Available in paperback, hardcover, or as an ebook. Nancy reagan, former first lady so, all of you, thank you for your support and to the kids for just saying no. Thank you. My hope is that the women of the future will feel truly free to follow whatever paths their talents and their Natures Point to. I think that the white house was so glamorous, and your role was so glamorous, your life was so glamorous. All they saw were the parties and the meetings. And i have to tell you, i never worked harder in my life. Nancy reagan served as longtime political partner, fiercest protector, and ultimately as the caretaker for president Ronald Reagan. And involved first, lady she was active in key staff decision and policymaking and in campaigning. Good evening and welcome to suspend series first ladies influence and image. Tonight what type of the story of any frances robins. Notice as nancy reagan. Let me introduce our two guests will be with us for the next 90 minutes. Judy is come alleging editor and coanchor of pbs is news hour. In her earlier years she covered the Reagan White House from bc and later on reduced a documentary with the first lady. A californian has been covering the National Politics and start any, for and he cowrote a book about the regan presidency with his father, lieutenant, the regan biographer. We looked at hundreds of hours a video about the reagan presidency in the suspend library and decided to start with the closing chapter. This is footage from the region funeral, when mrs. Reagan said goodbye to her husband of many years, and we thought that it was symbolized very well. Lets watch and talk a little bit more about the relationship. Okay yeah its hard to believe it was nearly ten years, ago carl, cnn but as we look at, that as weve been working through the series of first ladies biographies, especially in the 20th century, many of the first ladies for Political Partners with their husbands. Was this a particularly special Political Partnership . Absolutely. Its heartbreaking. Its like she lost him twice. As she passed that, coffin imaginary padding his shoulders every night for ten years. She said goodbye to, him goodnight, and every, night it was like losing cam again. I think nancy got a rough start in this, town she got a rough start in sacramento, but she won everyone over in the ten years that he had alzheimers and she took care of. Him she called it the longest goodbye, it wasnt her, words people around them called it the longest. Buy it was 1994 when Ronald Reagan wrote the letter and announced to the world he had alzheimers. And of course no one knew what that was. It wasnt as familiar to us as it is today. There was no way of knowing how long he would live. He would live another ten years, but out of public view. She was with him. They were in their home in bel air, and los angeles, and their closeness was with them right up until the. And and you see that in the video. Citizen, the christening of the uss Ronald Reagan happened into those in. One my father and i were both there. And after she said no, have to get. Back ronny needs. Mean he doesnt like. It hes agitated when im not in the house. She really was his caretaker. So not just those last ten difficult years for the two of, them lets have you both talk a little bit about what the partnership meant in terms of National Politics. With each of them bring to the table politically to make this a successful quest for the white house, ultimately . Well we could talk for a long time about that because it was a remarkable partnership. It was a strong marriage. They loved each other deeply. It was a working partnership, and that once it was clear that Ronald Reagan i think was interest in politics, being the spokesman for ge, traveling around the. Country i believe that he was hired in 1950, 5 50, 4 50, five somewhere in there. And from that moment, on and once the friends in los angeles sided Ronald Reagan would be a great candidate for governor, and, then of course he went on to be elected governor in 1960. Six she was a person who, people ive talked to call her the personnel director, because she made sure that the people around her husband were people who always had his best interests that. Her that was one of the principal things she brought to that relationship, always having his back. Carl, before you, answer actually want to show a brief clip from the role of a lifetime, the pbo stocky montrealer involved with, and shes talking about what she brings to the partnership in terms of looking at for her husband. Lets. What i see the first lady as another means of keeping the present from being isolated. I talk to, people they tell me things, and if something is about to become a problem, im not above calling east have person and asking about it. Im a woman who loves her husband, and i make no apologies for looking at for his personal and political welfare. So what are your thoughts on this partnership . She was the personnel director. Sue spencer called her. That the political consultant to ran reagans First Campaign for governor 1996. And in september of 19, 80 when things started to hit a rocky road, and that campaign is in a bit of trouble, its nancy who says where is stew . Where is stu spencer . Jerry ford had been his client. One he was going to come back to the Reagan Campaign fulltime, there was one person he asked, is it okay, and thats. Nancy will talk more about the white house, were going to go back into learn more about Nancy Reagans biography. Before we do that, let me tell you about how you can be involved. If youve been watching the series you know that we take your questions so you can be involved in the conversation. Theres lots of ways to be involved. You can go to facebook and find suspense page. Theres also a discussion underway. You can also tweet us at first. Ladies and finally you can use a good oldfashioned telephone. Our phone lines will be open. 200 to 585 3880. Lets go back to where she was born. Her early days werent easy, can you tell us about that. While it wasnt the smoothest childhood. Her mother was an actress, edith look at. Her father, kenneth robins, had been a salesman. The marriage between edith and kenneth didnt last long. Nancy i think was around two when they divorced. Her mother really wanted her acting career, and she wanted a safe place for nancy. So from the time that she was too until she was eighth, when mrs. Luckett remarried, with her, arent nazis, on her mother, sister in testa, maryland, red outside of washington. So nancy lived in a suburban neighborhood, she was in the center of every conversation. Life of the party. Her aunt was more quiet. I think the rules were fairly. Strict but it was a tough time. Nancy herself talked in the interview we did for the documentary about how she missed her mother, and that she would be thrilled when her mother came to visit. So it was rocky for a few years. Life changed for nancy when her mother married a chicago physician. There was money. He was successful. She went to boarding school. She went to Smith College. He was the doting parent and she lacked. It gave her an idea of what a family could be. And from that moment forward, she had an idea of what she wanted to be, and what she wanted out of life, and she wanted to build a family, you know, that was the family she didnt have. Something that she and reagan had in common. She went to hollywood after smith. She went to the theater, and then she moved out to, hollywood but she was typecast. She was typecast in the phrase gary wills said, a study, woman and thats what she was. So Stanford Brown on twitter wants to know about the relationship between first ladies by asking, did nancy reagan and barbara bush know each other as students at Smith College . Barbara bush didnt graduate. She was only there a year or two. I dont think, so but thats actually a good question. But we know nancy reagan went to new york to try her hand at acting, right out of. Smith she was in new york a few years before she move to hollywood. She had a contract with mgm, and she talks about it. Arrival of ron studio, from warner brothers. Also on twitter, one of our viewers whose tweet is not coming up nicely for me, Sheldon Cooper is asking about her stepfather and his influence on her politics. Victor davis was very active in conservative politics. He was a republican, and i think that did influence. Her but on their first date, reagan is already discussing politics. He talks about communism, he doesnt like communism. This is 1949. She would have been conditioned by loyal davis to be receptive to ronnys message, as she called. Him how did the two meet . Its an interesting stories, susan. This is hollywood in the late forties when there was of course the communist. Here it was the end of world war one. , people were named as being associated with their communist party. Nancy davis showed up on a black list, as someone in the Hollywood Community who had something to do with the communist party. And she knew that that was not her, and she wanted to get her name off, and she called her good, friend i believe he was a producer, marvin lee roy, she, said how can i get this done . He said i know Ronald Reagan. The president of the Screen Actors Guild. She said as soon as i heard that i knew who Ronald Reagan was, and i was very interested. And she said, absolutely, call him, up id be glad to meet with him. And so marine le roy calls up Ronald Reagan. One thing led to another. It was a, meeting that it became a. Dinner and she tells a funny story about how they both agreed to go to dinner but they insisted it would be an early, evening because they both had a early. Call neither of them. Did he several hollywood ruse. They didnt end it early because they dont have anywhere to be the next morning. But that was 1952. So they had a threeyear courtship before she married. We have visited the region library. Youll be seeing some of the video of the people we met, there and tell the story of nancy and Ronald Reagan. Its on the two of, them the love letters they shared. She was asked if it was love at first sight, she said no, but it was pretty darn close. Shes a sentimental woman. She kept mementos of the relationship, from letters, to wedding bouquets, all of these artifacts are on display in the museum, and document how important they work to each other. One of the other interesting things that we have here which is very symbolic of their intense relationship, is a letter that president reagan wrote to his wife in 1953, when he was staying in new york and he was staying at the cheri neverland hotel, and he wrote a very charming letter to her. He read it as if she had actually joined him at dinner. And you can see how creative he was. The final page of the cheri netherlands letter is very touching. Lets take a look at that page, along with some of the other artifacts in the collection. So that is that fourth page of the cheri netherlands letter. And its where president reagan expresses his heartfelt feelings to his wife. This was written in 1953, about a year and a half after they were married. And he says, i suppose some people would find unusual, that you and i can easily spend 3000 miles, but in truth, it comes very naturally. We had cant live without a hurt. You are my heart. But for the nicest thing about me and so very necessary. There would be no life without you, nor would i want any. I love you. Signed the eastern half of us. Recently mrs. Reagan had given us this little box of treasured keep six of hers. So we were pleased to receive them because there were some interesting stories inside. Here back in 1950, when nancy reagan received her own dressing room when she was under contract with empty, im so great the moment Ronald Reagan went to a jeweler in beverly hills, and had a special he made for her, a key for that dressing room, and it has a image of thespian on the front and the back. She thought that was such a nice idea that two years later, after they were married and they got their first, home shed hes made for the first. Home and theres a little house on the top. Its engraved with their initials. Mrs. And mr. Reagans initials. But on his, key right above his, initials in her handwriting engraved, it says our first. What were there early married years . Like well, susan, as we said they were married in 1950. Two and actually, their daughter, patty, was born in 1950. Two she pretty much give up her movie career. She had been getting some roles fairly steadily. His career was actually the one that was stalling out at that point, and then the ge offer came along. But she became the homemaker. She essentially gave up, she did if television rules i think over that first decade of their marriage. But mainly she devoted herself to being his wife, the mother of patty, who is the daughter of them, her family was her life. She devoted all her time to. That theres a little story, nancy went to work for ge, ge had this all electric house built for, them which had every imaginable special feature in it, you know, automatic drip closures, you push a button, the kinds of things that we wouldnt think much of today. Back then it was a big deal. But she devoted herself to that. And then, eventually as he became closer to thinking about politics, he became closer to the wives. And Ronald Reagan, as a diverse, dad brought to children to the marriage, marine and michael reagan. By the time the family came on to the national stage, for some the Governors Mansion in california, and then of course in the white house years, the family relationship became great interest to the public. And there were suggestions that there were tensions between the kids. In fact, one of our viewers refers to this. Why did she have strained relationship with the reagan kids . What is the relationship like with her kids and stepson . Now we have another clip from a documentary and it actually talks about the rugged partnership and its effect on children. So lets listen to ron reagan talking about life inside the reagan household from his perspective. Welcome back to. We were conscious i think growing, up all of us, i know i was, there were two sets of people. To definite and distinct sorts of people involved in the family. There was my mother and father. And there was everybody else. While we were all part of the family, when push came to shove, there was a distinction to be made, that you know, it really wasnt like, it wasnt like, be seen and not, heard but we were expected to put ourselves in second place to whatever they were doing. Carl, cannon looking you add to this part of the story . Will ron regan junior, the family qassem skipper. He had a book party here three or four years ago in washington, i was there any tell the story. The same theme about social distance. You know theres two kinds of. Fathers theres the kind who looks at the window and see if there could playing football and joins the. Game and then theres a kind who goes back to work. His dad was the type that played with the kids. When you keep hearing what the social distance that reagan had with his children, with people, he taught those kids to summon ride. He played ball with all of them. He was very involved. In his own mind, he was a family man. First he separated the hollywood people into two groups, people with multiple marriages, family. People he was a divorced dad, he didnt think of himself that way. Michael writes about it years later, when michael admits he was abused by a camp counselor. He tells the story of nancy being very much attuned to him, and feeling his pain, and reagans eyes kind of glazing over, that theres this emotional distance thats very subtle. Everyone talks but. It even nancy talks about it. And sometimes people would blame nancy, white house aides would blame. Her but nancy she was told my dad, after they left the white house, you can just get so far with ronny and then something happens. It took a long time i think to feel that he could even trust me. Before we leave the hollywood years of their, life alligator tableau on twitter asked this question. Was ronald and nancys conservativism unusual in 19 fifties . Hollywood i dont know from the right person to ask this to. There were some other conservatives in the community, but ultimately i think the folks who supported Ronald Reagan and his candidacy, which would be ten plus years after he left hollywood as an actor, people who were not in the movie. Industry they were personal friends. They were personal. Friends people just like. That i wouldnt say that conservatives were necessarily in the minority, but they probably werent in the majority. Either when reagan runs in 1966 against pat brown, who had been a popular two term governor of california, hed beaten return dixon like a champ in 90 60. Two but path that it would be wise to run against reagan as an actor. He would, say hes an actor, the way it would say you know, hes an idiot. And people figured well why doesnt this is what he strategy . Well my dad, like so many of these, things figured out because his people were off from Northern California and 60 of the voters were then in southern california, and they were proud of the movie industry. And there was a telethon that the democrats ran in which they were criticizing reagan for being an actor, and jack plants was there, and he stormed. Off hes one of, us they were proud of him. Were going to take a few phone, calls and then will learn how Meghan Partnership took them from hollywood to the Governors Mansion in california. Fills washing us, watching us in north california. Your first caller. I was up in the Reagan Library, beautiful complex. I recommend it to everybody, whether you agree with president reagans politics or not, or nazi ratings politics. But i was kind of struck by something, the omission, we only saw me one line about gene, women and not knowing a lot but the blatant ship or whatever. I was just wondering what the dynamic was between the radiance and jane woman. I thought it was odd that there was only one li