Diary Entry - 04/06/1983
Key Facts
President Reagan travels to Pittsburg, PA. to visit and speak at a computer training facility for the unemployed.
The U.S. Veteran's Administration announces it will give free medical care for conditions traceable to radiation exposure to more than 220,000 veterans who took part in nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962.
Oil escaping from oil rigs off the shores of Iran, damaged by the Iran-Iraq war, is reported to have spread the full length of the Persian Gulf.
Learned in office George S. is upset—thinks N.S.C. is undercutting him on plans he & I discussed for “quiet diplomacy” approach to the Soviets. They have let Lydia—the young hunger striker member of the family that’s been living in the embassy basement in Moscow for 4 yrs. go. She is in Vienna as of today. We had a meeting later in the day with George & cleared things up I think. Some of the N.S.C. staff are too hard line & dont think any approach should be made to the Soviets. I think I’m hard line and will never appease but I do want to try & let them see there is a better world if they’ll show by deed they want to get along with the free world. In the meantime—between meetings flew to Pittsburgh—a rainy day here & there. Visited & did Q&A at a training school in computers for displaced unemployed. Then spoke to Conf. of local & st. officials & business & labor leaders from all over the country. The Conf. was set up to see how they could cooperate to put people back to work. I believe trip was worthwhile and not at all spoiled by a couple of thousand unemployed steel workers demonstrating out of sight & sound of either meeting. Press as usual announced the demonstrators as 4 times the number they actually were. Back to Wash. in time for another in the P.B.S. series on young artists. This time chamber music.
