Reds on Carpet

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The British Monarchy last week received one of its periodic visits from the Romanian head of state.

The affabilities surrounding President Ceausescu's visit were, however, marked by the sort of frictions which Romania's ruling families generally seem to bring in their wake.

One of Ceausescu's predecessors as head of state, King Carol, visited London for the funeral of George V in 1936.

The solemnity of the occasion, however, was regrettably marred.

Hung-over

King Carol, finding the fleshpots of London so much superior to those of Bucharest, was 1o0 royally hung-over to walk erect in the funeral procession.

Hustled from an overrapid resuscitation in a Turkish Bath he had to be suppore! along the route ~ t shite coated masseur tals appeared in the gutter press rowding Thus when Nicolai Ceausescu (who is, among many other things, not only head of state, but President of the State Council, General Secretary of the Communist Party, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Honorary President of the Romanian Academy) came to visit along with his wife, Elena, (who is on the Politburo and the Executive Committee of the Communist Party and also director of the National Institute of Chemistry) the Romanian Embassy were conscious that the dignity of a dynasty was at stake.

After all, leading and lucrative positions in the Romanian state are, also held by C'eausescu's four sons, Nicu (head of the Union of Communist Youth), Ion, (Deputy Minister of Agriculture), Valentin and lores, his daughter Zoe, his brothers lie and Marin, his brother in law Manea (Prime Minister) and his two nephews lon and C'orneliu hoth Deputy Prime Ministers) to mention only s lection of the closer Teneiviaries of nepotism. sescu decided to add a