Evening star., 1945-03-15
Third OF Fiue Articles.J
Nv DOUGLAS b. CORNELL.

BY DOUGLAS B. CORNELL.
(Copyright 1945, BY the Associated Press.)
At the end of the second full day
of the Yalta Conference there was
time out for bit of social relaxa-.
tion.
President Roosevelt gave dinner
for Prime Minister Churchill and
Marshal Stain and their top as
sistants. Marshal Stain gave a
similar dinner February 8 and Mr..
Churchill February 10.
It was at these dinners, perhaps
more than at any other time, that
the Soviet chief exhibited the sense
of humor described by one of the
guests as delightful.
At all the dinners there we're
toasts in the Russian manner
sometimes so many that the food
chilled and leg muscles got sore
from popping up and down.
Russian Secret.
Obseryant Americans quickly
learned the Russians secret of en-
durance. The toasts could be di-
luted between times by slipping
water or a drink something like
cider.
Even the Russians didn't down a
heavy slug of vodka every time.
Some of them occasionally took
wine, weaker than most American
vintages. Some of the toasts re-
quired only touching the glass to
the lips. But glasses had to be
drained when one individual toast
ed another and again for what
the hosts called "big toasts a
nation or chief of state, for ex-
ample.
Marshal Stalin's dinner was the
biggest and the only one to which
the few women onlookers at the
conference were invited. They were
President Roosevelt's daughter, Mrs.
John Boettiger; Mr.. Churchill's
daughter, Mrs. Sarah Oliver, and
Kathleen Hartman, daughter of
the American Ambassador to Mos
COW, w. Avereu Hartman.
Worried About Toasting.
Mrs. Boettiger was somewhat un-
easy about the toasting, but she
looked across the table and saw
Admiral William D. Leahy, chief
of staff to the President, smiling
and exhibiting two crossed fingers
on each hand.
The Russian foreign commissar,
V. M. Molotov, started the toasts
with tributes to the President and
Prime Minister. Mr.. Roosevelt was
next, then Marshal Stain stepped
in.
The menu included caviar, bread
and butter, consomme, sturgeon,
beef and macaroni, caulifiower,
sweet cake, tea, coffee and fruit
and vodka and five different wines.
The cauliflower was a rare treat
because fresh green vegetables are
seldom seen on Russian tables.
Since the Russians brought $4,000
bottles to Yalta, the vodka and wine
weren't limited to the formal din
ners. They-and caviar-were on
the table for all meals, breakfast in
cluded. But at American headquar-
ters, at least, few started the day
on that diet.
Ate Russian Food.
Except for breakfast, Mr.. Roose-
welt ate Russian foods prepared by
Russian chefs.
For lunch there might be SOUP a
stew or goulaSh, fruits and pastries
for dessert.
A typical dinner served to the
President would include caviar,
vodka, toast and butter; some
smoked fish, like salmon; cabbage,
soup, sturgeon, ham, beef, poultry
or game (the meat might be on
skeWers), potatoes, pastry or fruit,
champagne or a wine akin to SPAR
king burgundy, coffee with differ
ent taste.
Even at the formal dinners there
was no formal attire. Mr.. Roosevelt
wore business suits throughout the
eight days Mr.. Churchill embel-
lished business clothes with a tre-
mendous black sealskin hat. Marshal
Stain always appeared in uniform.
Other Luxuries.
Lavish as vodka and caviar sound,
there we're plenty of other luxuries:
Barbering and manicuring "on the
house." cars and chauffeurs-but
they all had to be imported from
such famous Moscow hotels as the
Grand and Metropole.