“I like to have a lot...

“I like to have a lot of birthdays,” said Dr. Armand Hammer, chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum and master of U.S.-Soviet relations, celebrating his 89th birthday Sunday with 400 close, personal friends. He was kissed, hugged, wished well, patted on the back, had his picture taken, praised and sung to at the five-hour party at the Beverly Wilshire, where celebrities and celebrated businessmen and women crowded the lobby, giving TV cameras something to look at. Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin conveyed congratulations from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. A Chinese delegation arrived en masse and gave Hammer a framed picture of two cranes, symbols of longevity. As the audience stood to applaud, Hammer took the podium to thank his friends for being present.