Diary Entry - 01/03/1984
Key Facts
President Reagan spends his day attempting to cut the budget down to size.
President Reagan meets with Lt. Robert Goodman after his release from Syrian captivity.
President Reagan welcomes new members of the press corp.
The day started before daylight with a phone ringing. Bud McFarlane called to tell me Jesse Jackson was bringing Lt. Goodman home from Beirut. I’m sure Jesse had some less than noble incentives in making that trip but I prayed every day he’d be successful. I didn’t see or talk to him at all before he left. I felt that if I did he would appear to the Syrians as an emissary of mine & that would be the kiss of death. As just a citizen (along with a dozen other Clergymen) it was far more possible that he might be able to get our man released. And he did. I talked to him on the phone & the Lt. They’ll be home tonight. Rest of the day got a little stacked up. I had lunch at my desk—in 12 mins. between N.S.P.G. meeting on our Marines in Lebanon & a Budget meeting. Then into a Cabinet meeting on health matters (Liver transplants etc.) plus a session on violence in schools. That has really become a nationwide problem. Met with Sen’s. Baker, Dole & Domenici on budget—I hope we can get together. Our sticking point is they want to fight the deficit with a tax increase. Nancy comes home tonight—hooray!
