Things they say
He made a great contribution to public life, especially in France.
John Major on President Mitterand

Mr Kinnock's talks with President Reagan could hardly be described as a meeting of minds.
BBC Radio 4, Today Programme

Of course we are not patronizing women. We are just going to explain to them in words of one syllable what it is all about.
Lady Olga Maitland

In 1948, a Washington radio station contacted ambassadors in the capital, asking what each would most like for Christmas. Britain's representative, Sir Oliver Franks, mistook the request.

French Ambassador: Peace throughout the world.

Soviet Ambassador: Freedom for all people enslaved by imperialism.

Sir Oliver: Well, it's very kind of you to ask. I'd quite like a box of crystallized fruit.

All from Matthew Parris and Phil Mason Read My Lips (1997)