[NSC meeting and briefing; Frank Carlucci to summarize agreement denying sale of certain technology to USSR; luncheon for Medal of Freedom recipients, including the late Justin Dart and Danny Kaye; addressed convention of National Federation of Independent Businessmen, got some standing ovations; visit by major party donors; photo sessions with people brought by various congressmen, including Susan Butler, winner of Iditarod; noted Parade magazine featuring exchange of articles with Soviet magazine.]
Wednesday, June 24
A busy staff time with discussion about putting together a citizens committee to rouse up a public cry about budget reform.
Then discussion of a commission, 11 members, on advising us about AIDS. We’re going ahead with this. Then it was re the extradition of Hamadie from Germany. They are going to try him for the murder of our sailor.
NSC—Began with Hamadie. His mother was on TV very bitter that he wouldn’t be tried here & saying we hadn’t done enough. (Let me correct this—it was Stethem’s mother—not Hamadie’s) Anyway I phoned her and I think I straightened things out. She was quite emotional & crying bitterly throughout our talk. It seems some of our lower level bureaucrats in the Justice Dept. had been sounding off about us. When the cat’s away the mice rats will play. Ed M. is in Europe. Then we had a report on S. Korea. Pres. Chun has met with leaders of the opposition but no real settlement or agreement reached.
Then Culvahouse came in—another report on the hearings. I’m embarrassed by how many times I have to say “I don’t remember.” Then a NSC meeting in Cab. Room—it was report time on our security measures at our nuclear installations. I must say they are so thorough & well planned you can’t see how any threat of theft or sabotage could be successful.
[Photo session with Chris Wallace; addressed exchange students; visited mail room volunteers to express gratitude, noted, “I greeted one in particular—John Martin—77 years of age who has signed 252,000 W.H. birthday cards”; waited to hear word on Lew Wasserman, who had colon operation during the day.]
Thursday, June 25
[Noted jeep accident involving Deputy National Security Advisor Colin Powell’s son; discussions on upcoming campaign on budget; considered possibility of veto should current energy bill pass Senate.]
NSC—Marcos is back on agenda. We have information that he’s plotting a return to the Philippines and a coup to recover control. We can’t permit that. Persian Gulf—Saudi Arabia has agreed to make AWACS, coverage to us, & tankers to re-fuel our planes. S.A. also said would make their mine sweepers available.
We have learned Cubans are flying the gunship helicopters in Nicaragua.
NSC was followed by a meeting again with Culvahouse. He says North will be publicly testifying July 7.
[Presented National Medals of Technology and Science; lunch with Vice President Bush; National Security Planning group (NSPG) meeting, as noted, “to explain to all the changes we’d made in NSC and covert operations”; personnel meeting and decision to appoint Dr. Eugene Mayberry to chair commission on AIDS; accepted design for medal honoring bicentennial of Constitution; photo session with Reserve Officers Association; received copy of George C. Marshall biography from author, Forrest Pogue; met Lord McGregor, new head of Reuters; attended reception for Citizens for the Republic; noted that Mrs. Reagan was in New Orleans.]
Friday, June 26
A short but busy day, I started taking the “Go Lightly” at 7:30 A.M.—8 oz. glass & every 15 minutes thereafter for 13 glasses. All preparation for my checkup. At staff time learned Justice Powell was resigning from Supreme Court. I’ll have an appointment to make. We had Frank in early for NSC. Colin has gone to Germany to see his son. Had a report on his injuries—they sound horrible. Our main discussion was over a program to head off Cong. from reversing us in the Persian Gulf. In their efforts to “ding” me they are destroying our foreign policy in the entire Middle East. They have to be stopped.
[Greeted volunteers from boyhood home in Dixon, Illinois; meeting with Shultz and Sigur, just back from Korean trip; had checkup, went to Camp David. Saturday, June 27: relaxed by pool; received word that two small polyps found in exam were benign. Sunday, June 28: returned to W.H.; attended televised performance honoring Cole Porter and starring June Allyson, Patti Austin, Kaye Ballard, and Mel Tormé; telephoned Wasserman, surgery went well; received word that Paul Nitze’s wife died.
Monday, June 29
[NSC meeting on situation with demonstrators in South Korea; spoke to political activists, loyal party supporters; met with Governors John Sununu (R-NH) and George Sinner (D-ND) to discuss progress on Federalism.]
Then meeting with our lawyers, Ed Meese & Howard on Supreme Ct. vacancy. We are together on thinking it should be Robert Bork. Another meeting with Bill Webster—He’s back from Europe & reported on intelligence matters involving Allies.—Haircut & end of day.
Tuesday, June 30
Staff time (short) had to do with plans for checking some Sens about our choice for Supreme Court—Robert Bork. V.P. then told of our Cuban defector General del Pino’s report to him on the Cuba situation. He says 56,000 mil. people have deserted in the last 3 yrs. A brief time with NSC prior to meeting with Cong. Leadership—both houses & bi-partisan. This meeting had to do with Persian Gulf. Sam Nunn has made this his cause & is fighting us to make us delay & especially not go through with protecting Kuwait tankers. He’s as wrong as he can be. We’d lose any standing we have & appear spineless if we did as he proposes. I don’t know whether we blunted the opposition or not. After meeting Culvahouse & Howard came in—there are rumors that Ollie North—tomorrow may take cracks at me in his testimony. If he does he’ll be lying. Later in day Howard got a call that suggested those rumors weren’t true.
[Awarded medals for volunteer work; interviewed by biographer Edmund Morris.]
Then upstairs & tonight the Kay Graham dinner (9:30 P.M.). Well it started about 9:45 & instead of getting home at 11:30 it was 12:20. But it was a spectacular party enjoyed by all. I proposed a toast to Kay after several speeches had been made.
Wednesday, July 1
Started day with Howard suggesting that on back to Wash. from ranch in Sept. we stop in Kansas & see Alf Landon—100 years old. I had proposed we send A.F.1 for him & bring him to Wash but his health wouldn’t permit. We have a problem with George Alan—Chief of our Physical Fitness Commission. He is also Chairman of a Foundation & there is a conflict. Howard is going to tell him to choose 1 or the other. Then we settled on fact that I would name Bob Bork to Supreme Ct. today.
NSC—I’ve signed a directive on recommendations of Tower Committee. Geo. S. has a problem with it but I think it can be straightened out. Les Aspin is taking some Congressmen on a junket to the Persian Gulf. Everyone’s a diplomat.
[Met with Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC), who made recommendation of a person for Supreme Court vacancy; received report of U.N. International Conference on Drug Control; lunch with Shultz, on his way to meetings in Canada; photo session with members of cabinet; announced selection of Robert Bork for Supreme Court.]
Thursday, July 2
Staff time without the V.P. He’s in Iowa. Some talk about Bork & last night’s broadcast featuring all the Dem. Cand’s for Pres. There was a lot of demagoguery.
NSC—Some talk about continued Iran hearings. That continued in following meeting with Culvahouse. Top Secret is call I got from Howard last night. He has learned North in his private testimony said he had kept all news of diversion of Iran funds to Contras from me & no one else had told me. We have to hold that secret til hearings resume in week or so.
[Cabinet meeting to plan launch of Economic Bill of Rights; desk work; positive economic report on employment; met eleven-year-old transcontinental pilot; reception for Human Events radio program and Radio America.]
Friday, July 3
At 9:45 A.M. over to Jefferson Memorial for speech to several thousand people. Main purpose of speech is to launch our “Ec. Bill of Rights” program which is goi
ng to be our main theme for rest of my term. It includes Const. Amendment to wipe out the deficit spending, right for the Pres. to line item veto, Cong. required to reveal cost & ec. effect of any new programs proposed, etc.
Well speech made, we’re back at the W.H. & changed into clothes for Camp D. I don’t ever remember being hotter than I was on that platform in the sun. I don’t know how those people (5,000 of them) standing there could take it.
[Went to Camp David; rode and swam.]
Saturday, July 4–Sunday, July 5
Did my radio show & in the afternoon we both rode. A beautiful day. Back to the pool for a swim. Our movies Saturday & Friday were Fred Astaire pictures. Sunday another beautiful day spoiled some what by crud I heard on Brinkley’s “This Week” program. Back to W.H. in afternoon.
Monday, July 6
Happy Birthday Nancy! Staff time a discussion of Judge Bork and plans of those who are creating trouble for him—Ben Hooks of NAACP for example. We’ll get Bork confirmed to Supreme Ct. but it will be a battle with left wing ideologs.
NSC—Update on Persian Gulf, Korea, & Gorbachev’s attempt to make changes in Soviet govt.
[Addressed Kiwanis convention; issues lunch, remarked “always a pleasant chore”; quit work early; read diary for early 1986.]
Tuesday, July 7
Staff meeting was mostly discussion of obstacles in Cong. to getting a decent budget. They are determined to cut defense back to where we were in the Carter years. They would dump a quarter of a million young men out of uniform & on the job market.
NSC was more of the same. We have to find a way to beat them.
Mel Laird & his commission came by with their report on the Embassy situation in Moscow. They say State Dept. bureaucrats have no business trying to run the construction of an Embassy. They suggest it would more properly belong in the Army Corps of Engineers.
Then word came that at last Ollie North had declared he did not tell me about the extra money in the Iran arms deal. Found out later that when that was announced the market went up 20 points.
[Photo session with head of Home Loan Bank; meeting with Peter Grace and Jack Anderson to discuss private group to campaign for budget policy; National Security Planning Group (NSPG) meeting about Korea.]
Ed M., Howard, & Ken D. came by re the FBI Dir. It may turn out to be Strom Thurmond’s choice Judge Wilkins—maybe.
[Met with Weinberger to discuss defense budget. Wednesday, July 8: flew to New Britain, Connecticut, with Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige; met briefly with widow of Stark victim; appeared at Elks Lodge; made speech at city hall; returned to W.H.]
Thursday, July 9
Howard was in N.Y. addressing the NAACP. We spent a half hour on our situation with regard to some of the shenanigans going on up on the Hill. Every pen I look at is a veto pen to me.
[NSC meeting about effort to fly U.S. flag on Kuwaiti tankers; met with business leaders supporting Vote America effort; met with Secretary of Labor William Brock about labor legislation in Congress; report from Secretary Lyng that farm situation improving; watched some of Colonel Oliver North’s hearing, noted that W.H. received overwhelmingly positive response to North; addressed reception for party contributors; went to dinner party honoring Bill Webster.]
Friday, July 10
Howard is back—so our usual staff meeting only V.P. absent. Discussed how to deal with Congress efforts to cut defense budget to ribbons. They’re planning to add things as amendments to Debt limit bill which I must sign or create a world wide financial panic.
NSC—In arms negotiations, Soviets want us to push Kohl on eliminating 72 Pershing missile launchers. We claim we can’t negotiate for a 3rd country. In other parts of the arms discussion, Soviets are trying to link them to SDI. We can never give on that.
Culvahouse came in after this meeting. Again it was to check some points in Ollie North’s testimony. Incidentally the witch hunt against him has made him a national hero. Thousands of phone calls to the W.H. etc.
[Addressed Deficit Reduction Coalition gathering; National Security Planning Group (NSPG) meeting on security for nuclear installations; had regular meeting with Shultz regarding use of military craft by administration officials.]
Another matter—a signing I may do on an N.S.P. which Geo. questions. I heard him out but this I must sign.
[Received update from Packard Commission; went to eye doctor for exam. Saturday, July 11: Mrs. Reagan in Maine for the day; radiocast; reading and massage; phoned Prime Minister Robert Hawke on reelection in Australia and Representative Mickey Edwards (R-OK) on birthday.]
Sunday, July 12
A quiet day ahead—spent most of it reading. First—homework then a book about the N.Y. Times which explains a lot of things about the “Times” that annoy me. A Raymond Price (on the other hand) in the Wash. Post has a column pointing out that the only time Cong. engages in carnivals like the Iran-Contra Affair is when the Cong. is Dem. & the Pres. Republican. Cong. has been Dem. for 46 out of 50 years. Mermie arrived too late for dinner because of big storm, streets blocked by fallen trees, etc.
Monday, July 13
Met by morning papers headlining that a memo initialed by John P. proves I did know of the Iran money dispersal. It’s phony as a $3 bill, but the media lynch mob is grabbing at anything. I’ll control myself & not answer their shouted questions as I go for the helicopter. I’m off to Indianapolis—selling the Ec. Bill of Rights again. In the “Dip.” room on the way I met a young father & mother & their little boy. He is a terminal Leukemia case but looks quite healthy. His wish was to meet me so we did. Then I asked Dottie to come over for some papers. It’s her birthday and when she got here I surprised her with her 3 grown sons & the rest of the day off.
[Flew to Indiana; met with community and county officers; addressed National Association of County Officials; commented, “Then back to A.F.1 where I learned that Dick Cheney in this mornings Ollie North session blasted the press & established that there was no truth at all in those stories”; returned to Washington and quit work early. Tuesday, July 14: talked with Vice President Bush about hearings; short meeting with GOP congressional leadership, discussed ways to fight Democratic initiatives; NSC briefing from Ambassador Jack Matlock on return from Moscow; desk work; meeting with President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) on security problems at embassies; met with colonel new to W.H. military office; haircut; teeth cleaning; watched North and McFarlane at hearings.]
Wednesday, July 15
Opened day talking about Contra Aid, the Graham, Rudman, Hollings Bill & Cong’s attempts to amend it to either force a tax increase or an across the board spending cuts—that would fall most damaging on Defense.
Then Ed Meese came in asking that I appoint a Fed. Judge in St. of Wash. His name is Dwyer & Sen. Dan Evans wants him. I had wanted him named back in 85 or so but the Sen. adjourned without giving approval. He’s a liberal. Ed is coming back tomorrow with recommendations for Dir. of FBI.
NSC—Heard about a meeting on Hill with Geo. S., Cap W., Sen. or Byrd & others on flagging Kuwaiti tankers. Sen. & others of course are opposed & want a delay. I’m unwilling. Then arms control & Soviets evidently wanting to re-introduce SDI as a chip. […]
Doing homework was interrupted by news that John P. in hearings on the Hill had flatly denied ever telling me about the extra Iran funds & their diversion to Contras. This was the bombshell I’ve been waiting for 7 months. The day is brighter.
[Met with congressmen engaging in informing public on Nicaraguan situation; addressed Minority Groups Business Briefing; had lunch with Vice President Bush; met with Shultz and discussed ambassadorial appointment to Austria and strategy on negotiating nuclear arms agreement with Soviets; visit from former Cuban political prisoner, asked him to head U.N. Human Rights Team at upcoming meeting, commented, “We’ve never been able to get the Latin Am. nation to vote with us against Castro. We think Armando might make the difference.”]
Thursday, July 16
Usual start—Staff then NSC—discussion of John P.’s testimony. My problem now is that both John & Ollie were dropped by me from NSC because they had not told me of the extra money or the diversion to the Contras. Now it seems that Ollie did tell John with the expectation John would tell me. I don’t see though how I can do anything until they close down this investigation.
[New poll shows mixed results; presented civic awards; cabinet meeting on budget cuts; answered mail; photo session with Mrs. Reagan’s staff; heard news that Armando Valladares agreed to head U.N. Human Rights Commission; photo session with commander of Jewish War Veterans; videotapings.]
Friday, July 17
[Staff meeting on impasse with Congress over debt limit.]
NSC—Discussion of possible actions we take if Iran does something drastic when we escort Kuwaiti oil tankers through Persian Gulf. Again Cong. has worked our people up so that any casualities on our side would raise a public storm.
[Briefing and meeting with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, discussed Middle East, arms control, noted, “And were in agreement on everything”; went to Camp David; had swim.]
Saturday, July 18
Another beautiful day. Called Bill Bennett—just back from Europe. Told him I was sure some one had apprised him of our son Ron’s article on AIDS in People mag. Ron gave both of us h--l. He can be stubborn on a couple of issues & won’t listen to anyone’s argument. Bill volunteered to have a talk with him. I hope it can be worked out.
[Radiocast; ride and swim.]
Sunday, July 19
Watched Sun. talk show—Margaret Thatcher on Face the Nation was absolutely magnificent & left Lady Stahl a little limp.
[Returned to W.H.]
Monday, July 20
[Staff meeting to discuss ways to block Democratic legislative initiatives; NSC meeting on Persian Gulf and starting date for escorts for Kuwaiti ships.]
The Reagan Diaries Page 71