Beschreibung:

REAGAN, Ronald. Autograph letter, as President, draft of a letter to the editor of the Journal-Star in Peoria, Illinois, [Washington, D.C., mid- to late-1980]. 3 pages, folio (13 x 8½ in.), lined yellow legal paper, on rectos only , in fine condition. "I REALIZE THIS HAS BEEN A LENGTHY REPLY BUT THEN THERE WAS MUCH TO EXPLAIN & CORRECT" Reagan writes to the Editor of the Peoria Journal-Star , a paper of which "as a student at Eureka College I was a daily reader." Two editorials of 16 April and 4 May have prompted Reagan to respond, vigorously defending some of his more controversial statements: "Your subject was my alleged carelessness with fact & figure on the campaign trail... You apparently accepted as fact those statements which have appeared in print & on TV supposedly refuting statements I have made." Reagan explains his public statement that Vietnam Veterans should be denied the G.I. bill. A misunderstanding with an advisor apparently caused Reagan some confusion: "... in a meeting of several advisors I understood one of them to say just that [about denying Vietnam veterans]. Checking back with him it developed he was talking about the present volunteer army but since we had been discussing the Vietnam Veterans I assumed he was speaking of them." Reagan's claims to limit government have also been taken to task. He defends his statement about General Motors employing 23,000 people just to comply with government paperwork and statements he's made about OSHA. Other matters of contention relate to statements about the number of military personnel receiving food stamps and to the precise figures of the Kennedy tax cut of 1963-4. Reagan goes to considerable lengths to justify the tax increase imposed after he was elected Governor of California: "I appreciate your saying I'm not the type who would deliberately mislead and I hope you'll accept this as recognition that I feel the same way about you... I have never denied that I had to raise taxes my 1st year in office, indeed I have said this was so many times. Calif. Governors take office in the middle of the fiscal year. I found my predecessor had already accumulated a $200 mil. deficit in the 1st 6 mos." Reagan defends the second tax increase as a means to underwrite the property tax reduction and discusses the state's reform of welfare. "I don't believe I ever compromised on principal. My words on the subject (quoted in the editorial) referred to my willingness to get a half a loaf from a hostile legislature if that's all that could be managed and try later for the other half. We had to battle for several months to get legislation implementing our welfare reforms... I realize this has been a lengthy reply but then there was much to explain and correct."