Diary Entry - 03/21/1986
Key Facts
President Reagan meets with his Secretary of Defense and Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. to discuss recent developments in U.S.-Soviet relations.
President Reagan participates in an interview with R.W. "Johnny" Apply, Washington correspondent for the New York Times.
Earliest news—Panama Pres. reversed himself and now says Panama wont take Marcos. We’re still working on it.
Brief meeting with Ambas. Hartman (Russia). He says Gorbachev hasn’t tied everything down his own way—according to recent Soviet Party Congress.
An interview with 3 of N.Y. Times. I think I avoided the bear traps. Lunch then with Meg Greenfield, Dave Brinkley & editor of New Repub. A pleasant time—all off the record. A meeting with Sec. Gen. of U.N. de Cuellar. He’s doing a good job. Then a brief session in East Room with about 300 reps. of groups supporting us on the Contras. Some of them have raised & contributed mil’s. of $ for ads etc. on the cause. Upstairs for finishing touches on Gridiron speech—tomorrow nite. Dinner with Billy Graham. A dinner phone call from John P. Tip O’Neill has mustered a gang of his favorite toadies in the House to hold a press conference demanding that I cancel today’s nuclear test (underground) in New Mexico. I said a flat no.
