Reagan diaries reveal president's private musings ("Getting shot hurts")

Yahoo ^ | 5/1/07

[Mr. Brightside]

Reagan diaries reveal president's private musings

By Daniel Trotta

1 hour, 28 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ronald Reagan saved his most private and dramatic thoughts for a handwritten book -- a diary in which he recalled his running frustration with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, his fear that Armageddon was near and coughing up blood on the day he was shot.

Diary excerpts, released by Vanity Fair magazine on Tuesday, also reflect on the troubled relationship he had with his son Ron, his preoccupation with the "mad clown" Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his personal chemistry with Mikhail Gorbachev during arms-control talks.

Reagan hand-wrote diary entries every day of his eight years in office from 1981 to 1989 except for when he was in the hospital after being shot on March 30, 1981, about which he wrote, "Getting shot hurts."

The full version of "The Reagan Diaries" will be published on May 22 by HarperCollins, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The entries, brief and to the point, offer a peek at actor-turned-politician's views on world affairs as they happened, and how he still thought about his Hollywood days, whether lamenting the death of Fred Astaire or promising Jimmy Stewart he would look into banning the colorization of old black-and-white movies.

Eleven days after he took office in January 1981, one entry demonstrated his early concern about communism in Central America -- which would later lead to the Iran-Contra scandal -- but also how show business was never far from his thoughts.

"We have definite evidence Nicaragua transferring hundreds of tons of arms from Cuba to El Salvador. p.m. ran a movie -- 'Tribute' -- Jack Lemmon. He is truly a great performer," Reagan wrote.

Reagan took care not to spell out even mild swear words, so hell was written h--l and damn was d---.

But at times he was provocative. He intentionally used the word "holocaust" to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to refer to an Israeli attack on Beirut.

He also reveals that he wore a bullet-proof vest during a speech at the National Press Club during which he asked the Soviet Union to join the United States in eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe.

"I BELIEVE ARMAGEDDON IS NEAR"

"Funny -- I was talking peace but wearing a bullet-proof vest. It seems Qaddafi put a contract on me & some person named Jack was going to try for me at the speech," Reagan wrote. "Security was very tight."

Reagan recalled being shot when he wrote that "suddenly there was a burst of fire from the left."

After being shoved to the floor of his car by a Secret Service agent, Reagan wrote, "I sat up on the edge of the seat almost paralyzed by pain. Then I began coughing up blood which made both of us think -- yes, I had broken a rib & it had punctured a lung."

The president seemed to have two running disputes, one with the Israeli government and one with his son Ron.

Ron Reagan disliked the Secret Service protection which his father insisted on, and the president complained his son was rude to his mother, Nancy Reagan.

"I'm not talking to him until he apologizes for hanging up on me," the president wrote.

Events in the Middle East concerned him so much that Reagan wrote on May 15, 1981, "Sometimes I wonder if we are destined to witness Armageddon."

Then on June 7: "Got word of Israel bombing of Iraq -- nuclear reactor. I swear I believe Armageddon is near."

Reagan believed Begin "took wrong option" and noted that "Begin informed us after the fact" but that "we are not turning on Israel -- that would be an invitation for the Arabs to attack. It's time to raise H--l."

On February 6, 1982, he noted that "trouble brewing in the Middle East" ahead of the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon and that, "Right now Israel has lost a lot of world sympathy."

He said one particularly devastating bombing and artillery attack on western Beirut in August 1982 had led King Fahd of Saudi Arabia to call the White House "begging me to do something."

"I told him I was calling P.M. Begin immediately. And I did -- I was angry -- I told him it had to stop or our entire future relationship was endangered. I used the word holocaust deliberately & said the symbol of war was becoming a picture of a 7-month-old baby with its arms blown off."

There were lighter moments, such as the time Prince Charles -- "a most likable person" -- visited the White House.

"The ushers brought him tea -- horror of horrors they served it our way with a tea bag in the cup." He said the prince admitted, "I didn't know what to do with it."

[Mr. Brightside]

(Note to Mod- Placed on Front Page to remind conservatives of where we came from and why we fight.)

[laconic]

The one truly great President of the past fifty years and one of the Top Five overall. How we miss him!

[ClearCase_guy]

The ushers brought him tea -- horror of horrors they served it our way with a tea bag in the cup." He said the prince admitted, "I didn't know what to do with it."

Charles -- if the problem of the tea bag is beyond your abilities, perhaps being King isn't the right job for you.

[Old Sarge]

Reagan recalled being shot when he wrote that "suddenly there was a burst of fire from the left."

Still happening today, Mr. President...

[Tainan]

"Getting shot hurts."

Affirmative on that Mr. President.

[hardworking]

And to think that Hill-de-beast thinks she and her feminist hags should occupy the same office, and Bubba lower his pants again in the W.H. for any big-boobed bimbo who happens by, makes my skin crawl. I didn’t think it was possible to sink lower than Jimmah Cah-ta.

[SevenofNine]

Is going be release in book soon I want read it

[SevenofNine]

I don’t want think about it both Clinton or Jimmy Carter occupy the WH

Make my stomach turn

[ikka]

NOW let us see the truth - was Reagan dim-witted as a box of rocks as the MEDIA told us all these years? Or was he actually pretty bright and on top of things?

[Graymatter]

He said the prince admitted, "I didn't know what to do with it."

You'd almost think Chucky doesn't get around much. I wonder if he has trouble with chopsticks.

[Reagan Man]

Sounds like great reading material on The Gipper.

Thanks for the ping.

[Reagan Man]

The truth is, the liberal establishment was always tearing into Reagan, trying to bring him down. They never touched him. His greatness was undeniable. If you read the book, “Reagan In His Own Hand”, you’d know the answer.

[Vigilanteman]

I’d rank him #3 just behind Washington and Jefferson. Lincoln would rank #4 because he required a civil war to rid the nation of an evil institution. Reagan defeated the evil empire without a war.

[SevenofNine]

No problem sound a book be coming out soonnnn

[California74]

I can’t wait to buy that book!

I have Reagan’s autobiography (An American Life) and I’ve read it several times. He mentions writing in his diary in that book and I’ve been wondering if it would ever be made public.

[fishergirl]

Miss him is right! A true hero!

[Fury]

You write:

“I have Reagan’s autobiography (An American Life) and I’ve read it several times. He mentions writing in his diary in that book and I’ve been wondering if it would ever be made public.”

I have compiled a list of books concerning President Reagan. I will update the list prior to this coming June:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1150473/posts?page=50#50

I’ll note that I’m leery of the large number of books that have come out about President Reagan in the last 2-3 years. The authors have good-intentions, but the best writing about Reagan are found by reading the words written/spoken by President Reagan himself.

[Xenalyte]

Charles -- if the problem of the tea bag is beyond your abilities, perhaps being King isn't the right job for you.

With the absolute nothing the British monarchy does these days, it seems Good Time Charlie is just perfectly suited.