Blair House’s official guest books form a record of political change, advancement and evolution in the United States and around the world. They reflect the profound complexity of international politics and the ever-changing role of the United States on the world stage. At the same time, they are a reminder of the courtesies and traditions that are an indispensable part of events of state.
Choose an entry below to see selected pages from among the many hundreds contained in the historic Blair House guest books.
- General Charles de Gaulle
- President Harry S. Truman, First Lady Bess Truman and family
- Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
- Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the Provisional Government of Israel
- Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and entourage
- President Harry S. Truman and his daughter Margaret Truman Daniel
- Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Republic of the Philippines, and First Lady Imelda Marcos
- His Royal Highness Edward, Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor
- The Honorable Lyndon Baines Johnson, Former President of the United States of America
- The Honorable Nihat Erim, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
- His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite, Kingdom of Jordan
- Her Excellency Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel
- His Excellency Nguyen Van Thieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam
- His Excellency William R. Tolbert, President of the Republic of Liberia
- His Excellency Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel
- His Excellency Anwar El-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza, Shah of Iran
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- The Honorable James Carter, President-elect of the United States of America
- The Honorable Ronald Reagan, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Reagan
- His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Queen Noor
- His Excellency Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- President Ronald Wilson Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan
- François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic
- Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- The Honorable George Herbert Walker Bush, President-elect of the United States of America and family
- Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of the United Mexican States
- His Excellency Guillermo Endara Galimany, President of the Republic of Panama
- Frederik Willem de Klerk, State President of The Republic of South Africa
- Shaikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait
- His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland
- Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations
- Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
- Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation
- President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton
- President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Their Majesties, The Emperor and Empress of Japan
- The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America
- His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
- Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa
- Her Excellency Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
- His Excellency Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China
- The Right Honorable Tony Blair, M.P., Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Their Majesties King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia
- His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
- President-elect George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, Barbara Bush
- Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan
- Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel
- Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
- Vicente Fox, President of the United Mexican States
- Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
- Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
- Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
- Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
- Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady
- His Excellency Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq
- His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait
- His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Mrs. Elizabeth B. Ford
- Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia
- The Honorable Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Obama
- His Excellency Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel
General Charles de Gaulle
July 6-10, 1944 – At the time of this World War II visit, General Charles de Gaulle was leader of the Free French and living in exile in England.
President Harry S. Truman, First Lady Bess Truman and family
April 16 - May 7, 1945 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945; upon being named president, Roosevelt's vice president Harry S. Truman moved into Blair House for the transition.
Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
August 22-26, 1945 – In this visit, after the surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of hostilities in the World War II European theatre, Charles de Gaulle visited the United States as president of the provisional government of France.
Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the Provisional Government of Israel
May 24-25, 1948 – Dr. Chaim Weizmann was the first president of the nation of Israel.
Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and entourage
December 19, 1956 – Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of post-colonial India; his daughter Indira Gandhi would later serve as prime minister from 1966 to 1977, and from 1980 until 1984.
President Harry S. Truman and his daughter Margaret Truman Daniel
November 23, 1963 – President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas the day before.
Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Republic of the Philippines and First Lady Imelda Marcos
September 13-16, 1966
His Royal Highness Edward, Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor
April 4-5, 1970
The Honorable Lyndon Baines Johnson, Former President of the United States of America
November 12-14, 1971
The Honorable Nihat Erim, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
March 20-23, 1972
His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite, Kingdom of Jordan
February 5-8, 1973
Her Excellency Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel
February 26-March 2, 1973
His Excellency Nguyen Van Thieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam
April 4-7, 1973
His Excellency William R. Tolbert, President of the Republic of Liberia
June 4-8, 1973
His Excellency Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel
September 10-13, 1974
His Excellency Anwar El-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
October 27-29, 1975
His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza, Shah of Iran
May 15-18, 1975
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
July 7-9, 1976
The Honorable James Carter, President-elect of the United States of America
December 8-10, 1976
The Honorable Ronald Reagan, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Reagan
January 14-20, 1981
His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Queen Noor
November 1-5, 1981
His Excellency Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
February 2-5, 1982
President Ronald Wilson Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan
April 28, 1988
François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic
September 29, 1988
Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
November 15, 1988
The Honorable George Herbert Walker Bush, President-elect of the United States of America and family
January 18-20, 1989
Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of the United Mexican States
October 1-4, 1989
His Excellency Guillermo Endara Galimany, President of the Republic of Panama
Aril 29-May 1, 1990
Frederik Willem de Klerk, State President of The Republic of South Africa
September 23-25, 1990
Shaikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait
September 28, 1990
His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland
March 19-22, 1991
Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations
May 8-10, 1991
Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
May 14-17, 1991
Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
October 21-24, 1991
Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation
June 15-18, 1992
President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hilary Rodham Clinton
December 7-8, 1992
President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton
January 20, 1993
Their Majesties, The Emperor and Empress of Japan
June 12-15, 1994
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America
September 7-12, 1994
His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
April 3-6, 1993
Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa
October 4-7, 1994
Her Excellency Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
April 9-11, 1995
His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
July 9-11, 1996
His Excellency Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China
October 28-30, 1997
The Right Honorable Tony Blair, M.P., Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
February 4-7, 1998
Their Majesties King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia
February 22-24, 2000
His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
June 19-22, 2000
George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, and Barbara Bush
January 17-20, 2001 – These signatures commemorate the Bush family's stay at Blair House in advance of George W. Bush's first inauguration.
Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan
January 27-31, 2002 – In the wake of the defeat of the Taliban leadership of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai stayed in Blair House in his role as chairman of the nation's interim government.
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel
March 18-20, 2001
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
July 11-12, 2001
Vicente Fox, President of the United Mexican States
September 4-7, 2001
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
September 24-25, 2001 – Only 13 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Prime Minister Koizumi left a strong message of support for the nation.
Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
November 12-15, 2001
Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
February 12-14, 2002
Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
April 21-24, 2002
Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
December 8-10, 2003
Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady
June 11, 2004 – During the week of President Ronald Wilson Reagan's state funeral, Nancy Reagan stayed at Blair House. World and national leaders came to Blair House to pay their respects.
His Excellency Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq
July 24-27, 2006
His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait
September 4-5, 2006
His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
September 24-26, 2006
Mrs. Elizabeth B. Ford
December 30, 2006 – January 2, 2007
Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
January 4, 2007
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
May 6-8, 2007
Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia
October 21-23, 2007
The Honorable Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Obama
January 15-20, 2009
His Excellency Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel
May 11-14, 2012