JFK White House Telephone - ID

[docubyte]

Hi all,

Anyone care to ID this phone - supposedly JFK's?

https://www.justcollecting.com/miscellania/jfks-white-house-telephone-among-highlights-at-profiles-in-history ( dead link 06-10-21 )

I can't find any other information on it - which seems odd considering how cool it looks?

[rdelius]

It appears to be a SC 1543 or of the same series.SC set in the White House doesnt seem to make sense .All the White House telephones I have seen photos were WE sets.Somewhat getting out of date in the 1960s

[WEBellSystemChristian]

That's a Stromberg Carlson 1643, which was made during the '60s.

It's possible, I guess, but considering that SC used that color scheme on these phones surprisingly often, and that "White House" dial card is routinely reproduced, it's also possible that it's fake.

It seems interesting that this a manual phone, especially for use by the President. I would now like everyone to please resist using the words "hot" and "line" in the same sentence!

[WEBellSystemChristian]

It appears to be a SC 1543 or of the same series.SC set in the White House doesnt seem to make sense .All the White House telephones I have seen photos were WE sets.Somewhat getting out of date in the 1960s

Robby:

This phone was apparently used at Bing Crosby's house as a personal phone for incoming calls to Kennedy when he vacationed there. An extra extension used specifically for the President would make sense, and if he lived in Independent territory, an SC would make even more sense.

[Victor Laszlo]

"This phone was apparently used at Bing Crosby's house as a personal phone for incoming calls to Kennedy when he vacationed there. "

I just blew coffee out my nose. You're a riot.

[AL_as_needed]

This is almost as good as the whole "hitler's bunker phone" (complete with british handset!) fiasco. 

[Victor Laszlo]

Or the "White House Call Director" with key designations for various VIP's. It supposedly belonged to LBJ and had a modular cord. He died three years before modular cords were invented.

[unbeldi]

Somehow I have vague recollections of similar stories about this type of phone, in this combination of color parts.  It may not have been JFK's phone at the time, though.
Of course, the 1540-series was still current at Stromberg-Carlson, at least until the mid-1960s.  The latest dated sets of mine are from 1964, IIRC.

The idea that a sitting president would travel with his favorite phone seems extremely strange. Whenever a president travels, the communication officers corp travels too, and sets up appropriate communication channels at every location.   At Wexford, the Kennedy's private estate in VA, which the family only had a chance to use once or twice in 1963, a separate room was dedicated for the communications officer.  The estate did have regular telephones, in fact many Princesses. Washington, as well as VA was Bell System territory and no independent equipment was permitted.

This story seems as unlikely as that of the red-painted Siemens telephone traveling with Hitler.
HA HA

[andre_janew]

I love the red, white, and blue color scheme.  I know they made SC 1543 phones in the early 1960s because I have one in the basic black color.  I've always thought that most White House telephones were often made by Western Electric, especially during the 1960s.  I don't know where SC phones would've been used in the 1960s.  Does anyone know if they were used in JFK's home state?

[Alex G. Bell]

I love the red, white, and blue color scheme.  I know they made SC 1543 phones in the early 1960s because I have one in the basic black color.  I've always thought that most White House telephones were often made by Western Electric, especially during the 1960s.  I don't know where SC phones would've been used in the 1960s.  Does anyone know if they were used in JFK's home state?

JFK's home state was MA, where most of the phone system was operated by the AT&T New England Tel. & Tel.  I think their principle residences were in Boston and Hyannisport on Cape Cod.  Boston was certainly a NET&T city.  Maybe someone local to the area knows for sure about Hyannisport.

I greatly doubt this phone has any factual historic connection with JFK.  Most likely just another fantasy or fraudulent claim.

[Victor Laszlo]

A president travels with a cadre of personnel, many of whom are his communications technicians. They wouldn't be caught dead offering that ghastly thing to their boss.  I am pretty sure that the one in the photo does not have AutoVoN capability.