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White House Diaries
February
06
1981
February 06, 1981
Friday, February 6, 1981
My birthday. Nancy, Tip O’Neil, Paul Laxalt, Tom Evans & Cong. Wright from Texas surprised me (all duly recorded by Cap. Press Corps) with a beautiful cake. Tip gave me a tie & the flag which flew over the Cap. on Jan. 20. We wheeled the cake into another room where it was cut up by about 200 of our staff. That afternoon received a great present—our own Sens. who had held out on debt. ceiling turned around & we carried the day. Nancy told me we were having about 20 or so of our Sac. gang on the staff to dinner & because of my birthday doing it black tie. At 8 P.M. we walked down the main staircase & to my complete surprise the 20 had become more than 100 of our Calif. friends, Nancy’s Brother & sister in law, Moon & Bess, Maureen etc. The East room had become a be-flowered fairy land thanks to Ted Graber. It turned out to be the most enjoyable & memorable dinner dance any of us could remember. How Nancy could keep it such a secret I’ll never know—except that as I look back she had managed to keep me from reading papers for the last 2 days. Apparently every one in America knew it but me. P.S. During day discovered my Ambas. appts. were processed by St. Dept. They take forever. I want Bill Wilson cleared by them before 26th so he can meet Pope (he’s to be Ambas. to Vatican) in Alaska. Told Penn James to tell the guy at State that was advising him to get off his A-- & do it.
