White House Diaries

Tuesday, December 6, 1988

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Again the day began at 10 A.M. A. B. began the meeting with talk about pardons for North, Poindexter & McFarlane. Jon (Mrs. McFarlane) wrote me a letter on her own asking for a pardon for Bud. He awaits sentence, he plead guilty to making a couple of statements that weren’t true on the basis of things he said later. I dont think he deliberately lied at all. I lean very much toward a pardon for him.

Woodward of the Wash. Post sprang a story that Israels Nir had told him there was a secret intelligence agreement between Israel & the U.S. There is no such thing. Woodward wrote the story after Nir turned up dead in Mexico—a plane crash. It looks like a repeat of his story about Bill Casey—after Casey died.

N.S.C.—Major Gen. Harpe—commander of our F-16 base in Spain crashed his F-16 & died last night.

S. Africa has done a turn about and will return to the Angola talks. I’m faced with a tough one & my gang is split on it. Do we cancel the tariffs on Canadian Shakes & Shingles, do we let it stay the 2 1⁄2 yrs. it has to go or option 3 do we keep it but reduce it. I chose option 3.

There are rumors that Gorbachev is planning a shake up of the military. Tomorrow is the day Geo. B. & I lunch with him in N.Y. Nancy has left this morning for N.Y. but we wont see each other while we’re there. Another rumor has Gorby creating something like our N.S.C. Another rumor has it that someone had planned a coup while Gorby was in the far East.

Then we had a briefing for tomorrows meeting—Geo. S. was in charge. Then lunch & afterward a photo with Craig A. Nalen Pres. of O.P.I.C. He’s been there for 8 yrs. & has saved us lots of money.

Dr. Hutton brought in Dr. Hummel of St. Johns Hospital in L.A. he has set up a team for any medical needs we may have after January 20. Then the board of the Alzheimers Disease Assn. came in & among them Yasmin Khan daughter of Rita Hayworth who died a victim of Alzheimers. I had declared November as Alzheimers month. Today I received a plaque. Then it was a photo with the top brass of the Air Force Assn. I’m a charter member.

Then an unscheduled meeting. The P.L.O. were meeting in Sweden re the middle east situation. Arafat made a statement that if it remains as told to us for his public pronouncement tomorrow 6 A.M. our time we can grant him the visa for the U.N. & we are the winner.

Then over to the family theatre for rehearsal of Thurs. nites Press Conf. Upstairs, exercise, shower & then dinner with Ted Graber.