Diary Entry - 02/19/1988
Key Facts
President Reagan signs the 1988 Economic Report of the President.
President Reagan meets with Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
A group calling itself the "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" claims responsibility for kidnapping U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel William R. Higgins.
Started day calling Drew Lewis in Fla. to ask him to be my appointee (1 of 2) on the Economy Commission, Congress mandated. He said yes so joins Cap W. Bob Dole has already chosen Sen. Pete Domenici & Dean Klechner—Pres. of Am. Farm Bureau Fed. Bob Michels 2 are Rep. Bill Frenzel & Don Rumsfeld.
N.S.C.—Several terrorist org’s. are each claiming they have our Lt. Col. Higgens. Nabbi Berri’s Amal Militia is in the hunt to try & find him. Our Gen. Walters faced Pres. Mitterrand & P.M. Chirac separately about French security going into hotel rooms of pvt. Am. business people as well as govt. rep’s. searching for & stealing business & technical information. Both denied knowledge of this & said they’d look into it.
Efforts are going forward to set up an interim govt. in Afghanistan. Geo. S. & Colin leave for Moscow this afternoon & will bring this up with Soviet ministers.
Word from Canadas P.M. Mulroney that as host of Ec. Summit this June he’s going to try and loosen up the format & avoid a set hard & fast structure. I’m for that.
At 10 A.M. Beryl Sprinkle & 2 of his people came in & presented bound copies of the Ec. Report I’m to send to both Houses of Congress. I signed 5 of them—the 2 for Cong. & 1 for each of them. Later at 11 A.M. a briefing for upcoming meeting with Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Then at 11:30 he arrived. He & I faced 3 waves of cameras & press then into the Cabinet room for the plenary meeting & later over to Lunch in the Family Dining Room—continued the meeting. The meetings were substantial & worthwhile. Farewell statements were in East Room—raining outdoors.
A brief meeting with Geo. S. & Colin before their departure and then off to Camp D. Helicoptered to little town at foot of mountain & from there a 20 min. drive up to Camp D. Weather kept “chopper” from landing at Camp. Rain heavy & kept on. Ran “Yankee Doodle Dandy”—& so to bed.
