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7341829
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Pool Report No. 3, State Dinner
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doc
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document
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1
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id
7341829
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Pool Report No. 3, State Dinner
citationUrl
collections
White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7341829
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6
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1975-12-06
month
12
year
1975
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nara-archive
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d46b268dbf5365ac
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Digitized from Box 19 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
POOL REPOR T NO. 3
DECEMBER 6, 1975
State Dinner
The 180 formally dressed guests passed one by one through a metal de-
tector, of the sort used to thwart hijackers but decorated with ferns and
ribbons, before proceeding to the second floor of the Presidential palace
for the dinner. Security at the palace had been tightened generally for
the dinner. Security at the palace had been tightened generally since the
murder of a Presidential assistant in his office in the palace compound
three weeks ago, but local press said the metal detector was newly in-
stalled, especially for tonight's dinner.
Sword ferns lined the red carpet leading up the stairs and into the grand
old-fashioned Maharlike Hall with its dark wood paneled ceiling. It was
decorated with ferns and tropical flowers, and each table had a floral
centerpiece with crossed flags and a candelabrum. Service included four
gold-rimmed plates and four gold rimmed glasses at each place.
The guests, most of the men wearing the barong tagalog, were greeted
in a receiving line by the two Presidents, their wives and Susan For
President Ford wore a black tuxedo with plain white dress shirt.
Guests included the Rumanian charge d'affaires but not the Chinese charge.
Philippine reporters had been told that China would not be represented
at the dinner because the ambassador had not yet arrived in Manila. The
Soviet Union does not have relations with the Philippines, but a Tass
correspondent was in the press pool. Sixteen members of the Ford
traveling press corps had been invited, but only nine showed up. Presi-
dent Ford spoke several sentences to one attractive young woman; she
said afterward that he had told her he enjoyed being here but added, "Yes,
I'm tired. 11
The 14 persons at the head table, seated under an embroidered awning,
included Kissinger, Imelda Marcos, President Ford, President Marcos
and Mrs. Ford in that order at the center. U.S. Ambassador William
Sullivan was at one end and Susan Ford was near the other.
There was only one untoward incident. Milton Friedman was sitting
near a large candelabrum standing on the floor. Just as President
Marcos was commencing his toast, one of the glass shields, like the
glass of a hurricamellamp shattered and fell--possibly someone had
tripped on it-- and Friedman's head and shoulders were showeded
with glass and melted tallow. He left the table but stood at one end
of the hall and did not appear to be hurt.
The menu, in French, included l'essense de calle "Jenny Linde",
filet of sole, and la cote de boeuf "perigourdine."
There followed an hour of folk singing and folk dancing.
Richard Dudman, St. Louis Post
Dispatch
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