Now it's time we all faced the fact that even the most diplomatic of people need their sleep, he said. The Frenchman kept tabs on colleagues at UN headquarters on East River and found out where they like to slip off for a snooze, which is if they don't take a catnap in the actual chamber. Dozing diplomats generally make a beeline for the UN library and it seems the newspaper lounge is a particular favourite. Softly-sprung armchairs and sofas combine with subdued lighting to lull visitors into gentle slumber. Away from the hub-bub in the corridors, especially the noisy ones next to the Security Council, diplomats can hide behind the important foreign newspapers.
Old hands say it's bad form to be caught reading the sports pages though.
The ratings include details on the amount of light, noise levels and the number of likely intruders. Barbara Crossette, correspondent of the New York Times, even sent around a photographer to take snaps of all the recommendations on Dejammet's list and published the results in her newspaper. Suddenly the UN library was deserted, that is apart from cameramen and photographers prowling between the shelves in search of pin-striped gentlemen who might be dreaming of a better world.