[Meeting then with Shultz on his way to Stockholm; personnel meeting; videotapings; went to Camp David. Saturday, January 14–Sunday, January 15: sat by the fire and worked hard on a draft of the State of the Union; returned to the W.H.]
Monday, January 16
Staff & NSC meetings but the day really began in the East room at 10:00 A.M. when I went live on TV worldwide with address on Soviet-U.S. relations. The press, especially TV is now trying to explain the speech as pol. etc. The speech was carefully crafted by all of us to counter Soviet propaganda that we are not sincere in wanting arms reductions or peace. It was low key & held the door open to the Soviets if they mean what they say about having peace to walk in.
Then a meeting on the St. of the Union address. I worked the whole weekend on a re-write of a draft which represented the input of every agency. Now my re-write will go back into the mill.
[Briefing on issues at lunch; met with Grace Commission with report containing twenty-five hundred recommendations on improving efficiency in government.]
An interview for year-end round-up in Wash. Post or rather a 3rd anniversary of our admin. Lou Cannon, Hoffman & Juan Williams—3 journalists who usually kick my brains out.
The Q’s. were OK but I’m not sure how honestly they’ll treat the answers.
[Visit from Gerald Carmen, former head of General Services Adminisration (GSA), then headed for Geneva; met with Arab American group; waiting for word on reason for disappearance of U.S. corporal in West Germany.]
Tuesday, January 17
NSC meeting—actually it was to say goodbye to Ambassador Valenzuela of Chile. He delivered a nice message from President Pinochet. Then 2nd guest was Mrs. Massey. She is a regular visitor to Russia. She’s dedicated to previewing some of old Russia’s art & is helping with an art museum. Widely acquainted among Russians in art & cultural activities—has no trust with the govt. types. She was most complimentary about my speech.
Lunch was a round table meeting with a group concerned about the family in America—an interesting time & a lot of interesting & diverse view points.
Met with Paul Nitze. He, too believes we must not yield to Soviet pressure to make a new offer to get the Soviets to resume the I.N.F. talks. That would be rewarding them for walking out.
Cabinet Council meeting on Natural Resources & Environment. A lot of decisions to be made on Western Water policies, toxic waste dumps, wetlands, preserving offshore sandbars & doing something about acid rain. This last calls for more research. I also approved lifting regulations restricting use of methanol as a fuel for cars.
Then Nancy & I went over to the Hay Adams hotel for a reception—“Citizens For The Republic.” This is the group formed with my leftover 1976 campaign funds. About 85 people all stalwart supporters—very pleasant half hour.
Wednesday, January 18
I think I’ve been doing wrong in these diaries for 3 yrs. I’ve made them a log book of the days schedule & those schedules are all in the archives. I guess I should be noting other things so I’ll start now. Prime Minister Mahatlin of Malaysia was our visitor today with a number of his visitors. He is also a Doctor. We had a good talk although there aren’t any great problems between our two countries. He is a free enterpriser & is well along on bringing democracy & capital investment to his country.
Attorney Gen. Bill Smith came in—he wants to bow out after 3 yrs. & take an active role in the coming campaign which he can’t do as A.G.
Sen. John Danforth has returned from his African trip. He brought over some slides of the starving people principally in Mozambique. He plead for immediate help for these people. The govt. of M. had thrown in its lot with the Soviets. Now the Soviets have failed them. I told our gang to get underway & we’ll ride to the rescue.
Stu Spencer came to the house for dinner—we talked politics—what else? I’m glad he’s with the campaign.
Thursday, January 19
[Prime Minister Rudolphus Lubbers of the Netherlands visited, concerned about Parliament reaction to deployment of nuclear missiles.]
I’m appointing Ed Meese to succeed Bill S. as A.G. This is his life long dream—his main interest is & has always been law enforcement. My decision was taken well by Mike & Jim. Bill will announce on Monday. I hope we don’t have any leaks.
[Considered himself honored by acceptance into a “Religious Heritage Hall of Fame”; received gift from Kiwanis; photo session; budget meeting, found loopholes to close in tax code; appeared before private group, headed by George Allen, advocating physical fitness; farewell party for David Gergen, who served as director of communications.]
Friday, January 20
George S. is back. He told me it was a pleasure to represent us overseas with me here. I’m embarrassed even writing this but I feel good at the same time. There is a respect for the U.S. abroad that wasn’t there a few years ago.
[Photo session; gathering for third anniversary of inaugural.]
Back to a meeting with several Gov’s. regarding Acid Rain. It’s a tough problem. Do we know enough for sure that mid west plants burning sulphur coal is the cause. The solution is terribly expensive—too much so if we’re wrong about the cause, we’re upping our research effort. Then off to Camp David—cold & snowy.
[Saturday, January 21–Sunday, January 22: sat by the fire, worked on speeches, watched Super Bowl.]
Monday, January 23
Routine visits in A.M. plus meeting with all the leaders of the annual march for Life—70,000 in Wash. against abortion. They gathered down on the Elipse at noon. I went up on the W.H. balcony & waved to them. I could hear the roar that went up. The leaders & I had a good meeting. They are more united & determined than ever.
An issues briefing lunch & later an NSC meeting—Don Rumsfeld, George S, Bud McFarlane & myself later joined by Cap W., Jack Vessey & Bill Casey—all on Lebanon. We’re going to study a possible move of the Marines to the ships off shore but an Army force on shore to train the Lebanese Army in anti-terrorist tactics.
Did a taping session & then off to opening of the rebuilt Nat. Theatre. The show a great performance of “42nd St.” They don’t write them like that anymore.
[Tuesday, January 24: NSC meeting with General Vernon Walters, commented that he is “a roving Ambas. & what a job he does. He mends fences that might be leaning a little & makes the strong ones stronger”; lunch with Republican senators, made pitch for unity; new poll shows high approval rate; worked on upcoming speeches.]
Wednesday, January 25
Met with joint leadership of Cong. to brief them on Lebanon & Central Am. George S. did that then as discussion opened Tip sounded off in a very partisan manner. So much so that Sen. Bob Byrd tried to moderate things. He’s off & away—Tip that is on “bring the Marines home.” I almost let go the controls but I didn’t. There is no doubt the Dems. are going to ride this thru the campaign.
I later called Tip, Bob & our 2 Sen.—Baker & Bob Michel & propositioned them about naming some reps. to meet with on people about a bi-partisan approach to the deficits. Tip ranted on that all we had to do was tax the rich more & cut the fat out of the mil. budget. He knows that is crap but it again is a tip on what their campaign will be.
Dropped in for a minute on the TV anchor men & women who were being briefed on tonite’s St. of the Union address. I cannot conjure up 1 iota of respect for just about all of them.
[Met with Weinberger on defense budget; delivered State of the Union Address, considered it a success.]
Thursday, January 26
We took up the business of Beirut again & came up with a plan for redeployment of the Marines but only after sending in Army training units who specialize in anti-terrorist measures. Don R. is going out tonite because Pres. Gemayal must be willing to ask for this change.
[Photo session with tennis player Evonne Goolagong; flew to Atlanta, addressed free-enterprise meeting and then the Republican Leadership Southern Regional Conference; returned to Washington; attended ball for anniversar
y of inauguration.]
Back to Wash. & at 10 P.M. over to meet another 1000 supporters having a Ball to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the admin.
Friday, January 27
Started the day with Repub. members of the House—breakfast in the East Room. Their Q’s. were mainly on Lebanon & a few on the deficit. I can’t give a reading on whether they’ll stand with us on Lebanon. I’m sure some won’t but I gave a little lecture on why we can’t bug out. We’re trying to get the Israeli lobby which is very effective in the Cong. to go to work on how much Israel has to lose if Congress forces a withdrawal of our troops.
Campaign time is coming closer even though I have not actually said the words to anyone (except Maureen & Nancy) that I’ll run. This morning took photo with Paul Laxalt, Ed Rollins & some of our staff for the R.N.C.
Foreign Minister Abe of Japan stopped by—he’s been meeting with Geo. B. & our Cabinet members. My job was to make it official that if they backed away from the agreements we came to in Tokyo on trade & defense, we would not be able to restrain the Cong. from adopting protectionist measures.
In the afternoon met with delegation of Repub. Mayors & elected Municipal Employees. They were most supportive but due to some fluke a female Mayor (Binghamton, N.Y.) a Dem. was invited. I met her—she seemed very nice—I didn’t know at the time she was the interloper. She then ran for the press & did all she could to torpedo us.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on 2 interviews, one with News Week, the other with Time. Both are for Monday so the Q’s. were all on the supposition that the night before (Sunday) I had announced my candidacy. I told them I understand the supposition & would answer accordingly but would not tell them what my decision was going to be.
Saturday, January 28
Already a call from Mike—the 2 editors (News Week & Time) must have my statement by midnight for their stories. They swear secrecy. I have to give in but I don’t trust them for 1 min. Now it’s over to the Oval O. for the radio broadcast—possibly the last since next week I’ll be a cand. Spent rest of day on desk work & polishing my remarks for Alfalfa. The dinner was as always a lot of laughs & really good companionship.
My few jokes were well received & then I left early to get back here to the announcement speech & bed.
Sunday, January 29
[Quiet day; practiced announcement speech; Maureen and Dennis visiting; “It’s hard to believe there would be anyone who isn’t sure I’m going to run—but I still haven’t said so outside the family”; telephoned widow of Marine killed in Beirut.]
Tonite I went on Nat. TV for 4 minutes & 41 seconds to announce I was a candidate & would seek re-election. The response has been terrific—calls, wires etc. running 10 to 1 in our favor.
[Monday, January 30: peppered with questions by press in Rose Garden; photo session; meeting with Shultz and Edward Rowny on START talks (no details recorded); briefing for editors; addressed the Broadcast Evangelicals, “They couldn’t have been more supportive—actually I was delivering a sermon & meant every word of it”; interview with Dave Hartman for Good Morning America; took delivery of new armored limousine. Tuesday, January 31: meeting in Oval Office “hassling over Beirut”; flew to Chicago to address cement, gravel, and aggregate groups; interview with Chicago Tribune en route; photo session with labor leaders.]
Wednesday, February 1
Started day with a Cabinet meeting to give them the word about helping in the campaign—now that I’m a candidate. Then it was a visitor day. Pres. Spilzak of Yugoslavia was here for a meeting & lunch. He’s a personable & reasonable man. I picked his brains about the Soviet U. He was an Ambas. there for a time. He believes that coupled with their expansionist philosophy they are also insecure & genuinely frightened of us. He also believes that if we opened them up a bit their leading citizens would get braver about proposing change in their system. I’m going to pursue this.
[Signed a proclamation for National Tourism Week.]S.S. got a tip […] that a terrorist act was pointed at the Presidents daughter. I’m inclined to believe they might mean Maureen because she is so visible in her pol. work. She has S.S. protection. On the other hand, Patti screamed & complained so much we took the S.S. detail away at her request. Now S.S. went to her & asked if she would accept it for no more than a week until they could get this informant out of Lebanon & check the story. She said yes. But today’s the 4th day & she’s screaming again about invasion of her privacy & last night she abused the agents terribly. I said take them away from her so she’s again without protection. Insanity is hereditary—you catch it from your kids.
Thursday, February 2
[Attended Annual National Prayer Breakfast, looked forward to it each year.]
Back to W.H. & and a meeting with Bill Casey re some hush operations in Central Am.
Up to the Capitol for lunch with all the Repub. Sens. & Rep’s. It was a good session. An incipient revolution on the part of some of our Repubs. has been nipped in the bud.
Back to the W.H. and an interview with 3 Wall St. Journal editors.
[Visit from president of Tuskegee Institute, “came to present me with a souvenir but really for me to give them a grant of $9 mil. for an engineering (aeronautical) & space center named after Gen. Chappie James”; announced recognition of Black History Month; received Boy Scout annual report; gift of model of USS New Jersey; meeting with Export Import Bank; photo session. Friday, February 3: met youth group sponsored by Hearst newspapers; with leader of Austrian Conservative Party; with Vice President Kurt Furgler of Switzerland; with congressional leadership on legislation based on Kissinger Commission report on Central America; editor of local paper near Dixon, Illinois; lunch arranged by Maureen with Republican women elected officials; met Prime Minister Eugenia Charles of Domenica, stating U.S. should stay longer in Grenada; went to Camp David.]
Saturday, February 4
Called a woman in Peoria Il. who had wired after the St. of the U. Her complaint was over freedom of choice. She was referring to abortion & she called herself an ex Repub. who wouldn’t vote for me. I was going to write her & then just on a hunch I phoned. It took a little doing to convince her it was really me. We had a nice talk & I was right that her problem was abortion. I made my pitch that there were 2 people’s rights involved in abortion—the mother’s & the unborn child. She promised to give that some deep thought. We had a nice visit. She’s a 51 year old divorcee working for less than $10,000 a year—has a 17 year old son ready for college & a married daughter. I think I made a friend.
[Sunday, February 5: woke up to fresh snow; returned to W.H.; opened gifts, seventy-third birthday the next day; reiterated upcoming schedule.]
Monday, February 6–Sunday, February 12
Well it was a happy birthday & also a busy one. We flew to Rockford Ill. where we were met by Congresswoman Lynn Martin & Gov. Jim Thompson. Then by helicopter to Dixon where brother Moon met us & we drove to the old house on Hennipen Avenue. It was quite an experience. They’ve fixed the house up very nicely & furnished it reasonably close to what we’d had in 1920. The big surprise was how much smaller the rooms seemed compared to our memories. The 3 of us had lunch in the old dining room & a birthday cake had been provided.
After lunch our motorcade went downtown to the parade reviewing stand—8 degrees below zero. After the parade went to the high school gym where I spoke to about 3000 Dixonians. It was a truly nostalgic & heartwarming day.
[Helicoptered to Eureka; delivered first in a series of lectures sponsored by Time; Mrs. Reagan went to Phoenix; flew to Las Vegas for address before convention of high school principals, received ovation upon calling for prayer in school; party fund-raiser; flew to ranch in California and met Mrs. Reagan there; rode every morning, ranch work in the afternoons; commented, “But Nancy is right—Presidents don’t have vacations—they just have a change of scenery”; conference calls on Beirut, where Marines were being moved out to ships. Sunday, February 12: Mrs. Reagan flew to Seattle for anti-drug appearan
ce; returned to Washington, commented, “I’m back in the W.H. wishing to h--l I was back in Calif.”]
Monday, February 13
A hush hush cable from Geo B. re Lebanon. Margaret T. feels strongly we should tell Gemayel to abrogate the May 17 agreement with Israel. Geo. wanted to know if he could tell her we wouldn’t object. That’s all we can say—we won’t oppose but we won’t urge either.
King Hussein of Jordan came in. Tomorrow I meet with him & Mubarak (Pres. Egypt). His Majesty is a solid citizen. We had a good discussion. If we have any chance of lasting peace in the M. E. it will be because of his willingness to get into the peace negotiations.
[Interview with journalists from Knight Ridder; stopped at Soviet Embassy to write a brief condolence in the book for Yuri Andropov, who died February 9; desk work at W.H. Tuesday, February 14: Mrs. Reagan headed for St. Louis; meeting with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who explained need for financial help, wanted to make progress on peace initiative without waiting for accord in Lebanon; King Hussein arrived; lunch with both leaders; discussed plans for peace negotiations; in farewell remarks, President Mubarak suddenly demanded Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and that Arafat be included in future plans, Reagan commented, “We’ll be busy for awhile patching things up with Israel. It was really a shock because for hours we discussed the problems of recognizing Arafat etc.”; telephoned Olympic medalists in skiing; cabinet meeting on laws that discriminate against women; Pat Boone arrived with Easter Seal poster child, commented, “Who are those who would have us believe such children shouldn’t be allowed to live”; met with Neil Kinnock, Labour Party leader from Britain.]
Wednesday, February 15
A few more days like these last few & I’ll change my mind about running. Opened with Geoffrey Sperling’s annual breakfast in our St. dining room. About 50 assorted members of the press & one hour of Q’s. (I ate before I went downstairs). Most Q’s. on Beirut. Over to the East Room for Crime Prevention Week ceremony. Rcv’d. report of United Way Fund drive. More money was given than ever in our history.
The Reagan Diaries Page 30