• Joan Smalls — a model whose career we've been tracking for years — bagged an Estée Lauder contract. The Puerto Rican's ads will debut next spring. "We are rejoicing in the importance of global beauty," said Aerin Lauder. [WWD]

• Richard Nixon apparently thought interracial pregnancy was grounds for abortion. On a newly released tape, he reportedly says, "There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white." •