Ask Not -- what's for dinner...

[first small dinner party in the White House, 1961 -- excerpt, Mrs. Kennedy (Leaming)]------------------------ While Jack's arrival was the moment guests invariably waited for, it was also what Jackie herself had been looking forward to all weekend. 

The Kennedys were about to delight their guests with the spectacle of two highly skilled and perfectly attuned actors working together, but to understand the dynamics of those evenings one has to keep in mind that Jack was, as an actress's stage partner sometimes is, Jackie's best and most appreciative audience.  Careful as she was to be sure that her guests had a wonderful time, above all she staged those evenings for him.

...He was noted for his skill as a listener, but as he chatted with others his eyes would often wander to Jackie.  He relished her gift for strategy and loved to watch her work a room.  Tonight, in Franklin Roosevelt Jr.'s company, Jackie was wide-eyed, breathy, and flirtatious.  She leaned very close to his face, tossed her hair, and teased him.  Roosevelt, who counted Jackie among his favorites, adored every minute. 

With Joe Alsop she was different.  He always seemed happiest when Jackie, in the role of a petitioner, humbly sought the benefit of his wisdom.  Tonight she asked Alsop to help her select California wines for state dinners, where, despite her preference for all things French, she was expected to serve American products.

That was not the case this evening, as Jackie plied her guests with Dom Pérignon champagne in the hope that they would be tipsy by dinnertime.  Champagne glasses in hand, the guests followed on a tour of the family quarters....Characteristically, Jackie's strongest statement was a purely visual one.  She led the group through a small treasure trove of paintings delivered that day from the National Gallery and the Smithsonian. 

A Renoir, a Cézanne, and a series of George Catlin portraits of American Indians -- casually, but also strategically, propped against the walls -- offered an idea of the sense of style that Jackie planned to bring to the White House.  The guests may not have grasped the calculation that had gone into that moment, but the president positively reveled in it. 

Downstairs in the cold, cavernous Family Dining Room, the meal prepared by the Eisenhower-era chef was as bad as Jackie had anticipated.  Yet the evening was certified a success when Alsop, full of praise despite the food, merrily pocketed his beautifully calligraphed place card and menu as souvenirs.------------------------ [end excerpt]

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{Mrs. Kennedy, by Barbara Leaming.  Copyright 2001.  The Free Press.  A Division of Simon & Schuster Inc.  New York, New York.}

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