Douglas Wong, age 10, of Oakland, California, for his question:

What is the President's seal like?

The design of the President's personal seal resembles the face of the Great Seal of the United States. Both show the emblems and symbols chosen by our Founding Fathers to stand for America. In the center is a bald eagle holding in his beak a scroll with the words E Pluribus Unum. On his breast, he wears a shield of stars and stripes and in his right claw he holds the olive branch of peace. In his left claw, he holds the arrows of war. The Great Seal was designed by Charles Thomson, Secretary of Congress, with the advice of an expert in heraldry named William Barton.    `

On the Great Seal, the eagle's head always turned right, to face the olive branch.

On the President's seal, the eagle was designed to face left, towards the claw bearing the arrows. President Truman ordered this changed. On October 25, 1945, new designs for the presidential seal and flag were adopted and the bald eagle now faces toward the olive branch. If you visit the White House, you will see the President's seal embroidered in the rug of the Green Room. The proud eagle is centered on a blue background and circled with stars. Circling the stars are th'e wordy "Seal of the President of the United States."