An astonishing story was told over dinner a couple of evenings ago and you may find it interesting. Cast your mind back to Richard Nixon’s Presidency.
He covertly installed tape recorders in the Oval Office. The electricians, one member of his staff and Nixon himself were the only people in on the secret. In September 1970, British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, had a series of meetings with Nixon in the Oval Office spread over three days. Then as now, the Middle East was the topic. On the third day Nixon repeated almost verbatim what Sir Alec had said in one of the earlier meetings. He knew that such a feat of memory was impossible and asked a member of staff in the British embassy to enquiry as to whether conversations in the Oval Office were recorded. The cat, then, was out of the bag. It would have been better for Nixon if he had not subsequently placed recorders elsewhere.
I read More about Sir Alec related by Deborah Devonshire in a letter to Patrick Leigh Fermor. It concerns his attendance, as Prime Minister, at President Kennedy’s funeral in 1963. The government chartered a Boeing 707 to take the Prime Minister and Lady Douglas-Home, the Duke of Edinburgh, Harold Wilson (Leader of the Opposition), Sir Philip de Zulueta (Private Secretary to the PM), Sir Timothy Bligh (Principal Private Secretary to the PM), Sir Harold Evans (Public Relations Adviser to the PM), two typists, two detectives, The D of E’s ADC and Andrew and Debo Devonshire. There were 150 empty seats behind them. Debo digresses to mention that JFK described Philip de Zulueta to her as “that Spaniard who looks after Uncle Harold”.
It was too foggy to land in London on the return journey so they diverted to Manchester. Debo gallantly invited the party to Chatsworth for the night. The PM, on learning that his sheets would have to be changed in the morning for a royal visitor, assured Debo that he’d try to keep very still so they wouldn’t need changing.
It’s worth quoting Debo’s thoughts on JFK from another letter to Patrick L F.
“The fantastic luck was knowing him at all, such an extraordinary person, so funny, so touching, clever, brave & sort of good, & such marvellous company.”
The “sort of good” says to me that she really knew him well.