Mr. Dewar. [speaking french] the guest of honor has arrived, french president Francois Hollande greeted by the president and the first lady. This is the seventh state dinner were official visit for the Obama Administration. We will take you to the south lawn pavilion, a tent that is turned into a springlike display. First, we will take a look inside a state dinner as part of our coverage here on cspan2. We will tell you what it is like to be invited to these expose of affairs and will get the role of first ladies over the years. We will have a conversation with Julianna Smoot who serve in the Obama Administration. We want to begin with the perspective of james fallows. As a national correspondent, you have attended three state dinners. What are they like . They are interesting and fun. Ach dinner, there was sprinkling of journalists, usually people who of some connection to the country are being invited. Ive been to the ones for korea. For china recently and then for canada, because i am from north america. Nobody could really not like these things. You get the invitation. What is that like . It is a big heavy things so is like it it something you pick up at downton abbey. With a social secretary of the white house. You find out the details of when to be there and what to bring or not bring. Usually take a taxi to one of the social gates of the white house and proceed from there. It is more intense than he used to be after that Renegade Group try to get into an indian state dinner. After the clearance and walking into the white house, then what . There was a receiving line. There are pictures. You make your way through this receiving line. You are announced by military guests. Each person coming against the little announcement. Mr. President , we announce this person coming in. Essyou are in the last famous bottom group, everybody is listening to the announcement if it is going to be a famous person. There is this category of people who are not famous to get announced. Themeet the president and first lady and then the visiting president and his aror her spouse. At brush with celebrity is the beginning as soon as you come into the receiving line. Is it an evening with some added stress . Sure there are people there who have added stress. Theund it enjoyable because most recent one was for the president of china a year into the Obama Administration. We have been living in china for the previous four years so we actually taught it was just be interesting and fun to see the president of china who never actually meet the people when years in china when he is in china. See other people who are involved with china affairs. I found it fun rather than stressful. My wife was fine spending more time about her dress and hair. How do you know where to sit and what is that like . These dinners have larger and smaller groups of attendees. Severalones have outlying rooms so you check your table to see where you are going to be. Boondocks . He they try to be careful in sprinkling out the actual famous people at the table so nobody feels like he or she has a bad seat. You are seated, there are name cards, there are menus. American wines. For the french president , i dont know whether it is a woulde of they sprinkle in some french wine and champagne. Have somebody who wrangles everybody to sit down because they are trying to maximize their time. What is a hobby and s what is the ambience like . I worked for jimmy carter. I never got to attend the state dinners as a guest. I was under a lot of stress trying to write the toast. Guests isce for the just fun and people are almost universally excited to be there. Im not trying to make this sound silly but it would be dishonest to say that people dont enjoy this because there are a lot of usually wellknown people there that have common interests. Always interesting to see the vibe and the body language of the american president and his spouse and then the for leader. What they are like and how they carry themselves. It is a positive vibe. How important are these dinners for american diplomacy and had two heads of state view their visit and these events . They can be very important. When the chinese leader at the came to washington during the george w. Bush and administration, there was a chill in the relations so he got a brunch rather than a dinner. It was in seattle and not washington, d. C. That was a sign of cooling the relationship. Of amicy. Sign calibrationsthese that the u. S. Can give to indicate its degree of warmth or coolness to a visiting partner. To those who would never be invited, give us the sense of the sights and sounds. What it feels like. How it comes across a you can capture on television. I will give a quick panorama. You get there by taxi because there is no place to park on the east side of the white house which is the social wing of where the first lady is based. Something in what inside the white house is full of these excellent pictures. Insight pictures of whoevers the current incumbent. The white house photographer monopolizes opportunities. You walk them this long haul that is historical memorabilia and all these interesting photos of the current president going around the country. You see a lot of military people, u. S. Military and some foreign ones wearing their dress outfits with their medals. Everybodying line is wanting to walk as if he or she is not excited but you can tell who the are. Display impressive was when it during late in 1998, my wife and i got to visit a dinner for the korean president and right in front of us was a famous korean conceptual artist who was having was comingf he in with a walker. As he was shaking hands with president bill clinton, my wife this korean artist in his mid60s, his trousers fell down and he was wearing nothing underneath that. On live feed tv, you had a completely naked bottom half of an older korean gentleman with bill clinton looking every second into his eyes as the mans assistant pulled up his trousers. You can tell the korean president was not amused by this one little bit. Bill clinton acted as if he was taking it all in stride. The next person bill clinton greeted was my wife and he had a raise of his eyebrows. Usually things are much more control than that. The other time i saw something unexpected was during the chinese dinner early in obamas term. Pulling out aed smart phone to take pictures and suddenly everybody was doing it. Microsoft ando of you had the pianist from china. There started to take pictures of. Jackie chan was taking pictures with the smartphone. Once somebody started doing it, they all started doing it. Taking pictures of menus and food in pictures of the president as they were working the crowd afterwards. Do you remember the evening entertainment . Howthe night include does the night include . Conclude. . I remember most vividly was the Chinese State dinner where it was essentially a celebration of american jazz. Other greateveral american jazz singers and instrumentalists. President obama said to the visiting chinese that culture is part of our connection that we want to highlight something that is important part of all culture. R that was a sign of cultural connection so it is one of the ways like the opening ceremonies of the olympics but in more condensed form that the United States can give a signal of what part of its culture it was the highlight. That went over very well with the chinese and the americans. James fallows, thank you for adding your perspective. You are looking at the scene from the bookseller which is on the ground floor of the white house. Theill continue to watch as guests are arriving for tonight a dinner tonights state dinner. The president is not greeting is now greeting the president of france in the blue room. Richard winter and mrs. Alexandra winter. Ms. Christine lagarde. Ms. Crystal a. Connors. The honorable charles schumer. Food. I like everything. I like it all. They have great rolls. No food is better than brooklyn. Than . Hing is better brooklyn. Mr. And mrs. Kevin f. Omalley. The honorable michael nutter, mayor of philadelphia and mrs. Nutter. The honorable david l. Cohen and mr. S. Cohen. The honorable eddie scholz and mr. Stephan scholz. Ms. Julianna goldman. The honorable stephanie blake, mayor of baltimore and mr. Kent blake. Ms. Stacey mills. Ms. Alexandra stanton and ms. Donna stanton. [speaking french] we are really excited. My first state dinner for my wife and i. I can remember. Thank you. Honorable paul ryan and mrs. Ryan. The honorable chuck hagel, secretary of defense and daug hter ms. Hagel. Mr. Dan barber and brother mr. David barber. Ms. Mindy kaling and guest. What is your French Connection . What is my connection . The honorable nancy pelosi and her daughter. This is my daughter jacqueline, she is from texas. She is studying france. Attorney general eric holder and mrs. Holder. We hope this relationship will be made better by the dinner. Thank you. Mr. And mrs. Peter per bershar. Mr. And mrs. James roosevelt, jr. The honorable karen bass and ms. Barbara jordan. I love paris and i am very honored to be here today. Dr. Jeffrey randall. I was responsible for europe in the first term. Ms. Mary j. Blige. What am i performing tonight . That is a surprise. My last name is french. Reverend al sharpton. I have been practicing my french. Lets hear it. Oui oui oui. The honorable james lyons. Mr. And mrs. Arnie sorenson. Most of the guests have arrived. You are looking at the scene of an area known as the bookseller. It is one of the first locations before you had upstairs. This is the area where the guests arrive before going to the state tour. The president and mrs. Obama hosted president hollande in the blue room which was redecorated with furniture in paris from paris. Later in the program, chance for you to have a conversation with Julianna Smoot who serve in the Obama Administration as white house social secretary. One ckground on this this is the seventh state or official visit dinner by the Obama Administration. The location is the south lawn pavilion. It is being turned into a monet inspired gala that is in honor of the french president. Therell be three under 50 invited guests and you saw just a moment ago r b singer mary j. Blige will be performing tonight. The cuisine will be american base but also why french inspired floral arrangement. Frencht state visit by a president was back in 1996 during the clinton administration. French president jacque chirac. The last official dinner was during the final year or two of the Bush Administration with french president sarkozy who lost his reelection to Francois Hollande. Which is allrival part of the pomp and ceremony during a state visit. Also the nook is the News Conference that took place which begin during a cold im a crisp winter morning. There was no rain or snow and one of the photographs released shows the president and french president and for the french flag in front of the french flag. Here is more. Present. Arm. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States and mrs. Michelle obama. [applause] ladies and gentlemen national hem of the First Republic french republic followed by the National Anthem of the United States. Present. Arms teare. [applause] order. Arms. Mr. President , the honor guard is prepared for inspection. Arms. Front. Arms. [applause] [indiscernible] here. At honor to have you present. Arms. Thank you. Order. Arms. Order. High. Ready. Ready. Good morning everybody. Bonjour. That is the extent of my french. [laughter] world warm thehe heart like paris in the spring. Do ourrning, we will best for washington in the winter. French]king france is americas oldest ally. We have deepened our alliance and today on behalf of the American People and michelle and myself, it is a great honor to welcome my friend president first stated his visit in the United States and the first visit of a friend president in a most 20 years. [speaking french] yesterday at monticello we reflected on the values that we shared. The ideals of the heart of our alliance. Here under the red white and blue and the blue, white, and red, we declare our devotion once more to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. French]g [applause] [speaking french] for more than two centuries, we have not only proclaimed ro ours our ideals, citizens have bled to preserve them from the beaches of normandy to the beaches to the mountains of afghanistan. We are honored to be joined by two extraordinary men who were there. Proudd them to stand, veterans of dday you are here in attendance today. [applause] [speaking french] it is no exaggeration that we stand here because of each other. We owe our freedom to each other. Of course, we americans also think our french friends for so much else. This capital city designed by lenfant. Our statue of liberty a gift from france. Something Many Americans are especially grateful for it, new orleans and the french quarter. [speaking french] mr. President , like generations before us, we now have the task not simply to reserve our alliance but to make it new for our time. No one nation can meet todays challenges alone. Toe nations must step up meet the responsibilities of leadership and that is what the United States and france are doing together. French]king to our french friends, i say lets do even more together for the security our citizens deserve in the prosperity they seek and the dignity of people around the world who speak will be declared centuries ago of those unalienable rights, the sacred rights of man. French]aking llande,ident alhoo we honor to have you as one of her strongest allies in closest friends. Welcome to the United States. [applause] french]aking michelle,sident, ladies and gentlemen, it is cold in washington. [laughter] but it is aht Beautiful Day, great day for america and france. I am obliged to do that for my country. French]g we are received here as friends. Receptioned by this by the president of the United States. [speaking french] we are always united by a common history. From yorktown to the beaches of normandy, as you said so rightly, each of our countries know what it owes to the other its freedom. French]g yesterday, we were in monticello, Thomas Jeffersons residence, once ambassador to one of theremains beautiful symbols of the times that unite us. [speaking french] this afternoon, at the arlington cemetery, the highest french dissection a distinction was awarded to the american unknown soldier. We present American Veterans who fought in the Second World War with an award in a would like to pay tribute to these men. French]g i wish to demonstrate the fact that france will never forget the spirit of sacrifice shown by these american soldiers, nameless heroes who left their homes to liberate my country and europe. We shall pay tribute to them during the celebrations that will take place in france to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the normandy landing. You will jointhat me on the sixth of june, 2014, 70 years after dday landing. [speaking french] our two countries hold universal values. People tot inspire write together, the universal declaration of human rights. [speaking french] we stand together to fight terrorism. France and the United States stand sidebyside to make these values prevail. With thetogether United States to address the threats of the proliferation of mass disruption and chemical weapons. Together, to solve the crises faced by the middle east. Andface African Development together to fight Global Warming and climate change. [applause] [speaking french] united and wed have built a model of friendship. That is the best reecipe for a better world, a world that was dreamt by Thomas Jefferson. Friendship,st about it is about an alliance that will enable us to make this world a better place, i safer place, a more humane place. French]g thank you. Mr. President , i am proud to stand here to ask this great man of United States of america and you represent the United States of america, a country where everything is possible for who wants it. A country devoted to freedom and equality. Long live the United States. Long live france. Long live the francoamerican friendship. [applause] attention. March. Ready, hut. Mr. President , this concludes the ceremony. [applause] one of the highest honors for a visiting head of state is a state dinner. The day begins on the south lawn of the white house. Morning. Clear, cold clear morning in which the president talked about springtime in paris and winter in washington, d. C. They are hosting their seventh dinner for a special guest like this. The dinner is taking place in a tent on the south lawn. This is continuing coverage by the french president. A chance for you to join in on the conversation as the social secretary for obama and was responsible to organizing two state dinners for the president of china and mexico. Our phone lines are open. Those of you in the eastern and central time zone and there is the number for those of you in the mountain and pacific time zones. State dinners have a relatively new phenomenon. We are continuing our series on first ladies. The final program is taking place next monday on president s day. We will be releasing a new poll on now americans view americas first ladies. Heather foster is a president ial historian and has written a number of books on the first ladies. I asked her about the early dinners and how they have evolved since the civil war we didnt have anything resembling state dinners during washington because who was coming . We had great big oceans and no heads of state were coming for dinner like now. State dinners were larger dinners for who was in town. The congressman, the court, and a lot of diplomats and that was the extend of a state dinner. They had ren