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White House Diaries
November
13
1982
November 13, 1982
Saturday, November 13, 1982
To the Soviet Embassy to sign the Condolence book for Pres. Brezhnev. There’s a strange feeling in that place—no one smiles. Well that is except Amb. Dobrynin. Back to the Oval office to do the Sat. broadcast. Then an emergency. With all 7 nations agreed on a uniform policy on E-W. trade, something we’ve been after for a year and a half—we get word that Mitterand has some objection. My script was written as an announcement of our agreement and that as a result I was lifting the pipeline sanction. The State dept. chickened and wanted me to go with a backup script on crime. I put in a call to Mitterand—he was unavailable. I had in my hand Chancellor Kohl’s & Margaret Thatcher’s messages of joy over the agreement. I said to h--l with changing & did the announcement. Maybe Francois M. will get the message—& maybe the striped pants types at State will too. Now we are off to Chi. for the memorial service to Loyal by the Am. College of Surgeons. It was a nice ceremony with several former associates, students etc. of Loyal’s speaking of him. It wasn’t easy for Nancy. [. . .] Got word that George Shultz had swallowed something that stuck in his throat. He was hospitalized but word is he is alright. Also rcv’d. word—Reuters is running a story that France has repudiated the E.W. trade agreement we’ve all (including France) just agreed to.
