, Columnist
Richard Nixon's Palace Guard
Richard Nixon's brief, tragic career as a costume designer.
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It's a Friday in the middle of August, and we could all use a break. So let's go back in time to January 1970, when President Richard Nixon was preparing for a visit from Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Nixon, who thought his White House uniform guards looked "slovenly," had them outfitted in new uniforms, based on the honor guards he had seen, and been impressed by, in Europe.
My husband, upon seeing this, immediately said "Oh my God, those look like marching band uniforms!" You can kind of picture them sticking a flute in those holsters, can't you? If an enemy charged the White House, they could quick-draw and start fifing away. "Give 'em the old Yankee Doodle Dandy, boys!"