White House Diaries

Monday, November 14, 1983

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Another one of those 2 days in one. A gang of American businessmen from countries all over S.E. Asia came by the house for coffee. They are a wonderful group and most supportive of all that we’ve been doing. Then over to Blue House to pick up Pres. & Mrs. Chun. There is no doubt this was a most successful trip. The ride to the airport was again through crowds of more than 1 mil. people. Their happiness & affection was humbling. Nancy on Sunday had met 2 small Korean children both requiring open heart surgery. She met them through a wonderful woman Harriett Hodges who has found & delivered for the “save a life movement” more than 600 such children. Nancy was bringing them to Am. on A.F.1. This was another of those 2 in 1 days. We left Korea at 10:45 A.M. We flew for 7 1⁄2 hours across the date line again, and landed at Anchorage at 12:20 A.M.—which began our 2nd Monday. We worked it out so that flying into nite as we were we sacked out after it got dark & slept through the 1 hr. fuel stop in Alaska. From there to Wash. we were then flying into day light. We got up about 2 hours out of Wash. & had a brunch—getting in at around noon. You know you can really get confused—leaving Korea at 10:45 on a Mon. morning—flying 17 hours and getting into Wash. at noon on Monday. At 2 P.M. a meeting re the same Beirut problem we’d discussed before the trip. We have some additional intelligence but still not enough to order a strike. The trip is over but I believe it was a 10 strike for the U.S. Both P.M. Nakasone & Pres. Chun have become fast personal friends & I return their friendship.