Diary Entry - 04/28/1988
Key Facts
President Reagan attends a meeting with Eberhard Diepgen, Mayor of West Berlin, to discuss the presidents upcoming meeting with Gorbachev.
President and Mrs. Reagan attend a State Dinner and award Lady Bird Johnson with the Congressional Gold Medal.
A flight attendant is killed and 61 people injured when part of the roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 peels back during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu.
The Trade bill is veto bound & we have the votes to sustain. Rostenkowski has told us he’ll put a new bill out of the Ways & Means committee immediately minus the objectionable amendments. A report to me on Jack Hume & Jerry Carmen. Apparently yesterdays meetings turned out all right.
N.S.C.—Acid Rain. I’m asking Geo. S. to get together with Canadas Joe Clark & work up an agreement.
Lebanon—it is possible there will be a commando operation by the Lebanese mil. against some S. Beirut bldgs. where it is believed the Hisbollah is holding some hostages. Then a meeting with Mayor of W. Berlin Eberhard Diepgen. I assured him I intended to make Berlin a subject for discussion with Gorbachev.
Then at noon a most enjoyable lunch up on the 3rd floor with Nancy & the Mulroneys.
We said goodbye after lunch & I went over to E.O.B. to sign an education bill. Then back to the Oval O. for a photo with the U.S.T.T.I. board. This is a pvt. sector initiative. A group of people in the telecommunications field bring people from 3rd world countries here & turn them into technicians. So far they have turned out 1658 individuals from 99 countries. An hour meeting in Cabinet room with “Nat. Drug Policy Board.” We’ve made great progress in intercepting drugs but the drug lords just increase their effort.
Then at last some desk time followed by a photo with staff of the photo dept. & admin. time with Jerry Lewis bringing the Muscular Dystrophy poster child in for a photo. Then a series of photos—Marriott hotel top staff, new Cong.man Jim McCrery—1st Repub. from his district in La. in 114 years & finally photo with “Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Service.”
Then over to the East Room for ceremony presenting Congress Gold Medal to Lady Bird Johnson. A very nice affair with her family & many friends in attendance.
