The Reagan Diaries

by Ronald Reagan

  Monday, January 16, 1989—Martin Luther King Day

  Brkfst. around 9 AM, some more packing—this time my White Tie & Tails. To my desk for some backed up mail. Nancy out to lunch with the girls. Ted & I lunched in the West hall. Back to the desk & then some more packing. Nancy got home from lunch with the press ladies about 3:30. In the meantime Jim K. was up with a bunch of pictures for me to sign. Then Ken D. came in for a 20 min. session on things hanging fire—like pardons for several people. Amanda—Mike Deaver’s daughter called him about a pardon for Mike—yet Mike has passed the word he wouldn’t accept a pardon. In the evening into Black tie & over to the Laxalt’s home for a dinner party—about 30 people. It was a most enjoyable evening with old friends. Charley Wick played piano & we had a little song fest after dinner. Back to the W.H. about 11 P.M.

  Tuesday, January 17, 1989

  A 10 AM start—in the study. NBC setting up in Oval O. for a TV interview with Tom Brokaw.

  We talked in the first meeting about the bureaucrats in Justice dept. who gave a report on Ed Meese that had him some kind of a Monster. They gave their report to the Wash. Press. Ed has already been cleared. Even the Special Prosecutor refused to indict him.

  We’re after H.H.S. to quit stalling on a directive regarding use of Fetal tissue on experiments etc.

  3 of Bushes appointees will be examined by Congressional Committee.

  Colin has reported that our continued sanctions re oil industry in Libya is now hurting American businesses to the benefit of Quadafy.

  Project Hope is engaged in a big program of aid to the Armenian children who are victims of earthquake.

  There is some objection by North’s lawyer against Quashing subpoenas for Geo. B. & me.

  NSC—Colin late—John Negroponte opened meeting. Colin was at a farewell ceremony by Joint Chiefs.

  March 6 is date for resumption of Geneva talks & March 9 it is agreed will be meeting on conventional weapons.

  Shevardnadze is in Kabul. There are great shortages there—oil only a 1 days supply. State dept. is urging us to bring our embassy people home. Some European countries have already done that.

  Talks between Chinese & Vietnamese are going on in Beijing re Cambodia.

  Then time for interview briefing. Tom says he wants to stick to personal things about my life beginning back in Dixon Ill.

  The interview proceeded & everyone thinks it went very well. Lunch—then back in the Oval O. Rcvd. Timmy Awards for Nancy & myself from officials of The Wash. Touchdown Club.

  Long stretch of desk time—a jillion P.C.’s. & letters to sign.

  Then another parade of people from a variety of depts. for individual photos. Got word Pres. Seaga setting date for (JAMAICA) election Feb. 9. Dick Wirthlin came in with final figures. Approval rating of 63%—highest for any Pres. in this spot. Rating for handling the Soviets 81%.

  Then over to Dr’s. office. Stitches were removed from my hand. Upstairs to clean up. Dinner tonite—here 42 of us for unveiling of official portrait. It was another great evening. Old friends, Nancy’s brother & his family & after dinner the unveiling of our portraits. There seems to be a feeling mine could be better. Even the artist, Shiller feels that way & is going to make some changes.

  Wednesday, January 18, 1989

  Another 10 AM day.

  Some talk about the proposal for an exec. order re Fetus Tissue use from aborted babies.

  Last night Bill Plante reported in CBS poll my approval rating was 68% to 75% on P.L.O. decision.

  NSC—I’m to check on Contingency guidance for Defense. I’m to check on it. It was a proposal in Packard Commission Report. I’ve said yes. […] Soviets are continuing to allow divided familys to rejoin—20 now.

  Again decision called for on Krasnoyarsk Radar. We view it as a serious breach of ABM treaty. We do not have time to change that to a “Material Breach.”

  [Presented medals to Senators Dole (R-KS) and Strom Thurmond (R-SC) and Representative Bob Michel (R-IL); briefing for interview by visiting journalists; photos; met with Shultz, commented, “kind of a review of his 84 foreign trips to meetings with 74 heads of state”; greeted champion Notre Dame football team, which presented as a gift the letter sweater of George Gipp.]

  After that single photos with about 86 members of V.P.’s staff. A haircut—my last in the W.H. Then Ron’s agent & his fiancé came in for a photo. Then over to East Room where some 700 members of W.H. staff were gathered for a goodbye. Presents to Nancy & me & a dog house made like the W.H. for Rex. The Marine Band played Auld Lang Syne. Lots of tears. Upstairs—packing & desk work. Dinner with Merme & Dennis.

  Thursday, January 19, 1989

  9 AM Started day with photos—2 Marine W. Wing W.H. Guards. Then our usual meeting—some late schedule changes. Then into the Oval O. came a horse—the kind you see in vaudeville—2 human beings, one the front & one the rear end. Dan Crippen was in front & Fran Marie Kennedy Keel brought up the rear. The horse was wearing the bridle etc. that was given to me yesterday. Some discussion of tomorrow’s schedule then it was NSC time.

  Colin reported on S. Africa’s Pres. Botha having a stroke. No details on prognosis on his future.

  Geo. S. is considering reducing embassy personnel down in Kabul down to 11. If trouble threatens the plan is to move our people into the British embassy. Kuwait is going to take the American flags off 6 of it’s 11 tankers & leave them on 5 but the 5 will also go as American vessels with American crews.

  Soviets propose reducing it’s nuclear tactical battlefield weapons. This may be a ploy to win approval of German people who are aware their country would be the battlefield for an exchange of such weapons.

  Vernon Walters came into the office to receive the medal he was to get yesterday but couldn’t be there. Then a pre-brief for the 11:30 interview with Wire Service Reporters—It went O.K. I guess. Then over to W.H. to get Nancy for the East Room Medals of Freedom lunch. It was awarded to Ambas. Mike Mansfield & George Shultz. A nice affair.

  […]

  [Photos with another hundred staffers.]

  Dick Thornburg came in to see me about pardons. He doesn’t believe I should pardon Patty Hearst, North, Poindexter or McFarlane. I’m afraid he’s right. Nick Brady came by to say goodbye & thank me. Same with Alan Greenspan. Then it was the V.P.’s turn. All of my W.H. staff was gathered in the Roosevelt room for him to thank & say a goodbye. I went in with him. He said very nice things about me.

  Then over to the Dr’s. office—upstairs to shower. John H. came up & put a new bandage on my hand. Then it was final packing time. Dinner with Ted. Merme & Dennis went out to attend one of the Inaugural Gala’s. And after signing a whole stack of pictures & letters brought by Jim Kuhn to bed.

  Tomorrow I stop being President.

  Friday, January 20, 1989

  Up fairly early. A little before 10 AM I went over to the Oval O. now looking pretty bare. Took a picture with the photo pool. Then I took a look at the desk—for their photos & walked out the door. Over at the W.H. Nancy & I went to N. entrance for mag. photos of us awaiting the Bushes. Then into the State Dining room for farewell to W.H. staff. It was everyone from Ushers to gardeners, plumbers etc. Then back to the No. entrance to meet the Bushes & Quayle’s. Into the Blue room for coffee with the Cong. & Sen. members of the Inaugural Committees & spouses. At 11 AM we departed for Capitol. First limo Geo. & I & Jim Wright & Sen. Ford. Behind us, Barbara B. & Nancy & Bob Michel & Sen. Mitchell.

  Some waiting in Capitol with Cong. Committee then out to the platform for Swearing in. George is now Pres. & I’m ex. Through the Capitol Dome to E. side where Nancy & I boarded helicopter for Andrews A.F. Base. There I reviewed the troops. There was a crowd of a few thousand. On board A.F.1 & off to Calif. At L.A. airport, several hundred friends & supporters. Speeches by Mayor Bradley, Bill Smith, Rich Little & Bob Stack. I responded & the motorcade took us to our home. Should mention also—several bands including U.S.C. band at airport. Barbara Logan sang God Bless Am.

>   Then home & the start of our new life.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Shortly after I wrote The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Ronald Reagan, D-Day and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion, Fred Ryan telephoned me. He liked the book. As chairman of the Ronald Reagan Foundation, he had a staggeringly interesting project for me to consider: editing our fortieth president’s White House diaries. I had heard about the diaries for over a decade from my friend Pete Wilson, former governor of California. They had, in fact, taken on an almost mythological status for anybody involved in U.S. presidential studies. Obviously, I was extremely interested in studying them. Upon special invitation, I flew from New Orleans to Simi Valley and read all five volumes in their entirety. Clearly they were a treasure trove of the utmost historical significance. I wanted the job of editing them. The final decision to turn them over to me was made by former First Lady Nancy Reagan herself, who is smart, candid, and extremely loyal to her husband’s legacy. Getting to know Mrs. Reagan was the most memorable part of this engaging project. A truly deep appreciation is in order to all three of these individuals for trusting my instincts as a historian.

  To facilitate the editorial process, I moved my family to Thousand Oaks, California, a wonderful community of 117,000 only eleven miles from the Reagan Presidential Library. Our leased home was adjacent to Paradise Falls, which includes a maze of trailheads that leads to the Pacific Ocean. Every day, after working long hours at the Reagan Library, I’d jog down to the falls and hike. My half-year spent around the Santa Monica National Recreation Area will never be replicated. It’s one of the most beautiful geographical wilderness areas in the world. Equally important, while living in Thousand Oaks, my wife, Anne, gave birth to Cassady Anne (our third child) at the local hospital. We call her our California baby.

  Words won’t ever fully explain how much help I received from the Reagan Library in transcribing and editing the diaries. Duke Blackwood (executive director of the Reagan Library and Foundation) was my all-purpose advisor. Deeply committed to Reagan’s legacy, he kept a close eye on the editorial process I undertook to cut the diaries in half for publication. Imbued with an offbeat sense of humor, and a heroic work ethic, he essentially rode shotgun over me for six months. We became good friends. His personal assistant, Shawna Adolph, was a delight to work with. She put in extra hours helping me meet publishing deadlines and fact-check the manuscript. She was always on call and is a real gem of a human being.

  Whenever I had a question pertaining to NSC concerns, I worked with the indomitable Joanne Drake (chief of staff of the Reagan Foundation) to iron out the difficulties. The Reagans—both Ronald and Nancy—were lucky to have somebody as loyal and dedicated as Joanne in their daily lives. Blessed with keen editor’s eyes, she caught many missed commas and misspelled words while vetting the manuscript. Her intense razorlike professionalism was truly something to behold. Nobody knows the diaries better than Joanne. Without her tireless efforts this book wouldn’t have come to fruition.

  Others helped me transcribe and decipher much of the diaries, especially Mike Duggan, supervisory archivist. With the exception of Joanne Drake, nobody knows the diaries better than he does. An employee at the Reagan Library since 1993, Mike was responsible for dealing with the national security classification redactions. We became good friends on the project, and I look forward to working with him again down the line. Steve Branch (AV archivist) and Ray Wilson (archivist) also put in a lot of hard work. With very little guidance from me, they tracked down all the photographs found in this book. As a devotee of presidential libraries, I can say that these diligent archivists truly rank among the best in the business.

  A number of Reagan Foundation board members and former White House staffers took an active interest in the diaries. Catherine Busch, Mark Weinberg, and Kathy Osborne were all sources of great wisdom and fine-tuning as the words went from handwritten copy to the typed version and then moved into the marketing phase. A special thanks is due to current and former Reagan staffers Kirby Hanson, Marguerite Jagard, and Peggy Grande, who lent a hand on everything from photos to forewords and all else in between.

  At HarperCollins I worked closely with editor Tim Duggan. “Old school” in the best way, he attacks manuscripts with a blue-pencil vengeance. He took a deep interest in the Reagan Diaries, convinced it was both a historical classic and a New York Times bestseller. Because HarperCollins is eventually going to be publishing the entire diaries in a multivolume set, he urged me to make sure my manuscript wasn’t two thousand pages long, which it could easily have been. Meanwhile, Kate Pruss was responsible for public relations, and John Jusino for copyediting and formatting. Everybody at Harper worked hard to make sure this book maintained impeccable integrity.

  Two of the best agents in America—Bob Barnett and Lisa Bankoff—did a terrific job of bringing the Reagan Library, HarperCollins, and me together for this project.

  At Tulane University I was assisted by Andrew Travers in innumerable ways. In California both Jennifer Smith and Justin Ho helped out with typing. My historian friends Robert Dallek and Julie Fenster were full of good advice. The History Department and the James A. Baker III Institute at Rice University allowed me to present diary material in their public forums in October 2006. From the minute the Baker Institute heard that the Reagan diaries might be published, they opened every door imaginable to help me lessen my work load. Rice is committed to have all the Reagan diaries eventually published in a full, unedited HarperCollins set. Particularly helpful at Rice was Professor Alan Matusow, one of the greatest authorities on U.S. presidential history, and President David Leebron, a true intellectual visionary.

  Luckily for me I was able to use four Reagan scholars for regular editorial advice: Tony Dolan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who knows everything about how his old boss wrote; Lou Cannon, the leading Reagan biographer who is living in Santa Barbara; and the husband-and-wife team of Martin and Annelise Anderson, who are planning a multivolume biography of our fortieth president. They were always available to talk and swap ideas. I am greatly indebted to each of them.

  Finally, my parents often took over babysitting duties while Anne and I were off-to-the-races in Southern California. I thank them profusely for their love and support. And, last but not least, my in-laws, Jerry and Lynn Goldman, as always, read an early version of this manuscript and offered insightful criticism. It’s wonderful to have my core family always at my side.

  GLOSSARY

  Abshire, David (1926– )—NATO Ambassador from 1983 to 1987, appointed as Special Counselor to the President in 1986, serving as the White House Coordinator for the Iran-Contra inquiry.

  Alexander, Lamar (1940– )—Republican Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987.

  Allen, Richard (1936– )—National Security Advisor from 1981 to 1982.

  Anderson, Martin (1936– )—Senior Policy Advisor in Reagan’s 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns; member of White House advisory committees, including the Economic Policy Advisory Board from 1982 to 1989.

  Arafat, Yasser (1929–2004)—Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization from 1969 until his death.

  Baker, Howard, Jr. (1925– )—Republican Senator from Tennessee from 1967 to 1985; Minority Leader from 1977 to 1981; Majority Leader from 1981 to 1985; White House Chief of Staff from 1987 to 1988.

  Baker, James, III (1930– )—White House Chief of Staff from 1981 to 1985; Secretary of the Treasury from 1985 to 1988; served as chairman of Reagan’s Economic Policy Council and was a member of the National Security Council.

  Baldrige, Malcolm (1922–1987)—Secretary of Commerce from 1981 to 1987.

  Begin, Menachem (1913–1992)—Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983.

  Bennett, William (1943– )—Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1981 to 1985; Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1987.

  Bentsen, Lloyd (1921–2006)—Democratic Senator from Texas from 1971 to 1993.

  Boren, David Lyle (1941
– )—Democratic Governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979; Senator from Oklahoma from 1979 to 1994.

  Bork, Robert (1927– )—Circuit Judge of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia from 1982 to 1988; nominated by President Reagan as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987 but was denied Senate confirmation.

  Brady, James S. (1940– )—Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary from 1981 to 1989; paralyzed in the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981.

  Brady, Nicholas F. (1930– )—Republican Senator from New Jersey from April to December 1982; Secretary of the Treasury from 1988 to 1993.

  Brezhnev, Leonid (1906–1982)—General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party from 1964 to 1982.

  Brinkley, David (1923–2003)—Host of ABC’s This Week with David Brinkley from 1981 to 1996.

  Brock, William (1930– )—Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1977 to 1981; U.S. Trade Representative from 1981 to 1985; Secretary of Labor from 1985 to 1987.

  Burger, Warren (1907–1995)—Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from

  1969 to 1986.

  Burns, Arthur (1904–1987)—Former economics professor; Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) from 1981 to 1985.

  Bush, George H. W. (1924– )—Republican U.S. Congressman from Texas from 1967 to 1971; Ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1973; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1976 to 1977; Vice President to Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989; U.S. President from 1989 to 1993.

  Byrd, Robert (1917– )—Democratic Senator from West Virginia from 1958 to the present; Senate Majority Leader from 1977 to 1980 and from 1987 to 1988; Minority Leader from 1981 to 1986.

  Carlucci, Frank (1930– )—Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1978 to 1981; National Security Advisor from 1986 to 1987; Secretary of Defense from 1987 to 1989.