(10 of 10)
Occasionally all that New Frontier vigah is a strain on Hervé, a conscientious nonexerciser whose only outdoor sport is a lackadaisical game of croquet. At a recent black-tie party, the vigorous wife of one official rushed up to him, ripped open his shirt and squealed, " 'Errveee, I thought everybody nice wore undershirts!" Hervé managed a weak grin, slunk off to a corner to button up.
Tail Gates Up. Charles de Gaulle's icy attitude toward the Anglo-Saxons, his insistence on creating a nuclear force de dissuasion and his all-round obstructionism have made the Alphands' job more difficult. But during the autobahn crisis in Germany earlier this month, le grand Charles was momentarily forgotten as Hervé conferred with Ormsby Gore and U.S. officials to hammer out a joint response to the Soviet blockade. "There we are together again," enthused Nicole while discussing the situation with a State Department man. "And we French, we nevair lower our tail gates."
In spite of De Gaulle, the Alphands still have one of the busiest numbers on the party line. They are as sought after as ever for the best parties. At the drop of an engraved invitation, Nicole still can draw what one official calls "the whole damned decision-making apparatus of the Government" to her table. One admiring Frenchman describes her as "our secret weapon." And if good food and wine and conversation count for anything in the realm of politics, she is a one-woman force de persuasion.
*Ambiance, as Nicole Alphand uses it, is the total atmosphere of a place, achieved by arranging everything around a central motif.