Diary Entry - 05/07/1984
Key Facts
President Reagan hosts a luncheon to award the third annual Volunteer/Action awards to exemplary volunteers and organizations.
A $180 million out-of-court settlement is announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans who charged they had suffered injury from exposure to the defoliant.
An easy day but a bad night. I couldn’t get to sleep until 2 A.M. then I awoke at 6 A.M. Found out most of our China trip party had much the same kind of night. Staff & N.S.C. meetings were uneventful. Then Paul Laxalt came in with former Sen. Harry Byrd, former Gov. of Va. Mills Godwin & Mr. Roy Smith. All are powerful & influential figures in Va. They want to set up an independent effort in my behalf. I’m proud to have them. Lunch in the East Room to give awards to Volunteers for a variety of worthwhile services nation wide—help to the handicapped, aid to destitute, creating a community college—the list goes on & on. Met with German Foreign Minister Genscher who is off to Moscow. Wanted to touch base with us first. He gave a slant that Soviet intransigence might be due to their fear of our power (based on W.W. II memories) & our link with Germany. A taping session then a half hour with Holmes Tuttle re Ed Meese. I think he’d like to have me push him overboard. I cant do that.
