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Home , La Pietra, Royal Hawaiian Hotel

FDR'S "WHITE HOUSE"-1934

by EDWIN NORTH MCCLELLAN

First American President to visit Waikiki Beach where he lived "at the Royal Hawai Hotel . . . the White House for two days," reported the New York Times — From t Fink Palace he viewed the Outrigger Canoe Club, the Coral Beach and the B Pacific, with their many aquatic activities — He would liked to have paddled an c rigger canoe, rode the surfboard as did his sons Franklin and John, but Fate said ; — And in his mind were pictures of his ancestors as they sailed on ships past Diamt\ I mviN N. MCCLELLAN Head and Waikiki Beach into Harbor, just as he had.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with his sons Franklin and John, arrived Honolulu aboard the cruiser Houston escorted by the New Orleans, from Hilo, < July 26, 1934. As the two cruisers steamed around Diamond Head an Aloha Flig of Army and Navy planes, greeted the Commander-in-Chief. Off Waikiki Beach fleet of fifteen outrigger canoes mostly from the Outrigger Canoe Club, and hundred sampans, surrounded the Houston and New Orleans and escorted t President to Pier Two. WAIKIKI "WHITE HOUSE" HEADS ALOHA FLEET Finally, the Presidential Cavalca^ Aboard a large double outrigger canoe moved out to the Beach at Waikiki whe arranged to appear as a royal canoe of the President relaxed in his Royal Su the First King, was Duke Paoa Kahana- of the which, moku, World Champion Swimmer, in the New York Times explained, wou whose bronzed body probably Hows the be "the 'White House' for two days" a> blood of the King he represented. He was where President Roosevelt would, in t clad in the part of ancient Hawaiian lovely Garden of the Hotel, "disco\ royalty symbolic of Kamehameha the another Fairyland of Greenery, with aci Great. His paddlers were alus costumed of ground expertly landscaped to utili in accordance with ancient custom, wear- the indigenous botanical specimens ing malos and feather capes. the Islands.

AN UNPARALLELED "ALOHA" HOOKUPU/ LUAU, PAGEANT At Pier Two over sixty thousand en- On the night of his arrival, Frank] thusiastic Islanders of many races, greeted Delano Roosevelt was royally honor* President Roosevelt. A Marine Guard of and splendidly entertained by Govern Honor was there. So was the Royal Ha- Joseph B. Poindexter and people of \ waiian ancestry, at Washington Pla waiian Band, hula maidens, singers and official residence of the Governor a ii high officials. The Band played former home of Queen Liliuokalani w Ponoi, Aloha Oe and Na Lei o Hawaii. had been with her ancestors for sevente • High civil and military officials boarded years. the Houston with off icial aloha greetings. At the luau or native feast, FDR sar

FDR LANDS IN PARADISE pled strange foods, like chopped octop suckling pig, chicken in coconut mi About 9:15 a.m. the President disem- which had been cooked in the irnu. A barked. He wore a lei. After official hon- poi, breadfruit, limu or seaweed, kuY ors were rendered FDR started a "Round nut kernels, pineapples, pieces of sug the Island" tour. Stopped at the Nuuanu cane to chew, and more. Pali, watched a hukilau, visited the Mor- An Hawaiian entertainment was stati- mon Temple, Kcmoo Pineapple Planta- on the lawn under a full moon. Tin? tion, Kahuku Sugar Plantation, lunched was a hookupu or gift-giving ceremo > at Schofield Barracks where he reviewed at which FDR received many presents troops and watched the Army planes beautiful feather cape was placed on >t spell out "F.R." in the blue heavens. President's shoulders by Colonel Cm [ 8] I'lenu laukea who sat beside FDR and ixplained what was going on. "President • it I | Roosevelt is our Aliiaimoku, he is our crreat Leader!" chorused the many Ha- itians present. President Roosevelt left Washington XXXXEST8HOP ^^ 1 4 'lace about midnight and soon was sleep- pg in his Waikiki White House. w/s IUKE TEACHES PRESIDENT'S SONS TO SURF At seven o'clock on the morning of uly 27, 1934, the President left his hotel p inspect . However, Frank- in Jr. and John Roosevelt remained at jVaikiki to have a fling at . "The /resident's sons . . . took time "off this lorning from the Pearl Harbor visit . . . o sample Hawaii's most famous sport, urfing, in company with Duke Kahana- loku, the world-renowned Island swim- ner," wrote the New York Times man. owever, they were expected at Pearl arbor in time for luncheon at the quar- ts of Rear-Admiral Harry E. Yarnell. Franklin Jr. and John donned their nthing-suits and, with the Duke steer- ig, rode Waikiki Surf in an outrigger moe. After half a dozen rides they re- trned to the beach where the Bronze ike of Waikiki gave them surfboard in- (Concluded on Page 23)

.PPUCANTS FOR MEMBERSHIP Listed below are applicants desiring lembership in the OCC. Every member lould read this list carefully and in the vent he has any reason to object to rceptance of any applicant he should et in touch with Don Waggoner, chair- lan of the Admission Committee, at 3-595 and state his reasons for object-

Your committee spends much time ecking the qualifications of each ap- licant, however, it is impossible to cover ery avenue of information. Any objec- on made will be treated as strictly con- iential. Please kokua your committee.

REGULAR WsioI^Vs It*. -tjb^. fphcant Proposed By Seconded By ten O. Hubbell John H. O'Neill Dr. M. I. Conner eyot^e!: l^Uu cmec^- Mckinley A. F. McKenna T. G. Singlehurst JUNIOR orge G. King Edward G. Fearon Sterling P. Muller NON-RESIDENT Len Bowler Rose V. Volpe Barbara C. Letourneur [ 9] OR'S "WHITE HOUSE" enaena. FDR enjoyed reminiscences with (Concluded from Page 9) his Harvard mates, Walter and Harold Dillingham. ructions. Then, the three paddled their President Roosevelt returned to his ;oards out to the combers. Ending the Waikiki White House for a private din- nrfboard adventure the Roosevelt boys ner. It may have been in this interval that ressed hurriedly and rushed out to Pearl FDR was massaged by a Japanese mas- 6 arbor where they arrived in time for seur with the Japanese method of elbow, le Admiral's luncheon. strong grip, and walking on the body. AT PEARL HARBOR This masseur told me several times that -v Admiral Yarnell not only provided an he had performed such a service for FDR. Kcellent luncheon but also Hawaiian President Roosevelt left the hotel at itertainment for his guests. Pretty Ha- nine o'clock for Iolani Palace where he laiian maids danced the hula and sang witnessed a lantern parade by Chinese, ings of Hawaii to the strains of Island Korean and Japanese residents. tusic. "RESTORE THE THRONE ROOM" . After luncheon the inspection of Pearl On his last day, July 28, 1934, FDR larbor, which had started in the morn- visited the Throne Room in Iolani Pal- j.g, was resumed. The President visited ace. He declared that "the Throne Room :,e shops, Submarine base, drydocks, should be restored to its original condi- ird Island on which was located the tion at the time of the Alonarchv." lieet Air Base and Army's Luke Field. "ALOHA! FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!" I here was no Air Force or Hickam Air ase at this time. On the day of his departure, President Roosevelt stood on the tipper lanai of This inspection, which satisfied the Iolani Palace and made an Aloha Ad- jmmander-in-Chief, was ninety months dress to the thousands assembled and :??fore that "Day of Infamy," December listening on the radio. 1941. At the conclusion of his address, the From Pearl Harbor to dedication of President "whirled for the last time lie Roosevelt Memorial Portal at Ala through the still gayly decorated streets ioana Park, and next, Fort De Russy. to the Pier where the cruiser awaited ome time during his visit the President him," reported the New York Times. A died at the Shriners Hospital. He also tremendous crowd cheered FDR as he lanted a Kukui Tree on Iolani Palace stood on the Houston's gangway receiv- rounds. ing honors, and later on the bridge. ONORED AT BY THE DILLINGHAMS As the warship passed Waikiki Beach At three o'clock this afternoon, FDR beyond the Reef, FDR, Franklin, Jr. and ras honored by Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. John tossed their leis into Pacific waters Dillingham at their home La Pietra on as a promise of early return to Paradise. le slope of Diamond Head, site of the F. D. Roosevelt came back in 1944 and ncient Hawaiian heiau (temple) Papa- lived in a Waikiki War White House. TRY HAWAII'S FINEST DRY CLEANING BY ^^ APPROVE O ^^^

AMERICAN ^W^LAU N D RY DRY CLEANERS AND RENTA4. OF LINENS Since 1900 [ 23]