J Street

'So,' Michelle tried to sound casual as she sat in the other chair. 'This was Lincoln's idea?'

'That's right, Michelle,' Roy began. 'From what Shays told me, Lincoln wasn't so sure that the Union would win the Civil War. There was a lot of stuff that he didn't want the Confederates to get should they actually manage to capture Washington. So he had this tunnel installed and kept it a close secret.' Roy pointed to the safe and added, 'In there is a document written by Lincoln himself that outlines his contingency plan in the event that the Union lost.'

Michelle eyed the safe with new respect as she listened to her father's tale. 'How did he manage to build this?'

'Well, he had help,' Roy explained. 'The history books tell us that this wife went through some sort of a mental state during his Presidency. She spent thousands of dollars redecorating the White House. She put in the most expensive drapes, carpets, and anything else she could think of. And since no one is alive who was there at the time, I can only tell you what Shays told me: That Lincoln took some of the thousands of dollars given to his wife for decorating and put it into this tunnel and room. Shays said he had one army officer in charge, and with him forty ex-slaves. They built it in about three months. Lincoln probably only paid for the materials, with the labor done for free because of the way many people loved him.'

'Ex-slaves? Why ex-slaves?' Michelle's brown eyes were puzzled.

'Makes sense. Most slaves couldn't read or write. They didn't have a lot of family, either. It would be much easier to keep this place a secret if the workers weren't talking about it and writing about it to their wives and kids,' Roy said. 'Of course, we'll never know for sure exactly how it was done.'

'No, you're right,' Michelle said. 'But it s here, so it got done somehow!'

'You got it, Michelle,' Roy continued. 'Through the years it was maintained by the White House grounds keepers, with the support of the Presidents through the years right up to John Kennedy.'

'The secret died with him?'

'Except for the hired help, yes.' Roy paused. 'I don't know why he didn't tell Johnson. I can only guess that he figured he had plenty of time as he was young. The world situation what it was in 1963, he probably figured the fewer people who knew, the better. Didn't look like we'd ever need this stuff. Not to mention some of the stuff that he put in there. So when he died, the other President's after him didn't know.' He stopped, then looked at his daughter. 'I'm not making that mistake. I'm telling you!'

'Thanks a lot, Dad,' Michelle said sarcastically. 'But why didn't Shays ever tell them?'

'I didn't even want to ask him, Michelle. I think he enjoyed the power he had over it. Someone had to know before Shays, too, and I don't know why no one told the Presidents. He may have figured that the Republican Presidents were too conservative and the Democratic Presidents were too liberal. Then again, maybe he wanted to protect them.' Roy rose and walked to the safe. 'Knowing what's in here can certainly change the way you deal with life.' Roy realized he was rambling and quickly recovered. 'Now, let me tell you what you need to know.'

Roy paced the room as he explained, 'Essentially, it's a bomb shelter. It has only the one entrance from the White House grounds. The safe is waterproof. I keep desiccants in it to stop the mold and mildew from destroying the things that are in there. The sole purpose is to preserve the contents of that safe.'

'What is in there?' Michelle finally asked the important question.

'Papers. Photographs. Letters. Documents from Lincoln through Kennedy. The combination is 8-21-62. This safe was new in 1962 when Kennedy put it in here.'

Michelle turned the dial to the safe. It, like everything else, was well maintained by her father and his predecessors. She opened the door and began leafing through the myriad of papers inside. The realization of what she was seeing startled her.

'Dad, do you realize the possibilities here?'

'Yes, I do.' Roy was deliberate. 'That's why I'm going to tell the new President now. Let it be his decision to make.'

Silence followed as Michelle read the documents, then slowly replaced them in the safe. Roy stopped her and took one group of papers away from her.

'This, he's got to see pretty soon,' Roy said as he put the papers in his pocket. Michelle looked at him. His face was serious.

'Let me show you how to change the combination,' Roy said, and then proceeded to teach Michelle. He let her change it several times, reset the original combination, closed and locked the safe. He stood and gestured for her to sit down at the table.

'Now, another history lesson for you.' Roy moved closer to the door. 'The Washington streets were designed by Pierre L'Enfant. He created a system that would make it nearly impossible to attack the Capitol on foot or by carriage. He also had the honor of naming the streets. He chose to name them after the letters of the alphabet.'

'Yes, Dad.' Michelle, a life-long Washingtonian, had long before noticed the pattern. 'I know. 'E Street.' 'L Street,' etcetera.'

'Except L'Enfant didn't like a man whose last name was 'Jay,'' Roy continued.

'And that's why there's no 'J Street' in Washington, D.C.' Michelle finished for him. 'I know the story, Dad.'

Roy opened the door and flashed his light on the front of it. Although she didn't notice on the way in, clearly etched on the front of the door was the name 'J STREET.'

Surprised, Michelle stared for a moment, then said, 'But why 'J Street'?'

'Because there is no J Street in Washington, D.C.,' Roy said triumphantly. 'Just like those papers, it doesn't exist.'