An American Life
Page 82
It was a special honor to present the Medal of Freedom to Mother Teresa in 1985.
When Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and I saw our wives approaching us at the meeting the press called the “Shamrock Summit,” I turned to him and said, “We married up,” and he agreed.
In 1985, Nancy and I visited West Germany. We will never forget the thrill we felt when ten thousand young people suddenly began singing “The Star-Spangled Banner”—in perfect English.
Chancellor Helmut Kohl was our host during the visit.
At the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, I laid a wreath at a memorial honoring the victims of Nazism.
Margaret Thatcher and I walking together at Camp David in November 1986. We had many mutual problems to discuss. Margaret was more than an ally—she was a friend.
It was at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in June 1987 that I said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Two years later, this dream would be realized.
A visit with Pope John Paul II in June 1987.
Queen Elizabeth II and I share a love of horses—in fact, she is an excellent horsewoman. We rode together at Windsor Castle.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Princess Diana visited Nancy and me in the living room of the family quarters at the White House.
Nancy and her mother, Deede, shortly before she died. I’ve never known a closer bond to exist between two people than between Nancy and her mother.
Nancy welcomed back to the White House following her mastectomy in 1987. She was never braver than during this period.
I invited former hostage David Jacobsen to visit the White House after his release from Beirut. He begged the press to back off on its reporting on the other hostages.
A part of the job—meeting the press—this time outdoors on the South Lawn of the White House.
A meeting with General Colin Powell in April 1988, discussing the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
In December 1987, Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev came to Washington for the signing of the INF treaty—the first in history to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons. In May of the next year, I went to Moscow and we signed the formal ratification papers. While I was there, I got a chance to speak about the blessings of freedom, democracy, and free enterprise to some of the Soviet Union’s future leaders at Moscow State University. Behind me as I spoke (but not visible in this picture) was a huge statue of Lenin.
45: With our grandchildren, Ashley Marie and Cameron, on the dock at Rancho del Cielo.
45a: At Christmastime in 1987, Nancy and I entertained family upstairs at the White House. With us here are (from the left) Dr. Richard Davis, Jon Peterson, Anne Davis Peterson, Geoffrey Davis, and Patricia Davis.
44: On a winter’s day at Camp David with our dog, Rex.
We were just two people going home. Behind us on the steps of the Capitol are the new president of the United States, George Bush, and the new first lady, Barbara Bush. We had just said good-bye to them and were on our way to board the helicopter for our new life as private citizens.