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| Memories of Home as Hollande Visits United States | Memories of Home as Hollande Visits United States |
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| WASHINGTON — President Obama welcomed President François Hollande of France to the United States on Monday, deferring for a day the customary ruffles and flourishes of a state visit to squire him to the mountaintop estate of an American president long identified with France. | WASHINGTON — President Obama welcomed President François Hollande of France to the United States on Monday, deferring for a day the customary ruffles and flourishes of a state visit to squire him to the mountaintop estate of an American president long identified with France. |
| Touring Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson outside Charlottesville, Va., in the fading light of a chilly winter afternoon, Mr. Obama showed Mr. Hollande around the neoclassical villa that bears the imprint of Jefferson’s years as the American envoy to Paris. | Touring Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson outside Charlottesville, Va., in the fading light of a chilly winter afternoon, Mr. Obama showed Mr. Hollande around the neoclassical villa that bears the imprint of Jefferson’s years as the American envoy to Paris. |
| In Jefferson’s study, where the two presidents paused to admire inventions that allowed the author of the Declaration of Independence to write and read more efficiently, Mr. Hollande noted that one of the books was in French. In the estate’s kitchen, they were shown native-grown plants used in French cooking. | In Jefferson’s study, where the two presidents paused to admire inventions that allowed the author of the Declaration of Independence to write and read more efficiently, Mr. Hollande noted that one of the books was in French. In the estate’s kitchen, they were shown native-grown plants used in French cooking. |
| Jefferson, Mr. Obama said to reporters in Monticello’s foyer, “was a Francophile through and through,” though his owning of slaves was a reminder of the need to keep fighting for freedom. Mr. Hollande joked that Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, adding, “Today, we’re not asking for anything.” | |
| It was a civilized start to a visit meant to showcase the shared history of the United States and France — America’s oldest ally and one for the most part back in favor, with the acrimony of the Iraq war a distant memory. | |
| On Tuesday, Mr. Hollande will be formally welcomed to the White House, and in the evening Mr. Obama will play host at a state dinner that is most notable for the fact that the French leader will attend stag, which the White House had not planned on when it first engraved the invitations. | On Tuesday, Mr. Hollande will be formally welcomed to the White House, and in the evening Mr. Obama will play host at a state dinner that is most notable for the fact that the French leader will attend stag, which the White House had not planned on when it first engraved the invitations. |
| Mr. Hollande’s messy love life — he split with his longtime partner, Valérie Trierweiler, in January after reports that he was cheating on her with a French actress — is going unmentioned, as he and Mr. Obama take up a serious agenda that includes Iran, Syria, terrorism in North Africa and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. | Mr. Hollande’s messy love life — he split with his longtime partner, Valérie Trierweiler, in January after reports that he was cheating on her with a French actress — is going unmentioned, as he and Mr. Obama take up a serious agenda that includes Iran, Syria, terrorism in North Africa and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. |
| Pointing to counterterrorism cooperation in Mali and joint negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, a senior administration official said, “Let’s just say that we’ve come a long way from ‘freedom fries’ and are now working together on multiple continents to promote peace and security and economic growth and development.” | Pointing to counterterrorism cooperation in Mali and joint negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, a senior administration official said, “Let’s just say that we’ve come a long way from ‘freedom fries’ and are now working together on multiple continents to promote peace and security and economic growth and development.” |
| The White House’s most delicate diplomatic decisions may revolve around the protocol at the state dinner. Among the thorniest questions is who will sit beside Mr. Obama in the seat normally occupied by the French first lady? Jeremy Bernard, the White House social secretary, said Monday that he did not know yet. | The White House’s most delicate diplomatic decisions may revolve around the protocol at the state dinner. Among the thorniest questions is who will sit beside Mr. Obama in the seat normally occupied by the French first lady? Jeremy Bernard, the White House social secretary, said Monday that he did not know yet. |
| What the White House does know is what will be on the table. In a nod to the delicacies of French cuisine, the menu will accent all-American food with a French flair, set against a backdrop of free-flowing vines, purple irises and other flowers. Michelle Obama’s fingerprints will be most evident in the salad course, inspired by vegetables from her kitchen garden. | What the White House does know is what will be on the table. In a nod to the delicacies of French cuisine, the menu will accent all-American food with a French flair, set against a backdrop of free-flowing vines, purple irises and other flowers. Michelle Obama’s fingerprints will be most evident in the salad course, inspired by vegetables from her kitchen garden. |