For the Record, by Donald Regan: on Principles & Values
Donald Regan:
Resigned as a result of the Iran-Contra scandal
[As a result of the Iran-Contra scandal] I knew that I was mortally wounded and that for the sake of the country, the President, and my own reputation and peace of mind I must remove myself from the White House as soon as possible.
The "Newsweek" story, of course, destroyed the last vestige of any possibility that I might honorably resign as Chief of Staff before the Tower Board issued its report.
If I did that now, my action would be taken as an admission of guilt and my name would be blackened beyond recall.Even as I left the Oval Office, angry and humiliated, yet understanding the rules that Presidents and their servants live by,
I believed that this President, genial and kind and good at heart, and surely grateful for the six years of loyal service I had given him, would do me no harm in my last hours at his side. In that, I was very much mistaken.
Source: For the Record, by Donald Regan, p. 95-98
May 2, 1988
Ronald Reagan:
OpEd: hands-off management has inevitable disasters
This was the way Ronald Reagan did business--his public persona WAS his real persona. For a while I struggled against a certain anxiety that this method of running the world's greatest economy might wreck the new Presidency. Happily, I was wrong. In fact
Reagan's openness produced the longest period of economic recovery and the highest levels of employment in the history of the US. The President himself had very little to do with the invention and the implementation of the policies and mechanisms that
encouraged this remarkable increase in the nation's wealth and general well-being.At first it was difficult to believe that such a management policy could be intentional. Mixed results were inevitable; disaster was possible--even probable.
I found myself in an environment in which there seemed to be no center, no structure, no agreed policy. I struggled to understand a reality that was far removed from what I had always imagined life in a high government post to be.
Source: For the Record, by Donald Regan, p.143-144
May 2, 1988
Ronald Reagan:
Scale of re-election victory meant mandate on policies
In Reagan's [re-election], the people had given him an authorization to go on running the government and leading the country for four more years in the same style as the first four years. Second, they had given him a clear instruction, underwritten by
54,455,075 popular votes and 525 of 538 electoral votes, to carry out the programs he had advocated during the campaign. In foreign affairs, this meant advocating based on a strong defense, and in domestic affairs, tax reforms and budget reform.
Source: For the Record, by Donald Regan, p.242
May 2, 1988
Ronald Reagan:
Trusted his aides to act on his intentions, not his orders
Reagan chose his aides and then followed their advice almost without question. He trusted his lieutenants to act on his intentions, rather than on his spoken instructions; he seldom spontaneously called for a detailed status report. The degree of trust
involved in this method of leadership must be unprecedented in modern American history. Sometimes--as was inevitable given that many of his closest aides, including almost all of the Cabinet, were virtual strangers to him--this trust was betrayed in
shocking fashion. When that happened, Reagan seldom criticized, seldom complained, never scolded. Not even the Iran-Contra debacle could provoke him into harsh words, much less subordinates who had let him down.Never did President Reagan really lose
his temper or utter a rude of unkind word. Never did he issue a direct order, although I, at least, sometimes devoutly wished that he would. He listened, acquiesced, played his role, and waited for the next act to be written.
Source: For the Record, by Donald Regan, p.268
May 2, 1988
Page last updated: May 13, 2012