George Putnam
Friday, Oct. 31, 2003

It is this reporter's opinion that the revisionists, the mythmakers and outright liars who write the histories of great men and women have distorted the biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts and Sir Winston Churchill. Now, apparently, it's Ronald Reagan's turn in the bucket.

CBS is about to broadcast a two-part miniseries, "The Reagans." It depicts happenings and conversations in Reagan's life that never took place. Producers of "The Reagans" do not deny that, and the young scriptwriters depict one of the great presidents of the 20th century as a dope, forgetful, inattentive - a callous individual with a domineering, pill-popping spouse.

We know the lies told about George Washington and the others. Now we witness the immature minds of the Hollywood set ignoring evidence and publicly committing their poison pens to an act of remarkable cruelty. As R. Emmett Tyrrell puts it, "It's on a par with claiming Roosevelt's paralysis impaired his performance in office."

Public outcry from Americans who love the Reagans has resulted in Leslie Moonves, chairman of CBS, backing off, realizing that such distortions don't belong - even in the important sweeps period.

Drudge, who apparently gained access to a sneak peek at the CBS fiasco, says the CBS legal department has called on the producers of the upcoming miniseries to either back up their scandalous assertions or severely edit the script. Drudge speaks of a scene in the film in which wife Nancy allegedly pleads with Reagan to help people battling AIDS. The script has Reagan stating, "They that live in sin shall die in sin," then refusing to discuss the issue further.

The CBS presentation ignores the fact that the Reagan administration began the greatest amount of spending on AIDS research and prevention in history. The movie also depicts Reagan as intolerant and uncaring toward gays and those who suffer from AIDS.

Reagan also spent his entire life fighting, among many other things, racism - and that began with his days as a college student. Let me cite an experience related to me by one of Reagan's former teammates who called from Whittier, Calif., to tell me this story.

Reagan played right guard on his college football team. Next to him at the center position was the only man of color on the team. The night before an important out-of town game, Reagan's team was to be given a steak dinner. As they sat down to eat, the restaurant owner approached the man of color and said, "You can have your dinner, but you've got to eat it in the kitchen."

Quietly furious, Reagan asked his fellow teammates to each contribute a few dimes and nickels so they could leave and go elsewhere for dinner ... and then the team walked out en masse, went down the street to a local hamburger joint and that was their dinner. The next day they enjoyed a smashing victory. Just one small incident of many showing where Ronnie Reagan came from.

Another myth, among many, is that Reagan didn't have a thought in his head or the ability to write. In fact, he was highly intelligent, studied issues deeply, knew exactly what his agenda was and implemented his ideas with utmost care and consideration.

"Reagan: A Life in Letters" reveals that he was intimately concerned and knowledgeable. Another book, "Reagan: In His Own Hand," a compilation of his writings, is self-evident. Not to mention that Peggy Noonan, Bruce Hirschenson and others who aided in editing for Reagan will tell you that he wrote almost all of his own speeches, columns and radio commentaries well before he became president in 1980. But the CBS miniseries would have you believe that he was incapable of such efforts.

My Own Experience, My Own Reflections

On many occasions, I would sit with Sam Cohen, the father of the neutron bomb, and Laurence Beilenson, author of "The Treaty Trap," and Laurence would share with us handwritten letters and exchanges between himself and the president on vital current issues. The letters were amazing, but most of all they demonstrated the president's exceptional communication skills and understanding of world affairs.

It is amazing to me that anyone with an objective viewpoint could not acknowledge Reagan's momentous eight-year presidency, filled with events a less formidable man could not have endured: the astounding near-death assassination attempt, the enormous arms buildup, his diplomatic confrontation with Moscow, his reformation of economic policy, his re-election, two off-year elections, attending to guerrilla warfare and terrorism worldwide.

Meanwhile, his detractors in this phony CBS presentation attack Reagan as inattentive to his staff, hard-hearted, neglectful of the AIDS epidemic, with a bossy wife, and all the rest of their manufactured myths.

Let me remind them it was Reagan who initiated our massive defense buildup. He deployed Pershing and Cruise missiles in Europe. He sent weapons and other assistance to anti Communist guerrillas fighting for self-determination in Afghanistan, Angola and Nicaragua. These measures were fiercely resisted by his liberal detractors, who now not only decry Reagan's policies as confrontational and likely to lead to nuclear war, but also are shot through with jealously of the great love he enjoys from the people, of whom he said, "You have made me proud to call myself an American."

Most of the individuals who have come to a distorted picture of Reagan have not known him as I have almost from the beginning. They never met his father, John, his mother, Nelle, or his brother, Neil. They didn't begin as those of us who were children of the Depression began, trying to scratch out a living, working in the fields of the Midwest, harvesting, threshing, milking the cows and slopping the hogs -- trying to keep body and soul together and struggling to get an education. That experience built fiber that separated the men from the boys, and together we all dreamed of a better world.

I recall Dutch Reagan, a sports broadcaster on WHO Des Moines, covering the Cubs at their summer training on Catalina Island; serving as a lifeguard, reportedly pulling 77 kids out of watery situations; then on to a movie career (we know of his superb efforts as president of the Screen Actors Guild, where he was an expert on parliamentary procedure).

All of this, plus so much more, contributed to the building of the man whose path in life weaved its way in and out of learning experiences, always with an eye toward and an understanding of government and politics. My friend Doris Day said she dated Ronnie and when I asked, "How'd it go?" she said, "He was a great dancer, a lot of fun ... but the trouble was, he never stopped talking politics, and frankly it became a bore."

There is so much to tell you of my personal contacts on a day-to-day basis with this amazing man -- his labor negotiations, his understanding of the Communist threat, the memorable speech for Goldwater, his plea for smaller government, tax reduction, a strong military, his passion for adhering to our Constitution ... or the times when Ronnie and I combined our efforts on a series of editorials and commentaries when he was between assignments and before becoming governor of California.

One says it best when thinking of Reagan: He makes you proud to be an American. He inspires PRIDE in America, LOVE of America.

Reagan's accomplishments are so numerous, yet building the military and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) made the difference. CBS, how about telling THAT story -- just one amazing achievement of so many to one of the greatest presidents of all time. I believe he's the only real leader we've had since FDR.

There's no puzzle here. There's no myth. Longtime colleagues and associates know Ronnie best. Come to us, CBS, if you want the real story. If you want to know about sovereignty of our nation, how to cut taxes and interest rates, how to build the military and our defense, listen to Ronald Reagan and you'll understand why the majority of us take such pride in America and in true leadership when we recognize it.

There is so much to say, so little time to say it. If we remember nothing else, let his words resound throughout all time: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Remember, too, what Margaret Thatcher said: "Reagan ended Communism and won World War III without firing a single shot."

Ronnie, in your silent solitude, know that every American patriot and much of the world loves you for your deeds. Whenever I think of Ronnie, the words shout: "DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY!"

This reporter has never subscribed to boycott, but where CBS and this phony miniseries on Reagan is concerned, I think the American people are unforgiving ... and will not forget!

Nancy, go get 'em!

Related Links:
Nancy Reagan Should Sue CBS Drudge: Script Proves CBS Will Smear Reagan

Editor's Note:
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"Reagan: A Life in Letters"
"Reagan: In His Own Hand"

The legendary George Putnam is 89 years young and a veteran of 69 years as a reporter, broadcaster and commentator ... and is still going strong. George is part of the all-star line-up of Southern California's KPLS Radio – Hot Talk AM 830. Click here for George's complete bio.

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