Inside Camp David

The first insider account, timed to the 75th anniversary of Camp David

Camp David is American diplomacy's secret weapon. The home of the 2015 GCC and 2012 G8 summits, the 2000 Peace Summit, and the 1978 Peace Accords, the camp has played a vital role in American history over the past century, inviting Presidents and international leaders alike to converge, converse, and, perhaps most importantly, relax.

A peaceful mountaintop setting, crucially removed from the constant scrutiny of the press, Camp David has served as both a site of critical diplomacy and unparalleled tranquility. It is where President and Mrs. Reagan rode horses through the mountains, where Gerald Ford could take a moment to jump on a trampoline with his daughter, where Nixon rode shotgun with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, and where Jimmy Carter could find the ultimate flight-sledding-only to break his clavicle two weeks before the end of his tenure. Under the pressure and stress, it is easy to forget that those occupying the highest seat in the land are, at the end of the day, human but at Camp David, we finally get to see these leaders at their most vulnerable, their most unguarded, and as their most true selves.

“Praise for Inside Camp David "Inside Camp David gives a first-hand account of the president's most private retreat from an author who ran it. Camp David is part sanctuary, part office, and part vacation destination. Giorgione captures life at the exclusive retreat and offers a glimpse into the lives of presidents and their families when they're seeking a respite from the spotlight."-- Kate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women”

Praise for Inside Camp David

"Inside Camp David gives a first-hand account of the president's most private retreat from an author who ran it. Camp David is part sanctuary, part office, and part vacation destination. Giorgione captures life at the exclusive retreat and offers a glimpse into the lives of presidents and their families when they're seeking a respite from the spotlight."--Kate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women

"A captivating stroll through the storied Maryland mountain retreat seen through the eyes of the Sailors, Marines, gardeners, cooks, handymen and their families who catered to the presidents. Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione, a charming raconteur, takes us behind the scenes and shows why, from Kennedy to Obama, presidents found Camp David (aka Naval Support Facility Thurmont) the ideal place for both white-knuckle international diplomacy and desperately-needed decompression: a walk in these woods can restore presidential sanity."--Chris Whipple, New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency
"A complete yet personal history... This intelligent and recommended account is sure to appeal to readers of presidential biographies and American history buffs in general."--Library Journal
"Giorgione weaves palace intrigue, personal reflections from former commanding officers at the camp and histories of the retreat and Thurmont... A glimpse of little-known histories."--Danielle E. Gaines, The Frederick News-Post
"In this intimate and informative book, Giorgione blends the presidential with the personal and casts a loving eye on a seldom seen but consequential place... With grace, candor and humor, he makes what, in academic hands, could have been dry as dust, breathe with life."--Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Just the presidential memoir America needs right now."--Garrett M. Graff, Wall Street Journal
"No one has a better understanding of this mountain retreat than the Commanding Officer. Inside Camp David provides an insight into life at this secret hideaway used by presidents and their families over the years. It is an accurate portrayal of life as it is lived by the Commander in Chief away from the White House."--Clint Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Presidents
"Toasts a great perk of the presidency, one that almost none of us will ever see... Full of firsthand glimpses into a secret world and fresh insights that may delight even the most politically cynical among us."--Adeel Hassan, New York Times
A "pop history of a vacation spot with a strictly limited clientele.... An easygoing... visit to a place where presidents are 'more reflective, playful, and energized by the hills and forests that surround them.'"--Kirkus

Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione CEC, USN (Ret.) has served a total of 29 years on active duty in the United States Navy and four years at the Naval Academy, retiring in 2010. He has served as the Commander of Camp David for President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush, as well as working under the White House Military (WHMO) in the East Wing of the White House along with those in command of Air Force One, Marine One, Aides, and other White House Military. He is currently a much sought after speaker and educator throughout the United States and the world.

The first insider account, timed to the 75th anniversary of Camp David. Camp David is American diplomacy's secret weapon. The home of the 2015 GCC and 2012 G8 summits, the 2000 Peace Summit, and the 1978 Peace Accords, the camp has played a vital role in American history over the past century, inviting Presidents and international leaders alike to converge, converse, and, perhaps most importantly, relax. A peaceful mountaintop setting, crucially removed from the constant scrutiny of the press, Camp David has served as both a site of critical diplomacy and unparalleled tranquility. It is where President and Mrs. Reagan rode horses through the mountains, where Gerald Ford could take a moment to jump on a trampoline with his daughter, where Nixon rode shotgun with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, and where Jimmy Carter could find the ultimate flight-sledding-only to break his clavicle two weeks before the end of his tenure. Under the pressure and stress, it is easy to forget that those occupying the highest seat in the land are, at the end of the day, human but at Camp David, we finally get to see these leaders at their most vulnerable, their most unguarded, and as their most true selves.

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