The Reagan Diaries

by Ronald Reagan

Radio broadcast re the Dem. phony budget. Early afternoon went over to the Hilton to rehearse for the Gridiron banquet. They had an idea that after Nancy’s big surprise smash last year I should be a surprise guest this year. No Pres. has ever done this before. And for me it’s another first. They have me singing a parody as Nancy did. It’s to the tune of “Mañana.” My 1st time ever singing a song on a stage. I was nervous. But it went off O.K.—White tie & tales under a serape & a Mexican sombrero. Of course I then had to go back to the head table & wind up with some funnies in the grid iron tradition. Much of the day was spent in culling oneliners.

  [Sunday, March 27: slept late; watched the panel shows; edited upcoming speech; answered mail.]

  Monday, March 28

  Usual briefings—only specific of concern was a setback in Lebanon. Israel is demanding Haddad be commander in So. Lebanon—Lebanon says no—Lebanon is right.

  The Murdocks came by—our former Calif. finance chairman, his wife Gabrielle & son Justin.

  In the afternoon, met with Nat. coalition trying to do something about pornography. I’m with them.

  [Mrs. Reagan narrates a philharmonic performance. Tuesday, March 29: interview with panel of journalists; Mrs. Reagan in Phoenix.]

  Wednesday, March 30

  Pres. Kaunda of Zambia arrived. A good meeting & lunch. I think he feels good about the trip. We made clear we detest Apartheid but believe we can do better with S. Africa by persuasion.—Left for L.A. Met Nancy at Century Plaza late afternoon. Maureen came by re Mike. She’s really being a trooper & solid sister about the problem.

  Thursday, March 31

  Met with Doug Morrow re some ideas he has about taxes. Then on to the World Affairs Council for a speech & Q&A. Speech went well—it was on entire matter of disarmament. In Q&A, one Q. led to my response we could not under the law deliver 75 F16s to Israel so long as they remained in Lebanon. This became the feature story. Maybe it was a necessary signal to Israel. Afternoon went to Ranch. It’s beautiful—windy but sunny & warm.

  [Friday, April 1: went riding; Ron, Doria, and Patti arrived. Saturday, April 2: ranch work. Sunday, April 3: church services for Easter; returned to W.H.]

  Monday, April 4

  Big thing of this day was the traditional Easter Egg roll. Nancy & I went out on the lawn at 11 A.M.—there were more than 30,000 people—mainly children. Then I had to go back in the Cabinet room for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They are all on board for the Commission report on M-X. There were meetings all day on the upcoming Summit in Williamsburg, defense budget etc. A very top meeting in the situation room had to do with Surinam and possible plans to oust the dictator who seized power & murdered about 15 top civic leaders. Some of the plans I had to veto. We’re going to see if Venezuela & Brazil might help.

  [Ambassadorial formalities.]

  Tuesday, April 5

  [Visit from Muscular Dystrophy poster boy and comedian/fund-raiser Jerry Lewis; economic briefing, troubled by the difficulty of gauging money supply due to bank deregulation; visits from Eisenhower Fellows; then the Rossows, adoptive parents of twelve handicapped children.]

  I had an unsatisfactory meeting with Repub. Sens. on the budget committee. They are determined we must cut defense spending & increase domestic in order to get a budget passed. I’m opposed. We have rabbits where we need Tigers.

  Joe Coors came by for a drink & some talk. He’s a fine man.

  Wednesday, April 6

  Learned in office George S. is upset—thinks NSC is undercutting him on plans he & I discussed for “quiet diplomacy” approach to the Soviets. They have let Lydia—the young hunger striker member of the family that’s been living in the embassy basement in Moscow for 4 yrs. go. She is in Vienna as of today. We had a meeting later in the day with George & cleared things up I think. Some of the N.S.C. staff are too hard line & don’t think any approach should be made to the Soviets. I think I’m hard-line & will never appease but I do want to try & let them see there is a better world if they’ll show by deed they want to get along with the free world.

  [Flew to Pittsburgh, visited job-training school; spoke to conference of business leaders and local officials from all over the country; returned to Washington for entry in PBS’s Young Artists program.]

  Thursday, April 7

  A day that never should have happened. It was a displaced Monday. A 9:30 breakfast with the 16 Sens. who came into office when I did. A pleasant enough affair. Then an NSC briefing re Surinam. A solid plan is offered if Venezuela & Brazil will provide combat forces—only a few hundred needed. We provide Naval & Air support. Bill C. is off tomorrow for S.A. to personally present plan to both countries.

  Met briefly with St. & Local officials, did a Q&A on Federalism plan. Lunch with V.P. A strain has developed between George S. & Bill C. I’ve invited the Shultz’s to Camp D. for the weekend. I don’t think the problem is serious.

  [Brief appearance at National Catholic Education Conference, reiterated support for tuition tax credits; Cabinet Council meeting on coal slurry pipelines and clean-water policies; visits from leader of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) with honored disabled veteran; Olympic representatives; appearance at National Eye Care Project meeting; ambassadorial formalities.]

  Interrupted to make a call to Sen. Pete Domenici. Budget committee is debating defense budget. I asked them to hold off voting til Monday so we could discuss a reasonable proposal. He refused & I got mad. These supposed to be Republicans went ahead and cut in half the increase we’d asked for. The Russians must be very happy tonite.

  This evening Ron called all exercised because S.S. agents had gone into their apartment while they were in Calif. to fix an alarm on one of the windows. I tried to reason with him that this was a perfectly O.K. thing for them to do. […] I told him quite firmly not to talk to me that way & he hung up on me. End of a not perfect day.

  Friday, April 8–Sunday, April 10

  [President Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea of Ecuador visited; reception for Eagles Republican loyalists; reception for thirty-one female POWs from WWII.]

  Then off to Camp David. We had the Shultz’s with us as guests & had to drive because of the fog & rain. It stayed foggy & rainy until Sun. Still we had an enjoyable time. They are nice to be with. George & I had hours of discussion of all our international problems. On Sunday we got word that the P.L.O. had rejected Arafat’s agreement with King Hussein & offered a counter proposal which must have been written in Moscow. Hussein has refused it. I phoned him. Word had it that King Fahd (Saudi Arabia) & Hassan of Morocco favored the new plan of the radicals. I called Fahd—he’s on our side now that he’s seen the new draft. I’m waiting now to talk to Hassan. We’re back at the W.H. & the weather is now sunny & bright.

  Monday, April 11

  N.S.C. meeting—Bill C. back from quick secret trip to Venezuela & Brazil. We had a plan which required their cooperation to take Surinam back into the family of Am. States before it becomes a Cuban patsy. Venezuela couldn’t go along. Pres. of Brazil had an idea somewhat different than ours but I believe different. So operation “Guiminish” is born. We’ll know before the month is out whether it has succeeded.

  [Received MX plan from Commission on Strategic Powers, deemed it “a good plan”; meeting with National Federation of Independent Unions, received support; report from secretary of Agriculture on trip to North Africa and Middle East; photo sessions; Republican “Inner Circle” fund-raiser.]

  Then on to the Holocaust meeting—some 16,000 people—they had to turn 10,000 more away—no room.

  Practically all these people—all but their children, are survivors of the Nazi death camps. It was an emotional experience for them & for us. I know I choked up a couple of times while I was addressing them. Back at the W.H. & have a call in to Mubarak who is in Pakistan—it’s about the Arafat-Hussein affair.

  Tuesday, April 12

  His Majesty King Qabbos [Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman] arrived—mil. reception on the S. La
wn. State Dinner tonite. He gave some good advice about the P.L.O. statements. He says let them sweat for awhile—we’ve made them feel more important than they are. So we’ll stop chasing them.

  [Met with Democratic congressmen regarding the nuclear freeze resolution; visit from California investment banker Albert E. Schwabacher.]

  A Cabinet briefing about the move to lift a rule & let networks buy & own syndication rights to shows. I’m afraid it will be a monopoly to the detriment of the independent producers.

  Met with about 20 bankers who are against our withholding tax on interest. Don Regan carried most of the argument on our side. No agreement reached—it’s a testy issue.

  Today the Pentecostals left the Am. Embassy basement in Moscow where they’ve lived in the basement for 4 yrs. They left at our request. We think—well more than that we’re sure we have a deal that they will be allowed to emigrate.

  [State dinner successful; operatic performances by Robert Merrill and Anna Moffo.]

  Wednesday, April 13

  Another group of bankers re withholding. These were on our side. As one would expect—their statements to the press did not appear on the TV evening news.

  Called Colleen who has given us another grandchild—Ashley Marie R. Lunch in the East room to present awards to 20 winners of private initiative volunteer efforts across the country.

  Out to Rock Creek park to ride Giminish for ½ hour in the indoor riding hall. Back at the W.H. Ed Meese came by to give me an update on our W.H. problem of leaks & in house rivalry in the staff. I’m afraid it has reached a point where the axe must fall.

  Nancy is in Pittsburgh filming another program re drugs.

  Thursday, April 14

  Signed our income tax forms. The Pres. should do something about taxes. The Defense Minister of S. Korea (Yoon) came by—brief meeting & picture. NSC meeting on the MX commission report. I’ll announce my approval Tue. A work session on preparing for the Summit—subject trade. Then another group in on the Int. Withholding tax. About 50 top business & finance people—almost all very supportive of our position. Somehow they never seem to appear on the TV news. The bankers who were opposed did.

  [Cabinet Council meeting on economic affairs, decision in favor of extension of revenue sharing for local governments, discussion of health care for the unemployed; meeting with OAS ambassadors in recognition of Simon Bolivar’s birthday; announced a scholarship program for Caribbean youth; press availability.]

  Meeting with George S, Bill Clark et al re Israel. I think the time has come to approach P.M. Begin with a palm leaf. We’re going to offer some helpful measure through Defense Minister Ahrens.

  Friday, April 15

  Tax day & our returns are on all the front pages with emphasis on our supposed wealth—as usual the stories are slanted.

  Chancellor Helmut Kohl—W. Germany arrived. Good meetings. Ended with lunch in the St. Dining room. We have established a fine relationship. I asked him to establish an embassy in El Salvador. They have one in Nicaragua. He’s waiting for Duarte to visit Germany. Duarte will be a cand. in coming election. Kohl favors him & will give him the embassy to take home to El S.

  [Met with muscle-builders; left for Camp David in the rain. Saturday, April 16–Sunday, April 17: deskwork.]

  Monday, April 18

  Awakened with word a car bomb did great damage to our embassy in Beirut—killed scores of people including 5 of our Marine guard detail. First word is that Iranian Shiites did it—d--n them.

  A Budget briefing by Dave S. If the Dems. have their way the recovery will be over before it starts. They must give us the spending cuts we want or we face a trillion dollar deficit over the next 5 yrs. In the Rose garden I presented peace corps awards to 6 outstanding volunteers. One a nun from Ghana whispered to me she needed flour for her country. Before day ended, Dick Meyer of Seabord Corp. agreed to send 3000 lbs. of flour to her.

  Cabinet meeting was on budget—it’s a grim picture.

  [Observance of National Crime Victim Week; live telecast to North Carolina state champion basketball team; went to Kennedy Center for opening night of Frank Sinatra show.]

  Just before show started—got a call from Jim Baker. He & Ed were with Paul Laxalt & Bob Dole. We don’t have the Sen. votes to keep them from rolling over us on the withholding of tax on Int. & dividends. In fact we can’t keep them from over riding my veto. They’ve come up with a substitute as a possible compromise & needed my OK to try to put it together. Keep withholding of dividends & postpone Int. withholding on Int. for 2 yrs. It will get us about 80% of what we want in revenue. I bit hard & said O.K.

  Barry G., Howard Baker & John Tower were our guests in the box so at intermission I cornered them & told them—they said it was the thing to do—so I’ll sleep better tonight.

  Tuesday, April 19

  Cong. leadership re the Commission Strategic Force report. One present—Sen. Alan Cranston is a big bleeding heart for nuclear freeze. He said nothing to us in the meeting but tore us apart outside on the lawn to the press. He only favors Soviet arms, not U.S.

  Then went over to the East Room to formally announce my approval of the commission report.

  An unpleasant briefing—N.S.C. on the Beirut bombing. Lord forgive me for the hatred I feel for the humans who can do such a cruel but cowardly deed.

  [Report from American Medical Association on efforts to provide medical care for the uninsured and unemployed; reception for Building Trade Unions et al.; private dinner for HRH Alexandra of Britain and her husband, Angus Ogilvy, entertainment by songwriter Cy Coleman.]

  Wednesday, April 20

  A cold grey day. NSC briefing on Beirut. We lost […] our top research man on Middle East. The bodies will return Sat. I called our Ambassador—he’s a fine man.

  Outdoors on S. Lawn, a big ceremonial signing of the Soc. Security bill. Cong. committees, Cabinet, Task force & about 1000 people—all freezing to death. Then in to meet with the Ec. Advisory Board. All seemed certain recovery is happening but all agreed if we don’t stay on course it will be aborted.

  [Ceremony honoring volunteerism. Lunch with regional campaign leaders; president’s former radio producer, Harry O’Connor, visited, awaiting confirmation for Public Broadcasting board; disaster proclamation for Louisiana flood damage; visited volunteers in W.H. mail room.]

  Thursday, April 21

  N.S.C. Briefing—Brazil is holding Lybian transport planes that were headed for Nicaragua. Their cargo—medical supplies turned out to be weapons.

  [Visit from President Gaston Thorn of European Commission; cabinet meeting, approved a phase-out of farm-marketing orders, discussed health insurance for unemployed, “Interesting thing is the way the medical profession has already moved to provide free care for these people”; gathering for local television stations that staged job-a-thons; video tapings for various conventions.]

  Friday, April 22

  N.S.C.—mainly on Beirut. Our honored dead will be arriving at Andrews A.F. Base tomorrow evening.

  Met with speechwriters on T.V. speech re Nicaragua & El Salvador. An N.S.P.G. meeting on Middle East & George Shultz’s trip. I approved it. It’s time we tried to get our relationship back on track. George feels the same. Phil Habib has made great progress regarding Israeli’s withdrawal but there are still some sticking points.

  [Press availability; swearing-in ceremony for Ken Adelman as director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; Cabinet Council meeting on trade problems with Japan, intention to negotiate agreement on machine tools; reception for Small Business Advisory Council.]

  Saturday, April 23

  Merv Griffin came by for lunch. We left at 6:15 for Andrews A.F. Base—the ceremony for the 16 who died in Beirut. It was a moving experience. Nancy & I met individually with the families of the deceased. We were both in tears—I know all I could do was grip their hands—I was too choked up to speak. Then home to change clothes & off to the W.H. Correspondents dinner. I was supposed to do a routine of jo
kes etc. a la the Gridiron. I couldn’t change gears that swiftly. So as not to put a damper on the evening & comedian Mark Russell, I waited til the last & then asked their pardon for not “singing for my supper” because of our sad journey to Andrews A.F. Base. I asked for a rain check & said I’d save my remarks for then.

  [Sunday, April 24: worked on speech planned for Wednesday; visit from Secretary and Mrs. Shultz, on their way to Egypt.]

  Monday, April 25

  An easy day except for getting up—the 1st day of daylight savings. I’ve told Ed & Mike they & Jim B. & Bill C. should get together & lay it out on the table. A real split has developed & the press is making much of it due to leaks probably by subordinates in behalf of their bosses.

  [Department of Energy ceremony; met with Jim Coyne, special assistant and director of the Office of Private Sector Initiatives, on publicizing private programs that are “doing things Congress thinks only govt. can do”; interview with German journalist; visit from actress and old Hollywood friend Joy Hodges-Scheiss with her husband.]

  Tuesday, April 26

  Sec. Gen. Luns of NATO came by. He believes strongly in our disarmament proposals & in the need for us to deploy intermediate missiles in Europe.

  I was scrambling all day to get the speech on Central Am. in shape for Weds. nite. State Dept., N.S.C., Defense & C.I.A. all are putting an oar in. I had 3 scripts on my desk at one time. I’d already turned in my own version.

  Met with selected members of the House Intelligence Committee. Cong. has eroded away much of the Const. authority of the Presidency in foreign affairs matters. They can’t & don’t have the information the Pres. has & they are really lousing things up.

  [Met with Governor John Sununu (R-NH) regarding his suspicion of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) bureaucrats; report from National Commission on Excellence in Education contending that federal interference has undermined educational system; interview with USA Today.]

  Early dinner for about 40 people honoring Lawrence Olivier—then we saw his picture, “King Lear.” It was a tour de force for him.