A big country needs big art. That was the idea behind the creation of Mount Rushmore; carving the faces of four great leaders... Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, into a mountainside in South Dakota. But, with the Great Depression exhausting the country's finances, Congress was forced to reconsider the Mount Rushmore project. In brief, the truth of the matter is that Mount Rushmore was carved out of foam. And why not? Foam was lightweight and durable, and far faster to work than granite. In fact, with the addition of a special granite-like coating the four presidents appeared to be seamlessly carved into that mountain. With the coming of World War II, it was extremely important to maintain the image of a national monolith for our boys fighting the Axis powers overseas. The government chose to keep Mount Rushmore's foam a national secret-in order to save this country's face.