 Ladies and gentlemen the president of the United States and Mrs. Reagan Well, thank you all very much and welcome to the White House Won't be saying that long will we Well, then you'll just have to drop in the ranch out California Well, you're standing as I'm sure you know in the East Room where the White House historian tells us that Abigail Adams used to hang her laundry to dry Things haven't changed too much now. We have we have press conferences in here and display our dirty Well the East Room of course has also been the location for the PBS broadcast of in-performance at the White House boasting some of the finest musicians and performers in the world including a couple of comeback performances of my favorite actress Nancy singing you're the top All of you at PBS deserve our thanks for doing such a wonderful job With the in-performance series You've brought high-quality entertainment to the nation and perhaps this is selfish But just as important to me a sense of gaiety and sparkle to the White House Beverly Sills Hitchcock Perlman Leonton price Marvin Hamlet's just to mention the masters and mistresses of ceremonies Give a feeling for the quality and variety of in-performance during those events the This palace of politics is transformed for the week for the evening into a world of culture bringing a bit of Broadway classical concerts jazz and dance In a sense, I suppose it's politics way of paying tribute to the finer things in life the things of joyousness and love of mind and spirit When auntie introduced the young artist in performance at the White House Series here at that series in this room. She quoted a line from Henry James It is art that makes life makes interest makes importance and I know of no substitute Whatever for the force and beauty of its process Well, you've brought that life Interest and importance and a great deal of fun too gracing us gracing the airwaves and homes across the nation with It's force and beauty and for that. We're all very grateful So let me just say for all of us. Thank you very much and keep up the good work and then I think I have to conclude a little bit by Harking back to you're all here by virtue of entertainment. So I'll try a little entertainment I finish it and as Henry the eighth said to each of his six wives. I won't keep you long Just the other day I found an occasion to tell a experience of mine back in the early days when radio was the latest thing. I was a sports announcer at W. H. O. Des Moines Amy Semple McPherson the noted evangelist came to our town. She was holding a series and revival meetings across the nation Enterprising public relation fella our studio thought it'd be a good idea if she were Interviewed on our station Why they picked a sports announcer to interview Amy Semple and I never know What I did and I asked her several questions and then she suddenly went into a very fervent plea concerning the success of her meetings And I sat down Until I happened to hear her saying good night to our radio audience and I looked up and there were four minutes to go by the studio clock I Didn't know enough that I could put on the air about Amy Semple and person to fill four minutes So I got up and did that usual thing on radio. I Motioned to the fellow in the control room and I saw him pick up There was always a few records lying around for things of this kind Pick up a record and put it in the turntable and nod and I said ladies and gentlemen In my most dulcet tones We conclude this broadcast with the noted evangelist Amy for Semple McPherson with a brief interlude of transcribed music. I Expected nothing less than the Ave Maria The mills brothers started singing many the moochers wedding day She didn't bother to say goodbye. She just slammed the studio door on her way out but you know Now of course Entertainment has a different flavor if I attempted any more I've become a collector of stories that I can actually Certify are told by the Russian people among themselves, which reveals they've got quite a sense of humor But reveals also that they have a little cynical attitude toward their government and their system and One of those stories that I collect them as I say I certify that there that's where they're from And this one was a story that's kind of typical of theirs in which they have an American and a Russian arguing about their two countries And the Americans said look I can walk into the president's oval office And I can come the desk and say mr. President. I don't like the way you're running our country And the Russians said I can do that America says you can he says yes I can walk into the Kremlin the general secretary's office pound the desk and say mr. General secretary I don't like the way president Reagan's running his Then there's another one that's really based on You know only one family in seven in the Soviet Union own an automobile and to buy an automobile there It takes ten years you have to wait ten years for delivery So a fella'd finally gotten the money together and he could buy his car and he went through all the process and finally signed the last papers and Gave him the money In advance and then the fella behind the counter said all right come back in ten years and get your Eurotomobile and the fellow said morning or afternoon The man behind the counter He said well What differences it'd make ten years from now when he said the plumber's coming in the morning I just I just saved one more for the get off And then it is it is getaway time this when I told to Gorbachev And he he left There was an order went out because you know most of the automobiles are being driven by the bureaucrats there But an order went out that said anyone caught speeding gets a ticket no matter who they are And one morning Gorbachev came out of his country home Knew he was late and getting to the Kremlin told his driver to get in the back seat He took the wheel and down the road He went past two motorcycle policemen one of them took out after him in a few minutes He was back with his buddy And the other one says well, did you give him a ticket and he said no Well, he said why not we're supposed to give anyone a ticket. He says oh not this one He was he was too important. Well, he said we were supposed to give him to everybody. He said who was it? He said I couldn't recognize him, but his driver was Gorbachev That's the way it is around here with summits and everything just a barrel of laughs Now I know that Nancy has another engagement. It's waiting for her It really isn't an engagement. It's an assignment And so we're going to have to say thank you all for being here and God bless you all