Presidents Monson, Obama to meet Monday

President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House today.

The two will be joined in the Oval Office by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the church's Quorum of the Twelve and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid, a member of the LDS Church, helped arrange today's meeting.

The 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time meeting — described simply as "a courtesy visit" by a church spokesman — will be the first interaction between the first-year U.S. president and President Monson, who became the church's 16th president in February 2008. The Washington, D.C., meeting will be closed to the media.

President Monson and Elder Oaks will present Obama with volumes of his family history, with the Washington Times reporting sources as saying today's gift was five large, leather-bound volumes going back through generations of the president's family history.

As chairman of the church's Temple and Family History Executive Council, Elder Oaks is the member of the Quorum of the Twelve who oversees the church's genealogical efforts. Church leaders have met with previous presidents, presenting them with genealogical records detailing their family history.Several Washington-based media outlets or correspondents have recalled recent issues involving Obama's family history.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve represented the LDS Church at Obama's inaugural events in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

During his presidential campaign last year, Obama was scheduled for a Feb. 2 visit to Salt Lake City. However, he canceled his planned stop in deference to funeral services planned that day for late LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.

— Scott Taylor