Camp David

Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States. It is located in wooded hills about 62 miles (100 km) north-northwest of Washington, D.C., in Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. It is officially known as Naval Support Facility Thurmont and is technically a military installation; staffing is primarily provided by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps.

First known as Hi-Catoctin, Camp David was originally built as a camp for federal government agents and their families, by the WPA, starting in 1935, opening in 1938. In 1942, it was converted to a presidential retreat by Franklin D. Roosevelt and renamed "Shangri-La" (for the fictional Himalayan paradise). Camp David received its present name from Dwight D. Eisenhower, in honor of his father and grandson, both named David. Camp David is not open to the general public. Catoctin Mountain Park does not indicate the location of Camp David on its official park maps due to privacy and security concerns.

Presidential use
Every president since Franklin Roosevelt has made use of Camp David.
 * Roosevelt hosted Sir Winston Churchill in May 1943.
 * Dwight Eisenhower held his first cabinet meeting there.
 * John F. Kennedy and his family often enjoyed horseback riding and other recreational activities. Kennedy often allowed White House staff and cabinet members to use the retreat when he or his family were not there.
 * Lyndon B. Johnson often met with important advisors at the retreat and hosted Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt.
 * Richard Nixon was a frequent visitor and did much to add to and modernize the facilities.
 * Gerald Ford often rode his snowmobile around Camp David and hosted Indonesian President Suharto.
 * Jimmy Carter brokered the Camp David Accords there in September 1978 between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
 * Ronald Reagan visited the retreat more than any other president. In 1984, Ronald Reagan hosted the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher.
 * George H.W. Bush's daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch, was married there in 1992, the first ever to do so.
 * Bill Clinton used Camp David more as his tenure in office progressed, and hosted then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, on several occasions in addition to numerous celebrities.
 * George W. Bush hosted dignitaries, including the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin in 2003 and hosted the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, in 2007. George W. Bush also hosted the then Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in June 2006.
 * Barack Obama has made the camp's Evergreen Chapel his primary place of worship, as George W. Bush had done before him. Camp David was also chosen by President Obama to host the 2012 G8 Summit. President Obama also hosted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at Camp David.

Security issues
On July 2, 2011, an F-15E intercepted a small two-seat passenger plane flying near Camp David, when President Obama was in residence. The civilian aircraft, which was out of radio communication, was intercepted approximately 10 km from the presidential retreat. The F-15E escorted the aircraft out of the area and it landed in nearby Hagerstown, Maryland, without incident. The civilian plane's occupants were flying between two Maryland towns and were released without charge.

On July 10, 2011, an F-15 intercepted another small two-seat passenger plane flying near Camp David when President Barack Obama was again in residence; the total number of interceptions over this July 9 weekend, was three planes.