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White House Diaries
May
07
1981
May 07, 1981
Thursday, May 7, 1981
P.M. Suzuki & party arrive—full mil. honors on S. Lawn. I’d been told he was nervous about the visit. He’s not the usual pol. type and is new in the job—that makes 2 of us. He and I met in the Oval office for more than half an hour. It was a good meeting. I had the interpreter send a copy of my hand written letter to Brezhnev. In the cabinet room later in the larger meeting he told them I had made him feel that he could pick up the phone and call me personally about any problems that might come up. Tonite the State Dinner. But 1st this was the big day. The Budget bill passed 253 to 176. All the Repubs. stayed together & 63 Demos. voted with us. We never anticipated such a landslide. We felt we were going to win due to the conservative block of Demos but expected R. defectors so that we might win by 1 or 2 votes. It’s been a long time since Repubs. have had a victory like this. At the Dinner, responding to my toast the P.M. said “We have become close buddies.” I think the trip was a success.
