The Press at the White House: 1941-1952

In 1945, Harry S. Truman proposed a major West Wing expansion that would add a studio and auditorium for press briefings. The plans lacked Congressional support and were not executed. Truman moved the meeting place for press conferences from the Oval Office to the Indian Treaty Room in the State Department (today’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building). Truman’s press conferences were reduced to once a week and became more scripted, usually including a formal presidential statement to outline positions or issues.