Bush's 9/11 megaphone goes on show

To his supporters and detractors alike, they are objects that tell the story of George W Bush's presidency.

Now the megaphone that he used to speak to the crowds at ground zero after 9/11 and the pistol taken from Saddam Hussein when he was captured are on display for the first time. They are part of an exhibition opening today at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where Mr Bush's presidential library will be built. Ground will be broken next month on the presidential library and the George W Bush Institute.

The centre is expected to be open by early 2013. Other objects that will be on display include his dogs Barney and Miss Beazley's Air Force One food bowls, as well as a letter from the rock star Bono.