Located just four blocks from the White House, the Mayflower Hotel is "Washington's Second Best Address," as coined by frequent guest and former U.S. president Harry S. Truman. The hotel, which opened its doors on February 18, 1925, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized for its architectural significance as well as its historic distinction. The first major social event at the Mayflower Hotel was Calvin Coolidge's charity and inaugural ball. This began a tradition of hosting inaugural events for Democratic and Republican presidents. The hotel's history is inextricably tied to the history of the nation's capital and, in many ways, to the nation itself. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote his inaugural speech in Suite 776 with the famous line, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." J. Edgar Hoover ate lunch at the Mayflower every working day for more than 20 years. In 1973, the Mayflower served as the temporary Chinese Embassy while their offices were being renovated. For over 80 years, this landmark has been regarded as the "Grande Dame of Washington, D.C."

Washington Post Bestseller Washington, DC, stands at the epicenter of world espionage. Mapping this history from the halls of government to tranquil suburban neighborhoods reveals scoresof dead drops, covert meeting places, and secret facilities—a constellation ofclandestine sites unknown to even the most avid history buffs. Until now. Spy Sites of Washington, DC traces more than two centuries of secret history from the Mount Vernon study of spymaster George Washington to the Cleveland Park apartment of the “Queen of Cuba.” In 220 main entries as well as listings for dozens more spy sites, intelligence historians Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton weave incredible true stories of derring-do and double-crosses that put even the best spy fiction to shame. Maps and more than three hundred photos allow readers to follow in the winding footsteps of moles and sleuths, trace the covert operations that influenced wars hot and cold, and understand the tradecraft traitors and spies alike used in the do-or-die chess games that have changed the course of history. Informing and entertaining, Spy Sites of Washington, DC is the comprehensive guidebook to the shadow history of our nation’s capital.

Explores the role of the nobility and analogous traditional elites in contemporary society.

A young Congressman stumbles on the powerful political underworld of 1950's D.C. in this "potent thriller" (David Baldacci) and New York Times bestseller from CNN correspondent Jake Tapper. Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.