A Memoir of My Years in the White House

Ronald Reagan in Private
by Jim Kuhn

An inside look at Ronald Reagan from one of his most trusted staffers

During his White House years, President Reagan earned the love and admiration of millions, and altered the course of history. Jim Kuhn, his executive assistant, was one of the very few people privileged to see the Great Communicator not just during his historic public events, but also behind the scenes, during quiet moments.

Kuhn was responsible for helping the most powerful man in the world manage his time and information. His memoir of an unguarded and unedited Ronald Reagan captures the laughter, resolve, sensitivity, and discomforts of the man who won the Cold War and restored America's confidence.

President Reagan frequently shared with Kuhn his personal views on matters great and small, including his thoughts about world leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher, and controversial issues such as nuclear weapons, taxes, and women's rights. Kuhn recalls many poignant moments that will surprise readers, no matter how much they already know about President Reagan. For example:

• How the President reacted when staff disappointed him and things didn't go as planned
• The time he felt distraught over arms negotiations with the Soviets President
• Reagan's true personal thoughts about abortion
• What aspersion bothered him more than any other
• How President Reagan felt about the Iran-Contra scandal and the figures involved

During his 13 years of service to Ronald Reagan, Kuhn discovered a man who acted the same off camera as he did in front of the world; who showed the same respect to an anonymous caller to the White House as he did to Pope John Paul II; who was more nuanced and perceptive than the press would ever admit; who never let the power and prestige of the Presidency go to his head.

Now that Ronald Reagan has passed away, there is a hunger for a deeper understanding of what made him a great President. Jim Kuhn offers a unique perspective on the private Ronald Reagan that will fascinate his millions of admirers.

Geneva and the Battle of the Coat

No one said much as we stood behind the glass front doors in the atrium of Chateau Fleur d'Eau, an imposing lakeside chateau in Geneva, Switzerland, on that overcast, chilly November morning in 1985. The president seemed calm, but preoccupied. His foreign-policy team-Secretary of State George Schultz and National Security Adviser Bud McFarlane-and White House Chief of Staff Don Regan stood uneasily near by. Reagan clearly wasn't in the mood to make one of his well-timed jokes that had so often diffused a tense situation.

Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, we had been told, was enroute from the Soviet diplomatic mission in Geneva, where he was staying. So much depended on this encounter between the Cold War warrior and his younger Soviet counterpart. It would be the first top-level U.S.-Soviet meeting in more than six years. For weeks, there had been speculation about the first meeting between the 74-year-old Reagan and his 54-year-old counterpart, who had come to power in the Soviet Union the previous March. Many wondered whether Reagan would be able to hold his own with this dynamic new breed of Soviet leader, who had been winning raves worldwide, even from Reagan's friend, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The plan was for Reagan to go out and greet Gorbachev as he stepped out of his limo, shake his hand, escort him up the short flight of stairs, and then the duo would pause for photographs before entering the chateau. Once inside, they were scheduled to meet privately for 20 minutes before being joined by their negotiators to discuss U.S.-Soviet relations.

Gorbachev's motorcade was 10 minutes away, we were told. President Reagan asked his chief valet, Eddie Serrano, for his coat and scarf. Hearing the president's request, I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach.

We had a problem.

We had arrived in Geneva just after 10 a.m. on Nov. 17 for the three-day summit. Flying over on Air Force One, what I remember most are the high spirits of the first lady. Usually tightly wound, Mrs. Reagan was in the best mood I had ever seen her in: She was relaxed, even joyous. For years, Reagan had been making overtures to the Soviets, and he had told his foreign-policy advisers to let him know when the Soviets were ready for a constructive dialogue. But Mrs. Reagan had also privately urged her husband toward the goal of ending the Cold War, saying that he couldn't wait for the Soviets to get fully ready. She had lived through enough of the Cold War to believe passionately that it had to end, and that her husband could play a major role in ending it. She wanted that to be part of the legacy of the Reagan presidency. And it was my sense that on the flight to Geneva, she could see her hopes and dreams starting to come to fruition.

The president had prepared thoroughly for the meetings with Gorbachev. He had been briefed for many hours and reviewed mountains of briefing materials in the White House residence and at Camp David in the evenings and on weekends.

Usually, from an overall domestic and foreign-policy standpoint, Reagan believed his aides gave him too much paperwork. "Jim, they're telling me more than I need to know," he would say in exasperation to me. He didn't need all the details, he told me. Since he had a very clear vision of where he wanted to take the country, he always knew what the outcome should be, and he wanted to stay focused on the implementation of his domestic and foreign policy agendas. Reagan also believed that change was good, especially if it came to the role of the federal government.

"That's why we're here," he frequently reminded members of his Cabinet and others.

But this time was an exception and Reagan recognized that detailed information was important in terms of negotiating with the Soviets.

Throughout his presidency, Reagan had been making overtures to the Soviet leaders through personal letters, but as he said "they keep dying on me." Gorbachev, the fourth Soviet leader in less than two-and-a-half years, had replaced President Konstantin Chernenko. Gorbachev, Reagan was told, was different than the previous generation of Soviet leaders. He was confident, impatient, media-savvy, vigorous. Thatcher had spoken highly of him to Reagan at Camp David.

Gorbachev appeared to recognize that the Soviet Union's closed society was in serious trouble, and he might be more willing to consider opening up the Soviet Union to the rest of the world . But as upbeat as the First Lady was about the Geneva summit, the president was more cautious. He was willing to look Gorbachev in the eye to see if they could begin a dialogue. But he was suspicious of the Soviets and, after all, they still had the nuclear stalemate of Mutual Assured Destruction. While many on his staff, including me, were optimistic about the prospect of this historic encounter, Reagan kept his expectations low.

That morning, we traveled over to the U.S. meeting venue from our residence, La Maison de Saussure, an 18th Century chateau a few miles north of Geneva and the home of the Prince Aga Khan and Princess Salida and their young son. The boy had left a note for the president asking him to feed his goldfish in his second-floor bedroom. The president was faithfully following his instructions.

Copyright © 2006 Penguin Group

About the Author

Jim Kuhn served Ronald Reagan as an advance man, personal assistant, and finally, executive assistant, from 1976 until the President left the White House in 1989. Kuhn is now a Washington lobbyist.