Stephen Minch's extraordinary 1992 biography of Eddie Fields chronicles a life in which Eddie, to quote the coverleaf, "mingled with pool hustlers, card 'mechanics,' psychics, magicians and an assortment of unusual characters who made their livings through deception. This entertaining and astonishing book recounts the stories of a unique life and exposes closely guarded secrets that were a part of it." What follows is the episode in which Eddie Fields performs card tricks for a President and reads the stars for his wife. This occurs in Chapter 7, The First Lady's Secret Adviser.

We join the telepathic duo of George Martz and Irving Feldman, a.k.a. Eddie Fields, just after an engagement in Toronto. It was 1941, and the Canadian officials detained George at the border and accused him of being a Nazi spy. Eddie quickly pointed out that no one named Feldman would travel with a Nazi, and he arranged an impromptu demonstration of their estimable powers. The impressed officials let them go, but it was an episode that strongly counseled staying on U.S. soil until the war in Europe ended.

With the Canadian border incident still fresh in their minds, Eddie and George decided, as a precautionary measure, to continue traveling south, ensconcing themselves deep in the heart of the democracy. So, after finishing two weeks in Atlantic City, they headed for Washington, D.C. They soon had the horoscope pitch installed at a department store there and were doing excellent business -- good enough that they thought nothing of living at the Ambassador, one of the largest and smartest hotels in downtown Washington, which then stood impressively at 1412 K N.W. It was there that Eddie performed card tricks for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was invited to the White House to cast Eleanor's horoscope. This all came about through his acquaintance with John Slaughterbach.

Eddie and George were relaxing in the Ambassador Hotel's bar one evening after having closed the pitch for the day. Eddie was doing card tricks for three or four people at the bar, as he often did to strike up a conversation and to amuse himself. He had just finished a trick and was putting the cards away when another man joined the group. He had seen a bit of magic from across the room and was curious. "Could you do something for me?" Eddie was always obliging in these circumstances. He brought out the cards again and performed several more tricks. He finished by throwing the deck high into the air. When the cards fluttered down, everyone saw that the chosen card was stuck to the bar's high ceiling.

The man who had asked Eddie to perform was conspicuously impressed. He introduced himself: John Slaughterbach, manager of the Ambassador. "You know, Eddie," he said, "I often have parties in my suite here. Do you think you could do those tricks for my guests sometime? I've never seen anything like it, and I'll bet my friends haven't either." Eddie saw no harm in becoming friendly with the manager of the Ambassador Hotel, particularly when George and he planned to stay there for eight weeks. So he agreed to perform at Slaughterbach's next party, which was scheduled for two nights away. In the interim an idea occurred to Slaughterbach and he approached Eddie with it the following night in the bar.

John Slaughterbach was a gentleman who dressed impeccably and mingled effortlessly with the rich, the titled and the eminent; but he had one foible: he loved a good practical joke. "Eddie, is it possible that at the party you could make it appear as if I was the magician, that I was doing the tricks?"

Eddie thought about it. "Sure, it can be done. You can introduce me as one of your guests. Don't tell anyone I'm a magician. Just hand me the deck and give me instructions as if you were doing the tricks. I'll take care of the rest." They went up to Slaughterbach's penthouse suite and rehearsed the tricks Eddie would do, so that John could learn the lines. The next night the two of them played their reversed roles. John Slaughterbach had no idea how the tricks were accomplished; yet to his guests he was the most astonishing magician they had ever seen. He didn't even have to touch the cards, yet miracles happened!

Slaughterbach was delighted with the results of their deception. He asked Eddie if he would repeat the masquerade at several more parties, Eddie agreed and the two men became fast friends. Eddie was always invited to these exclusive gatherings, and when Slaughterbach eventually tired of the joke he simply let Eddie do his magic.

Slaughterbach moved in high and influential circles, and at his private gatherings Eddie was introduced to many celebrities and dignitaries, such as Ole Oleson and Chic Johnson, stars of the famous New York Hellzapoppin show; Rudy Vallee, a special friend of Slaughterbach's; and F.D.R. and his First Lady, Eleanor.

John Slaughterbach introduced Eddie to the Roosevelts as an astrologer. They were cordial, but Mr. Roosevelt bluntly summed up his opinion of astrology with one short sentence: "I don't believe in any of that baloney." Eddie was never one to proselytize, and the President of the United States hardly seemed the place to start. So he just smiled and asked if the President would like to see a card trick. He asked F.D.R. to think of any card he liked. He then had the President imagine he was turning that card over in the middle of an invisible deck.

Roosevelt performed the requested motions with a puzzled look on his face. Eddie now brought from his pocket a material deck, one still in its case. He removed the cards from their box and spread them face up to show one face-down card in the middle. He asked F.D.R. to name the card he had thought of and reversed in his imaginary deck. "I thought of the jack of hearts," the President said. Eddie drew the face-down card from his pack and turned it over. It was the jack of hearts! This trick was a favorite of Eddie's, one he reserved for special occasions when he wanted to make a particularly strong impression.

In later years he and another magician, Don Alan, would collaborate on a version of the trick. "The Invisible Deck," as they called it, eventually became one of the more widely performed card tricks in the world, and remains so to this day. The trick had the desired effect on F.D.R. He was visibly impressed and complimented Eddie on his skill. After this he became quite genial and eventually confided, "Mr. Fields, I have told you my feelings about astrology. However, I think Eleanor would enjoy having her stars read, if you would oblige her."

Eleanor indeed exhibited far less skepticism than her husband, and affirmed that having a reading would give her pleasure. Eddie asked her birth date. October 11, 1884 was the answer: a Libra, ruling planet Venus. "Well, I can do a simple reading for you now." And he did so. The First Lady was obviously pleased with Eddie's analysis of her planets. F.D.R. said nothing, but watched his wife's reactions. He recognized that much of what Eddie told her was true, and her expression validated the accuracy of the rest. When Eddie finished, the President of the United States quietly let down his guard and, with a smile meant to convey that he was merely entering into the fun, asked Eddie to do a reading for him as well.

After this Presidential analysis, Eddie hastened to explain that what he had given them was only a sun-sign reading. "They are so general, I don't like to do them. They're no more accurate than those you find in newspapers." As it turned out, Eleanor followed newspaper astrology columns, and occasionally had her palm read. Outwardly, she treated these mild excursions into the occult purely as entertainment; she never let anyone know how seriously she took the advice she was given by palmists and astrologers.

"What do you suggest?" she asked Eddie.

"A natal chart is the most accurate method. But I can't do that at a party. I have to calculate the position of all the planets at the time of your birth and then analyze their influences. It takes a while. I'd be happy to, but I would have to explain its meaning to you." Eleanor asked how long such a chart would take to prepare. Eddie told her he could have one done within two days.

"That would be fine. You can bring it to me at the White House. That will be all right, won't it, Franklin?" The President, with a wry expression, said it could be arranged, and he gave Eddie the name and phone number of one of his aides.

Eddie drew up the chart and made an appointment to see the First Lady. He was met by a President's aide, a man named Jack, outside the White House. Jack led him across the lawn to a small back door. There was a sense of furtiveness about the man's actions, which gave Eddie the distinct impression that he was being smuggled into the building. Jack led him through a maze of hallways to a sitting room, expensively but simply furnished. There, seated at a table, was Eleanor. "Eddie," she greeted him. "I'm glad you could come." As Eddie sat down to her right, an image of Evangeline Adams, his childhood tutor in astrology, came to him. He smiled at that, remembering the many luminaries she had once advised.

Mrs. Roosevelt was charming, warm and attentive throughout Eddie's visit. He went over her horoscope thoroughly with her and presented his advice for the coming year. Among many things, he suggested that she not allow her various social obligations and pet projects to monopolize her schedule, and that she budget more private time with her husband to strengthen and preserve their marriage. Eddie departed the White House that afternoon, after an hour's counsel with the country's First Lady, leaving with her a natal chart from his own hand. He would never know how seriously either advice or chart was taken.

In 1988, when the news media, with some sense of shock, broadcast the story of Nancy Reagan's consultations with San Francisco astrologer Joan Quigley, Eddie just smiled quietly. What was so new about an astrologer in the White House?