Letters to and from President Ronald Reagan and Honorable Meldrim Thompson, Jr. regarding Thompson’s view on Reagan’s “failed opportunities.”

To Mer. meldrim Thomson Dr. me. Cube Form Orfard N.H, 03777 Dear mee you asked me to accept your letter in the spirit in which it was written. We've known each other too long for me to der anything but that. 2 was perased to see you the atter day and rish our meeting could have been long enough to take up 0 discuss all the issues rained in your letter. since that evant possible die try to take them in the order you listed them. First the matter of so-called trilateralists; mac Buldridge is as solid a conservative as angone could find as is George shulty. Both were tap recommendations of the talent hunters d'd put together during the transition and that team had vistually every tap backer of conservative causes in the history of the conservative movement Holmes Tuttle, Jack Hume, fore Coors etc. Henry K. has no formandent place in the admin. He is chairing a bioportisin get study group which meets a congussional demand as a price for getting the support ine must have for overffort in antral America. Second: The depts. energy & ed. mee we have been absolutely smoble to get congressional support for their elimination & that includes even our staumshet allies on the hil. We intend to keep it on the agenda but in the meantime we have made substantial informements Let me first touch on energy, Total energy efficiency has been improved increased every you we 've been here. Domestic call production is a million barrels a day over the Carter admin. estimates. In '77 me imported half a it Do now down To a a wanter 2 We produce hearly 90% as much energy as we consume. 0 us strategic petirleum reserve has been tripled and we have minimized Fed. control & involvement. Think,We talked about China so I wont dwell on that except to say me have definite vatrictions on the level of technology we make available. and as d said, me have not retreated one inch in one relationship with Torivan, Fourth; On the Panama canal I'm not aware of any legal ground on which we could base a claim to take it bach. We have done much to infrave the relationship there & eliminate the hostility that prevailed at the time of the negotiations. Fifth; The balanced budget. me deficits arent made in the White House. H They are made in the chambers of Cangress, Have you thought of how by the deficit werned be without our ec. plan? d can tell you hear much smaller it would be if engrees had given us all the spending reductions D third for. This years deficit alone would be 40 bil. less. { ach yran I come back asking more reductions in what they want to spend. What is needed more than anything lse is what many of us had as Governors - line item veta, I intend to keep working at getting that but in the meantime my '84 budget proposal would have put us on a solid road of declining deficits leading to a balance a from years dewn the road, I'm still battling for it and am closer them was a fem months agon, Sixth; I have reduced the takes on the ser- called par a well as improved that lot by changing inglation from 3 more than 12% to less than 3% as for I.M.F. , mel you used the right word in our talk - "perception". The perception that I.M.F. is a give away or a bomb bail out is totally false. The 8.4 bil. contribution (sor called) is not a budget item mer deres it add to the deficit. Lt's like a deposit in a bank & me have full draming rights on it. Dn fact the 2 largest users of I.M.E. funds have been E mg. r the U.S. When money is leaned to other not's me get our shone bach plus interest. at the some time it No the only institution which can impose ec. reforms on extravagent countries as a condition for berrowing. Seventh; mee as I told you, about the Karean plane massacre, there were grand stand plays we might have made such as Carters grain embarger but they wouldn't really permish the societs, and how would pushing Paland into bankruptay, as some have suggested, hurt the Russians ? It would cretimally hurt the Polish people and they are as invocent as the victims in the plane. Believe me me reviewed every aption and are still doing so. The other points you closed your letter with (cimmigration for one) me we have last control of our bonders. I dent know whether the legislation will pass or not but d believe I should sign it if itdnes. It isa very complex issue with our agriculture in dependent on migrants, several million people as residents underected and a dozen other facets. as for the Memor dectime - dont think that wasn't on my mind. But I've learned even on best friends in Cental r south am. would turn on us. The It has much of the qualroat diplormacy alera around it. 4 we're inalying progress in the Hemsphere but it has Is be on a partnership basis not the "big colossus "ol the north giving orders. On the not. huliday you menturied di have the reservations you have but here the perception of too many people is based on an image not reality. Indeed to them the perception is reality. We hope serme modifications might still take place in Congress. Finally; as for Lebranon, that situation is only one facet of the whole middle east problem. mee is there any anyway may the V.S. or the Western Would for that matter can stand by & All the middle east become a part of the Communist bea? Without it our weat European neighbors would inevitably become Finlandry'd and we'd be alone in the world. as it is were not alone in Lebanon We are part of a multilational multinational force because those katious recognize their stake in the middle east. there In the would terday our security can be threatened in a number of places for distant from our own shore lines. I'm not trigger happy and & dont want a was. Whatever I do it is based on my belief that certain actions offer a chance to forestall was and these beliefs are based on full access to all the intelligence information available. Well there, and d hope you'll take this in the spirit in which it is written. nancy sends her best and nom buth of is to that lovely lady of years. Sincerely Ron 174036 FG001 October 3, 1983 Dear Mel: You asked me to accept your letter in the spirit in which it was written. We've known each other too long for me to do anything but that. I was pleased to see you the other day and wish our meeting could have been long enough to take up and discuss all the issues raised in your letter. Since that wasn't possible I'll try to take them in the order you listed them. First: The matter of so-called trilateralists: Mac Baldrige is as solid a conservative as anyone could find, as is George Shultz. Both were top recommendations of the talent hunters I put together during the transition, and that team had virtually every top backer of conservative causes in the history of the conservative movement -- Holmes Tuttle, Jack Hume, Joe Coors, etc. Henry Kissinger has no permanent place in the Adminis- tration. He is chairing a bipartisan study group which meets a Congressional demand as a price for getting the support we must have for our effort in Central America. Second: The Departments of Energy and Education. Mel, we have been absolutely unable to get Congres- sional support for their elimination -- and that includes even our staunchest allies on the Hill. We intend to keep it on the agenda, but in the mean- time we have made substantial improvements. Let me just touch on energy. Total energy efficiency has increased every year we've been here. Domestic oil production is a million barrels a day over the Carter Administration's estimates. In '77 we imported half our oil. It's now down to a quarter. We produce nearly 90% as much energy as we consume. Our strategic petroleum reserve has been tripled and we have minimized Federal control and involvement. 2 Third: We talked about China so I won't dwell on that except to say we have definite restrictions on the level of technology we make available. And as I said, we have not retreated one inch in our relationship with Taiwan. Fourth: On the Panama Canal, I'm not aware of any legal ground on which we could base a claim to take it back. We have done much to improve the relationship there and eliminate the hostility that prevailed at the time of the negotiations. Fifth: The balanced budget. Mel, deficits aren't made in the White House. They are made in the chambers of Congress. Have you thought of how big the deficit would be without our economic plan? I can tell you how much smaller it would be if Congress had given us all the spending reductions I tried for. This year's deficit alone would be $40 billion less. Each year I come back asking for more reductions in what they want to spend. What is needed more than anything else is what many of us had as Governors -- line item veto. I intend to keep working at getting that, but in the meantime my '84 budget proposal would have put us on a solid road of declining deficits leading to a balance a few years down the road. I'm still battling for it, and I'm closer than I was a few months ago. Sixth: I have reduced the taxes on the so-called poor as well as improved their lot by bringing down inflation from more than 12% to under 38. As for I.M.F., Mel, you used the right word in our talk -- "perception." The perception that I.M.F. is a giveaway or a bank bailout is totally false. The $8.4 billion contribution (so-called) is not a budget item nor does it add to the deficit. It's like a deposit in a bank and we have full drawing rights on it. In fact, the two largest users of I.M.F. funds have been England and the U.S. When money is loaned to other nations we get our share back plus interest. At the same time it is the only institution which can impose economic reforms on extravagant countries as a condition for borrowing. 3 Seventh: Mel, as I told you about the Korean plane massacre, there were grandstand plays we might have made such as Carter's grain embargo, but they wouldn't really punish the Soviets. And how would pushing Poland into bankruptcy, as some have suggested, hurt the Russians? It would actually hurt the Polish people, and they are as innocent as the victims in the plane. Believe me, we reviewed every option and are still doing SO. The other points you closed your letter with -- immigration, for one. Mel, we have lost control of our borders. I don't know whether the legisla- tion will pass or not, but I believe I should sign it if it does. It is a very complex issue with our agriculture dependent on migrants, several million people as residents undetected, and a dozen other facets. As for the Monroe Doctrine --- don't think that wasn't on my mind. But I've learned even our best friends in Central and South America would turn on us. It has too much of the gunboat diplomacy aura around it. We're making progress in the Hemisphere but it has to be on a partnership basis not the big "Colossus of the North" giving orders. On the National holiday you mentioned, I have the reservations you have, but here the perception of too many people is based on an image, not reality. Indeed, to them the perception is reality. We hope some modifications might still take place in Congress. Finally: As for Lebanon, that situation is only one facet of the whole Middle East problem. Mel, is there any way the U.S., or the Western World for that matter, can stand by and see the Middle East become a part of the communist bloc? Without it, our West European neighbors would inevitably become Finland- ized and we'd be alone in the world. As it is, we're not alone in Lebanon. We are part of a multinational force because those nations also recognize their stake in the Middle East. 4 In the world today our security can be threatened in a number of places far distant from our own shorelines. I'm not trigger-happy and I don't want a war. Whatever I do, it is based on my belief that certain actions offer a chance to forestall war. And those beliefs are based on full access to all the intelligence information available. Well -- there it is. And I hope you'll take this in the spirit in which it is written. Nancy sends her best and from both of us to that lovely lady of yours. Sincerely, The Honorable Meldrim Thomson, Jr. Mt. Cube Farm Orford, New Hampshire 03777 RR:AVH:CAD:pps RR Dictation Mt. Cube Farm Orford, N.H. September 30, 1983 Honorable Ronald Reagan President of the United States The White House Washington, D.C. 20000 Dear Mr. President: I am very fond of you. I have believed deeply and sincerely in your ability to govern America in the best interest of all of our citizens. That is why I worked with all my heart to achieve your nomination for the presidency at Kansas City in 1976. That is why in recent years I forgave your political derelictions and shortcomings over and over again. It is the reason I hoped and prayed that you would stay the course of conservatism as you had promised to do in so many campaign speeches. The list of your failed opportunities is long and tragic. On the campaign trail you spoke decisively and effectively against your trilateral opponent. In victory you married the family of trilateralists and their cousins, the members of the Council on Foreign Relations, know- ing that those are the international one-worlders who in their mad lust for world power and wealth would destroy all vestiges of American sovereignty. These men -- the Kissingers, the Rockefellers, the Baldridges and Shultzs -- by the dozens -- rule America today through your administration because you put them there. By your handcrafted Republican platform you promised to eliminate the sprawling and costly bureaucracies represented by the Departments of Educa- tion and Energy, yet both still exist and their rapacious appetites for power and pelf grow more ravenous. You promised to ameliorate the lot of our friends in the Republic of China who fought so valiantly by our side in World War II, but instead you have been responsible for millions of our tax dollars and large quanti- ties of vital equipment and technology being transferred to the ruthless communists of Red China who murdered directly and indirectly thousands of American soldiers over the past 50 years. -2- You took a strong stand in 1976 against the giveaway of the Panama Canal, and yet knowing today that the Treaty was never legally executed, you lack the stomach to declare it null and void and unilaterally revoke it. You promised to balance the budget and you haven't. Instead, the debt has gone from shocking to scandalous and soon will smother our tax- payers. Instead of a balanced budget, the deficit for this year alone is expected to exceed $200 billion or as much as the entire budget just 12 years ago. You raised the taxes on the multitudinous poor while giving millions to Third World Thugs and Potentates and are now working hard to bail out your international banking buddies by a transfer of more than $8 billion of American dollars to the International Monetary Fund. You talk belligerently against the Soviets, yet fail to take any meaningful action of reprisal against this ruthless, murdering regime that snuffed out 269 innocent lives aboard a defenseless Korean passenger plane. The present and awesome danger to America, Mr. President, consists in your willingness to commit our people to a costly, deadly international policy that will lead inevitably to the destruction of American freedom. It is not too late to correct the veering of the Ship of State from internationalism back to the primacy of Americanism -- the course you know so well to be the best one for all Americans. Here in New Hampshire it is expected that you will again seek the first-in-the-nation Republican Presidential nomination. This time you could fail in that quest. Certainly things will be worse for you if, for example, you persist in the following. 1. In granting amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens now in this country, thus placing a further tax burden of billions of dollars on our hard pressed taxpayers in welfare, social security and food stamps, to say noth- ing of endangering the jobs of our present citizens. 2. Ignoring the need to reestablish a Monroe Doctrine policy for the Caribbean area where there lies the worst of the Soviet menaces to our freedoms. -3- 3. Establishing a national holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. and thus honoring the memory of a man of immoral character whose frequent associations with lead- ing agents of communism is well established. 4. Continuing to expand our commitment in Lebanon where American lives are being lost daily and where we could be drawn into another no-win war that could leave us a second-rate nation or no nation at all. If Qaddafi is joining the fight in Lebanon, can Andropov be far behind? Help the Israeli with our latest and best equipment, but not with our sons and daughters. Even if you turn from some of the foregoing, it would suggest to many conservatives that perhaps, just hopefully, you do understand the importance of conserving the principles of freedom and sovereignty that in the past made this country great. Mr. President, stay the course, in spirit and in detail, that you out- lined in your acceptance speech of the Republican nomination. Forsake internationalism. Cleave to your American moorings. Do not continue to alienate and disappoint those who believed in you and helped you in the past. But if you do continue on the wayward ways of deficits, trade with the Soviets, and international no-win wars, then I promise that you will have strong and viable opposition in your search for second term support here in New Hampshire. Please, Mr. President, do not abandon the thousands of conservatives who supported you in the past. Respectfully, Mildin Meldrim Thomson, Jr