White House Diaries

Wednesday, March 11, 1987

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I wrote a sample letter to the editor rebutting an article in People Mag. quoting a Prof. of Pol. Science at Duke U. who took me apart on supposed misstatement of facts back all the way to W.W. II when I suspect he was only a child. Howard Baker & Geo. B. applauded my letter but thought someone else should sign it. I think they were right.

Dick Wirthlin came by with his post speech polling. There was a sharp up turn in my rating since the March 4 speech.

Then I went right into an N.S.P.G. briefing—some talk about the upcoming N.S.P.G. meeting then Michael Armacost came in—he’s off to a meeting with the Soviets in Moscow. I told him to give them h--l about not getting out of Afghanistan.

A Bi-partisan Cong. leadership meeting. We briefed them on Central Am. and the negotiations in Geneva (Max Kampelman). It was a pretty good meeting. A half hour meeting with Geo. Shultz followed the N.S.P.G. meeting which was entirely on S.D.I.—the A.B.M. Treaty and we were all pretty much in agreement that S.D.I. would stay within the narrow interpretation as to research until December 31 then go into the broader interpretation. Georges meeting was on his intended trip to Moscow & whether I should send a personal letter to Gorbachev re a summit this summer here in the U.S.

Went out on S. Lawn with Ex-Chief Justice Burger who introduced me to a group gathering to go through the 65 foot truck containing the Magna Carta (1215) & other documents pertaining to freedom. The truck will tour 100 cities in this year of the 200th birthday of our Const.

A brief meeting with Ed M. on his way to a board meeting of trustees of Presidential Library. They are going to discuss whether to take it away from Stanford since there are demonstrations protesting it being there. I’m in favor of U.S.C. Then Dick Allen brought in a wonderful little Korean gentleman C. J. Chung. He raised a mil. $ for a program in true Pvt. enterprise fashion. His son—a student here interpreted. Chung took Korea from the wreckage of war & literally created it’s industrial system.

Tonite Dinner at Nancy Reynolds. It was really a fun evening—the Wicks plus Cindy & a half dozen actors & actresses here in town doing a movie. Nancy lives in a big cabin that is just great.