while the white house serves as the private home of one of the world's most highly guarded families
it is also the only residence of a head of state that is open to the public and
although security at the executive mansion has tightened over the years interest in
visiting 1600 pennsylvania avenue has existed for centuries if there was a passage in america's book
of secrets on the white house it probably would deal with the security there because
it used to be that it was thought of as the people's house presidents uh years ago would
entertain everyday people who could just walk to the white house get in and talk to the president
souvenir hunting has been a problem at the white house over the two centuries of its existence
after lincoln's second inaugural there were people cutting the crimson curtains they must have come
armed with pocket knives and things like that pieces of carpet were cut it was just pillaged
believe it or not even famous celebrities have shown up at the white house uninvited
on december 21 1970 elvis presley appeared at the gates asking to see president nixon
and although the rock and roll dignitary known as the king
was welcomed in his visit was very much kept under wraps
it was all done secretly because nixon didn't want to let the public know that he was seeing elvis
like everybody else nixon was enamored with elvis and his songs and at the same time he thought it
would be embarrassing if the public knew that he had an interest in meeting elvis presley
but for the thousands who visit the white house each year
access to certain areas of the home and the president
are strictly off limits and when access is breached it becomes a matter of national security
on november 24 2009 400 guests attended a white house state dinner
honoring the prime minister of india
among the attendees were tarek and mikhail salahi
according to the white house the couple had arrived uninvited but if so how did they manage
to get past one of the tightest security systems in the world how could a suburban couple get past
several security checkpoints dozens of plane clothes uniformed security agents and
the secret service at the first gate we present our real names we show our real ids and the secret
service agent at the first entrance is going through the guest list doesn't immediately see
our name on the guest list but tells us to proceed to the second checkpoint and we do
a very confusing situation existed
there at the first checkpoint there at 15th and e street and one individual decided that these
individuals looked like they belonged i don't know how else to explain that
after gaining access onto the white house grounds the salahi's passed through a second security
checkpoint stationed near the main building we are on the line we meet with katie kirk she's
in line with us we start chatting with her and we are getting checked in now so now there's
another secret service checkpoint here this person was not in a uniform secret service uh outfit
this person was in code and time and at this point there's a checklist and they're checking everybody
off and we'll present our ids present real names and we get checked off at the second checkpoint
we're now proceeding into the white house into the reception area where there are magnetometers and
x-ray machines and we get screened from you know purses to going through the metal detector
we go through that get processed there and checked in we're now in a line a line going into the
if you will the red carpet of the white house where you're announced mr and mrs salahi
it's an incredible feeling and it's just an honor being in the white house
especially being announced by the white house being welcomed by the
white house and at this point we are we are this is better than our wedding
we found ourselves in the receiving line to meet the president and we met with the president of
the united states president obama then the first lady and then the prime minister and then his wife
they had their pictures taken with the president which is remarkable because they
were right with the president the first lady and they hadn't even been invited so that was
the worst breakdown certainly at a social event that i've ever seen and that caused a huge fuss
and people were fired over that or left because of that there were undeniable planning
and execution failures of the entire secret service apparatus
while the salahi's maintained that they had come to the white house event as invited guests
many believe the secret to their successful entrance was merely looking the part the salahis
were actually able to talk their way in it's not that they were particularly known that's what
made it so bizarre but they were all dressed up and they looked like they belonged there
when the salahi's crashed the state dinner at the white house they were not on the guest list
they had not been cleared by the secret service as a result and the secret service
uniformed officers simply ignored the fact that they were not on the guest list
usually the uh security at the white house is very intense and at the social events it's
very intense they have staff members from the social secretary's office with lists of people
who are entitled to come in who are invited there's a number of those folks at the gates
always checking people off then they have another check off there's still another list
but in this particular case the system broke down but while the salahi's undoubtedly became the
white house's two most infamous unwanted guests there were only a handful who knew about the other
even more mysterious visitor who attended the same event that night
the same night that the salahi's crashed the state dinner there was a third intruder
carlos allen and the way that he was uncovered was that secret service surveillance cameras
spotted him going to the dinner and nobody knew who he was they knew that he was not on the guest
list they finally figured out who he was he had intruded with the indian delegation gone
to the white house and the secret service again ignored the fact that he was not on the guest list
it's uh just demonstrates uh that all of the work of all of the people and and all of the
systems and all the processes one individual uh if they don't do their job can literally destroy
all of that work that wasn't a pleasant time i feel confident based on what i've heard based on
what i've seen based on what i've been briefed on that they did not provide a risk to the president
but while uninvited guests may be more of an embarrassment than a security threat how is
the white house prepared to deal with more serious and secret situations and what rooms and tunnels
exist within its walls that can help protect the president and the nation during a deadly attack
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