Inside the archives of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is a great resource to learn about the 41st president.

It’s also where you’ll find 45 million records documenting the life of George H.W. Bush.

There’s a private space most people can’t enter, but you can access the information stored inside.

“We are in the main storage area of the George Bush Presidential Library,” said Robert Holzweiss, Deputy Director of the Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Inside the neat, organized space above the museum, you’ll find thousands of folders with insightful information.

“Every facet of his life from the earliest days,” said Holzweiss. “Some of our first written documents from him are from his service in World War II.”

That includes a letter Bush wrote to his parents after the then Naval pilot was shot down while completing a mission during World War II.

The letter reads, in part, “Dear mother and dad, this will be the first letter you have gotten from me in a good long while. I wish I could tell you that as I write this I am feeling well and happy. Physically I am okay but I am troubled inside and with good cause.”

As deputy director of the library and museum, Holzweiss has read a lot of these items processed by the National Archives and Records Administration.

He said the documents, whether official record or personal, give a great, broad view of Mr. Bush’s character.

“He was what I call a relationship person. He really wanted to establish a relationship with you before you had to talk about the big issues,” said Holzweiss.

And he wasn’t afraid to reach across the political aisle, says Holzweiss, as illustrated in a four-page letter to Bush from actor Chevy Chase.

“Page one he says, ‘I must say it took some order of courage to allow yourself to be seated with so many, air quotes, liberals, including himself,” Holzweiss reads aloud. “And the letter continues in that vein in, it’s sort of a refreshing look at how bipartisanship used to be and that we weren’t enemies, we just disagreed on issues.”

Holzweiss said the most surprising item in the vast collection is a letter that came shortly after Bush’s inauguration.

“Traditionally, foreign heads of state send a congratulatory note, and he received one from Saddam Hussein, of all people,” said Holzweiss. “It took us a little while to find it because it was kind of tucked away. I think they had gone to find it in the White House and actually put it in a file adjacent to where it belonged. But we have it. We found it. So that was super interesting, seeing how far we could go from a congratulatory letter to war in less than three years.”

You can access some documents and images online. You can also conduct research in person but there are certain requirements. You need to be at least 14 years old, watch an instructional video, complete some short training and make an appointment.

You can fill out the Researcher Application here.

After you complete the training, you can work in the Main Research Room where an archivist will bring you items related to your topic. You can find more details here.