Stuff You Should Know Let's Go to Camp... David!
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May 7, 2026 A hidden presidential retreat gets the spotlight. They trace its New Deal beginnings, FDR’s makeover into Shangri-La, and the wartime intrigue around Churchill visits and nearby OSS training. There’s also secluded diplomacy, presidential quirks, intense security, and the surprisingly detailed world of cabins, cooks, carts, and pools.
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Camp David Started As A New Deal Rehab Project
- Camp David began as a New Deal land-rehabilitation project, not a presidential getaway.
- The government bought worn-out farmland in 1936, built Camp Hi-Catoctin with the WPA and CCC, then FDR adopted it in 1942 after wartime security ended yacht travel.
FDR And Churchill Turned The Camp Into A War Retreat
- Franklin Roosevelt turned the camp into Shangri-La and started using it as a secluded place to host allies.
- He and Winston Churchill reportedly planned parts of D-Day there, then Churchill supposedly stopped in Thurmont just to marvel at a jukebox over a beer.
Presidents Usually Loved Or Hated Camp David By Personality
- Presidents' feelings about Camp David mostly reflect their personal tastes more than the office itself.
- Truman preferred Key West, Eisenhower nearly killed the camp as a needless luxury, then saved and renamed it after grandson David because Shangri-La felt too fancy.
