The U.S. President is surely one of the most heavily guarded individuals in the world. And every member of his immediate family receives round-the-clock protection, too. Their home, The White House, is watched over by fully-armed snipers stationed on the roof and on nearby roofs - an elaborate system of video cameras, monitors and a large contingent of uniformed Federal Agents. There is a bomb shelter in the basement with secret passages to important government buildings and an elaborate bunker, The Greenbrier in West Virginia, which offers sanctuary to the President and other elected officials in case of nuclear attack.

Even outside the White House, the First Family is under constant watch. An enormous team of agents travels with them wherever they go - on overseas diplomatic missions, family vacations, and even routine recreational outings like rounds of golf or restaurant visits. Presidential children must become accustomed to the constant presence of agents - even in the classrooms and shopping malls.

Often it's a struggle for the First Family to balance the need for security with the desire for a normal life. When Lyndon Johnson was President, he was known to tell his driver to 'gun it' and lose his security team while on vacations. Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis used to demand that Agents remained 'invisible' when her children were playing with friends at the White House. Agents were forbidden to touch the children or even pick up their toys.

Despite the sophisticated security measures, the First Family has suffered an amazing array of attacks. Assassins have killed four U.S. presidents. After three assassinations occurred in just 36 years, the Secret Service began providing 24-hour security. However, attacks seem to be happening more frequently. In recent years, they have ranged from the truly dangerous (a man crashed a Cessna onto the South Lawn, just a few yards from the President's bedroom; more than 30 rounds fired at the White House in separate incidents, including a bullet that reached the State Dining Room) to the bizarre (an unarmed man climbing the fence; a homeless man waving a knife; a political zealot throwing a glass at President Reagan during a public appearance; a drunken painter hurling rocks at John Tyler on the South Lawn).

Federal Agents: The Last Line of Defense

Though they know the First Family cannot be made invulnerable, dedicated Federal Agents put their lives on the line to protect them. Their round-the-clock vigilance against would-be attackers is a never-ending struggle, with new security measures added all the time as chinks in the armor of Presidential defense are exposed. Federal Agents keep files on more than 40,000 individuals and groups (including militia groups) that are potentially harmful to the First Family. They investigate more than 14,000 threats each year (making several hundred arrests in the process) and closely track 350 people who are considered serious threats.

The agents who protect The First Family are proud of their track record. There has never been a non-Presidential member of the First Family abducted or injured since they have been on the job. But every day poses new challenges for Federal Agents - the First Family's last line of defense.