Diary Entry - 06/15/1983
Key Facts
President Reagan addresses the 87th Annual National Parent Teacher Association Convention in New Mexico.
President Reagan returns to the White House from his trip to Tennessee and New Mexico.
This was the morning I addressed the Nat. convention of the P.T.A. All the local papers were telling me how unwanted I was. The P.T.A. is opposed to Tuition Tax Credits. The young D. Gov. of N.M. was all over the news blasting me for cuts in ed. funding—which we’ve never made. They had ordered 2000 green buttons to wear showing they were against the tax credits. Incidentally I had nothing on that subject in my speech. I was braced for trouble. I was warmly received & was interrupted a number of times by enthusiastic applause & when I got to “prayer in school” got a standing ovation—which the network T.V. news failed to mention. Back to the W.H. and a meeting with staff, Cap W. & George S. He’s meeting with Dobrynin & Gromyko and wanted to check with us on subject matter & positions. We were all in agreement that we be firm, willing to hold out a hand at same time let them know we d--n well want them to stay away from Central America.
