Diary Entry - 07/10/1984

A brief half hour in the office—Staff & N.S.C. 15 mins. each. Then Marine 1 & off to Chesapeake Bay. First stop the Wildlife Refuge (14,000 acres). A briefing, then a tour. Saw 2 Bald eagles among other things. Then on to an island where the oyster & crab boats headquarter. They are fearful of the growing pollution of the bay. We’re working with 3 states, Va., Maryland & Pa. on a clean up program. Visited some of the boats & crews. Then to the volunteer fire house for lunch cooked by the womens auxiliary of the vol. firemen. It was a good time among real people. The ever present W.H. press corps kept trying to squeeze in Q’s. that had nothing to do with the days activities. Arrived back at the W.H. in time for a signing ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Food for Peace program. Then another hour of filming for the convention documentary. A Pvt. meeting with Dick Wirthlin—re a book involving him & me by an Eng. author. It is a sleazy hatchet job. He is sending by way of a lawyer a threat to sue for libel. Another pvt. drink with a half dozen of the press corps—just an off the record get together. The T.V. press, evening news did a trashing job on the Bay visit tagging it as purely a campaign event.