What 'The Reagan Diaries' tell us about our 40th president

Reagan's diaries shed light on both his daily schedule and his thinking.

from the June 26, 2007 edition

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Wrote Reagan, "I couldn't resist. I ran over to him & signed the autograph. Found out later he had only recently lost his father. His mother tells me he was shedding tears of happiness."

Other critics suggest that the former movie actor was a lightweight where foreign policy was concerned. The diaries show he mastered voluminous briefing books, held his own with foreign leaders, was deeply involved in digesting counsel from his advisers, but firm in direction and follow-through after deciding on action. Ironically perhaps his greatest achievement, and the cornerstone of his legacy, was in foreign policy, facing down Soviet communism and paving the path to the end of the cold war.

But the diaries are perhaps at their most engaging when they reflect the little human moments in his day.

Wife Nancy was the love of his life. Whenever she was away, the White House was "lonely" and he could not wait for her return. Rex the dog would then jump in bed with him at night.

On another occasion they spent the weekend "watching over an unhousebroken puppy."

Then Reagan was intrigued by a "huge bowl of goldfish," given him by Aly Khan, whose house he and Nancy had stayed at in Geneva. It was "a reward for taking care of his son's aquarium while we were in occupancy."

When evenings were free, entertainment at the White House was often a movie. Reagan recorded his displeasure with movies containing "nudity, [bad] language, sex."

On a state visit to Asia, he noted with pleasure his dexterity with chopsticks.

All in all, these diaries offer a delightful look into the life of a man who sometimes seems to have gained more stature and recognition after his departure from the White House than he was accorded when he lived in it.

• John Hughes, a former editor of the Monitor, occupied three senior positions in the Reagan administration.

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