Only presidents land on the South Lawn, he noted, and he wasn’t the president. It would be far better to play it low-key, he said. It would take longer, but Bush didn’t want to signal the situation was more dire than it was. The vice president instead insisted the chopper fly to his official residence at the Naval Observatory, where he would hop in a motorcade to the White House. Landing on the South Lawn would also make for dramatic television, but Bush didn’t think it was a good idea. It was the safest and fastest way to get him to the Situation Room, where he could take control of the government. The Secret Service recommended that Bush, upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base, fly by helicopter directly to the White House. Bush knew everyone was looking to him for leadership. The president was stable and going to make it.īut he was not yet conscious and had a tough recovery ahead. “Is anybody holding her hand?” he wondered.Īs the plane neared Washington, Bush learned that doctors had removed the bullet from Reagan’s left lung and stopped the bleeding. “If there was any emotion to note in particular, concern for his new friend Ronald Reagan.”īush was also worried about Nancy Reagan and how she was faring. “My chief memory of that day was his great sense of calm, of being in control and in command,” Untermeyer told The Times in an interview Saturday. His staffers, who were not nearly so collected as they struggled to comprehend the enormity of what had happened, admired their boss’ poise. … My every inclination is to be calm not churning around.” “I’ve got to sort those things out, absorb it, but I don’t feel any lack of confidence. “I’ve been doing my reading” on national security matters, Bush said, and was convinced he could make tough decisions. He was particularly concerned that the Soviet Union might use its military to put down labor unrest and dissent in Poland, or move aggressively to take advantage of the confusion in Washington. “You see a guy get into a car, waving,” Bush told Untermeyer, “and you think, ‘How could anybody shoot that nice guy?’”ĭespite the turmoil, the vice president remained cool as he pondered his awesome responsibility if Reagan were to die. It pained him to watch replays on TV of the shooting. But since joining Reagan’s ticket in the 1980 campaign, they had formed a close personal bond.īush now considered the president a true friend. The 56-year-old former oilman, member of Congress and CIA director had once been bitter political adversaries with Reagan. He also granted an interview to one of his aides, Chase Untermeyer, to capture his thoughts for posterity.īush said he felt terrible about what had happened. He scribbled some notes on a flight information card, reflecting that it had taken about 20 minutes for the “enormity” of the situation to hit him. The vice president, staffers and three members of Congress stared transfixed at a small black-and-white TV set that had in-and-out reception as it broadcast news reports of the shooting and its aftermath.Īs the plane made a quick stop in Austin to refuel, Bush prayed - for President Reagan and the nation. The mood in Air Force Two was grim as it streaked back to Washington. Haig was forced to send a secure teletype relaying that Reagan had indeed been wounded, was in serious condition and doctors were weighing whether to operate.
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