Diary Entry - 07/05/1988
Key Facts
President Reagan participates in a interview for the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library on the inaugural process.
President Reagan meets with President Jose Napoleon Duarte Fuentes, of the Republic of El Salvador.
U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III announces he will resign.
A 10 A.M. day. We of course discussed the Gulf plane tragedy & press coverage. Tomorrow expecting a House vote on plant closing. Judge McKay has submitted his findings on Ed Meese to Ed. & to the 3 judge panel. Nothing in it charges crime or calls for indictment. Ed is busy reviewing their study on drug policy.
N.S.C.—Colin brought in an amazing personality. He’s Wm. Harrington, 93 1⁄2 yrs. old—a former Sgt. Major in the 9th & 10th Cavalry. These were the 2 black Cavalry regiments. He really is an amazing man with a great personality. Then we got down to business. We’re sending request to Cong. to allow us to sell Kuwait 40 F-18’s. Saudis are buying arms, $30 Bil. from the U.K.
Max Kampelman & Elliott Abrams came in & reported on George S’s. trip to Central Am. We can have some optimism about the results.
Later in morning Ken Khachigian came in & we talked about my convention speech. Then a 90 yr. old lady was brought in. She had gotten an invitation to attend last weeks Repub. Leaders conference. They hadn’t included the card that called on her to contribute $2500 so she couldn’t get in. She doesn’t even have enough money to get home until her Soc. Security check comes. Thank Heaven our people found out about her & brought her in for a visit, & they’re arranging to get her back to Calif.
Lunch & some desk time then over to E.O.B. to address Conservative Pol. leaders. More desk time then received 7 new Ambassadors & their families.
Then over to Map room & taped an interview for a program on Presidential Inaugural process.
Then Geo. Bush & I met at Walter Reed hospital to visit Pres. Duarte of El Salvadore. Just before we left I got a call from Ed Meese telling me about the report & now that he’s cleared he wants to resign effective in early August. While we were at the hospital he held a press conf. & announced he was stepping down.
After we met with Duarte—George & I dropped in on the Commanding officer’s room—he is (we’re told) a terminal Cancer of the liver case. End of day.
