 One of the things I'm only going to ask you is, I think that most of the women thought the job of being president was impossible for you to buy us, and I think things have changed and they feel that you thrive on it. And I sort of want to ask you how you discipline yourself and how you plan your activities, so whatever it will be. Well, maybe the eight years as governor gave me some advanced training for this, because I do remember that when I first became governor, there was a period in which I thought the world had fallen on my head, and I guess I learned there. But isn't this more difficult? I mean, isn't it more people and we're coping? Yes, and I have to say that I think that for the presidency, the nearest thing to it in the country is a governorship. You don't have a foreign policy, which does add some problems, but it is the same thing. And it used to be, if you look back at earlier days in which our presidents were mainly found among the governors, and I think that is a better training place than serving in the legislature or something. Yes, but the other thing, I've never felt better in my life physically. You certainly have been. I have a little gym upstairs that I get to every afternoon before the day is over. Tell me, would you recommend the job to a friend? Yes, you might not be a friend afterward, but I have to say that for someone who really wants to do some things that he believes strongly, and this is the most fulfilling experience I've ever had in my life. Mr. President, we were curious. Many times in the last six weeks, you've been awakened many sleep with world crises. How do you get the news? Who brings it to you? Do you have to have coffee? Do you stay up all night? Does Mrs. Reagan get up with you? No, I try to slip out without her at all. It's usually the phone. Is it a special phone? It's usually just the bedside phone. Well, when it has happened, it happened at Atlanta, George, when we were on that weekend there. Well, there were two such calls and two such issues, and one of them was the phone, and simply it was a button on fire and asking, could I come out in the living room? I mean, the secretary stayed there, so I whispered that I was just going out in the living room for a little bit, hoping that she'd go back to sleep. Then the second incident down there, one of the students that he just slipped in, tipped over him and touched me on the shoulder and whispered to me, and I slid out and did the same thing again. But then, I was like, you stay there and do what has to be done. Well, are you alert immediately? Do you need coffee or anything? No, I wake up easy. And then more recently at Camp David, it was phone calls. Not in the middle of the night in this case. I wasn't up yet, but it was... Do you get to dislike having the phone ring because you think there's a problem or anything? Yes, I can't say that I pick it up with dread because many times it's just a correction or some information on something or other, but it has to be faced. It's usually a problem. Usually, yes. I wanted to ask you, do you think the American people are behind the convenient troops for a military action? And do you think, this is a more serious question, do you think that the number of casualties influences how they feel about something? Oh, it has to be... This has to be the hardest thing in all of this job and certainly in my life. And that is committing these tasks where you know there is that threat. I have never been so proud of anything because I have versus a few years ago, there was an entirely different situation, but everyone said the volunteer in military wouldn't work what it is working in. There is an esprit de corps, there's a pride out there among them that just puts a lump in my throat and then it will accident or accident the incident, such as the one in Lebanon. There just is no way to make that easy. But the thing is to try and... Well, first of all, I think many people jumped in advance, not people. Such thinking could grassroots, but press and political figures on the Grenada rescue mission that immediately jumped to the conclusion that this was some kind of award-like thing that everyone would be angry at. It was kind of interesting to see so many of them have to try to call back, you know, at the end of the limb when they found out that the American people understood very well what we were doing and supported it. Now it's harder for them to understand Lebanon because in Lebanon they were not sent there to fight. And hopefully there would be no combat. We knew there was a risk because of the counter violence that would take place in the streets over there for a long time. But the whole idea of the multinational force was in connection with our own peace proposal from the Middle East. Lebanon was stalling that. If you remember, you had Israel and Syria both in. Israel had crossed the border because PLO terrorist students were attacking villages across their northern border from Lebanon. The Lebanon government, as it was several years ago, was virtually powerless in the face of what can only be termed warlords in their own country of several factions, each with its own militia, fighting each other and fighting the government. And you couldn't proceed with the peace mission until we resolved this problem. So we sent a force in, the idea that, well, first of all, that it had gotten some 10,000 PLO out. Now the idea was that both Israel and Syria would get out. Then a stabilizing force there, where the Lebanese government reformed and created a military force in which it could then take over jurisdiction of its own territory. Well, the first blow was that the Syrians, after saying yes, they would get out, said no, they wouldn't. The Israelis were prepared to get out, both sides wanted it. The idea was that they were well simultaneously. And so our force there is there for that purpose and there wouldn't have been a shot fired by a Marine or by our neighbor air force if they had not been shot at. And when that happened, I said, wherever we send them, they're going to have the right to defend themselves and to fire back. Mr. President, I'm curious, your political godfather or grandfather, if you will, Barry Goldwater, Senator Goldwater is even calling for the boys to come back and pay room. And I'm wondering, how far are you willing to commit troops or how far are you willing to escalate? It isn't a case of whether we will escalate. That is up to the Syrians and to some of those rebel groups that are fighting the Lebanese military. But we have only fired back when we have been attacked. And I am hopeful that after this last exchange that the Syrians will decide that they don't want to go on the path. But Mr. President, if they remain the calcitrant, if they remain, the Israelis are bombing them and strengthening them and haven't really budged them, if they remain the same and they remain shooting at our reconnaissance bikes and downing our fires, what is the next step? Well, we're taking the next step right now. Donald Roosevelt is on his way back there. And we still are going to try for a political solution. We're going to try to negotiate with the Syrians and make them understand. If they don't want to negotiate, if they find it in their best interest to be a four-year side, what do you do then? Well, that becomes a kind of a hypothetical question in which I almost have to wait to see what the circumstances are. Actually, the Lebanese military, which we have helped train and have equipped and which is a very good military force, is supposed to be resolving the situation for themselves as we try to maintain little stability of Beirut while they can go forward and do this. Do you see a day either in your own, in your next term, for instance, or in the very near future, where President Assad could be as sort of the dominant, the present-day dominant force in the Arab world, where he could be something like, could become something like what MRSA.K became to us? Do you ever see that kind of relationship ever being able to develop? I don't see any reason why not. We've made great progress with the other Arab states, the more moderate states. I think that they are very ready for a negotiated settlement continuing on with the Camp David Accords and the UN resolutions. Syria is the big kid and the bad kid on the block. And the other Arab states have been trying themselves to persuade Syria to join in this effort and to withdraw. And now a new element has been introduced by Syria. They had mentioned this before, but earlier they said, oh, yes, they would get out, too. They now are not pretending that there is any assault on them or that they're in any danger and that's why they're staying there. They are now claiming that Lebanon properly is a part of a greater Syria. This is outright armed aggression now in their part, hoping to expand their territory at the expense of Lebanon. And they've even indicated at the expense of Jordan. Mr. President, moving off of that People Magazine question, how did you assess the film the day after? Do you think movies have a way of forming a political opinion? Well, any motion picture or any drama or play is based on one thing. It isn't successful unless it has or evokes any emotional response. If the audience does not have an emotional experience, whether it's one of hating something or crying or having a lot of laughter, then you've got a failure out there. Well, certainly there was an emotional response to this type of horror film. But apparently it has not had a lasting impact. I haven't seen very much reference to it anymore and maybe one of the reasons was because yes, it was a horror film showing you what I'm sure all of us all knew who the nuclear war is, I'm thinking, look, it is a shared horror. It must not happen. But it left you with no idea or solution, no suggestions to what to do about it. And I think that my own reaction to it was, look, if anything, if this can add to what we've been saying about the fact that there must not be a nuclear war, then maybe the people will understand why we're trying so desperately to get a reduction in those weapons worldwide. And I hope that if we start down the reduction road, that the other side will see the common sense in eliminating them totally. Not since 1946 has there been such a suggestion and that was made by this country and even then when we were the only ones really with a stock of such weapons, the Soviet Union refused. Let me ask you this question. If your young drop-off had been in the room with you watching the film that night, would you have said that very same thing to him? Yes. And anything else? Yes, I would have told him that the only way there could be a war was if they started, we're not going to start. Let me ask you this. Do you have any second thoughts about calling the Soviet Union an evil empire? I think the fall of the Soviet Union was... Do you have second thoughts about that? Do you wish you had involved? No. I think that it was high time that we got some realism and got people thinking that for too long we have kind of viewed them as just a mirror image of ourselves and that maybe we could appeal to their good nature and we've gone through the experience a number of years past saying, well, if we cancel weapons systems, if we unilaterally disarm, maybe they'll see that we're nice people too and they'll disarm. Well, they didn't. They just kept on increasing. So you see them as really a source of evil? Yes, because you have to look at the impact of what we were just talking about. Of Lebanon. There they are with thousands of military advisors and technicians and so forth in Syria have provided Syria with weapons that are not purely defense weapons. Ground to ground missiles that can cover virtually every target from Syria in Israel. And they are the ones that seem whether it's out of paranoia and believing that everyone is an enemy and so they have to be aggressive or whether it is the Marxist-Leninist theory, more than a theory commitment that was handed to them and that was that they must support uprisings wherever they take place in the world to bring about a one world communist state. Now, no Russian leader has ever refuted that. As a matter of fact, he hasn't had time yet, but every Russian leader up to Andrakov at some time or other has publicly restated his commitment to world conquest. Let me ask you a question out of that. In the Jerusalem Post the quote was accurate saying that this generation might see, or again, that a lot of the biblical prophecies are sort of being played out today or you could be seeing this being played out in the Jerusalem Post and I was going to say is this really true? I do believe that. I've never done that publicly. I've talked here among our own people because some theologians were telling me calling attention to the fact that theologians have been studying the ancient prophecies of what would portend the coming of Armageddon and have said that never in the time between the prophecies and up until now has there ever been a time in which so many of the prophecies are coming together. There have been times in the past when people thought the end of the world was coming and so forth but never anything like this and one of them the first one who ever approached this to me and I won't use his name I don't have permission to he probably would give it but I'm going to ask had held a meeting with the then head of the German government years ago when the war was over and did not know that his probably was theology and he asked this theologian what did he think was the next great news event worldwide and the theologian very wisely said I think that you're asking that question in the case that you have a thought along that line and he did it was about the prophecies so no I've talked conversationally about that you've used on it, you've considered it not to the extent of throwing up my hands and saying it's all over I think whichever generation at whatever time that time comes the generation that is there I think we'll have to go on doing what they believe is right even if they don't yes to ask you a serious question which comes out of this I see around since my last visit here many more signs that the government is worried about terrorism it's the kind of that do you yourself think about dying think about the fear of the position you're in well you can't help but be conscious because the security measures are also evident to you but if you mean do I go around fearful and look them over my shoulder no, I have confidence in the security people I had the one taste of a quick touch of another and I never second-guess the security people when they tell me we're going to do something or change some way of doing things that we're doing and I accept that is it something you talk about for instance to Mrs. Reagan or your children something you just it's better what I was saying yes very much so because I think it was harder for them when it did happen especially to get over it's a lot easier to worry about someone else in your mind when I set on some expedition some public appearance or something does your bulletproof shirt or jacket or coat or whatever hang in your family quarters or do they keep it when they come having in hand they kind of come in flinching because they know that I do not accept it with good grace what do you say when they put it on you even an occasional unprintable word but I also know that they would not be bringing it in unless they felt there was a reason for it and so but it isn't pleasant it's uncomfortable that's the main thing is it bulky or is it heavy or what it's bulky and it works so hard in that gym up there and they say everybody out there in the audience they think I'm getting fat Mr. President away from Armageddon this talk of dying back to 1984 did you cringe when you had to sign the order to have your own aides take lie detector tests and I'm curious have you ever taken one how did you feel no I never have but I didn't sign an order for them to take it this has been misconstrued and I bless you for giving me a chance we had a meeting that came in national security rules and regulations security, the information there and there was a leak and it was a leak which could cost some Americans their lives and this is a criminal act when there's a violation of national security and I called the justice department and I thought it was serious enough and I said I want an investigation how this happened guard against my future now such an investigation without my designation if it is a violation of national security it is a criminal investigation if it is a criminal investigation the FBI has the right to ask for a lie detector test but being a criminal investigation the individual has the right to refuse them and that's all but that's been distorted that I suddenly no did your aides finally I don't know I don't even know whether the FBI even asked for them or not they determine that and that is within the law and if somebody says no they report that also in their investigating report that they asked and was refused but I don't know whether they have been given we've got time for about one more the governor is a major waiting for it Mr. President who do you think the easiest Democrat would be to be in 1984 if I answered that question I may be helping them to choose out of that octet they've got out there I'm not going to help them in their choice you're relishing running against me but I haven't said yet that I'm running I have two questions not to Christopher I'd like to as it was two questions one I was thinking in this year of living dangerously and I wondered how in the world do you maintain the very obvious romance you have with Mrs. Gray I mean romance takes time and it takes a move and it takes not being carried and what sort of special things do you do to maintain this togetherness in these tough times well I don't know if we've always been very close and they're developed up as they would in 30 odd years little things that are kind of foundational or that have a meaning to us from times back can you cite any of them that I mean I think especially in your article in Parade you showed how much you loved her and how much the romance continues and whatever I just wondered if there's sort of small things you do to keep this touching this together well there are certain occasions when we leave notes for each other and things of that kind what do you still do is there a special place you leave them oh no it just depends well things like on the breakfast tray and on certain occasions the cars could I ask one more question for my mother who you gave a story to last year and we kept hearing from our readers about the pig leg at pig the story you told me about the pig with the wooden leg we thought that this has become a tradition for the magazine and we wondered do you have a good story to tell the readers and indeed my mother who is now 84 this year a very good story I can't repeat that because I've done that story yes I have one that I told in a couple of speeches lately and that is a young fellow in a small town and he would make a very good living selling fish to the local restaurant and again people got a little curious where he was coming up with all these fish and his uncle happened to be the sheriff so he said why don't you ask your nephew if you can go fishing with him someday and I'd like to know where he's getting these fish so the uncle did and they were out in the middle of the lake and uncle started to put his line in the water and the nephew reached in the tank and pulled out a stick of dynamite threw it in and exploded and he started pulling them in and his uncle said he says do you realize you've just created a fountain and the uncle reached in the tackle box and came up with another stick of dynamite and handed it to the sheriff and says did you come out here to fish or talk very good Mr. President Mr. President thank you very very much once again I hope you understand well thank you the same to you we certainly appreciate it thank you thank you