Word to LIve by & Reagan Forum

The Opening of the Reagan Library

On November 4, 1991, President Reagan stood alongside four other living U.S. Presidents – the first time in history five presidents had ever gathered together before – and officially opened the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Since that time, millions of visitors have visited our hilltop to experience the life and legacy of our nation’s 40^th president. And, in those 30 years, we have grown – in 2005 we opened the Air Force One Pavilion which houses President Reagan’s Air Force One, President Johnson’s Marine One, and a portion of Ronald Reagan’s motorcade; in 2011 we renovated all of our galleries; in 2018 we added a hologram of President Reagan, and we’ve added outdoor displays, including an F14 fighter jet, an F117 stealth fighter jet, and an M1 Abrams tank. And, of course, the Reagan Library is now the final resting place for both President and Mrs. Reagan. In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back 30 years today to the opening of the Library, to hear the opening day’s ceremonies.

Reagan Presidential Library 30th Anniversary

Today the subject is Presidential Libraries because this month we’re celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But wait, here’s a question for ya – who was the first President to have a Presidential Library by leaving his papers to the Federal Government? The answer is FDR who not only left his papers, but ultimately, his Hyde Park residence. So, that’s why we hear about George Washington’s or Thomas Jefferson’s or Lincoln’s papers in private collections because earlier, when a President left office, he just packed up the work product and went home. So, after FDR left his to the government, President Truman followed suit, leaving his papers to the government at which point Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act, providing Federal Funding for the preservation of the work product of the White House.

Digital Defense and Deterrence

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back one month to September 9, 2021 for our virtual program entitled, Digital Defense and Deterrence: America’s Cybersecurity Posture. The program featured America’s first National Cyber Director, Chris Inglis, and Dave Levy of Amazon Web Services as they focused on the future of U.S. cyber defenses across the national security interagency. The program also covered recent congressional policy interventions (including creating the National Cyber Director position), the Biden Administration’s approach to cyber, the importance of a unified cyber strategy, and how private sector partners can bolster U.S. cyber readiness.

AWACS, Chic Hecht, and Quid Pro Quos

When a President enters office, he inherits unfinished business from the prior administration. 40 years ago, one of the bits of dicey business President Reagan inherited was a promise made by President Carter to sell AWACS or Advance Radar Surveillance Aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

Does President Reagan Matter to Gen Z?

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back one month to September 14, 2021 for our virtual event held in partnership with the Heritage Foundation, entitled “Does President Reagan Matter to Generation Z?” The program was moderated by Joseph Loconte, the Director for the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at Heritage, as well as Tunku Varadarajan, a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The panel included Matthew Continetti, Senior Fellow from the American Enterprise Institute, Henry Nau, a professor emeritus of political science at George Washington University, and Reagan Biographer Craig Shirley.

The Death of Anwar Sadat

40 years ago, on October 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. Both President and Mrs. Reagan were deeply disturbed to learn of this tragedy, as only two months before, they warmly welcomed President Sadat and his wife to the White House and honored them with a state dinner. In this podcast, we’ll learn about the tragic assassination attempt, the funeral and in the second half of the podcast, the relationship that developed between the Reagans and the Sadats in August 1981.

A Reagan Forum "Jeff Immelt"

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to April 19, 2021, for our virtual event with former GE CEO Jeff Immelt for a conversation on his latest book, Hot Seat: What I learned leading a great American company. Jeff Immelt served as Chairman and CEO of GE for 16 years where he revamped the company’s strategy, global footprint, workforce, and culture.  During his tenure, he led several innovative transformations that doubled industrial earnings, reshaped the portfolio, re-established market leadership, and quadrupled emerging market revenue. He is currently a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates and he has been named one of the World’s Best CEOs three times by Barrons. Let's listen. 

A Reagan Forum "Tom Cotton"

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to February 18, 2021 event with Senator Tom Cotton.  The program, entitled,  “China, Targeted Decoupling, and the Economic Long War,” was the virtual launch of a report from Senator Tom Cotton which offered recommendations for how the United States can decouple key strategic sectors of its economy from China, mitigate the costs of decoupling, and reorganize parts of the federal government to wage the economic long war with China. The conversation with Senator Cotton was held with Reagan Institute Director, Roger Zakheim. Let’s Listen

Words to Live By "Holocaust Remembrance Day"

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.  Known as Yom HaShoah in Israel, the national memorial day is held on the Jewish Calendar’s 27^th day of Nisan, which falls in April or May on our calendar.  In 2021, the memorial fell on sundown of April 7 through sundown of April 8. On April 20, 1982, President Reagan delivered remarks for the 2^nd annual commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the holocaust. Let’s listen.

Words to Live By "Brezhnev"

As we continue to commemorate the 40^th anniversary year of Ronald Reagan becoming our nation’s president, we come to April 24, 2021, which marks the 40^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan sending a letter to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to try to begin a discussion and negotiation on the Soviet Union’s arms buildup. In March of 1983, President Reagan addressed the nation on defense and national security to discuss America’s defenses and the increase in America’s military build-up. During the speech, he spoke about Secretary Brezhnev. Let’s listen.