Diary Entry - 03/08/1984

Key Facts
President Reagan meets with Senator John Tower (R-Texas) to discuss the Senator's recent trip to the Middle East.
President Reagan receives an agreement from Ambassador Price II of England.
President Reagan decides to take up an emergency appropriation to keep El Salvador's Army running.
Charlie Price came by our N.S.C. briefing with some input about Englands cautious attitude about the Persian Gulf if Iran should try to close the straits of Hormuz. No real problem—they’ll line up with us to keep it open. Met with Repub. Sen. leaders on the budget. I’m convinced we must take the lead and wait no more on the Democrats for a bipartisan approach to the deficit. They think they have a campaign issue. They’ve been in charge of the Cong. for 45 years & for 45 years they’ve run up deficits. Now they want to hang the present deficit on us and yet they’ve only given us half the spending cuts we asked for. We are all agreed now on the tactic but haven’t reached agreement on the amount we propose for Defense spending. Some—like Hatfield & Domenici want to cut it too much. We’ll meet tomorrow to settle it. We took up another item, an emergency appropriation to keep El Salvador’s Army running until the budget is passed—they are about out of ammunition. Hatfield is chmn. of the appropriations committee He engineered the defeat (by 1 vote) of amending it to a sure thing bill on energy. We’ll try again next week but I’m frustrated as h--l. With some of our friends we dont need enemies. An interesting report in Cab. Council on Demographics—where we’ll be in the next 20 yrs. or so—population changes, shift to west & south etc. We’re at a no growth birth rate right now. Some photo time—Timmy Diakis & his parents—He’s the lad who saved an 83 yr. old neighbor lady from a burning building. Signed a proclamation for Red Cross leaders. Then a reception for Nat. Newspaper Assn. These are the publishers of the local papers from all over the country. Unlike the Wash. Post & others they are very supportive of our admin. They are really the voice of Main street Am. I shook 400 hands in 21 min’s.
