White House
Residence of the US president, Washington DC.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace Corps - The Great Adventure | Peace Corps | setting | A state-visit thank-you that saved the Peace Corps budget. |
Peace Corps: The Great Adventure — Peace Corps (2002)
Source: Peace Corps - The Great Adventure · Readwise highlight
In 1983, I was invited to the White House for the state visit of Prime Minister Ratu Mara of Fiji. Everyone took their seats around an enormous table-President Reagan, Vice President Bush, Caspar Weinberger, the rest of the Cabinet, with the prime minister and his delegation, and myself.
- Role: setting
- In the book: In Loret Miller Ruppe’s essay “I Stand in Awe”, she recalls the 1983 state visit of Fiji’s Prime Minister Ratu Mara, who thanked President Reagan for the Peace Corps Volunteers living in Fijian villages. A week later Reagan refused an OMB cut to the Peace Corps, because it was the only thing he had been thanked for at the dinner.
- Why it matters: The anecdote shows the agency’s survival turning on one personal moment in the room.