Diary Entry - 04/18/1983

Awakened with word a car bomb did great damage to our embassy in Beirut—killed scores of people including 5 of our Marine guard detail. First word is that Iranian Shiites did it—d--n them. A Budget briefing by Dave S. If the Dems. have their way the recovery will be over before it starts. They must give us the spending cuts we want or we face a trillion dollar deficit over the next 5 yrs. In the Rose garden I presented peace corps awards to 6 outstanding volunteers. One a nun from Ghana whispered to me she needed flour for her country. Before day ended Dick Meyer of Seabord Corp. agreed to send 3000 lbs. of flour to her. Cabinet meeting was on budget—it’s a grim picture. Back to the Rose Garden for a ceremony in observance of Nat. Crime Victim week. Six such victims appeared on the dais with me. One had been kidnapped, raped & tortured. Another was victim of a robbery in her home in which 4 sons were killed before her eyes. She was shot 3 times & left for dead. Finished the afternoon doing a live satellite telecast to the N.C. St. Nat. Champion Basketball team. And then tonight to Kennedy Center for Frank Sinatra’s opening. Show is over & it was great—all for the benefit of the “foster grandparents program.” Just before show started—got a call from Jim Baker. He & Ed were with Paul Laxalt & Bob Dole. We dont have the Sen. votes to keep them from rolling over us on the withholding of tax on Int. & dividends. In fact we cant keep them from over riding my veto. They’ve come up with a substitute as a possible compromise & needed my OK to try to put it together. Keep withholding of dividends & postpone Int. withholding on Int. for 2 yrs. It will get us about 80% of what we want in revenue. I bit hard & said O.K. Barry G., Howard Baker & John Tower were our guests in the box so at intermission I cornered them & told them—they said it was the thing to do—so I’ll sleep better tonight.