Having dinner with neighbours: a history
Six Canadian prime ministers have been honoured at White House state dinners since the end of the Second World War: 1) Nov. 10, 1945: Mackenzie King and British prime minister Clement Attlee met president Harry Truman in the U.S., the only two leaders to govern nations that possessed the atomic bomb at the time. They held talks about peaceful atomic energy development aboard the presidential yacht Sequoia, after which Truman hosted a pre-Thanksgiving White House state dinner with roasted turkey, cranberry jelly and cream soup with royal custard garnish. 2) June 3, 1960: John Diefenbaker was hosted by president Dwight Eisenhower as wife Mamie Eisenhower was hospitalized with acute asthmatic bronchitis. The National Presbyterian Church chancel choir entertained 86 guests who feasted on Cornish hens with wild rice dressing, melon wrapped in prosciutto, horseradish soup, crabmeat Creole, tomato pudding and string beans. A simple dessert of vanilla ice cream, strawberries and macaroons was served. The after-dinner toasts in the Cold War era were warm promises to work for international peace. 3) March 24, 1969: Pierre Trudeau was the first state dinner guest of president Richard Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon. The 121 invitees dined on beef filet jardinière, artichokes, Bibb lettuce, Camembert, cocotte potatoes and seafood Americaine, and listened to the U.S. air force Band’s Strolling Strings and singer Robert Goulet. Early signs of a cool relationship to follow: Nixon said he disliked skin-diving — one of Trudeau’s passions — but indulged his guest’s request to take a swim in the White House pool, capped by a sauna, shower and massage. 4) Feb. 21, 1977: President Jimmy Carter hosted Pierre Trudeau and his young wife, Margaret, Carter’s second state visitors. Her knit abovethe-knee dress prompted nattering among U.S. fashion critics. Her reply: “Look, I just don’t care what the American designers thought. What I wear is nobody’s business but my own.” The state dinner featured Alaska king crab, glazed carrots, saddle of lamb, salad and spinach timbale. A 30-minute high school student group performed a retrospective of 200 years of U.S. music. 5) March 18, 1986: Brian Mulroney was hosted by president Ronald Reagan, the first of two state dinners Reagan would throw for his northern neighbour and fellow conservative. Mulroney, wife Mila and other state dinner guests dined on angel hair pasta with seafood, chicken volau-vent and Pistachio Marquise with petits fours. Concert pianist Rosalyn Tureck played. The April 1988 state dinner featured roast loin of veal, shrimp mousse and smoked salmon, followed by “witty and sentimental toasts” and entertainment by baritone Bruce Hubbard and pianist Larry Woodard. 6) April 8, 1997: Jean Chrétien was a state dinner guest of president Bill Clinton following talks on endangered wildlife, NATO enlargement and trade promotion. Clinton, recovering from knee tendon surgery, joked when after-dinner dancing began that it was “for those of you who are capable. The rest of us will creep off into the sunset.” The menu featured fiddlehead fern, herb-crusted lamb with artichokes and spring vegetables, and maple-cured salmon. The Chrétiens, big music lovers, were entertained in the East Room by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. Source: White House Historical Association