White House Diaries

Thursday, May 17, 1984

View the President's Schedule

Brkfst. with Pres. de la Madrid & our 2 teams. I think he still does not see Castro & the Sandinistas the way we do but all in all the meetings have been productive. We both appeared before the reps. of the interparliamentary Union. A brief meeting for me before or with reps. of the Black Mayors council and then out to the Rose Garden for the annual kick off of the summer youth jobs program. Rosy Grier presented me with an Oscar & a N.Y. Yankee star gave me a framed newspaper front page. In between some of these things I called Don Regan in Paris. Lew Lehrman’s shop has come up with an estimate that our 84 deficit is going to be as low as $152 billion about $43 bil. less than present estimates. Don thinks it wont be that good but he says it is going to be less than everyone thinks. For the last 7 months it has averaged $3.6 bil. a month less than the 1st 7 months of ’83. The day got busy. Dick Wirthlin came by with good news & not so good.Poll shows an increased concern by people about foreign affairs. An N.S.P.G. meeting re the trouble in the Persian Gulf. Both Iraq & Iran have been attacking oil tankers. The Gulf states hesitate to ask for help fearing Iran can stir up internal troubles for each one of them. It’s a typical Mid East problem. Cab. Council met on some legal problems such as too many govt. programs are assuming police powers. Did some T.V. film with a dozen or so of our Congressmen for use in campaign ads. A.C. Lyles came in to receive the Valley Forge George Washington award for his NBC film of us & young people. Received the Tyler Texas Rose Queen who donated some Tyler Roses for the Rose Garden. Then an informal off the record do with several of the press corps. Tomorrow it’s hospital time for my annual check up & then Camp David.