Topic: Fdr

Russian mystic Nicholas Roerich acted as a spiritual guru to FDR’s Vice President, Henry Wallace, influencing the placement of the Great Seal on the dollar bill in 1935. Roerich claimed to possess a fragment of the Chintamani Stone, a legendary talisman from Shambhala also known as the Stone of Destiny. Wallace’s correspondence with Roerich eventually led to his removal from the 1944 Democratic ticket as his occult interests became a political liability.

U.S. Presidents have frequently engaged with the occult, from FDR's superstition regarding the number thirteen to Ronald Reagan's use of astrology for scheduling. Mary Todd Lincoln famously held seances in the White House, illustrating a persistent undercurrent of mysticism in American leadership. This esoteric influence is further evidenced by the symbolic layout of Washington D.C., including the incomplete pentagram in its street grid.