If the setting for Wednesday’s presidential news conference seemed unfamiliar to television viewers, it’s because President Bush had never before made a public appearance in the ornate chamber.
Known as the Indian Treaty Room, it is located on the top floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the WhiteHouse. In fact, President Eisenhower used the room to conduct the very first live televised news conference on January 19, 1955.
“The reason for the room’s name ‘Indian Treaty Room’ is a mystery,” according to the official White House Web site. “It is not clear where it originated, despite extensive research.
“Some believe it was due to the fact that during the 1930s the War Department stored papers there, including treaties with the American Indian nations. But this is not true, as the State Department used it for storage until the 1940s after the Navy Library moved out,” the Web site says.
