Word: annenbergs
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Though he committed numerous diplomatic and social faux pas during his early days as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, Walter H. Annenberg has lately displayed greater sensitivity to British traditions of pomp and formality. Perhaps that is why a select group of Londoners recently received his invitation to an embassy party in honor of "Mr. Francis Sinatra." At the gathering, Francis himself was informal as ever. Responding to a toast, he held his glass high, looked warmly at the guests and said: "Bless your distinguished little hearts...
...Philadelphia, Annenberg was widely feared as a man not to cross. In London, kept waiting for ten minutes by a British Cabinet Minister, he fumed: "I won't trust that man again." But he has displayed an ability to bow to the wishes of others. When his threat to remove the huge American eagle that adorns the embassy's façade stirred protests from his staff, he relented. "I won't bother him," he said, "if he doesn't bother...
Uncomfortable in public, Annenberg also has problems on less formal occasions. At a private luncheon with Members of Parliament, Annenberg asked the waitress to leave the room. The guests leaned forward, expecting an important confidence about matters of state. Instead, Annenberg began: "You fellows ever hear...
Lately, however, there have been signs that Annenberg's early gaucheries are being corrected. Press criticism is ebbing. Recently, he loaned his excellent collection of French Impressionist paintings to the Tate Gallery for an exhibition. During Prime Minister Harold Wilson's visit to Washington last week, Annenberg stayed very much in the background, in proper ambassadorial style. His grasp of foreign policy issues still seems shaky, but his staffers acknowledge his executive abilities. "He runs the embassy like a chairman of the board," says one official. "He's one of the best organizational ambassadors...
...question of his strong influence with Nixon, for whom he raised sizable sums during the 1968 presidential campaign and with whom he golfs on occasion. When the Department of Justice threatened to block a planned merger of the British Petroleum Co., Ltd. and Standard Oil (Ohio) several months ago, Annenberg helped to persuade the trustbusters to drop their objections. The merger went through, to the delight of a grateful British government. But worries persist. "We know Annenberg can get through to Nixon," said a top-ranking British diplomat. "But can you persuade him to say the right thing...