Diary Entry - 12/04/1985
Key Facts
President Reagan announces to the public the resignation of Assistant for National Security Affairs Robert McFarlane and the appointment of his successor, and current Deputy, Admiral John Poindexter.
President Reagan travels to Fallston, MD to meet with local high school students and discuss the recent Geneva summit.
Helicoptered to Falston High School in Maryland. Spoke to full assembly—Gov. Hughes, Sen. Mathias & Congresswoman Bentley on hand. I talked about the summit & particularly our hopes for a student exchange program with the Soviets. Then a class with about two dozen or so selected students for a seminar. Their questions were great—better than the average press conference. It was an inspiring morning.
Back to the Oval O. for lunch—then a meeting with Geo. S. We’re planning some meetings at ministerial level between now & the ’86 summit. We agree the first of these should be in Jan. & here in our country.
Everybody is coming up with names as possible successor to Bud M. I’ve decided it will be Buds top assistant—Admiral John Poindexter. With all the press speculation we decided to go with the announcement of both Buds retirement & Johns appointment this afternoon. I had a chance to tell the press they were way off base on why Bud was checking out. He told me months ago that he felt after all these years in govt. he owed his family something.
A couple of office visits—one an industrialist Eugene Lang. He went to high school in Harlem. For some years now he has kept a promise to see that every student who stayed in P.S. 121 til graduation went on to college.
Then a group of my generation—officers of Society for the elderly with the 20 millionth member signed on.
