1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,181 I believe the Republican party has a platform 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,140 that is a banner of bold, unmistakable colors, 3 00:00:10,161 --> 00:00:12,190 with no pale pastel shades! 4 00:00:12,210 --> 00:00:14,060 [cheering] 5 00:00:15,251 --> 00:00:17,161 [narrator] They call it "the Gaze"... 6 00:00:19,181 --> 00:00:21,170 a look of adoration so compelling, 7 00:00:21,191 --> 00:00:23,211 even the cameras can't break away. 8 00:00:25,060 --> 00:00:27,161 [Sally Quinn] Do I remember the Gaze, you know? 9 00:00:28,051 --> 00:00:29,200 [laughs] 10 00:00:30,051 --> 00:00:31,150 Yeah, it was a talent, 11 00:00:31,170 --> 00:00:35,231 because she looked at him as though he were a god. 12 00:00:36,070 --> 00:00:39,191 [Kati Marton] It was almost hypnotic, that gaze. 13 00:00:39,210 --> 00:00:40,200 [cheering, applause] 14 00:00:41,051 --> 00:00:43,231 [Karen Tumulty] She just saw in her husband 15 00:00:43,250 --> 00:00:45,151 somebody who should be president. 16 00:00:45,231 --> 00:00:47,021 Thank you very much. 17 00:00:47,191 --> 00:00:50,170 Her husband's glory was gonna be their glory. 18 00:00:52,070 --> 00:00:54,170 [narrator] The Reagans were the first show-business family 19 00:00:54,191 --> 00:00:55,231 to inhabit the White House. 20 00:00:57,030 --> 00:01:00,070 But Nancy was more than just Ronald Reagan's co-star. 21 00:01:00,151 --> 00:01:03,041 [Ron Reagan] She wanted him to be the front-man, 22 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:06,061 and she wanted to be the producer/director 23 00:01:06,081 --> 00:01:07,070 behind the scenes. 24 00:01:07,201 --> 00:01:08,210 [reporter] How do you feel about that, Mrs. Reagan? 25 00:01:09,070 --> 00:01:11,081 I agree with everything he says, I always do. [laughs] 26 00:01:11,171 --> 00:01:13,180 [Stuart Spencer] He would've never been elected Governor 27 00:01:13,201 --> 00:01:14,191 without Nancy. 28 00:01:15,090 --> 00:01:17,120 He'd have never been elected president without Nancy. 29 00:01:18,031 --> 00:01:19,040 They were a team. 30 00:01:20,031 --> 00:01:21,070 She gave him strength. 31 00:01:22,031 --> 00:01:23,171 She gave him encouragement. 32 00:01:24,141 --> 00:01:25,161 She gave him hell. 33 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,060 -Are you asking me or...? -[reporter] Well, you first. 34 00:01:29,081 --> 00:01:31,111 [Kati Marton] I consider Nancy to have been in some ways 35 00:01:31,180 --> 00:01:34,141 the most powerful, the most influential, 36 00:01:34,161 --> 00:01:37,120 the most indispensable partner 37 00:01:37,201 --> 00:01:39,210 in the modern presidency. 38 00:01:39,231 --> 00:01:41,081 Why don't you ask him first? 39 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:43,090 [reporter] You wanna get your stories straight? 40 00:01:43,111 --> 00:01:44,180 [laughs] Yeah. 41 00:01:46,090 --> 00:01:49,130 [theme music plays] 42 00:02:08,060 --> 00:02:10,090 [interviewer] We're talking to Mrs. Ronald Reagan, 43 00:02:10,111 --> 00:02:11,190 and we have just two more quotes here. 44 00:02:11,210 --> 00:02:14,220 Would you be a forceful first lady, in your opinion? 45 00:02:15,210 --> 00:02:18,041 Oh, I... 46 00:02:19,090 --> 00:02:21,051 Depends on what you mean by forceful. 47 00:02:23,100 --> 00:02:24,111 [narrator] It's 1980, 48 00:02:24,210 --> 00:02:26,180 and with her husband running for president, 49 00:02:26,201 --> 00:02:28,171 Nancy Reagan is in the spotlight. 50 00:02:28,250 --> 00:02:31,081 I have a feeling President Carter 51 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:32,171 doesn't have a foreign policy. 52 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,051 [interviewer] "Nancy is tough, more than an adoring wife." 53 00:02:38,051 --> 00:02:39,081 Well, I don't think I'm tough. 54 00:02:39,210 --> 00:02:42,171 [narrator] Where some see a good wife standing by her man... 55 00:02:42,191 --> 00:02:47,030 She was always pushing to make sure that he succeeded, 56 00:02:47,131 --> 00:02:49,081 as any good wife would do. 57 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:51,100 [Ronald Reagan] We can make America great again! 58 00:02:52,081 --> 00:02:54,191 [narrator] ...others see her as the power broker 59 00:02:54,210 --> 00:02:55,220 in the relationship. 60 00:02:56,041 --> 00:02:57,201 [interviewer] All right, we'll go on. 61 00:02:57,220 --> 00:03:00,111 “The brains behind her husband”" You've read that? 62 00:03:00,131 --> 00:03:04,101 No, no. My husband is the brains of the family. 63 00:03:05,051 --> 00:03:08,041 [Karen Tumulty] Nancy Reagan was seen as a retrograde, 64 00:03:08,060 --> 00:03:09,171 traditional figure. 65 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,120 Yet, it is hard to think of someone 66 00:03:13,141 --> 00:03:16,120 who was just so comfortable with her own power, 67 00:03:16,141 --> 00:03:18,191 and so unafraid to use it. 68 00:03:19,071 --> 00:03:20,160 [Ronald Reagan] Speaking of Nancy, 69 00:03:20,180 --> 00:03:24,060 she's been the first lady in my life for a long time. 70 00:03:24,141 --> 00:03:26,021 [cheering] 71 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,180 [narrator] Nancy Davis and Ronald Reagan 72 00:03:28,201 --> 00:03:31,071 met in Hollywood in 1949. 73 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,250 Nancy was an ambitious young actress. 74 00:03:35,210 --> 00:03:37,120 Nancy arrived in Hollywood 75 00:03:37,141 --> 00:03:39,111 during the time of the Red Scare. 76 00:03:39,220 --> 00:03:41,081 There was a lot of concern 77 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,131 that the communists were infiltrating Hollywood. 78 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:47,120 [Karen Tumulty] She sees the name Nancy Davis 79 00:03:47,141 --> 00:03:51,030 on a list of supposed communist sympathizers. 80 00:03:51,111 --> 00:03:53,111 I mean this-- this is a career killer. 81 00:03:54,131 --> 00:03:56,191 [Bob Colacello] So she went to her director, Mervyn LeRoy, 82 00:03:56,210 --> 00:03:58,081 and he said, "Well, look, I'm going to have 83 00:03:58,100 --> 00:04:00,101 my good friend, Ronnie Reagan, 84 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,060 the president of the Screen Actors Guild, 85 00:04:02,081 --> 00:04:03,090 look into this for you." 86 00:04:03,250 --> 00:04:06,030 [Karen Tumulty] Reagan says, "No, it's another Nancy Davis. 87 00:04:06,051 --> 00:04:08,051 tell her not to worry, we'll stand behind her." 88 00:04:08,201 --> 00:04:11,220 But Nancy says, "You need to 89 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,071 engineer a chance for me to meet him face to face." 90 00:04:15,030 --> 00:04:17,071 [narrator] Ronald Reagan, ten years Nancy's senior, 91 00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:21,100 was a well-known actor and a staunch anti-communist. 92 00:04:22,110 --> 00:04:24,121 I think that the list was really a pretext 93 00:04:24,201 --> 00:04:28,100 to get to know Ronald Reagan, who was now a divorcee. 94 00:04:28,121 --> 00:04:29,191 [Bob Colacello] They make it sound 95 00:04:29,210 --> 00:04:31,251 as if they got married, like, a week later. 96 00:04:32,241 --> 00:04:34,061 But he was still playing the field 97 00:04:34,081 --> 00:04:37,160 after his disastrous divorce from Jane Wyman. 98 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:39,141 It was really three years later 99 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,150 before they actually tied the knot. 100 00:04:42,210 --> 00:04:44,220 [Karen Tumulty] Their wedding was also hastened 101 00:04:44,241 --> 00:04:48,150 by the fact that she discovered that she was pregnant. 102 00:04:49,021 --> 00:04:51,040 [narrator] On that spring day in 1952, 103 00:04:51,201 --> 00:04:54,061 Nancy set aside her Hollywood dreams... 104 00:04:54,201 --> 00:04:57,121 to take on the role of Mrs. Ronald Reagan. 105 00:04:57,201 --> 00:04:59,090 [Gahl Burt] They needed each other, 106 00:04:59,170 --> 00:05:01,050 they made each other possible 107 00:05:01,071 --> 00:05:05,160 and they played on the world stage together very well. 108 00:05:06,131 --> 00:05:07,220 [Ronald Reagan] I, Ronald Reagan, 109 00:05:07,241 --> 00:05:09,191 do solemnly swear that I will... 110 00:05:09,210 --> 00:05:11,050 [narrator] Almost 30 years later, 111 00:05:11,071 --> 00:05:13,251 Nancy holds the bible as her husband is sworn in. 112 00:05:14,071 --> 00:05:16,071 It's the first inauguration to be held 113 00:05:16,090 --> 00:05:19,210 on the west side of the capital, closer to California. 114 00:05:19,230 --> 00:05:21,210 [Ronald Reagan] ...and will to the best of my ability. 115 00:05:21,230 --> 00:05:25,121 [Gahl Burt] It was very glamorous, and very Hollywood. 116 00:05:26,110 --> 00:05:29,071 [Bob Colacello] All these social people in their fur coats 117 00:05:29,090 --> 00:05:30,251 and their big jewelry, 118 00:05:31,030 --> 00:05:33,121 I think something like 700 corporate 119 00:05:33,141 --> 00:05:36,090 and private jets landed over the weekend. 120 00:05:37,090 --> 00:05:39,180 [Jim Kuhn] She wanted him in a morning suit. 121 00:05:40,141 --> 00:05:43,121 And then she was in a very expensive dress. 122 00:05:44,081 --> 00:05:46,180 So, yeah, it might have been a little overdone. 123 00:05:46,201 --> 00:05:48,090 But Nancy did it her way. 124 00:05:49,141 --> 00:05:51,061 [narrator] Watching the new first lady, 125 00:05:51,081 --> 00:05:53,241 so comfortable and elegant on the world stage, 126 00:05:54,021 --> 00:05:57,191 few would imagine just how far she had traveled to get here. 127 00:06:00,061 --> 00:06:04,210 [Bob Colacello] Nancy was born in 1921 in Flushing, Queens. 128 00:06:05,131 --> 00:06:08,100 [Karen Tumulty] Her mother was an actress named Edith Luckett. 129 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:10,181 Her father was Kenneth Robbins, 130 00:06:11,100 --> 00:06:14,061 a sort of aimless car salesman. 131 00:06:14,131 --> 00:06:16,230 They divorced when she was quite small. 132 00:06:17,220 --> 00:06:20,241 And the mother struggled for two years. 133 00:06:21,100 --> 00:06:24,121 Nancy would literally be in a bassinet backstage. 134 00:06:24,141 --> 00:06:28,030 And, finally, she realized this wasn't working. 135 00:06:29,061 --> 00:06:30,220 So, she leaves Nancy with relatives 136 00:06:30,241 --> 00:06:32,050 in Bethesda, Maryland. 137 00:06:32,071 --> 00:06:35,121 And thus begins a six-year period 138 00:06:35,141 --> 00:06:38,141 where her mother essentially abandoned her. 139 00:06:39,230 --> 00:06:41,081 [Ron Reagan] Three years old is not the age 140 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:42,131 when you want to see your mother 141 00:06:42,191 --> 00:06:46,160 driving off to the big city leaving you behind. 142 00:06:47,150 --> 00:06:49,251 [narrator] When Nancy was eight, her mother settled down 143 00:06:50,030 --> 00:06:53,201 and married Loyal Davis, a distinguished neurosurgeon. 144 00:06:54,111 --> 00:06:56,201 Nancy joined the couple in Chicago. 145 00:06:57,050 --> 00:06:59,071 [Karen Tumulty] There, for the first time in her life, 146 00:06:59,090 --> 00:07:02,090 she does get a sense of security. 147 00:07:03,071 --> 00:07:06,110 [narrator] She also learned to navigate the social elite. 148 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:09,170 [Bob Colacello] Nancy's mother loved social life. 149 00:07:10,150 --> 00:07:13,181 She would organize a dinner party with the top doctors, 150 00:07:13,201 --> 00:07:15,220 the Mayor of Chicago who was always a Democrat, 151 00:07:15,241 --> 00:07:18,121 the Governor of Illinois, who was always a Republican. 152 00:07:18,141 --> 00:07:20,150 This couple comes out of nowhere 153 00:07:20,170 --> 00:07:21,251 and becomes a couple 154 00:07:22,030 --> 00:07:25,110 that everyone in Chicago has to pay attention to. 155 00:07:25,170 --> 00:07:26,191 She always said to me, 156 00:07:26,251 --> 00:07:28,110 "A lot of things happen at dinner parties, Bob." 157 00:07:29,110 --> 00:07:32,121 That was the lesson that I think she carried to Washington. 158 00:07:32,201 --> 00:07:34,021 [announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, 159 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,040 the president of the United States and Mrs. Reagan. 160 00:07:37,121 --> 00:07:38,220 [applause] 161 00:07:38,241 --> 00:07:41,021 [newscaster] President Reagan and First Lady Nancy 162 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,071 made the rounds in Washington tonight 163 00:07:43,090 --> 00:07:44,220 at a series of inaugural balls. 164 00:07:44,241 --> 00:07:47,121 -There are ten of these. -[laughter] 165 00:07:47,141 --> 00:07:50,230 You're number seven... 166 00:07:50,251 --> 00:07:52,141 And we're gonna get to all of them. 167 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,121 -No, number eight! -[applause] 168 00:07:57,251 --> 00:07:59,191 [narrator] After dancing their way 169 00:07:59,210 --> 00:08:01,090 through nine VIP balls, 170 00:08:02,141 --> 00:08:05,131 the Reagans finally make it back to their new home. 171 00:08:06,230 --> 00:08:09,121 Nancy recalls that night in her memoir, 172 00:08:10,081 --> 00:08:12,110 "As I closed my eyes, I remember thinking, 173 00:08:12,131 --> 00:08:15,241 My Lord, here we are, sleeping in the White House. 174 00:08:16,230 --> 00:08:18,071 And here I am, 175 00:08:18,090 --> 00:08:21,040 sleeping with the president of the United States. 176 00:08:22,150 --> 00:08:24,220 But I found out the hard way that nothing, 177 00:08:25,121 --> 00:08:28,230 nothing prepares you for being first lady." 178 00:08:38,060 --> 00:08:39,121 [narrator] The Reagans now live 179 00:08:39,141 --> 00:08:41,180 in one of the most famous homes in the world, 180 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,060 their every move under scrutiny. 181 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,121 Fortunately, this is something they've both trained for. 182 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,221 Good evening, I'm Ronald Reagan speaking for General Electric. 183 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,241 [narrator] In 1954, two years into their marriage, 184 00:08:57,021 --> 00:08:58,111 Reagan signed on to host 185 00:08:58,131 --> 00:09:01,160 a new TV show called General Electric Theater. 186 00:09:01,180 --> 00:09:03,091 [Ronald Reagan] Once upon a time, there was a girl. 187 00:09:03,111 --> 00:09:06,091 And, of course, there was a boy who fell in love with her. 188 00:09:06,111 --> 00:09:08,080 [Ron Reagan] General Electric built them a house... 189 00:09:08,101 --> 00:09:11,111 You know, Nancy. We'll see Patti later on. 190 00:09:11,231 --> 00:09:12,200 Hello. 191 00:09:13,030 --> 00:09:14,091 ...which was meant to be the show house... 192 00:09:14,211 --> 00:09:18,121 for General Electric appliances and lights and everything. 193 00:09:18,141 --> 00:09:21,190 We had more switches and gadgets in that house 194 00:09:21,211 --> 00:09:24,170 that you could shake a stick at, most of which we never used. 195 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,121 Well, it's too complicated for me. 196 00:09:28,050 --> 00:09:31,091 But I do know that our heat pump is amazing and wonderful. 197 00:09:31,180 --> 00:09:35,060 [Ron Reagan] My sister had more of the GE commercials. 198 00:09:35,121 --> 00:09:37,160 Here's another one you ought to know. 199 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:39,150 Waffle iron! 200 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,021 I got a little more of the Crest Toothpaste commercial. 201 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,131 Come and meet the younger members of the Reagan clan. 202 00:09:45,150 --> 00:09:46,150 I'm Patti. 203 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:48,180 I'm Ronnie Reagan. 204 00:09:50,121 --> 00:09:52,200 [narrator] Now, the Reagans have a new family home. 205 00:09:53,121 --> 00:09:55,131 But Nancy is disappointed to find 206 00:09:55,150 --> 00:09:56,150 that it needs a little work. 207 00:09:57,070 --> 00:09:59,121 [Nancy Reagan] Floors and doors needed refinishing, 208 00:09:59,221 --> 00:10:01,170 the plumbing system required repair... 209 00:10:02,111 --> 00:10:04,141 There was a lot of mold on the walls, 210 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:05,241 in the private residence. 211 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,200 Some of the curtains were rotted through from the sun... 212 00:10:08,221 --> 00:10:10,021 [Jim Kuhn] It was shameful. 213 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:12,040 Carters wouldn't spend any money on it. 214 00:10:12,141 --> 00:10:14,060 And she knew how to make it right. 215 00:10:14,131 --> 00:10:16,160 [narrator] Nancy turns to private donors, 216 00:10:16,180 --> 00:10:18,251 seeking tax-deductible contributions 217 00:10:19,030 --> 00:10:20,160 to fix up the White House. 218 00:10:20,180 --> 00:10:22,021 But she caught a lot of flak for it. 219 00:10:22,091 --> 00:10:25,180 [Kati Marton] Nancy tried to be Jackie Kennedy 220 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:26,221 in the White House. 221 00:10:26,241 --> 00:10:29,200 And the '80s were not the '60s. 222 00:10:30,091 --> 00:10:32,131 [Karen Tumulty] Nancy Reagan did all of this 223 00:10:32,150 --> 00:10:34,091 against the backdrop of a country 224 00:10:34,111 --> 00:10:36,190 that was plunging into a recession. 225 00:10:36,211 --> 00:10:38,030 Names like Annenberg, 226 00:10:38,050 --> 00:10:41,050 Sinatra and Sasol are on the list of donors. 227 00:10:41,221 --> 00:10:43,060 [narrator] The biggest checks 228 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,070 come from people Nancy has known 229 00:10:45,091 --> 00:10:47,200 since the Reagans first entered politics. 230 00:10:48,251 --> 00:10:51,050 [Gahl Burt] They were all from California. 231 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,231 And they were all her friends. 232 00:10:54,121 --> 00:10:55,180 [Bob Colacello] She knew what she was doing! 233 00:10:55,251 --> 00:11:00,141 These women all had husbands who were not only powerful, 234 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,040 but conservative Republicans. 235 00:11:03,021 --> 00:11:06,030 [Karen Tumulty] She'd become a queen bee of this set, 236 00:11:06,050 --> 00:11:08,080 and that becomes very important 237 00:11:08,101 --> 00:11:11,091 when her husband starts to launch a political career. 238 00:11:11,111 --> 00:11:13,221 You and I have a rendezvous with destiny... 239 00:11:13,241 --> 00:11:15,241 [narrator] Nancy's new friends were impressed 240 00:11:16,021 --> 00:11:17,211 by her husband's political views. 241 00:11:17,231 --> 00:11:18,211 [applause] 242 00:11:19,121 --> 00:11:22,091 They come to Reagan and say, "You've gotta run for Governor." 243 00:11:22,111 --> 00:11:24,150 Vote for me if you believe in yourself! 244 00:11:24,170 --> 00:11:27,160 If you believe in your right to control your own destiny. 245 00:11:28,111 --> 00:11:29,141 [Bob Colacello] She was involved 246 00:11:29,221 --> 00:11:31,111 in every campaign meeting from the first, 247 00:11:32,021 --> 00:11:34,190 and Stuart Spencer said she had, in a way, 248 00:11:34,211 --> 00:11:36,141 better political instincts than him. 249 00:11:37,050 --> 00:11:38,241 [Stuart Spencer] Her modus operandi was this: 250 00:11:39,101 --> 00:11:40,241 We do a day of campaigning, 251 00:11:41,091 --> 00:11:43,111 and let's say eight o'clock the next morning 252 00:11:43,131 --> 00:11:46,111 she'd call her friends, and she'd get all their feedback. 253 00:11:47,101 --> 00:11:49,080 "You gotta do this, Nancy, you've gotta do that." 254 00:11:49,101 --> 00:11:51,221 "Ronnie's gotta do this Ronnie's gotta do that." 255 00:11:51,241 --> 00:11:53,131 [Nancy Reagan] Women have more time 256 00:11:53,150 --> 00:11:54,190 to devote to politics. 257 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:56,231 Obviously, their husbands are working, 258 00:11:56,251 --> 00:11:58,021 they have more time... 259 00:11:58,170 --> 00:11:59,170 [Stuart Spencer] In some ways, I think she wanted to win 260 00:11:59,190 --> 00:12:01,050 more than he wanted to win. 261 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:03,111 [narrator] Nancy's work paid off. 262 00:12:03,190 --> 00:12:06,070 The Hollywood power couple become governor 263 00:12:06,091 --> 00:12:08,050 and first lady of California. 264 00:12:08,070 --> 00:12:09,170 [Kati Marton] He was not a great actor 265 00:12:09,231 --> 00:12:15,060 but he sure became a hell of a politician with her help. 266 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:17,160 [narrator] To show how well 267 00:12:17,180 --> 00:12:19,121 they're settling into Washington, 268 00:12:19,141 --> 00:12:22,131 the Reagans take a stroll across Lafayette Park. 269 00:12:22,150 --> 00:12:24,111 [Jim Kuhn] I remember I had the news on, 270 00:12:24,241 --> 00:12:27,180 and I thought, this is great, the Reagans are gonna get out, 271 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,121 they're not going to be in a bubble, 272 00:12:30,141 --> 00:12:32,101 we're off to a great start. 273 00:12:32,180 --> 00:12:36,021 And then low and behold, the next day... 274 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:37,170 [reporter] There's the president. 275 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:39,170 [gun shots] 276 00:12:39,190 --> 00:12:40,231 There's the shots. 277 00:12:43,150 --> 00:12:45,060 [Sheila Tate] We were at that hospital 278 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:46,221 in three minutes. 279 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,200 And she went racing towards the door. 280 00:12:51,050 --> 00:12:54,141 [narrator] In her memoir, Nancy recalls confusion and fear. 281 00:12:55,070 --> 00:12:57,080 "I stammered, 'Where? Where was he hit?' 282 00:12:57,241 --> 00:12:59,221 'They don't know, they're looking for the bullet.' 283 00:12:59,241 --> 00:13:02,251 'Looking for the bullet? I've got to see him!' I said. 284 00:13:03,091 --> 00:13:05,030 'Wait. They're working on him.'" 285 00:13:06,221 --> 00:13:08,141 [Sheila Tate] I was holding her hand. 286 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:09,221 I kept saying, "It's gonna be all right. 287 00:13:09,241 --> 00:13:10,211 It's gonna be all right." 288 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,180 She was just lost somewhere. She was in shock, I guess. 289 00:13:16,030 --> 00:13:18,040 [Ron Reagan] The Secret Service came and told us 290 00:13:18,060 --> 00:13:19,150 that shots had been fired. 291 00:13:20,190 --> 00:13:22,111 Go upstairs, turn on the TV, 292 00:13:22,131 --> 00:13:24,121 and there's the scene being played out. 293 00:13:24,141 --> 00:13:25,200 [reporter] The president has gone 294 00:13:25,221 --> 00:13:28,030 to George Washington University Hospital, 295 00:13:28,091 --> 00:13:30,070 as has First Lady Nancy Reagan. 296 00:13:31,070 --> 00:13:33,211 [Ron Reagan] We got in a Learjet and flew back to DC 297 00:13:33,231 --> 00:13:35,080 and went right to the hospital. 298 00:13:36,050 --> 00:13:38,030 Nobody's really telling anybody anything. 299 00:13:38,050 --> 00:13:40,060 She's, of course, terrified 300 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:41,190 that she's about to lose her husband. 301 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,131 And then they wheel him out... 302 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:46,150 and he looked pretty good for a guy 303 00:13:46,170 --> 00:13:48,150 had just been shot nearly in the heart. 304 00:13:49,091 --> 00:13:50,060 [reporter] In our top story, 305 00:13:50,221 --> 00:13:52,170 President Reagan's temperature is back to normal today. 306 00:13:52,190 --> 00:13:54,221 He continues to make satisfactory progress 307 00:13:54,241 --> 00:13:56,050 towards recovery. 308 00:13:56,150 --> 00:13:57,221 [narrator] The president recovers, 309 00:13:58,111 --> 00:14:01,241 but the scars will stay with Nancy for years to come. 310 00:14:03,060 --> 00:14:04,091 [Fred Ryan] The impact of the shooting 311 00:14:04,111 --> 00:14:05,150 never left Nancy Reagan. 312 00:14:05,170 --> 00:14:08,050 Having seen how close he came to dying, 313 00:14:08,070 --> 00:14:09,160 she was determined 314 00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:11,060 she was not going to let that happen again. 315 00:14:12,141 --> 00:14:14,150 [Sheila Tate] It then became a problem 316 00:14:14,170 --> 00:14:15,211 whenever he went out. 317 00:14:16,111 --> 00:14:18,111 [David Gergen] Somebody could come out of nowhere, 318 00:14:18,131 --> 00:14:20,060 bullets could fly out of nowhere. 319 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,170 Washington seemed a darker place. 320 00:14:22,190 --> 00:14:25,101 This, of course, leads to the famous, 321 00:14:25,121 --> 00:14:27,050 you know, astrology business, 322 00:14:27,070 --> 00:14:30,141 which I'm sure you would have gotten to, eventually. 323 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,251 [telephone rings] 324 00:14:32,180 --> 00:14:35,141 This astrologer calls her up or lets her know that, 325 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,251 "Well, I could have predicted this. 326 00:14:38,030 --> 00:14:40,030 I knew that that wasn't a good day 327 00:14:40,050 --> 00:14:41,170 for him to be out of the house." 328 00:14:41,190 --> 00:14:43,180 [Karen Tumulty] Is the plane going to take off for Europe 329 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:47,231 at 3:00 a.m. Sunday or 7:00 p.m. Saturday? 330 00:14:47,251 --> 00:14:50,080 Those kinds of decisions were put to the astrologer. 331 00:14:50,231 --> 00:14:54,141 [Sheila Tate] And the problem, of course, was, in retrospect, 332 00:14:55,131 --> 00:14:56,190 she was telling someone 333 00:14:56,211 --> 00:14:58,091 who didn't have security clearance 334 00:14:58,111 --> 00:14:59,170 about his schedule. 335 00:15:00,030 --> 00:15:01,170 She was very scared. 336 00:15:02,111 --> 00:15:06,111 And she had some crutches that she needed. 337 00:15:07,141 --> 00:15:09,211 [narrator] Nancy's consultations with her astrologer 338 00:15:09,231 --> 00:15:13,030 are kept secret from all but her innermost circle. 339 00:15:13,121 --> 00:15:15,111 They would continue for many years. 340 00:15:16,030 --> 00:15:17,200 [Sheila Tate] In all the time I worked with her 341 00:15:17,221 --> 00:15:20,170 I never ever knew about the astrologer. 342 00:15:20,241 --> 00:15:22,021 None of us did. 343 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,180 [telephones ringing] 344 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,021 [narrator] But the astrologer wasn't the only person 345 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:29,030 Nancy was calling. 346 00:15:29,121 --> 00:15:32,021 [Gahl Burt] I learned early on that I needed 347 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,190 to keep her informed about everything, 348 00:15:35,030 --> 00:15:37,160 because somehow, through her network, 349 00:15:38,021 --> 00:15:41,180 and her network was extensive, she would hear. 350 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:42,200 [telephone rings] 351 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,131 [Bob Colacello] She was the classic old-fashioned 352 00:15:45,150 --> 00:15:46,221 almost corporate wife 353 00:15:46,241 --> 00:15:48,231 who did everything behind the scenes. 354 00:15:49,091 --> 00:15:52,190 And the telephone was her sort of weapon of choice. 355 00:15:53,150 --> 00:15:57,070 She once joked to me that she wanted 356 00:15:57,091 --> 00:16:00,091 to be buried with the phone, just in case. 357 00:16:01,131 --> 00:16:04,030 [Jim Kuhn] She didn't go down to the cabinet room 358 00:16:04,050 --> 00:16:05,241 and sit in on meetings. 359 00:16:07,050 --> 00:16:08,150 She didn't go into the Oval Office 360 00:16:08,170 --> 00:16:10,221 and take part in a dialogue. 361 00:16:11,131 --> 00:16:13,121 But she was watching from above. 362 00:16:14,050 --> 00:16:15,111 [Fred Ryan] She would ask questions. 363 00:16:15,131 --> 00:16:16,231 "What happened here? 364 00:16:16,251 --> 00:16:19,080 What went wrong here? What are we doing about this?" 365 00:16:20,050 --> 00:16:21,141 She stepped up when she saw 366 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,101 that things were going the wrong direction 367 00:16:23,121 --> 00:16:24,050 for her husband. 368 00:16:25,060 --> 00:16:27,231 [David Gergen] And if you valued your life... 369 00:16:27,251 --> 00:16:28,231 [scoffs] 370 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,021 ...you didn't want Nancy Reagan coming after you with a hatchet. 371 00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:34,091 You might lose something. 372 00:16:35,211 --> 00:16:38,050 [Bob Colacello] She, basically, started calling me 373 00:16:38,070 --> 00:16:41,190 about two things. One, to discourage Ron 374 00:16:41,211 --> 00:16:44,200 from giving up his Secret Service detail, 375 00:16:44,221 --> 00:16:45,221 'cause she said Gaddafi 376 00:16:45,241 --> 00:16:48,080 and the Puerto Rican Liberation Front 377 00:16:48,101 --> 00:16:50,060 were both trying to kidnap him. 378 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:51,101 [chuckles] 379 00:16:51,180 --> 00:16:53,030 And the other thing she wanted to talk about was, 380 00:16:53,050 --> 00:16:54,211 "Why does the press hate me so much?" 381 00:16:54,231 --> 00:16:56,070 [narrator] Nancy knows how to keep 382 00:16:56,091 --> 00:16:58,111 the people around her husband in line, 383 00:16:58,131 --> 00:17:01,231 but journalists in Washington are a whole other beast. 384 00:17:07,060 --> 00:17:09,021 During her first year in the White House, 385 00:17:09,140 --> 00:17:10,161 Nancy seems to be 386 00:17:10,181 --> 00:17:12,151 in a constant battle with the press. 387 00:17:12,171 --> 00:17:14,080 [Ron Reagan] They were used to getting attention, 388 00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:15,100 Hollywood attention. 389 00:17:15,211 --> 00:17:18,110 Politics, though, brings a different kind of attention, 390 00:17:18,130 --> 00:17:20,070 and a different kind of scrutiny. 391 00:17:20,181 --> 00:17:23,070 The White House disclosed today that the president's wife 392 00:17:23,090 --> 00:17:24,161 does not own all of her clothing. 393 00:17:25,090 --> 00:17:26,130 [Kenneth Duberstein] I got a heads up 394 00:17:26,151 --> 00:17:27,171 that the story was coming, 395 00:17:27,241 --> 00:17:29,221 and I walked down the Oval Office, 396 00:17:30,201 --> 00:17:32,050 and I explained to the president, 397 00:17:32,070 --> 00:17:34,030 "You might wanna give Nancy a heads up." 398 00:17:35,050 --> 00:17:36,251 The president looked at me and said, 399 00:17:37,191 --> 00:17:40,021 “Why don't you tell her?” [laughs] 400 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,241 And she was livid, and I said, 401 00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:45,130 "You have to go through your wardrobe, 402 00:17:45,151 --> 00:17:48,171 and pick out some of these dresses, and return them." 403 00:17:49,181 --> 00:17:51,021 [reporter] For the inaugural ball, 404 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,080 Mrs. Reagan borrowed, and still has not returned, 405 00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:56,080 more than 100,000 dollars' worth of diamond jewelry. 406 00:17:56,151 --> 00:17:58,130 There are very strict regulations 407 00:17:58,151 --> 00:18:00,030 over reporting gifts. 408 00:18:00,050 --> 00:18:03,050 And Nancy really didn't feel 409 00:18:03,070 --> 00:18:05,040 like she always had to follow the rules. 410 00:18:06,060 --> 00:18:07,171 [reporter] The camera's eye focused 411 00:18:07,191 --> 00:18:10,021 on her lavish redecoration of the family living quarters 412 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,161 and her $209,000 set of china. 413 00:18:12,181 --> 00:18:15,130 It was, "Nancy's gotta have this, Nancy's gotta have that," 414 00:18:15,151 --> 00:18:17,241 and she took a real beating. She did. 415 00:18:18,231 --> 00:18:20,231 [Gahl Burt] I would get to work in the morning 416 00:18:20,251 --> 00:18:24,140 and I would read some dreadful piece 417 00:18:24,231 --> 00:18:27,090 on the front page of The New York Times 418 00:18:27,191 --> 00:18:30,130 or The Washington Post about Mrs. Reagan. 419 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:33,191 And I would be almost sick to my stomach. 420 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,060 [Kati Marton] The president and the first lady 421 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,100 generally don't both get bad press simultaneously. 422 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:41,021 They kind of take turns. 423 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,201 And Nancy really was the lightning rod. 424 00:18:44,100 --> 00:18:46,181 And that enabled Ronnie 425 00:18:46,201 --> 00:18:49,120 to play the doting protective husband, 426 00:18:49,251 --> 00:18:51,171 which played well in the media. 427 00:18:51,251 --> 00:18:53,090 [reporter] No one would say how many items 428 00:18:53,110 --> 00:18:54,221 Mrs. Reagan received, or their worth... 429 00:18:55,110 --> 00:18:57,211 [narrator] In her memoir, Nancy admits 430 00:18:57,231 --> 00:18:59,181 that the attacks got to her: 431 00:19:00,021 --> 00:19:01,211 "Everything I did or said 432 00:19:01,231 --> 00:19:03,231 was instantly open to criticism." 433 00:19:03,251 --> 00:19:05,080 [reporter] Mink coats, limousines, 434 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:07,211 thousand-dollar-a-plate china at the White House... 435 00:19:08,090 --> 00:19:09,191 [narrator] "My clothes, my friends, 436 00:19:09,211 --> 00:19:13,040 my taste in decorating, the way I looked at my husband." 437 00:19:13,060 --> 00:19:15,080 Let's set that straight once and for all, 438 00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:18,090 because Nancy's taken a bit of a bum rap. 439 00:19:18,191 --> 00:19:20,191 [narrator] "These stories not only hurt, 440 00:19:20,211 --> 00:19:22,171 they also made me damn mad." 441 00:19:22,191 --> 00:19:25,130 [reporter] She was turning into a political liability. 442 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,060 [rustling, ripping] 443 00:19:31,130 --> 00:19:33,241 [Sally Quinn] Nancy was never popular with the press 444 00:19:34,021 --> 00:19:35,161 because she didn't trust the press. 445 00:19:35,181 --> 00:19:37,080 She didn't like the press. 446 00:19:38,070 --> 00:19:39,191 She was very controlled. 447 00:19:40,060 --> 00:19:43,191 And that's not unusual for someone from Hollywood. 448 00:19:44,151 --> 00:19:47,130 They learn very early on not to say anything. 449 00:19:47,241 --> 00:19:50,201 You're really hurt by some of the press 450 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:52,120 that you've been getting. 451 00:19:52,140 --> 00:19:53,231 I mean, hurt. 452 00:19:57,021 --> 00:19:58,021 Yes. 453 00:19:59,070 --> 00:20:00,211 I guess what you really want for Christmas 454 00:20:01,201 --> 00:20:05,040 is for the press to take a fresh look at you. 455 00:20:07,211 --> 00:20:09,181 That would be nice. [chuckles] 456 00:20:11,030 --> 00:20:12,181 [narrator] To turn the tide of hatred, 457 00:20:12,201 --> 00:20:14,171 Nancy tries a new tactic. 458 00:20:15,050 --> 00:20:17,021 She was scheduled to speak 459 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,110 at the Al Smith Dinner back in New York. 460 00:20:20,070 --> 00:20:22,070 [Nancy Reagan] There's now a picture postcard 461 00:20:22,090 --> 00:20:23,090 of me as a queen. 462 00:20:24,030 --> 00:20:27,181 Now, that's silly, because I'd never wear a crown. 463 00:20:27,201 --> 00:20:28,221 [laughter] 464 00:20:29,050 --> 00:20:30,120 It messes up your hair! 465 00:20:30,140 --> 00:20:31,191 [louder laughter] 466 00:20:31,211 --> 00:20:34,181 And the room went nuts. They just had a ball. 467 00:20:35,231 --> 00:20:37,060 [Sally Quinn] She had seemed so icy 468 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,161 and so unapproachable. That was a brilliant move. 469 00:20:41,030 --> 00:20:44,171 It demonstrated that she had a sense of humor about herself, 470 00:20:44,191 --> 00:20:45,251 which I don't think she did. 471 00:20:46,110 --> 00:20:47,151 But it did the trick. 472 00:20:48,030 --> 00:20:50,060 [narrator] Now she needs a cause to get behind. 473 00:20:51,221 --> 00:20:54,030 [Sheila Tate] I asked her what she was interested in 474 00:20:54,050 --> 00:20:55,140 being involved in, and she said, 475 00:20:55,161 --> 00:20:56,120 "Youth drug abuse." 476 00:20:57,090 --> 00:20:59,030 And I remember at the time thinking, 477 00:20:59,221 --> 00:21:02,060 "That's a sort of a downer," you know. [laughs] 478 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,151 I'm saying that if you're a casual drug user, 479 00:21:05,171 --> 00:21:08,090 -you're an accomplice to murder. -[applause] 480 00:21:08,110 --> 00:21:09,241 [Ron Reagan] For them, it was a way 481 00:21:10,021 --> 00:21:11,080 to push back against the '60s. 482 00:21:11,251 --> 00:21:14,151 Feminism, rock and roll and smoking pot. 483 00:21:14,171 --> 00:21:16,231 Clearly, something is very wrong here... 484 00:21:17,191 --> 00:21:19,030 and needs to be put right. 485 00:21:19,211 --> 00:21:22,070 Tonight, there's something special to talk about, 486 00:21:22,161 --> 00:21:25,080 and I've asked someone very special to join me. 487 00:21:26,060 --> 00:21:27,181 -Nancy? -Thank you. 488 00:21:28,030 --> 00:21:31,030 Today, there's a drug- and alcohol-abuse epidemic 489 00:21:31,050 --> 00:21:33,151 in this country, and no one is safe from it, 490 00:21:34,090 --> 00:21:37,040 because it's aimed at destroying the brightness 491 00:21:37,060 --> 00:21:38,140 and life of the sons and daughters 492 00:21:38,161 --> 00:21:39,140 of the United States. 493 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,201 Did all of you start first on pot? 494 00:21:43,050 --> 00:21:44,231 There's no moral middle ground. 495 00:21:44,251 --> 00:21:46,110 [reporter] She is making drug abuse 496 00:21:46,130 --> 00:21:47,231 her personal crusade. 497 00:21:47,251 --> 00:21:49,120 Indifference is not an option. 498 00:21:49,140 --> 00:21:51,191 We're telling the kids to stay off drugs, stay in school. 499 00:21:52,021 --> 00:21:53,161 [Nancy Reagan] Say yes to your life. 500 00:21:53,181 --> 00:21:56,181 What should you do when someone offers you drugs? 501 00:21:56,201 --> 00:21:59,030 And when it comes to drugs and alcohol... 502 00:21:59,050 --> 00:22:01,151 [kids] Just say no! 503 00:22:02,021 --> 00:22:03,050 ...just say no. 504 00:22:03,151 --> 00:22:05,060 [Sally Quinn] It's almost like saying, 505 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:06,090 "If you remain celibate, 506 00:22:06,161 --> 00:22:09,171 you won't get a venereal disease." [laughs] 507 00:22:09,241 --> 00:22:12,211 It just seemed a little bit too simplistic. 508 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:15,080 [Ron Reagan] "Just say no." 509 00:22:16,050 --> 00:22:17,171 And throw people in prison. 510 00:22:19,021 --> 00:22:21,050 [Nancy Reagan] What a waste. What a wasted life. 511 00:22:21,110 --> 00:22:23,030 [Ron Reagan] There was, of course, the irony 512 00:22:23,050 --> 00:22:25,080 that her two kids certainly had smoked pot. 513 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:29,161 So, none of that was particularly popular with me. 514 00:22:30,140 --> 00:22:33,211 [Kati Marton] Though it's true that every first lady 515 00:22:33,231 --> 00:22:35,100 needs to have a cause, 516 00:22:35,211 --> 00:22:40,070 in my view, Nancy's chosen cause was her husband. 517 00:22:41,030 --> 00:22:42,221 [camera shutters click] 518 00:22:44,030 --> 00:22:45,060 Good morning. 519 00:22:45,191 --> 00:22:46,241 [David Gergen] Reagan had to go out and talk to the press 520 00:22:47,021 --> 00:22:49,040 about something that was very, very difficult. 521 00:22:49,060 --> 00:22:53,060 And we'd worked out with Nancy to get a birthday cake. 522 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,110 And when he got to a point, 523 00:22:54,201 --> 00:22:56,090 we're in deep water, let's get him out of here. 524 00:22:56,110 --> 00:22:58,070 We're holding it to seven percent. 525 00:22:58,090 --> 00:23:01,040 [crowd singing "Happy Birthday"] 526 00:23:01,060 --> 00:23:03,021 [Ronald Reagan] And two days early! 527 00:23:03,110 --> 00:23:06,050 Aren't they coming fast enough without moving it up? 528 00:23:06,070 --> 00:23:08,191 Blow the candle out. Make a wish. 529 00:23:09,110 --> 00:23:11,050 [narrator] Two years into his first term, 530 00:23:11,070 --> 00:23:13,201 the question of whether the 72-year-old president 531 00:23:13,221 --> 00:23:16,090 should run again is on everyone's mind. 532 00:23:16,191 --> 00:23:18,070 [Sam Donaldson] Well, maybe this would be a good time 533 00:23:18,090 --> 00:23:20,191 for you to tell him whether you think he should run again? 534 00:23:20,211 --> 00:23:22,211 [all laugh] 535 00:23:23,100 --> 00:23:24,090 Oh, no. 536 00:23:24,191 --> 00:23:26,120 [narrator] Nancy, the protector-in-chief, 537 00:23:26,140 --> 00:23:27,171 won't show her hand. 538 00:23:27,191 --> 00:23:28,201 [Sam Donaldson] You're not getting too old 539 00:23:28,221 --> 00:23:29,231 to run again, are you, sir? 540 00:23:29,251 --> 00:23:31,140 How'd you like a piece of cake, Sam? 541 00:23:31,161 --> 00:23:32,191 [laughter] 542 00:23:32,211 --> 00:23:34,060 Huh? Right in the... 543 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,030 [Ron Reagan] She was worried about his physical safety. 544 00:23:37,050 --> 00:23:38,231 He was in his mid-70s. 545 00:23:39,021 --> 00:23:41,021 He had been shot and nearly killed. 546 00:23:41,201 --> 00:23:42,201 I asked him not to run. 547 00:23:43,050 --> 00:23:45,021 That one's smaller. Here, take mine and I'll trade. 548 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:46,241 No, no, no, that's bad luck! 549 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:48,191 [Fred Ryan] My view is, Nancy Reagan 550 00:23:48,211 --> 00:23:51,221 would have been very happy to go home after one term, 551 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,161 think back on their successes and look ahead to the future. 552 00:23:57,050 --> 00:23:59,251 I have learned not to argue with her superstitions. 553 00:24:00,201 --> 00:24:02,130 [Ron Reagan] But I think she also realized 554 00:24:02,151 --> 00:24:04,090 that President Reagan's work was not done. 555 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:06,221 Of course, he's gonna run. 556 00:24:07,050 --> 00:24:08,080 And he's gonna win. 557 00:24:08,161 --> 00:24:12,110 And she's not going to take that away from him. 558 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:21,080 [narrator] It's the summer before the 1984 election, 559 00:24:21,100 --> 00:24:24,070 and the Reagans are on vacation at their ranch. 560 00:24:24,241 --> 00:24:26,110 A reporter asks the president 561 00:24:26,130 --> 00:24:28,241 about a potential meeting with the Soviets. 562 00:24:29,140 --> 00:24:31,120 [reporter 1] 563 00:24:36,211 --> 00:24:38,080 We're doing everything we can. 564 00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:39,140 [reporter 1] Thank you. 565 00:24:39,161 --> 00:24:40,251 [reporter 2] And it took some prompting 566 00:24:41,030 --> 00:24:43,231 from wife Nancy for the president to acknowledge... 567 00:24:43,251 --> 00:24:46,100 [Gahl Burt] That was her being his protector. 568 00:24:47,140 --> 00:24:50,191 Him stumbling for the right words, 569 00:24:51,140 --> 00:24:52,211 and taking a pause, 570 00:24:52,231 --> 00:24:56,241 and her feeling that the pause was uncomfortable. 571 00:24:57,251 --> 00:24:59,231 [narrator] With the election in full swing, 572 00:24:59,251 --> 00:25:03,021 the president's age has become a major issue. 573 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:06,130 He was the oldest president ever at that point. 574 00:25:07,171 --> 00:25:11,140 [Gahl Burt] He was slowing down and she was right by his side 575 00:25:11,221 --> 00:25:16,120 trying to, you know, keep it all afloat. 576 00:25:16,140 --> 00:25:17,161 [applause] 577 00:25:17,181 --> 00:25:19,100 [narrator] President Reagan's challenger 578 00:25:19,171 --> 00:25:21,201 is former vice president, Walter Mondale, 579 00:25:21,221 --> 00:25:24,090 a relative youngster at 56. 580 00:25:26,221 --> 00:25:28,241 [Ron Reagan] Famously, his first debate 581 00:25:29,021 --> 00:25:31,060 with Walter Mondale did not go well. 582 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,060 To try and say that we were taxing the rich 583 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:34,191 and not the other way around... 584 00:25:35,231 --> 00:25:39,070 He seemed kind of out of sorts, slow. 585 00:25:39,090 --> 00:25:42,161 The system is still where it was with regard to... 586 00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:44,130 uh... 587 00:25:45,110 --> 00:25:46,080 the... 588 00:25:46,181 --> 00:25:48,070 [Jim Kuhn] He stumbled and he fumbled. 589 00:25:48,251 --> 00:25:52,130 And that was because his debate preparation 590 00:25:52,151 --> 00:25:54,251 was just too detail-oriented: 591 00:25:55,030 --> 00:25:57,151 too many numbers, too many facts. 592 00:25:59,060 --> 00:26:00,161 [Stuart Spencer] He didn't do his homework. 593 00:26:01,030 --> 00:26:04,030 Did not do any of his homework. 594 00:26:04,241 --> 00:26:05,201 So, he stunk. 595 00:26:06,181 --> 00:26:08,211 [Jim Kuhn] I thought, boy, I'm glad I'm not in Louisville, 596 00:26:08,231 --> 00:26:10,050 because somebody's gonna 597 00:26:10,070 --> 00:26:12,191 have to deal with Nancy Reagan tonight. 598 00:26:13,181 --> 00:26:16,030 [Stuart Spencer] She wanted heads, she wanted bodies, 599 00:26:16,201 --> 00:26:17,231 she wanted it all. 600 00:26:19,070 --> 00:26:22,080 [narrator] Nancy describes her reaction in her memoir. 601 00:26:22,191 --> 00:26:23,161 [knocks] 602 00:26:23,181 --> 00:26:24,231 "There was no way around it. 603 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:26,221 The debate was a nightmare. 604 00:26:28,221 --> 00:26:30,221 'What have you done to my husband?' 605 00:26:31,191 --> 00:26:34,090 I said to Mike Deaver, back at the hotel. 606 00:26:35,161 --> 00:26:38,040 'Whatever it was, don't do it again.'" 607 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,060 [Gahl Burt] As she would say all the time, 608 00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:48,100 "You need to let Ronnie be Ronnie. 609 00:26:49,100 --> 00:26:52,060 Just let Ronnie be Ronnie. He knows what to do." 610 00:26:52,171 --> 00:26:54,140 [Fred Ryan] The second debate came around, 611 00:26:54,161 --> 00:26:56,110 he'd done some reading, he'd rested up, 612 00:26:56,130 --> 00:26:58,120 he walked in and he mastered it. 613 00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:01,100 [Ronald Reagan] I will not make age 614 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:02,181 an issue of this campaign. 615 00:27:02,201 --> 00:27:06,211 I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, 616 00:27:07,090 --> 00:27:09,171 my opponent's youth and inexperience. 617 00:27:10,060 --> 00:27:11,231 [laughter] 618 00:27:12,171 --> 00:27:14,211 [Fred Ryan] And at that point, the debate was over. 619 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,191 And in many ways, the election was over. 620 00:27:21,050 --> 00:27:24,070 [narrator] Reagan carries an unprecedented 49 states 621 00:27:24,090 --> 00:27:25,201 in the '84 election... 622 00:27:25,221 --> 00:27:27,140 [cheering] 623 00:27:27,161 --> 00:27:31,050 ...and Nancy's eye turns towards securing his legacy. 624 00:27:31,211 --> 00:27:33,130 [crowd] Nancy! Nancy! 625 00:27:33,151 --> 00:27:35,221 [Bob Colacello] In 1997, I asked her, 626 00:27:35,241 --> 00:27:39,140 "Was there some area that you felt you had an effect?" 627 00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:41,140 And she said, "Oh, no, no, 628 00:27:41,161 --> 00:27:43,211 Ronnie knew exactly what he wanted to do 629 00:27:43,231 --> 00:27:45,070 from the moment he was elected." 630 00:27:46,021 --> 00:27:49,231 And then she paused and very, very softly added, 631 00:27:50,100 --> 00:27:52,181 "Well, maybe the whole Russian thing." 632 00:27:53,151 --> 00:27:55,090 And I was like, "The whole Russian thing? 633 00:27:55,110 --> 00:27:57,140 You mean the main thing of his administration?" 634 00:27:58,050 --> 00:27:59,140 [Ronald Reagan] We will meet with the Soviets, 635 00:27:59,161 --> 00:28:00,241 hoping that we can agree... 636 00:28:01,181 --> 00:28:03,050 on a way to rid the world 637 00:28:03,070 --> 00:28:05,060 of the threat of nuclear destruction. 638 00:28:06,050 --> 00:28:08,080 [David Gergen] He had a lot of people on his right 639 00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:10,201 saying arms control is only for fools, 640 00:28:10,221 --> 00:28:12,211 don't get into negotiation with the Soviets, 641 00:28:12,231 --> 00:28:14,090 because they will always cheat on you. 642 00:28:15,140 --> 00:28:17,060 She was much more mainstream. 643 00:28:17,161 --> 00:28:19,140 She didn't want her husband going down in history 644 00:28:19,161 --> 00:28:22,070 as a man who built this huge new nuclear arsenal 645 00:28:22,090 --> 00:28:23,181 and possibly touched off a war. 646 00:28:24,110 --> 00:28:26,191 [Bob Colacello] She believed very much in Reagan's slogan 647 00:28:26,211 --> 00:28:28,080 of peace through strength. 648 00:28:28,100 --> 00:28:30,161 She just felt that they had done the strength side, 649 00:28:30,181 --> 00:28:32,030 it was time to do the peace side. 650 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:36,030 [narrator] In November 1985, the moment finally arrives. 651 00:28:36,110 --> 00:28:40,040 The US and Soviet Leaders are to meet for the first time 652 00:28:40,060 --> 00:28:42,070 since the start of the Cold War. 653 00:28:45,090 --> 00:28:47,171 [Jim Kuhn] Reagan had his team on his side of the table 654 00:28:47,191 --> 00:28:50,110 and Gorbachev on the other side, and that's fine, 655 00:28:50,130 --> 00:28:52,090 but Nancy knew that that wasn't enough. 656 00:28:52,211 --> 00:28:57,050 She knew that Ronnie was gonna be best one-on-one 657 00:28:57,070 --> 00:28:59,201 alone with Gorbachev as much as she could get him. 658 00:29:00,231 --> 00:29:04,110 So, she said, "Honey, what you really ought to do 659 00:29:04,130 --> 00:29:07,120 is take Gorbachev for a walk." 660 00:29:07,140 --> 00:29:10,070 [reporter] President Reagan proposed the two leaders walk 661 00:29:10,090 --> 00:29:12,040 from the 18th-century villa they were meeting in 662 00:29:12,060 --> 00:29:14,130 to a pool house on the edge of Lake Lamont. 663 00:29:14,241 --> 00:29:16,140 [Jim Kuhn] Reagan and Gorbachev decided 664 00:29:16,161 --> 00:29:18,231 they didn't even need to go into the group meeting 665 00:29:18,251 --> 00:29:20,151 'cause they had made so much headway alone. 666 00:29:21,201 --> 00:29:23,171 [Fred Ryan] Geneva was an incredible breakthrough, 667 00:29:23,191 --> 00:29:27,100 on the policy but also on the personal relationship. 668 00:29:27,241 --> 00:29:29,100 You could tell there was a chemistry 669 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,201 between the two of them that began that day. 670 00:29:32,161 --> 00:29:34,060 [Jim Kuhn] Everything happens the way 671 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:35,161 Nancy Reagan had planned it. 672 00:29:36,060 --> 00:29:37,130 It was a great summit 673 00:29:37,151 --> 00:29:39,110 and she had her fingerprints all over it. 674 00:29:40,050 --> 00:29:42,110 [narrator] The bond forged in Geneva will lead to 675 00:29:42,130 --> 00:29:45,201 a treaty banning two entire classes of nuclear weapons 676 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,030 and effectively ends the Cold War, 677 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:50,151 just the legacy Nancy was after. 678 00:29:54,030 --> 00:29:57,120 But this diplomatic triumph is about to be eclipsed 679 00:29:57,140 --> 00:29:59,080 by a major scandal. 680 00:30:05,201 --> 00:30:08,161 In November 1986, a story breaks... 681 00:30:08,181 --> 00:30:11,080 [reporter] Mr. President, do we have a deal going with Iran? 682 00:30:11,151 --> 00:30:12,211 [Ronald Reagan] No comment. 683 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,231 [narrator] The US government has been selling arms to Iran, 684 00:30:15,251 --> 00:30:19,151 apparently in exchange for the release of American hostages. 685 00:30:19,171 --> 00:30:20,201 [Jim Kuhn] Reagan never felt 686 00:30:20,221 --> 00:30:22,191 it was trading arms for hostages. 687 00:30:22,211 --> 00:30:25,090 It was just, "We'll send these arms, 688 00:30:25,110 --> 00:30:28,231 and, oh, by the way, if we get our hostages back same time, 689 00:30:28,251 --> 00:30:30,040 wouldn't that be good?" 690 00:30:30,130 --> 00:30:32,030 [reporter] The president said that no law has been 691 00:30:32,050 --> 00:30:33,090 or will be violated. 692 00:30:33,231 --> 00:30:36,161 [narrator] Then, it is revealed that money from the arms sales 693 00:30:36,181 --> 00:30:38,161 was used illegally to send weapons 694 00:30:38,181 --> 00:30:41,120 to a right-wing rebel group in Nicaragua. 695 00:30:41,140 --> 00:30:44,030 The Reagan presidency was on a death watch. 696 00:30:44,050 --> 00:30:46,030 I deeply believe in the correctness 697 00:30:46,050 --> 00:30:47,021 of my decision. 698 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:48,120 [Fred Ryan] Nancy Reagan felt 699 00:30:48,140 --> 00:30:50,080 that the president had not been served well. 700 00:30:50,181 --> 00:30:52,021 [Jim Kuhn] She took it the hardest. 701 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:53,191 "Are they going to impeach my husband? 702 00:30:54,021 --> 00:30:55,171 Is this an impeachable offense?" 703 00:30:56,021 --> 00:30:58,221 [Karen Tumulty] That is where you see Nancy Reagan 704 00:30:58,241 --> 00:31:01,100 spring into action to rescue her husband. 705 00:31:02,050 --> 00:31:04,151 [Jim Kuhn] She knew that a head had to roll, 706 00:31:04,231 --> 00:31:06,021 it wouldn't be Ronnie's, 707 00:31:06,161 --> 00:31:11,100 and she had to go after somebody and that somebody was Don Regan. 708 00:31:12,251 --> 00:31:14,110 [narrator] Donald Regan had replaced 709 00:31:14,130 --> 00:31:16,050 Nancy's good friend James Baker 710 00:31:16,070 --> 00:31:19,110 as chief of staff at the start of the second term. 711 00:31:20,090 --> 00:31:22,070 He and Nancy did not get along. 712 00:31:23,110 --> 00:31:26,201 [Stuart Spencer] I honestly was trying to help Donald Regan 713 00:31:26,221 --> 00:31:28,060 be a good chief of staff. 714 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:30,221 You know, like, lesson number one: 715 00:31:30,241 --> 00:31:32,120 how you handle Nancy. 716 00:31:33,110 --> 00:31:36,080 Anyone that wasn't an egomaniac like he was 717 00:31:36,100 --> 00:31:38,231 would have at least said, "Well, I better listen to something." 718 00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,050 Nancy Reagan had a certain antenna, 719 00:31:42,070 --> 00:31:43,130 a certain radar. 720 00:31:44,151 --> 00:31:46,110 [Kati Marton] If she sniffed out 721 00:31:46,191 --> 00:31:49,161 that there was someone in his circle 722 00:31:49,241 --> 00:31:53,151 who wasn't a thousand percent loyal to Ronnie, 723 00:31:53,241 --> 00:31:54,241 they were toast. 724 00:31:55,191 --> 00:31:57,100 [Jim Kuhn] She said, "You know, Jim, 725 00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:59,080 we're gonna have to make a change here. 726 00:31:59,100 --> 00:32:01,140 Don Regan is gonna have to go. 727 00:32:01,161 --> 00:32:03,241 And, you know, Ronnie can't fire anybody." 728 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,161 [David Gergen] He did not like to get rid of people. 729 00:32:07,181 --> 00:32:08,171 But she did. 730 00:32:09,021 --> 00:32:10,100 She had no hesitation about that whatsoever. 731 00:32:11,030 --> 00:32:13,070 It didn't go well. 732 00:32:13,090 --> 00:32:14,140 [reporter] The first lady was asked 733 00:32:14,211 --> 00:32:16,221 if the president had demanded she get off his back 734 00:32:16,241 --> 00:32:18,080 about firing Donald Regan. 735 00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:20,191 How can the president deal with the Soviets, 736 00:32:20,211 --> 00:32:23,231 if he cannot settle a dispute between his wife 737 00:32:23,251 --> 00:32:25,040 and the chief of staff? 738 00:32:26,030 --> 00:32:30,030 She called me ten times a day to talk about it. 739 00:32:31,021 --> 00:32:33,140 [Jim Kuhn] One day, Don Regan came down to my office, 740 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,241 and he looked at me and he said, "I think I made a big mistake." 741 00:32:38,021 --> 00:32:39,241 And I said, "Well, what was that?" 742 00:32:40,021 --> 00:32:43,201 He said, "Well," he said, "I was talking to the first lady 743 00:32:43,221 --> 00:32:45,171 and she was really pushing me, 744 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:48,241 and I lost my cool and I hung up on her." 745 00:32:49,231 --> 00:32:51,161 And I said, "Don, you what?" 746 00:32:52,161 --> 00:32:54,211 [Ron Reagan] You don't cross her like that, 747 00:32:54,231 --> 00:32:56,140 because at the end of the day, 748 00:32:56,211 --> 00:32:58,171 the president goes back to the living quarters 749 00:32:58,191 --> 00:33:00,060 and gets into bed with this person 750 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,110 you just hung up on, and... [laughs] 751 00:33:03,130 --> 00:33:06,040 She gets the last word, you know. 752 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:09,021 [news anchor] Chris, what's the latest on the strain 753 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:10,110 reported between Mrs. Reagan 754 00:33:10,130 --> 00:33:12,050 and White House chief of staff Donald Regan? 755 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:14,181 Well, Tom, a source very close to Mrs. Reagan... 756 00:33:14,201 --> 00:33:17,090 [Karen Tumulty] Chris Wallace is leaving the White House one day 757 00:33:17,110 --> 00:33:20,171 and Nancy Reynolds, who's close to Nancy Reagan, 758 00:33:21,030 --> 00:33:23,080 comes up to him and tells him, 759 00:33:24,050 --> 00:33:27,040 "Do you know Don Regan hung up on the first lady today?" 760 00:33:27,060 --> 00:33:30,040 knowing that Chris Wallace, then at NBC, 761 00:33:30,060 --> 00:33:33,080 is going to go right on the air that night in the newscast... 762 00:33:33,241 --> 00:33:34,231 and say that. 763 00:33:35,060 --> 00:33:36,171 And two sources tell me 764 00:33:36,191 --> 00:33:39,221 that the chief of staff again hung up on the first lady. 765 00:33:40,181 --> 00:33:43,140 You didn't hang up on Ronald Reagan's women. 766 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:47,130 That is a bad mistake. 767 00:33:49,130 --> 00:33:51,040 That was curtains for Don Regan. 768 00:33:51,201 --> 00:33:53,080 [reporter 1] After clinging tenaciously 769 00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,161 to his job for months, 770 00:33:54,231 --> 00:33:56,221 Donald Regan finally bowed to intense pressure... 771 00:33:57,100 --> 00:33:58,110 [narrator] Regan is out. 772 00:33:58,191 --> 00:34:00,251 But a year later, he gets his revenge. 773 00:34:01,140 --> 00:34:04,060 Regan reveals Nancy's best kept secret: 774 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,241 the astrologer she's had on her payroll 775 00:34:07,021 --> 00:34:08,031 since the shooting. 776 00:34:08,171 --> 00:34:10,131 [Sheila Tate] So I called the press office right away 777 00:34:10,151 --> 00:34:11,180 and I said, "What's going on?" 778 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,171 and she said, "We think it's a one-day story." 779 00:34:13,191 --> 00:34:15,160 I said, "Are you out of your mind?" [laughs] 780 00:34:16,071 --> 00:34:18,220 [reporter 2] Reagan was asked if he still allows astrology 781 00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:21,060 to play a part in the make-up of his schedule. 782 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,200 I can't, because I never did! 783 00:34:24,111 --> 00:34:26,071 [narrator] The president's approval ratings 784 00:34:26,091 --> 00:34:27,071 are sinking, fast. 785 00:34:27,151 --> 00:34:29,051 [reporter 3] His overall approval rating 786 00:34:29,071 --> 00:34:31,071 has down 17 points in less than two months. 787 00:34:31,171 --> 00:34:33,240 [narrator] Nancy believes that to win the country back, 788 00:34:34,021 --> 00:34:36,160 her husband must apologize for Iran Contra. 789 00:34:37,140 --> 00:34:40,211 [Karen Tumulty] He is resisting admitting the obvious, 790 00:34:40,231 --> 00:34:42,200 which is that he has been trading arms 791 00:34:42,220 --> 00:34:43,180 for hostages. 792 00:34:44,031 --> 00:34:45,160 She knew she had to get him to this place 793 00:34:45,180 --> 00:34:47,100 where he could say what he needed 794 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,031 to say to rescue his presidency. 795 00:34:50,151 --> 00:34:51,220 [Kenneth Duberstein] So many people walk 796 00:34:51,240 --> 00:34:53,071 into the Oval Office and tell the president 797 00:34:53,131 --> 00:34:56,120 what he wants to know, not what he needs to know. 798 00:34:57,031 --> 00:34:58,071 You have very few people 799 00:34:58,091 --> 00:35:01,160 who are willing to be the reality therapist. 800 00:35:01,251 --> 00:35:03,240 And Nancy was willing to do that. 801 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,180 [Ronald Reagan] A few months ago I told the American people 802 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,200 I did not trade arms for hostages. 803 00:35:10,131 --> 00:35:13,180 My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, 804 00:35:14,111 --> 00:35:17,140 but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not. 805 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:18,180 He gives the speech, 806 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:21,060 he gives it the way Nancy wants it. 807 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:24,031 You take your knocks, you learn your lessons, 808 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:25,231 and then you move on. 809 00:35:26,140 --> 00:35:28,151 And all of a sudden, you saw the American people 810 00:35:28,171 --> 00:35:31,220 going... "That's our president." 811 00:35:32,060 --> 00:35:36,021 And his approval ratings just skyrocket overnight. 812 00:35:38,031 --> 00:35:40,251 [narrator] The nation's faith in President Reagan is restored. 813 00:35:41,211 --> 00:35:44,071 It's been a difficult term for Nancy, 814 00:35:44,220 --> 00:35:46,111 and she has one year left 815 00:35:46,131 --> 00:35:48,220 to bring the show to a rousing finale. 816 00:35:54,091 --> 00:35:57,180 I've been awfully busy with arms control 817 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:02,200 -and... the INF treaty, -[laughter] 818 00:36:03,131 --> 00:36:04,160 the Russians... 819 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:10,080 [Kati Marton] I actually covered their 1988 visit to Moscow. 820 00:36:11,060 --> 00:36:14,231 There was a sense of hope that that had been missing 821 00:36:15,071 --> 00:36:17,100 since the Second World War ended. 822 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:18,151 [applause] 823 00:36:18,171 --> 00:36:20,140 [narrator] In Moscow, the two leaders 824 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:22,060 finalize their nuclear treaty. 825 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:24,131 But the highlight of the trip 826 00:36:24,151 --> 00:36:27,051 is a dramatic piece of street theater, 827 00:36:27,071 --> 00:36:29,031 orchestrated by Nancy. 828 00:36:31,151 --> 00:36:33,131 [Kenneth Duberstein] When we invited Gorbachev 829 00:36:33,220 --> 00:36:34,231 to Washington, 830 00:36:35,151 --> 00:36:40,040 he stirred everybody by walking down Connecticut Avenue 831 00:36:41,021 --> 00:36:42,120 to throngs of people. 832 00:36:42,140 --> 00:36:44,031 [man] I wanna say hello to you. 833 00:36:44,051 --> 00:36:45,060 It was great footage, 834 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,151 the Soviets just took the show that day. 835 00:36:48,171 --> 00:36:50,200 The guy is a PR genius. 836 00:36:51,031 --> 00:36:53,200 Nancy vowed then that when we go to Moscow, 837 00:36:53,220 --> 00:36:55,191 we were going to even the score again. 838 00:36:57,111 --> 00:37:00,021 [narrator] Once in Moscow, Nancy reveals her plan. 839 00:37:00,111 --> 00:37:02,111 [Kenneth Duberstein] When we got to Spaso House, 840 00:37:02,131 --> 00:37:03,211 the ambassador's residence, 841 00:37:03,231 --> 00:37:07,111 Nancy and I shared with the president an idea. 842 00:37:08,111 --> 00:37:12,040 And his answer was, "It sounds good to me, 843 00:37:13,111 --> 00:37:14,211 but let's run it past the Secret Service," 844 00:37:14,231 --> 00:37:17,120 and the Secret Service said, "Absolutely not." 845 00:37:18,111 --> 00:37:19,251 [Jim Kuhn] So, I went to the president 846 00:37:20,031 --> 00:37:22,060 and Mrs. Reagan in the bedroom. 847 00:37:23,100 --> 00:37:25,051 Nancy is lying on the bed... 848 00:37:25,180 --> 00:37:27,231 with her feet on the pillows propped up. 849 00:37:28,180 --> 00:37:30,211 Reagan's walking around the bedroom. 850 00:37:31,231 --> 00:37:33,231 Secret Service, they're making their case. 851 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,180 And I said, "Are you saying that if the Reagans go 852 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:40,060 where we wanna go, that you cannot protect them?" 853 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:44,171 And the lead person said, "No, that's not what they're saying." 854 00:37:46,060 --> 00:37:49,051 And Nancy sat up, said, "Fine, let's go." 855 00:37:51,180 --> 00:37:53,200 We went to this place called the Arbat, 856 00:37:54,060 --> 00:37:55,191 a little shopping area. 857 00:37:57,220 --> 00:38:02,151 And all of a sudden, the Arbat was full of people. 858 00:38:03,091 --> 00:38:04,240 Applauding, cheering. 859 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:06,140 [Jim Kuhn] They all wanted to touch him, 860 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:07,200 they all wanted to see him. 861 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:11,091 [man] Do not push these people. Do not push these people! 862 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:14,071 [Kenneth Duberstein] The KGB was nervous as all get out. 863 00:38:16,051 --> 00:38:18,120 [Jim Kuhn] Nancy spotted some old carriage 864 00:38:18,140 --> 00:38:19,091 that was sitting there, 865 00:38:19,220 --> 00:38:21,160 and she grabbed Reagan's hand 866 00:38:21,251 --> 00:38:23,211 and pulled him up onto the carriage. 867 00:38:25,031 --> 00:38:28,160 [Kati Marton] After decades of this frozen relationship 868 00:38:28,180 --> 00:38:32,051 between these two armed-to-the-teeth superpowers, 869 00:38:32,071 --> 00:38:35,040 to see this American president, 870 00:38:36,091 --> 00:38:41,021 arms held out for the poor Soviet people, 871 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:44,171 who've never been anywhere near an American president, 872 00:38:45,021 --> 00:38:47,080 much less one that looked like Ronald Reagan, 873 00:38:48,131 --> 00:38:51,180 it made the Cold War seem like ancient history. 874 00:38:52,021 --> 00:38:53,080 [man] One more time. 875 00:38:53,180 --> 00:38:55,220 And we got our photos, we got our footage. 876 00:38:56,180 --> 00:38:58,040 Nancy just took over 877 00:38:58,060 --> 00:39:01,160 and I thought, wow, she never ceases to impress me. 878 00:39:03,231 --> 00:39:05,180 [reporter] Are you anxious to get away from Washington 879 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:06,240 and put all this behind you? 880 00:39:07,111 --> 00:39:09,180 [Nancy Reagan] Some things I'll be glad to get rid of. 881 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,231 [laughter] 882 00:39:10,251 --> 00:39:13,071 I'll miss... I really will miss you. 883 00:39:15,031 --> 00:39:16,151 [Sam Donaldson] Well, we'll miss you. 884 00:39:17,111 --> 00:39:19,160 Well, I thought you'd never say it, Sam! 885 00:39:19,180 --> 00:39:21,051 -[laughter] -My gosh. 886 00:39:21,131 --> 00:39:24,251 [narrator] And just like that, eight years are over. 887 00:39:26,031 --> 00:39:28,231 The Reagans leave the White House flying high. 888 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:30,171 The oldest US president 889 00:39:30,191 --> 00:39:32,220 has survived an assassination attempt 890 00:39:33,051 --> 00:39:34,140 and a major scandal. 891 00:39:35,100 --> 00:39:37,200 He will go down in history as a peacemaker, 892 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,040 all under the vigilant eye of the first lady. 893 00:39:41,171 --> 00:39:43,040 [Kenneth Duberstein] On the last trip 894 00:39:43,060 --> 00:39:45,191 of the administration, back home to California, 895 00:39:45,211 --> 00:39:48,060 on the floor of Air Force One: 896 00:39:49,021 --> 00:39:51,251 Sam Donaldson, Lou Cannon, 897 00:39:52,191 --> 00:39:53,251 Bill Plante of CBS, 898 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,160 were all three collaborating to write... 899 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:01,080 the last full report of the Reagan years. 900 00:40:02,031 --> 00:40:03,140 And who is overseeing it, 901 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,180 looking down as they were typing on the floor? 902 00:40:08,071 --> 00:40:11,021 Not the president, Nancy! 903 00:40:12,191 --> 00:40:13,231 [Ron Reagan] It's been eight years, 904 00:40:13,251 --> 00:40:15,151 it's been a big chunk of your life 905 00:40:15,171 --> 00:40:18,120 that you've been the first couple... 906 00:40:19,071 --> 00:40:20,060 in the White House. 907 00:40:20,191 --> 00:40:23,160 All this important stuff swirling around you every day. 908 00:40:24,051 --> 00:40:25,220 And now that's going to go away. 909 00:40:26,091 --> 00:40:28,091 And you will leave the stage. 910 00:40:30,171 --> 00:40:33,220 She said, "We thought we'd have our golden years," 911 00:40:33,240 --> 00:40:37,140 and we would reminisce about, you know, our lives. 912 00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:47,240 Sorry. 913 00:40:51,140 --> 00:40:52,180 So then, they leave, 914 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,171 and within four... Yeah, four years or so, 915 00:40:55,191 --> 00:40:56,251 he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, 916 00:40:57,031 --> 00:40:59,111 and he now has dementia, you know. 917 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,100 That's a whole different phase of their life, of course. 918 00:41:04,251 --> 00:41:07,160 Now she's not going to be "Fancy Nancy" anymore, 919 00:41:07,180 --> 00:41:09,220 she's going to be this new character. 920 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,100 And so that just continued... 921 00:41:15,071 --> 00:41:16,100 through the rest of her life. 922 00:41:18,220 --> 00:41:22,100 [narrator] When Nancy Reagan died on March 6, 2016, 923 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:25,080 tributes came from all corners. 924 00:41:25,220 --> 00:41:28,060 Her support for her husband through his illness 925 00:41:28,131 --> 00:41:30,240 and her work to legalize stem cell research 926 00:41:31,021 --> 00:41:32,021 had softened her image. 927 00:41:32,220 --> 00:41:34,220 But her greatest legacy remains... 928 00:41:35,111 --> 00:41:38,091 the protective power she wielded for eight years 929 00:41:38,111 --> 00:41:39,240 as a formidable first lady. 930 00:41:40,021 --> 00:41:41,111 [Ron Reagan] When I think of her, 931 00:41:41,131 --> 00:41:45,071 I often think of her as a child, and frightened. 932 00:41:46,220 --> 00:41:49,051 She could be fierce when she wanted to be. 933 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:50,200 But, yeah, I think... 934 00:41:51,091 --> 00:41:53,180 there was still a little three-year-old girl... 935 00:41:54,111 --> 00:41:55,231 whose mother was going away. 936 00:41:57,031 --> 00:42:00,071 People who are frightened and go ahead anyway, 937 00:42:01,131 --> 00:42:04,021 that's a certain kind of courage, too.