Guess who I met? The president's red phone installer.

Sunrise Country Club is more than just a tennis and golf club. It is the home to a thousand great American stories. It is a slice of American history, layered between corporate and international intrigue, and all rolled into one wonderfully tasting sandwich. And I took a bite of this sandwich recently. 

I was at a tennis gathering that included CIA operatives, automobile executives, electronics executives and one man who was an expert in red phones. The gathering was hosted at the beautiful home of Bill and Karen Yoder. Their story will come later. For now, the Red Phone is on my plate.

I cornered Don Richardson and asked in a playful manner, “Don what is your story?” We were sitting on the patio of the Yoder’s’ home, with a sparking pool in the background, with hamburgers on the grill American style, and with wine bottles piling up like a recycling yard. It was the American dream and we were living it.

That is a picture of Don. Always in charge of something. Always with a smile. He walks and talks in Sunrise Country Club style. Now back to the red phone.

Don sat on the ground and talked and I, sat in a soft chair, listened. As it turned out, Don was a red phone expert. He was a specialized transmission engineer that was responsible for providing the “Red Phone” to president’s Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson. I asked Don how he addressed each of them. Don replied, “I called each of them sir.”

The Red Phone as you may know is the phone that technically must be within 6’ of the president at all times, no matter where they are. It is the phone that enabled Khrushchev or any head of a foreign nation to call a president directly and discuss anything from a nuclear attack to the weather. When a president would land at Palm Springs airport for a little relaxation or private visit, Don would meet them on the tarmac as they walked off the plane and hand them the Red Phone. When the president was ensconced in his hotel, like the Rivera in Palm Springs or at one his friend’s homes in the Valley, Don would arrange for the Red Phone to be at the president’s side. Only Don knew how to make the Red Phone work in the Valley. That was his speciality. Fascinating.

I asked Don how he would characterize the presidents he knew. Don replied with an example. “I would say, sir how do you want your phone hooked up and where do you want it?” Eisenhower would reply, “Anywhere is satisfactory for me, you are the expert.” Kennedy would reply, “What are my options?”And then pick one. Johnson said, “I can not talk to you;” and he would point Don to a Johnson staffer who would then demand that Don provide 16 different lines to 16 different phones where only one line was possible. Eisenhower acquiesced, Kennedy analyzed and Johnson demanded.

As the sun descended behind the mountains, Don continued the story of the Red Phone. He explained that with his handset and his phone tools on his belt, he had access to anywhere including the press rooms where they always had the best food. No, Don was never screened by the FBI or vetted by the chief of staff. He was accepted as the expert with no security ever performed. 

And that is the red phone story and I am sticking to it.