Remembering Reagan

Jim Kuhn, who was executive assistant to Ronald Reagan, recalls his experience with the late president in his new book, “Ronald Reagan in Private: A Memoir of My Years in the White House.”

The following are excerpts from a recent interview with Mr. Kuhn, an Alexandria resident who has been a lobbyist since 1989:

Q: How was Ronald Reagan as a boss?

A: It’s a high honor to work for any president, but you were darn lucky if you got to do it for Ronald Reagan because he was such a dear man. … There was this close, trusting relationship. … [But] there was that very demanding side of him. He demanded to be on schedule. It wasn’t because of him. He didn’t want to inconvenience anyone else.

Q: People say Ronald Reagan was a great communicator. How did you see that was true?

A: He had tremendous personal appeal. Whether you agreed or disagreed with this man, he had this way of connecting with you and appealing to you. Most people liked this man because of this charm. … If you like someone and they are somewhat appealing, even if you disagree with their policies, you are more apt to listen to them. … He listened to criticism and tried to pick up on things he could do better. Even if he was in total disagreement, he didn’t let it get him down. He didn’t go after his adversaries. … He had such a big mind in that regard.

Q: How did you see Reagan react to problems, such as the Iran-Contra affair?

A: Truly, the hostages, every day, ate away at him, day in and day out, that there were seven hostages being held in other parts of the world against their will. … He did feel that if there was this group of moderates that maybe things would open up in Iran that we could deal with from a policy standpoint. … If there was a way to open a door and build a dialogue with them, and it meant shipping arms to them, and at the same time, they could help us get our hostages back, he truly felt that was the right things to do. And if he had it to do over again, he would have done it again. What he never authorized or even knew about was the diversion of funds when those arms were paid for and sending them down to Nicaragua. … At times, it got under his skin a bit. … One day, walking down the colonnade … he stops and says, “Let me ask you a question. How do I look to you today?” I said, “You look fine.” … He said, “No, no, no, not that.” I said, “Everything looks A-plus to me.” He said, “Don’t you see this dark cloud hanging over my head, all this doom and gloom that all the media keep talking about because I’m so down and out and depressed of Iran-Contra.” I looked at him and said, “That’s ridiculous. Let’s go to work.” And we marched on into the Oval Office.

On July 13, 1987, we were on Air Force One. It was a Monday — before Air Force One took off, he looked at me and crossed his fingers and he said, “Jim, this is the week that John Poindexter [former national security adviser] … will clear me once and for all.” On Wednesday, July 15, Poindexter said the President didn’t know [about the diversion of funds].

Q: How did he take the victory in the Cold War?

A: There were all the highs and the lows. All these great achievements. When you have a great achievement and there’s all this elation and you’re on cloud nine, you have to come back down. When things aren’t going so well, whether it’s 241 Marines killed in a terrorist attack in Beirut, or the space shuttle blowing up, or some hostage crisis like TWA, somehow you have to get yourself back up. Reagan was amazing how he controlled his emotions. He didn’t go on highs, and he didn’t go on deep lows. He stayed on an even keel … The rest of us were off the Richter scale.

Q: When you watched his funeral what were you thinking, seeing Michael Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher in attendance?

A: He and “Maggie,” as he referred to her, were close, close friends. They had a great affinity for one another in terms of friendship and policy. … It demonstrated the great respect Gorbachev had for this man. They spent many hours together … [Reagan] appreciated the fact that the two of them together were able to eliminate a whole class of nuclear weapons., which led to the end of the Cold War. It was very symbolic.

Q: Where were you the day Reagan was shot?

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