Nancy Reagan maid returned to work at the White House. In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet leader to visit Washington, D.C. since Nikita Khrushchev made the trip in 1959 at the height of the Cold War. Nancy was in charge of planning and hosting the important and highly anticipated state dinner, with the goal to impress both the Soviet leader and especially his wife Raisa Gorbacheva. After the meal, she recruited pianist Van Cliburn to play a rendition of "Moscow Nights" for the Soviet delegation, to which Mikhail and Raisa broke out into song. Secretary of State George P. Shultz
Rosa Raisa Enrico Caruso, participated as Helen of Troy in Arrigo Boito's "Mefistofele" with Claudia Muzio, John McCormack and Adamo Didur, and substituted for Claire Dux as the Countess in "Le nozze di Figaro". The London company went to Paris and she sang her only Nedda in "Pagliacci" and again sang Amelia in Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera". In November 1914 publisher Tito Ricordi, who had personally auditioned Raisa in his studio, recommended her to the management of the Modena opera for a long run (Raisa recalled nineteen performances) of Riccardo Zandonai's new opera, "Francesca da Rimini", first performed in Turin only