The Nov. 21 edition of the Washington Post has a photo montage of State Dinners from President Eisenhower to Bush 43 – wow, did these bring back some amazing memories!

Take a look at the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the Clintons’ first State Visit.  Nothing like starting at the top – there aren’t a lot of Emperors left in the world, are there?  Planning for this, and any State Visit, takes many months, and begins when the State Dept. reaches out to the suggested country.  Of course, it would be very strange and rude for a potential guest to decline an invitation to the world’s most famous House.  But then the real work begins – coordinating schedules to find a date that works for both countries.  Once that’s nailed down, planning at the White House begins.

The first part of a State Visit is the Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn – and I organized ALL of these for the Clintons.  Like everything dictated by protocol, it’s a tightly choreographed dance.  First are the invited guests : Members of Congress – who rarely come , personal friends of POTUS and FLOTUS,  who get to stand right in front, random celebrities who are invited to the State Dinner that night and don’t need all day to primp, groups of school children and organizations related to the guest country.

The press are lined up standing on risers facing the low podium.  The President and First Lady stand just outside the Dip Room as the limo with the guests arrives.  The four “principals” walk to the Lawn, with the spouses standing to the side and the Heads of State walking to the podium.  The two anthems are played by the Marine Band.  (Americans need to learn to shut up and stand at attention for these – it’s respectful!)  The President makes welcoming remarks about the long, warm relationship between the two countries, and the Visitor responds with warm remarks about … the long, warm relationship between the two countries.  You could sum it all up as “Yada yada yada Thomas Jefferson yada yada, Abraham Lincoln yada yada yada …

Next the “President’s Own” colonial style marching band … marches and plays colonial era martial music.  They’re very colorful and fun.   The two leaders march off to review the troops standing at crisp attention.  In hot weather it’s always fun to watch for the occasional fainting soldier.  This is actually a good reason to NOT hold these events on Mondays, ‘cause the soldiers are young and tend to spend the weekends partying, and are majorly hung over on Monday mornings.  Anyway, they are specially trained to faint by falling backwards.  If they do that, there are spotters standing behind the formation ready to just haul the unconscious soldier back and away.  Occasionally you can see a pair of empty shoes where the soldier used to be!

After all this the two leaders go off to the Oval Office for a meeting, and the First Lady entertains the spouse with a coffee reception.  In 30 minutes they’re out the door, and the White House swings into REAL preparation for the State Dinner that night.  For this, see my next post!