Manila, Philippines. September, 1957. This is the same dinner party as seen in #14, following the group photo, after which I was turned loose on the guests. I wasn’t wise to everything going on, but I wasn’t deaf, either. If someone said, “Have you met so-and-so’s querida?”, I would soon receive instructions not to repeat the conversation, otherwise I absolutely would.
Guaranteed, I’d ask what a ‘querida’ was. Then I’d ask what a ‘mistress’ was. It was quite the education.
Long before I knew what CIA stood for, I knew who some of the officers were. We’d see them on the golf course, and Dad would sometimes remind me not to let on that I knew.
I’m pretty sure everyone knew.
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John Dyer Writes 
We may rightfully conclude that none of the people in this second photograph was the subject of that conversation, since no one would make such a comment in front of the person being commented on as that would just be rude, and Mom and Dad’s guests where never rude. Unless, of course, the comment implied that Dad had a querida, which would have caused an immediate unfortunate accident. Now THAT would have been a great subject of conversation at the next cocktail party.
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I think that we may also safely conclude that none of the people in either photograph was (were?) members of a certain alphabet agency, as commenting on such would STILL be rude.
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Well, maybe not after 65 years
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😁
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