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Last spring, when a left-wing Paris daily said she hated life in the U.S. and longed to return to Russia, Svetlana Alliluyeva felt compelled to reply. Writing from Princeton, N.J., to a friend in Paris, Joseph Stalin's daughter stated she would "never return to Russia." In fact, "last summer, when Moscow began to sling mud at me, I threw my Soviet passport in the fire." Far from disliking the U.S., continued Svetlana, she finds increasing joy in the kindness of Americans and wishes the 16-year-old daughter she left in Russia could meet America's young people. Some day, she would like to see France, but "I am not drawn to countries where the influence of Communism is strong; having once been given an overdose of it, to this day I feel nauseated at the very mention of it."
How could they all squeeze into that small, three-bedroom villa? Yet there were Britain's Lord Harlech, three of his five children, plus a dozen or so friends, on holiday at El Mansoura, a fishing village on Tunisia's Cape Bon. At one point, there were 17 for dinner, and the kids mostly slept on air mattresses on the veranda. No matter. The nights were velvet, the days filled with swimming and trips to the village markets. Harlech spent much of his time reading and lounging around in a loose-fitting djibbah, blessedly free of reporters. When one turned up to ask the inevitable question about marrying friend Jackie Kennedy, the answer was an immediate no. "Both our lives are extremely complicated," he said.
When somebody goes to the bother of naming a cave after a gal, the only polite thing for her to do is sing a little tune in appreciation. Which explains what Pearl Bailey was doing 320 ft. underground in Missouri's Meramec Caverns belting out Hello, Dolly! Off Broadway, Pearlie Mae is an avid spelunker, and she gladly turned up for the dedication of the cavern's "Pearl Bailey Room." As for that cave, which once served as an Underground Railroad stop, it suits Pearl just fine. "That," she pronounced, "is something solid."