recognised the world of White House Ghosts — the long hours, impossible deadlines, endless negotiations and labyrinthine clearance processes, and the problems of dealing with political figures who are not natural orators, nor comfortable with public speaking. I also recognised the difficulties of translating bureaucratese into straightforward language, or as one of President Truman’s speechwriters put it:

“Subjunctives, passives, polysyllabic words, foreign phrases, lengthy sentences and a unique language called ‘State Departmentese’ received a brutal blue pencilling… Anything that sounded like a diplomatic communiqué or an after-action report of military operations was immediately tossed out.”

I particularly enjoyed the comparison of Bill Clinton’s oratorical style to a jazz musician, as he read the reaction of his audience and adjusted accordingly, seamlessly departing from and returning to the prepared text and riffing on the theme. Clinton’s skill for extemporising peaked on November 4, 1996 at the very last campaign stop before his last election. The President opened the folder containing his speech to see only the word “DITTO”. “I loved your speech,” Clinton later told his speechwriter. The next day, he won the election.

White House Ghosts describes many of the key moments in American political history through the eyes of speechwriters, such as Richard Nixon’s last hours as President:

“The writing staff had been pumping out speeches for friendly members of Congress to give on the House floor. Minutes before Nixon was about to go on the air [to give his resignation speech], Coyne heard a solitary typewriter click-clacking down the hall. Finding someone still writing, Coyne put his hand on their shoulder. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘it’s over’.”

The book is also full of delicious behind-the-scenes gossip. JFK speechwriter Ted Sorenson picked up his boss’s verbal mannerisms so well that the President often asked him to impersonate him on the phone. Before he was fired as President Johnson’s speechwriter, Peter Benchley had run-ins with another staffer called Kintner. Years later, Peter Benchley wrote his bestseller Jaws, about a great white shark which terrorised a New England resort community — and it can’t be a coincidence that the shark’s first victim was called Kintner!

While I enjoyed the insider’s view of speechwriting in the Capitol, around the time of the Kennedy administration, I started to find this almost 600-page tome more than a little tedious. Schlesinger seemed determined to write the official history of every single Presidential speechwriter, and most of the speeches they worked on, from 1932 to 2009. In doing so, he included far too much inconsequential detail. The book would have been much more readable at about half the length. Also, it would have benefitted from a good copy-editor; I was surprised that Schlesinger, a veteran Washington reporter and lecturer in political journalism, would make so many egregious errors, such as “site” instead of “cite” and “faired less well”, and write such clunky syntax as, “The middle-class tax cut upon which he had campaign [sic] was dispensed with,” and “Hertzberg was jarred awake around 1.45 am on the morning of…”

Despite these faults, White House Ghosts is a fascinating read for anyone interested in US Presidents and the shadowy men and women who write the words they speak.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting that Speechwriters have such influence on a President's speech even to the point of formulating policy. The book revolves around speechwriters utilized from FDR to GWB and quite eye opening to say the least.

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In White House Ghosts, veteran Washington reporter Robert Schlesinger opens a fresh and revealing window on the modern presidency from FDR to George W. Bush. This is the first book to examine a crucial and often hidden role played by the men and women who help presidents find the words they hope will define their places in history.

Drawing on scores of interviews with White House scribes and on extensive archival research, Schlesinger weaves intimate, amusing, compelling stories that provide surprising insights into the personalities, quirks, egos, ambitions, and humor of these presidents as well as how well or not they understood the bully pulpit.

White House Ghosts traces the evolution of the presidential speechwriter's job from Raymond Moley under FDR through such luminaries as Ted Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., under JFK, Jack Valenti and Richard Goodwin under LBJ, William Safire and Pat Buchanan under Nixon, Hendrik Hertzberg and James Fallows under Carter, and Peggy Noonan under Reagan, to the "Troika" of Michael Gerson, John McConnell, and Matthew Scully under George W. Bush.

White House Ghosts tells the fascinating inside stories behind some of the most iconic presidential phrases: the first inaugural of FDR ("the only thing we have to fear is fear itself ") and JFK ("ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"), Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" and Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speeches, Bill Clinton's ending "the era of big government" State of the Union, and George W. Bush's post-9/11 declaration that "whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done" -- and dozens of other noteworthy speeches. The book also addresses crucial questions surrounding the complex relationship between speechwriter and speechgiver, such as who actually crafted the most memorable phrases, who deserves credit for them, and who has claimed it.

Schlesinger tells the story of the modern American presidency through this unique prism -- how our chief executives developed their very different rhetorical styles and how well they grasped the rewards of reaching out to the country. White House Ghosts is dramatic, funny, gripping, surprising, serious -- and always entertaining.

[Ian Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schlesinger describes the men and women who acted as speech writers to every President from FDR in 1932 to George W. Bush in 2001. Each administration is given a chapter. Each President's relationship with his speech writers is outlined with an analysis of one or more key speeches. Sometimes an Inaugural Address; sometimes the State of the Union address; or a speech on foreign or domestic policy; once a resignation speech.

What's fascinating is the unique relationship each President had with his speech writers and other close advisers. The games they played. The office politics. The late nights. Who `owned' the speech and at what point and to what extent the President gave direction. The best were intimately involved. Sorensen and Kennedy were so close that someone observed "When Jack is wounded, Ted bleeds." Carter kept speech writers at arms-length and "didn't much like the idea of using them, ever." It showed.

In some administrations, White House staffers would rail against the power of a speech writer to make policy. In others, the speech writers were emasculated scribes left out in the cold.

What's absolutely fascinating for anyone who has worked in communications in large commercial organizations (as I have) is how eerily familiar many of the trials and tribulations of the role supporting a CEO is to that of the White House Ghosts. Here's some which had a familiar ring:

* Eisenhower's speech writer Bryce Harlow only agreed to take on the role "on the condition that he get to spend a great deal of time around the president so as to best understand how Ike liked to express himself, what his concerns were, how to capture the man's voice." (p. 82)

* Eisenhower advising Harlow not to circulate a speech too widely for review. Ike himself was a speech writer (for MacArthur in the Philippines) and is quoted as saying "..one thing I know: If you put ten people to work on a speech, they'll kill anything in it that has any character." (p.85)

* JFK used speechwriters to counter the "diplomatic blandness" the State Department bureaucracy produced. Echoing the same tin ear that many high-tech Product Marketing departments have when asked to submit speaking points for a CEO speech, the recipe the State Department used "was evidently to take a handful of cliches...repeat at five minute intervals...stir in the dough of the passive voice...and garnish with self-serving rhetoric." (p.131)

* Speech writers in the Kennedy White House influenced strategy and policy "The two roles - writer and policymaker - were symbiotic. .. Active participation made accurate articulation likely.." (p.149)

* In the Nixon White House Kissinger put the speechwriter "through so many drafts with short deadlines and with such insistence on his own organization and language" that the writer said "I'm sick of being Henry's stenographer." (p.206)

* Regan's speech writer Josh Gilder observed that "writing the speech was a small part of (the) job". "Navigating a draft through the rounds of edits required political skills, negotiations, and compromises." (p.343)

* In the Clinton White House the speechwriters claimed that the president only stuck to the written text about half the time. (p. 408) The writers would boldface the text they needed him to say.

Been there. Done that. If you'd like to know what the job of a speech writer is all about, read this book.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

In White House Ghosts, Robert Schlesinger (son of noted White House speechwriter Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.) examines the history of the presidential speechwriting from its humble beginnings in Franklin Roosevelt's administration to its current incarnation in today's fast-paced age of mass media.

If you aren't keen on speechwriting or politics, you might find White House Ghosts a slow read. But as someone who is deeply interested in political speechwriting, I found this book fascinating.

I was especially impressed by the sheer number of primary sources that Schlesinger was able to round up -- his father must have been a great resource for some of these people. As a result, White House Ghosts contains stories and first-hand anecdotes across multiple administrations that you probably won't read anywhere else.

I'm giving it 4 stars because I thought Schlesinger relied a bit too heavily on anecdotes to fill the book's 500 pages. For being (as far as I know) the first book exclusively dedicated to the analyzing the role of White House speechwriters, it was disappointingly limited in scope. While this book was well-researched, it lacked any sort of deep analysis or conclusion about the importance of its subject matter.

But overall, White House Ghosts was both enlightening and entertaining, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about political speechwriting.

[Margot Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you believe that someone at NSC wanted to change Peggy Noonan's Challenger speech from "They 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God'" to "They slipped the surly bonds of earth to 'reach out and touch someone -- touch the face of God.'"

This book gives a wonderful account of history through the presidential speechwriting process. It was fascinating to learn how speechwriting was not even a profession, until the advent of radio (Roosevelt) and television (Kennedy) made speeches so much more important. It was also interesting to see how often speechwriters had to make up policies to have something to announce! Schlesinger is a little too heavy on back-biting and infighting for my tastes. I would have liked more analysis of how the great speeches got written, though he has many wonderful passages about how the policy folks tried to waterdown the memorable phrases that the speechwriters came up with.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this ten stars if I could. Incredibly researched, brilliantly written, and filled with the unique behind-the-scenes tales of the words that shaped our history. If you are a fan of Sam Seaborn or Josh Lyman, you’ll like this book. If you know the power of the spoken word, you’ll be inspired by the role of individuals in creating the future. If you like history, you’ll be fascinated by the details around some of the Presidents’ most important moments. If you like policy - or just political fights about policy - you’ll want to read it at least twice.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Schlesinger descends from a family steeped in history and politics. His father, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., was an advisor to John F. Kennedy and a renowned historian. Robert's grandfather, Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr., was also a prominent American historian. Such a lineage may have given Robert an entrée to interview the ghosts, the behind-the-scenes ghostwriters who prepared speeches for the president, in this thoroughly researched book.

In rare cases, speechwriters actually formed policy for the administration, proving the power of the pen. Too often, as in the case of the Roosevelt and Ford presidencies, speechwriters competed against each other instead of collaborating. But in most cases, bureaucratic gatekeepers hacked to pieces the carefully crafted speeches, rendering the final draft dissimilar to the original.

Speechwriters tried to capture the speaking style of the president. Truman, who said, "Never use two words when one will do best," used a presidential speech to fire General MacArthur. Plain-spoken Eisenhower navigated the Cold War and civil rights issues with speech which was "very direct, very un-flowered, very unornamented." Speechwriter Ted Sorensen had rare access to the president and developed such a close understanding of JFK, Kennedy called Sorensen his "intellectual blood bank."

Johnson rejected speeches unless they had content that would produce a news lead. Nixon instructed his speechwriters to include, "more parables, stories, anecdotes and similes". Upon succeeding the disgraced Nixon, Ford spoke, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," but failed to take leadership within his own administration. Carter was precise and technical in editing his speeches, often cutting the lifeblood out of them.

Many of the exceptional speeches came to have names, such as Reagan's Pointe du Hoc Speech on the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Some speeches contained a catch phrase which took on a life of its own, as in Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Tragedy sometimes led to memorable speeches, as when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. Reagan told the nation, "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

Speechwriters attempted to characterize an administration with a phrase, such as George H. W. Bush's "thousand points of light" and "a kinder and gentler nation".

President Clinton, known for straying from prepared texts, reportedly wrote his own speech telling attendees of the White House Prayer Breakfast, "I have sinned", after the Monica Lewinsky affair.

George W. Bush appeared to be a strong leader after the events of September 11, 2001, when he said, "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail." But the book's section on Bush turned sour as his speechwriters came under fire for using spurious information about weapons of mass destruction.

Newly elected presidents typically hired speechwriters who made valuable contributions during their campaign and selected others from the realms of academia, law, journalism, and business. Only a handful were Black or women.

The book covers speechwriters through the 43rd president. During that time, some of the better known presidential speechwriters include Welliver, Rosenman, Clifford, Sorenson, Price, Safire, Buchanan, Fallows, Noonan, Snow, Gerson, Frum, McConnell, and Scully.

There have been many others, some familiar, but the remainder are "lost to the ash heap of history". These are the ghosts, but their words live on.

[Molebatsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Whitehouse Ghosts" by Robert Schlesinger is a fascinating book that explores the relationships between U.S. presidents and their speechwriters. The author gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at how famous speeches were created and the people who crafted them. The book covers different administrations, showing how speechwriters influenced politics and helped shape the president's public image. Schlesinger provides interesting stories and insights, making it an enjoyable read for those who want to learn more about political history and the power of words in leadership.

[Ronnie]

It,,'s funny. No matter how many times I ve read about the Roosevelt Years, Truman, Eisenhower,Kenndy, Johnson, Nixon,Ford, Carter, Reagan,Bush,Clinton,Bush....there is always some new info that pops out. The behind the scenes action with speechwriters is knot-busting and revealing. I would hope that Robert Schlesinger will write a continuation of sorts with Obama, Trump and Biden. I think i9t would fill another book with rip-snorting events that would stun the readers.

[audrey]

If I had to pick a dream job-- being the President's speechwriter is definitely the one that would top the list. Can't wait to read this one.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you kanji/keerti/kichu, this is the best birthday present ever

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was about as dry as the Sahara. I was hoping my interest in the topic would propel me through the pages, but it wasn't enough. The author introduces 3-6 new people every page, but doesn't necessarily reference that name again until four or five pages later...and then he refers to them by last name only. Figuring out who the hell he was talking about drove me nuts and completely ruined any flow the book could have had. Even without this huge flaw, there wasn't much of a story anyway. It was a conglomeration of details and short, barely applicable anecdotes about the Presidents' personalities and speech preferences.

I got to Truman - if you can make it past that, you're a stronger American than I.

[Heather Mumaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 star read. Really fascinating. Not only do you learn about the speechwriters and their influence on national policy and historical events, but you also learn a lot about the presidents they worked for, how involved in the process they were, and how they treated their staff. I would have enjoyed the book better if it focused on a smaller number of presidential administrations and went more in-depth, rather than many administrations, 1 per chapter. I would also love the author to do a follow up book with a great focus on more recent presidents.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and engaging history of the hardworking, frequently under-appreciated writers who have penned the president's words from Washington on, but mainly beginning with the 20th century. Schlesinger is refreshingly non-partisan, but he also doesn't pull any historical punches. You'll get insights into how the presidency actually works -- and insights into history -- on every page.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book was how aptly the organizational structure of the speech-writing process illustrated the tenor of each presidential administration. Schlesinger used his enviable access to elicit some great anecdotes. The manuscript could've used a little additional surface editing, though. And seriously, where are Toby Ziegler and Sam Seaborn when you need them?

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book spends is too concerned with completeness and not concerned enough with in-depth analysis and insights. So many characters are introduced (each speechwriter, practically as well as most critical presidential staffers) and it's hard to keep everyone straight.

I liked the topic, but I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about speeches and their writers.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Schlesinger has written an engaging account of the importance of the ghost writer in the high-stakes world of Oval Office politics, though as the New York Times and a couple of others point out, White House Ghosts lacks the breadth that might have made Schlesinger's thesis even more powerful, and "his reluctance to put speechwriting in a fuller context

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but generally dry. Overly long? (Yes, that's a question mark.) I know there are a lot of presidents to cover, and considerably more speech writers, but after a while I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over with little more than a few name changes. Granted, as with any reading experience, it could just be me.

[Joshunda Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for speechwriters and writers who work in collaboration with others. It is a compendium of invaluable insight into the quirks and methods not only of some of the best Ghostwriters in history but the most eloquent Presidents. It also offers fascinating behind the scenes history lessons.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book! I really enjoyed learning about how speechwriters came to be in the White House and then how the positions evolved over time. I also really liked learning about another side of the presidents.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read to view presidents and their policies through the lens of their ghostwriters. Not a light read, but would probably be interesting for those interested in politics or American history.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses the speechwriting process in the white house since FDR.

The book covers the daily work of the speechwriters and the genesis of famous speeches.

Each chapter covers a different president, from FDR to George W. Bush.

[Art Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who occasionally writes speeches for others in the corporate world, I liked this book very much. Those who enjoy politics should as well. Amazing that some of the people writing for the president had never met the president. Also the amount of power some speech writers held.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly engaging and interesting. Never imagined there were so many people involved in the speechwriting effort.

[Jocelyn]

A client of mine gave this to me because I'm a ghostwriter. I'm going to read it on the plane on Friday.

[Lexi]

very excited to read this! will let you know how it is afterwards

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book if you're interested in the history of the modern presidency and in how speeches shape policy (and vice versa).

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inside story. I had to laugh as I recognized types and techniques so similar to those from my own speech writing on a much smaller stage.

[Douglas Graney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to grab this after confirming that my Political Science class will meet with one of Obama's speech-writers at the White House. I'll excerpt some of this for classroom use.