- State Arrival Ceremony
The State Arrival Ceremony is a ceremony that takes place on the South Lawn of the
White House , the official home and principal workplace of thePresident of the United States , in which a visitinghead of state is formally welcomed to theUnited States . The ceremony usually begins astate visit , and is the setting of the initial contact between the two heads of state during the visit.History
The idea of a State Arrival Ceremony at the White House was first conceived of by President
John F. Kennedy in the spring of 1961. Kennedy wanted to use the majestic setting of the White House for official welcomes, and to reconnect the modern presidency with the history of the early republic. For previous 20th-century administrations, theChief of Protocol of the United States had begun a tradition of having theUnited States Secretary of State greet visiting heads of state atAndrews Air Force Base or sometimes at Union Station, with a small militaryhonor guard .Kennedy envisioned a ceremony where the White House architecture and grounds would provide a stately setting for a welcome showcasing American history and military vitality. President Kennedy worked with the Chief of Protocol and military leaders on the form of the ceremony. An effort was made to find the right amount of pomp befitting a republic. For the first time all four branches of the U.S. military were to be included, along with music, an invited audience of citizens, diplomatic officials and the press, and a 21-gun cannon salute.
The first State Arrival Ceremony at the White House took place on
October 15 ,1962 to greet Premier Ahmed Ben Bella ofAlgeria . In reviewing the first State Arrival Ceremony, Kennedy was disappointed to find the guard of honor, representing each branch of the United States armed forces had been entirely white. All subsequent guards of honor have made a point of being multiracial as a reflection of the American nation.fact|date=June 2008The ceremony has evolved over time, and presidents have added, changed, and removed details. While Kennedy had avoided use of brass fanfares, fearing they would be too regal, President Nixon had new band uniforms with spiked helmets made, and began the tradition of brass fanfares for announcing the president. The spiked helmets were discontinued by President Ford but the brass fanfares continued.
Order of events
Along the South Lawn are positioned members of the four military branches with their colors. The flags of the 50 states are held aloft by members of the U.S. armed forces. Originally the flags of the 50 states were positioned to the south, behind the honor guard. During the administration of
George W. Bush , the flags have been positioned along the north edge of the curved drive.Members of the
Official Foreign Delegation are assembled, along with representatives of the three branches of U.S. government, embassy staff, and press. Invited guests, sometimes numbering over 4,000, from the general public include American citizens with ancestry to the visiting head of state's country. The public are provided with small flags of the United States and of the visiting head of state's country, and a program embossed with theSeal of the President of the United States .The ceremony is carefully orchestrated, and involves the President and First Lady waiting inside the
Diplomatic Reception Room on the ground floor of theExecutive Residence for word that the visiting head of state's car has approached the north entrance to East Executive Drive. On cue, the United States Army Herald Trumpets, on the balcony of the South Portico sound atrumpet volley , followed by a member of the diplomatic corps announcing, "Ladies and gentleman, the President of the United States, accompanied by the First Lady." The Herald Trumpets perform fourruffles and flourishes on bugle and drum. Guards open the doors to the White House and the president and first lady emerge. Immediately "Hail to the Chief ", the presidential anthem, is played by the band (the band rotates between Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine). The president and first lady stand on the walk awaiting the visiting head of state's car.Shortly after the president and first lady enter the South lawn, the guests' car approaches and slows to a stop as a fanfare sounds, and the visiting head of state and their spouse emerge. They are greeted by the president and first lady, and then move to a raised dais festooned with the U.S colors. A member of the diplomatic corps announces the playing of the visiting head of state's national anthem, preceded by four ruffles and flourishes. This is followed by the American national anthem. During the playing of the national anthems, a 21-gun-salute is fired (a 19-gun-salute is fired if the visitor is a head of government).
Cannon s are located to the south on a large public lawn called the Ellipse.Following the two national anthems, the president and visiting head of state review the honor guard. At this point depending on the pleasure or custom of the visiting head of state, they may greet the public by shaking hands, or simply walk by greeting with a nod or wave.
Next, the
Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps , dressed in 18th-century uniform, parade by the reviewing stand and invited guests. The colonial-era song "Yankee Doodle " is performed at all State Arrival Ceremonies, except for when the visiting head of state is from the United Kingdom.Following the troop by the fife and drum corps, the president formally welcomes the visiting head of state to the United States, speaks to the nature of the two nations' friendship, and often concludes with the word "welcome" in the visitors' language. Next the visiting head of state shares some remarks sometimes requiring translation.
At the conclusion of the ceremony the president, first lady, visiting head of state and their spouse enter the White House through the
Diplomatic Reception Room and assemble in theCross Hall andEntrance Hall for a smaller reception and receiving line.References
* Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. "Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration." Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7.
* Clinton, Hillary Rodham. "An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History." Simon & Schuster: 2000. ISBN 0-684-85799-5.
* Garrett, Wendell. "Our Changing White House." Northeastern University Press: 1995. ISBN 1-55553-222-5.
* Seale, William. "The President's House." White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1986. ISBN 0-912308-28-1.
* West, J.B. with Mary Lynn Kotz. "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies." Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: 1973. SBN 698-10546-X.
* "The White House: An Historic Guide." White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6.External links
* [http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/6EBB9F7C-7082-48C8-A508-3FCC12E97493/0/4RFHailtotheChief.mp3 Ruffles and flourishes with "Hail to the Chief" (MP3)]
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