Hoyt Richards: We were getting letters from 45 countries, so we had to create an office.
Letitia Baldrige: We gave a lavish state dinner at Mount Vernon.
Richards: I mean, I’ve always eaten well.
Baldrige: But, in the end, the horse entered the country illegally, and the story was never told. [laughs]
Richards: No, that’s one of the blessings.
•••
Baldrige: Never swap the place cards, even if you think that no one will notice.
Richards: That’s a pretty depressing story.
Baldrige: You know, a sense of humor is basic to all of this.
Richards: That was a real eye-opener for me to recognize.
Baldrige: Take lots of deep breaths.
•••
Richards: Not anymore.
Baldrige: That never would have happened thirty years ago.
Richards: You get these extreme pictures of Jonestown, or the people that had the Nike suits and all took Kool-Aid. But cultic relationships seem to be part of the human condition.
Baldrige: Sometimes you just have to let those situations play themselves out.
Richards: That’s where the danger lies.