Monthly Archives: September 2017
In June 1978, the Washingtonian magazine ran an article on the “Journalism Establishment” that included a listing of “the top fifty” journalists in the capital. I was included along with a picture, and the article said “The New York Times is still the ‘mark’ for other newspapers in foreign affairs coverage. Gwertzman is regarded by his colleagues as the most influential diplomatic correspondent in town.” I was of course pleased by the recognition, but life goes on and I continued…..
The switch from Al Haig to George Shultz as secretary of state occurred in the summer of 1982. Reagan had asked Haig to stay in charge while the latest fighting in Lebanon between Israel and PLO forces, aided by Syria, continued. Shultz took over at the end of July after relaxed confirmation hearings. Reagan, who up until then had seemed to pay limited attention to the Middle East, read over a local California radio station on September 1, 1982, his…..
In the immediate aftermath of Ronald Reagan’s victory in the 1980 presidential elections, there was widespread pleasure that the hostages had all been freed from the 444-day captivity in the American embassy in Teheran. And Reagan’s choice of Alexander M. Haig as his Secretary of State did not cause much particular concern or interest. What struck me in the early days of the Reagan administration was the blistering criticism launched by Reagan at the Soviet Union in his early days…..