White House Diaries

Thursday, October 24, 1985

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This was the big day. Nancy & I went over to the U.N. I addressed the Gen. Assembly & a few thousand U.N. guests. I had to wear my iron undershirt. [. . .] a sizeable group of reps. carry guns. The U.N. refuses to allow any magnetometering or checking of briefcases. My speech went over extremely well. In fact veterans at the U.N. said no western speaker had ever gotten such a warm applause. It was broadcast live & we all agreed the crowds on the street had been affected by it—they were cheering like for a Super bowl.

Nancy & I parted company. I went over to Walters office in the U.N. mission building. There I had a good meeting with P.M. Craxi. We really cleared the air re the hi-jacking. They now have the info. we had on Abbas & are trying to get him back. Then a working lunch with Geo. S., Don R., Bud & Ambas. Walters. After lunch I met with 5 of our Ec. Summit partners—Margaret T., Brian Mulroney of Canada, Helmut K., Yasu Nakasone (Japan) & Craxi. It was a good 90 min. session—all on the upcoming meeting with Gorbachev. They were all most supportive & jumped for joy when I volunteered to go to Brussels (N.A.T.O.) & brief them after the summit. Back to the hotel & a meeting with F.M. of the Soviets Shevardnadze. It was as usual a polite exchange with him saying nothing of importance.

He was followed by Brian Mulroney of Canada—this was a good meeting. He accepted my invitation to an official visit to Wash. this Spring. We’re making progress on the Acid rain problem.

A brief cocktail time—then a dinner of just the 6 of us who had met in the afternoon. They told me I would go to Geneva with their trust, their love & their prayers.