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The
Hat Box as it appeared during the Reagan
administration.
When the United States entered World War II in December
1941, White House security became a much more serious
concern than it had been in the past. Bulletproof
glass in the three south windows of the Oval Office
and a "bomb-barrier," concrete poured
along the West Wall of the Executive Office Building,
were installed. Special outdoor lighting was designed
by General Electric to dimly illuminate the grounds
without casting a glare on the house itself. Despite
protests from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, an
air raid shelter was also built under the newly
constructed East Wing. In 1942, Roosevelt ordered
an East Terrace cloakroom called the "Hat Box"
converted into a movie theater. Here the president
enjoyed watching news reels and took special interest
in the battles fought in Europe and Asia.
Source: William Seale, The President's House, 976, 977, 980, 983, 995, 1052.
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