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Assassination Attempt - 03/30/1981 (3)
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Assassination Attempt - 03/30/1981 (3)
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Records of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (Reagan Administration)
Richard Williamson's Office Files
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual
collections.
Collection: Williamson, Richard S.: Files
Folder Title: Assassination Attempt March 30, 1981
[3 of 3]
Box: CFOA 46
To see more digitized collections visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at:
[email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 31, 1981
BRIEFING FOR REPORTERS
BY MR. BAKER AND MR. GERGEN
Mr. Baker's Office
12:30 P.M. EST
MR. BAKER: I have a couple matters that I want to
cover. We are on the record. First of all, there was some report
that the President had not inquired about the health of others
who were with him. Last night, and I can't pinpoint the exact
time for you, he inquired about the one person that he saw on the
ground before the car pulled out, that he thought was a Secret
Service agent. And he was given an answer that I cannot -- that I
do not have. I mean I don't know what the answer was but he did make
the inquiry.
Perhaps more importantly, he was told this morning at
12:16 -- I mean this afternoon at 12:16 by Dr. Ruge about Jim Brady
and about the extent and nature of the injuries to the other two
people. Dr. Ruge told him that the reason he didn't tell him last
night or early this morning was because of the tube that would
have prevented --
Q
What was that?
MR. BAKER: The tubes in his nose and mouth that would
have prevented him from talking about it. He has slept a fair bit
since we were there this morning.
Q
What was his reaction when he was told?
MR. BAKER: Yes, I'll get back to that. Since we
were there this morning. His reaction when told by Dr. Ruge was,
I think he said, "Oh, damn. Oh, damn," and his eyes welled up with
tears. He then asked, "Did it go into the brain?" And was told.
that it did. He said, "Oh, dear. What is the prognosis?" He was
told that there might be some weakness on the left side. Mrs.
Reagan, who was in the room, then told him that last night that
many people didn't think that Jim was going to make it at all, and
his response to that was, "Oh, dear, we must pray," or something
like that.
He then asked about the agent, once again about the
agent. He was told that he was fine, recovering. He then was told
by Dr. Ruge about the policeman and he said, "That means four
bullets hit. Good Lord."
Now, turning to the activities of yesterday, I'd
like to suggest that the activities that took place in the
hospital, here in the Situation Room, and on the Vice President's
plane, reflected a spirit of cooperation and dedication toward one
goal, the goal of keeping our government running smoothly during a
time of distress.
A point that I think has been made but that I would
like to reiterate is that we at all times had full communication
between the hospital, the Situation Room here at the White House,
where the Cabinet or at least a majority of the Cabinet were, and
MORE
- 2 -
the Bush airplane. Within about the first 30 minutes after arrival
at the hospital -- it may have been 45 -- but there were White
House phones and communications in place --
0
At the hospital?
MR. BAKER: At the hospital. Excuse me, let me
go through all this, Mike, and then you can come back and ask me
whatever questions you want.
I How many minutes?
MR. BAKER: Thirty to 45 minutes, I would think, on
the outside. We were using commercial phones for the first 45
minutes.
When news of this first broke here it was probably
2:30 in the afternoon, around that. At that time I conferred
twice with Secretary Haig by telephone.
Q
You called him?
MR. BAKER: He called me the first time, and I told
him that I would keep him advised. You see, our first report
here was that the President had not been hit.
Q
Where did you get that report?
MR. BAKER: I got that report from Mike Deaver at
the hospital.
Q
Mike didn't get to the hospital -- he didn't
ride with the President, did he? He went in a separate car?
MR. BAKER: No, I. don't believe he did. But when he
first called me he was of the view that the President had not been
hit. He quickly called me back. At that time almost immediately
the call came in from Al. We agreed that it was very important how
we handled this in terms of foreign perception.
2
This was before Haig knew that he was hit and
before you knew?
MR. BAKER: No. This was after I had gotten the
second call from the hospital telling me that the President had
received a wound. They weren't sure of the extent of it.
Q Who called?
MR. BAKER: That was Mike again. But he had walked
into the hospital on his own, under his own power, and fallen, sort
of passed out there in the emergency room.
Q
He passed out?
MR. BAKER: Well, he collapsed.
2
Collapsed?
MR. BAKER: He was then given transfusions and his
condition was restored, stable.
Back to the telephone calls.
Q
He collapsed from a standing position?
MORE
- 3 -
MR. BAKER: I can't answer that for you. I was just
simply told that he collapsed when he got to the emergency room.
No one knew that he had actually been hit until he was examined.
Q
Why was he taken to the hospital?
MR. BAKER: Because he was complaining of a soreness
in his ribcage. It was thought at first, Sam, that he had been
injured when the agents pushed him in the car and agent Jerry Carr
at first ordered that the limo. proceed to the White House. It's
my understanding that he changed that order and directed that they
go, after the President complained of -- and I think he may even
have complained of a difficulty in breathing -- ordered that they
go to George Washington.
I
One point, Jim. His jacket was off when he got
out of the car and walked into the hospital. They couldn't see the
blood on his shirt?
Q
No, it wasn't.
Q
Are you sure?
2
Yes.
Q
The eyewitness said it was on but that he saw a
little bit of blood.
MR. BAKER: I cannot answer that for you.
2
He was holding his left side, some blood.
Q
A little bit of blood.
Q
Coming down.
Q
Okay. All right.
MR. BAKER: I shouldn't really be speculating on this,
but I believe -- and I don't know this of my own personal knowledge --
but I'm not sure that they recovered a whole bullet in there. I mean
there's a question of whether it was a riccochet or whether it was a
fragment of a bullet as opposed to a whole bullet.
2
They said it was mangled.
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
Is there some theory that it might have hit the
car first and then hit him?
MR. BAKER: That is -- there was -- obviously, you can
see on the car window right there, the door that was open, you can
see where one bullet hit. I suppose it could have hit and gone --
I don't think they have a -- you'd have to go to the Secret Service
and to the FBI for that.
When I told Al that the President had in fact been hit
he left to come over here. I told him that I would be in touch with
him and left to go to the hospital.
I
He volunteered that he'd come here or you asked
him to?
MR. BAKER: Yes. (He volunteered.)
- 4 -
But this was done by agreement. I want to make that
very plain. This was an agreed upon thing. It wasn't something
that was debated or with respect to which there was any disagreement.
We wanted to get all the Cabinet, as many of the Cabinet over here
as we could.
Q
But you made the second call?
MR. BAKER: From the hospital.
Q
Oh, from the hospital you called him and said
he had been hit?
MR. BAKER: I don't know whether I made the call or
whether he made the call but I did say that we would be in touch as
soon as I got to the hospital. We talked almost as soon as I got to
the hospital and agreed that he, as the senior Cabinet officer
present, would serve as the chief contact point between Ed Meese and
me at the hospital and the Situation Room and he did so, and this
arrangement -- this arrangement existed in numerous conversations
after that. I can't tell you how many but we had a number of
conversations during the course of the surgery.
2
You agreed. Who proposed the arrangement?
MORE
(Pages previously issued as pages A through M pick up here.)
(Pages will be renumbered as pages 5 through 17 in later
complete transcript.)
A
(In progress.)
MR. BAKER: I think it was probably just mutually
understood. I don't recall anybody specifically proposing it.
I mean, it was an understanding that we readily arrived at.
Q
Where were you when he called you the first time
knowing that the President had been hit?
MR. BAKER: Had been hit. That's correct.
Q
He knew it as quickly as you did?
MR. BAKER: That's correct.
Q
Did he know it before you?
MR. BAKER: No, he didn't. No, he learned it from me.
I'm sorry, Judy. I misunderstood your question. He learned it from
me.
Q
Oh, then he called you to find out --
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
-- what was going on?
MR. BAKER: What was going on. And he called right
after I got the second call.
Q
Did you also call Weinberger at that time?
MR. BAKER: No. Others did, though. We put out
word to notify the Cabinet to come to the Situation Room. I clearly
agreed with Al that he should be the point of contact and he was. He
was the senior Cabinet officer present in the Situation Room.
Q
"Point of contact". Would you define that
phrase further as you understood it yesterday?
MR. BAKER: Well, my understanding of it was he was
the senior person, senior Cabinet officer aboard here in the
Situation Room with whom those of us at the hospital would coordinate
actions. After all, the President was alert and conscious until
he actually had anesthesia.
Now, moving to the briefing that the Secretary
conducted, and I was not here so I don't speak from personal
knowledge on this, but it's my understanding that at some point
during the afternoon -- I believe it was right after Larry left
the hospital to come back over here -- a question arose about the
alert status of American forces and our overall security. Secretary
Haig at that point felt that it was important to reassure our allies
that there was continuity of government here in the United States.
He did so. Certainly we support his doing SO.
Q
He felt it was important?
MR. BAKER: That's correct. I think we all believed
it was important.
Q
You say you support his doing so.
MR. BAKER: Absolutely.
MORE
B
Q
You suggest that he made the statement and you
support his making of it.
MR. BAKER: That's correct.
Q
But he did not consult with you prior to making it?
MR. BAKER: No. That's correct.
Q
Speakes took the question to him?
MR. BAKER: But you have to remember, Sam, that
we had the press room here and we had a large contingent of press at
the hospital to whom we were speaking with respect to immediate
developments there, the President's condition and that sort of thing.
Q
I think that some people look at the phraseology
that he used. Do you have any problem with it?
MR. BAKER: Let me just finish and then I'll get into
that. I just want to point out that at all times, I think it's fair
to say that officials of the administration were prepared to deal
with any contingency. We had the appropriate Cabinet officers in
place in the Situation Room. We had instant and direct communication
between them and the President and the Vice President's airplane.
Had any decision been required we were in a position to take such
action. If the President had not been able to make it, we were in a
position to immediately take the action which might have been
required.
Q
You mean the 25th Amendment?
MR. BAKER: To take a decision. Either the 25th
Amendment or the national command authority, either one. We were
in -- remember now, we're in constant communication not only with
the Situation Room but with the Vice President's airplane.
Q
When he was going into surgery, was he there
beforehand?
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
Did he say anything about, "I'm going into
surgery. Call the Vice President and tell him to take over
"
MR. BAKER: No, it was never -- he said, "Honey
he said to Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck," winked at -- he winked
at me as he went in there, and he --
Q
But there was no question? He didn't have any
feeling of transferring authority?
MR. BAKER: He did not say -- no.
Q
Mr. Baker, when that confusion arose, or uncertainty,
in the minds of reporters who, after all, are citizens, residents, as
I am
MR. BAKER: Sure.
Q
-- was Mr. Haig's remark, "I am in control here."
Q
The phraseology.
MORE
C
MR. BAKER: Well, I don't think that there's any dispute
over there. He was in control in the Situation Room. And this was
by agreement. I mean this was an understanding that we had. As the
senior Cabinet officer present it would be normal that he would be
the control person in the Situation Room until the Vice President
arrived.
Q
That's an agreement of the Cabinet?
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
And the command authority would not have taken
effect?
MR. BAKER: Command authority only applies under very --
it's unfortunate that we -- not unfortunate but it's -- that's
confusing to people. The command authority only applies in a narrow
set of circumstances, range of circumstances. It's classified.
It is -- I don't want to discuss it any further. But it's basically
as it was outlined.
Q
Before we get into all that, do you have one more
point or two that you want to make with us?
MR. BAKER: No, that's basically it.
Q
That's basically it.
MR. BAKER: Yes, more or less.
Q Okay.
Q
If it's classified, did somebody let --
MR. BAKER: Well, I would only say this: We feel here
and we took pains at the senior staff meetings this morning to
congratulate the Cabinet and the staff for what we think was pretty
good teamwork during this thing. It went, under the circumstances,
about as smoothly as I think any reasonable person could have
expected that it would. There were no hitches. I think even if
a presidential decision had been required the proper procedures and
processes could have been followed so that it could have been attained.
Q
Well, going back to the command authority, which
you say is classified, but can it be said that whatever it is, it
was established prior to yesterday?
MR. BAKER: That's correct. It was established at the
inception of the administration, as it always is.
Q
So whatever line of command authority exists
under those set of circumstances was not a reaction to any events
of the last several days --
MR. BAKER: No.
Q.
-- or the crisis management flap.
MR. BAKER: No.
Q
I want to ask you about the classified. Now that
this is out that there is a command authority and what the line is,
have you told us a military secret? No? That there is one?
MR. BAKER: I think the fact that there is one is not
a secret.
D
Q
What about the order?
MR. BAKER: The order is but we haven't really gone --
we're not going to go into that any more.
Q
But you've already told us it goes Vice President
to Secretary of Defense.
MR. BAKER: I haven't told you where. We haven't told
you everywhere it goes. And it can be changed at any time.
Q
Are we right to assume that this is a dire -- this
would be implemented in a dire military situation?
MR. BAKER: That's correct.
Q
An emergency of real import?
MR. BAKER: That's correct.
Q
Every administration sets a new one, is that
what you're saying, and they do it at the beginning and it can be --
you can change it today?
MR. BAKER: That's correct. It's the President's
decision, though.
Q
Even though Mr. Haig, as you pointed out, was the
senior Cabinet minister -- officer -- here and took control by
agreement with you, Larry said last night that under the command
authority Mr. Weinberger would be in line after the Vice President.
Is that also part of this classified --
MR. BAKER: That's correct. That was a correct
statement. But that applies only in a very narrow, narrow,
limited range of circumstances, none of which were even approached
in this --
Q
Why did, then, why did Weinberger have a big
fight with Haig?
MR. BAKER: I can't discuss that with you because I
was not over here.
Q
You didn't witness it?
MR. BAKER: No. I didn't get back here until about an
hour --
Q
Hasn't anybody told you about it?
MR. BAKER: -- about an hour or so -- yes, but whatever
was told, whatever was said to me.
MR. GERGEN: I was there and there was no big fight
between Weinberger and Haig.
Q
There was not a big fight?
Q
A small fight?
MR. GERGEN: No, there was not.
Q
How would you describe it, then?
MORE
E
MR. GERGEN: I think that there were discussions all
during the afternoon as to this -- there were discussions both before
and after the Secretary's statement about what steps ought to be
taken. There was no row. There was no shouting, as some people are
alleging. And I think if you -- I received word, I think both the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State are both saying that
today.
Q
There was a disagreement, there was a difference
of opinion of some sort.
MR. GERGEN: I would say that there were discussions
during the day. There was no disagreement over who was in command
or who was in charge.
Q
What about what the Secretary of State had said
in that statement?
MR. GERGEN: No, there was -- it's been our view during
and after that, those meetings down there, that they did deal with
delicate subjects. Some of the matters were matters of national
security, and that it's inappropriate to discuss what was actually
said or not said, but that I can just assure you there was no row
down there.
MR. BAKER: Let me say this. I -- after it became
apparent that the operation was successful and that the President
was in absolutely no danger and perhaps -- this was perhaps 45 minutes
to an hour before the statement over at the hospital because the
doctors were unwilling to make any statement until they'd actually
completed the operation --- I came back over here in the Situation
Room and I can assure you that there did not appear to me to be --
to have been any row.
Q
Why did you talk to Weinberger today?
Q
Did you talk to Ed Meese about this? Has either
one of you? Do you know what his view is?
MR. BAKER: Well, Ed stayed at the hospital longer
than I did, so he wasn't here. When I left to come back to the
Situation Room Ed left to go meet the Vice President.
Q
Why are some State Department people saying
that their impression is after talking to people at the White House
that there was unhappiness over the way Haig handled this?
MR. BAKER: I don't know. I do not know and we saw
that in the -- we saw that, Diane Sawyer's report today. That's one
reason I wanted to get all of these facts before you, because I can't
speak for the State Department but there's no unhappiness on the part
of White House Staff.
Q
There was not?
MR. BAKER: There is not. There is not unhappiness.
Q
On any facet of how Haig conducted himself last
evening?
MR. BAKER: With respect to any of the events that I
have outlined for you.
I
Have you carefully --
MORE
F
MR. BAKER: I cannot speak for the Secretary of
Defense. I am not carefully omitting anything, no. We think, as I
just said before, that all elements of the government pulled together
on the same oar at a difficult time and that the performance was good.
Q
May I ask you something on a different subject?
There appeared to many of us to be a huge time lag between when you
were notifying other people in the government, on the Hill, and past
presidents, and other people like that, before you were telling the
American public, through us. Why did you decide to have that lag
and go through that huge notification process before you addressed
the public on the President's condition and other --
MR. BAKER: We thought it important to notify former
presidents. We thought it important to notify the Hill. But the
real reason, Lesley, was because the doctors were appropriately
unwilling to come out and make a statement, notwithstanding the fact
that they would tell us, "Things are --", "He's doing extremely
well. The operation is successful. There will be absolutely no
complications." They were, nevertheless, unwilling to go out before
the cameras and before the entire press and take the questions that
they took, in great degree and for a long period of time, yesterday
afternoon, until the operation had actually been completed.
Q
But if you were notifying these other people,
couldn't you have notified us of the end of the operation?
MR. BAKER: We thought it was important that you hear
it from the horse's mouth. We thought it was important that the
American people hear it from the horse's mouth and that we think
that
the briefing that Dr. O'Leary did over there went a long
way to calm all the fears that might have existed out there about
the President's well-being.
Q
I think we're getting to the point, what you
would call a discussion someone else might call a little bit of a
tiff. Okay?
MR. GERGEN: Yes, I think that could be in the eyes of
the beholder.
MR. BAKER: I agree.
Q
Well, what was the nature of the discussion?
MR. GERGEN: Well, that's what I defer.
Q
So there was a little dispute?
MR. GERGEN: There were discussions and there were
different points of view at various times in the day, as one would
expect in a group of 10 to 15 people in the room.
Q
Right. But was it, without getting into anything
that's Top Secret, was it on a modus operandi or was it in terms of
how the U.S. would deal --
MR. GERGEN: It was not over who was in charge or
who was in command. That's very clear. It was not over who was
in charge or who was in command. It was not over that kind of
issue. The discussions that took place -- I think that people are
arguing or suggesting that there was some sort of argument over who
was in charge, and I think that's basically incorrect.
MR. BAKER: I don't think I've even heard that as a
MORE
G
rumor, that there was any argument over --
Q
Did that come before or after Haig's appearance
in the press room?
MR. GERGEN: There were different points of view
both before and after, but I would --
Q
On substance?
MR. GERGEN: On some substantive issues. But let me
just say this: I think that you have to see it in the context of
what I thought was a remarkably harmonious meeting to last for six
hours down there. The overall context of that meeting and the view
that, if I can only echo what Jim said there, the view of people
I talked to, certainly from the White House point of view, after it
was over, was that Al Haig did one hell of a job down there and we
really thoroughly appreciate what he did.
It's been a great surprise to us, frankly, to have this
question arise.
MR. BAKER: And to have it come out of the State
Department.
Q
Well, they say it's coming from here.
MR. BAKER: I know but all I can tell you is that
there is absolutely no dissatisfaction on the part of certainly
senior staff over here and they were the only ones, for the most
part, involved with the conduct of the Secretary of State yesterday
and what he did he did, in terms of being the senior officer present
in the Situation Room, he did by agreement.
Q
But you've made it plain that he suggested the
agreement.
MR. BAKER: I suppose that we could have said no,
we don't like that agreement. The fact of the matter is we liked
the agreement. It was a good agreement. It was one that we, had he
not suggested it, we probably would have.
Q
But you didn't because he suggested it first.
MR. BAKER: Well, that just happens to be the fact of
the matter, yes.
Q
When do you think we'll be able to see the
President in front of cameras?
MR. BAKER: But, Sam, it was an appropriate agreement
and we promptly agreed to it and were happy with it.
Q
When do you think we'll be able to get in and see
the President on camera?
MR. BAKER: I can't answer that for you. I would not
think it would be for a few days, a number of days.
Q
Are you going to show us his operation? Scar?
Q
How long before he gets out of there?
MR. BAKER: His scar? (Laughter.) You had a
president once that used to do that.
MORE
H
Q
He was from Texas.
Q
Do you know why he did it? He actually did it
on the first picture taking. So we're really --
MR. BAKER: I can't tell you when that'll be yet.
Q
Senators Laxalt and Baker both said that they
think this president will go out in public again, will not be a
prisoner on the White House, will not change his method of mingling
with the general public. Is that your view? Is that the view of the
staff here?
MR. BAKER: That would be my view today.
Q
Meaning -- what do you mean? You might rethink
it?
MR. BAKER: Well, obviously there will be other --
we will have, I'm sure, recommendations from the Service and it may
be that those could be convincing. We'd just have to take a look at
them and see.
Q
How soon do you think the --
MR. BAKER: The President, obviously, didn't have on
a bullet-proof vest.
2
Has he ever worn one since he's been President?
MR. BAKER: Yes, he -- since he's been President? Not
to my knowledge.
Q
But during the campaign?
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
Can you tell us, do you know when?
MR. BAKER: Several times. Usually large rallies where
you -- where it's very difficult to see the crowd, see the people
that make up the crowd. I remember him, on a number of occasions,
putting it on in the airplane.
Q
Has the Service ever suggested it since he's
been President and he said no?
MR. BAKER: No.
Q
There's a report that we know something about, or
the authorities know something about, the motive of the suspect.
What was the motive of the suspect?
MR. BAKER: You'd have to talk to the Justice
Department.
Q
Are they going to brief today on this, do you know?
MR. BAKER: I don't know.
I
Has the President been briefed --
MR. BAKER: They're going to be ery cautious about
what they say in order not to prejudice the case. I know that.
MORE
I
I
How soon do you think you'll be able to get out
of the hospital and do some work in the office?
MR. BAKER: I think you'll have to ask the doctors.
Did they give you a timeframe on the --
I
They said two or three weeks in the hospital and
they didn't know --
Q
He's fully able to make decisions today, carry
on the duties of the presidency.
MR. BAKER: He made one today. He signed the Dairy
Bill. Some people -- some people -- questioned whether the
signature was genuine. But I want to tell you, here's the pen
he signed it with.
Q
Ah, the very pen.
2
The very pen.
MR. BAKER: And it was genuine. And he could make
decisions. He's not I don't think he's heavily sedated. He's
still drowsy because he's been up off and on all night.
I
Are you all going to try to go see him every morning
and talk about the day's events?
MR. BAKER: We really haven't gotten into that yet
but I assume we will, maybe more than just in the morning.
2
Did you all sit around yesterday at any time
and talk about the 25th Amendment, whether --
MR. BAKER: That was discussed here in the Situation
Room. It was discussed -- Ed and I talked about it at the
hospital. And I think it was the view of all concerned that if
the President were in a position to make decisions and if the
period -- if we were looking only at the period of time during
which he was under anesthesia or recupterating from anesthesia, that
there would not be any even preliminary steps taken toward the
25th Amendment, that the best approach as far as the country and
the American people were concerned would be business as usual, to
the extent that that could happen.
I
Is that why you gathered the Cabinet here?
MR. BAKER: We had the Cabinet here in the event we
needed them for the purpose of the 25th Amendment. Absolutely.
Q
Right
MR. BAKER: That, by the way, was George Bush's view
too and that's what he announced when he arrived in the Situation
Room.
Q.
Who was that?
MR. BAKER: George Bush. That based on the medical
reports we'd received at that time, that there did not appear to be
any cause to consider invoking the 25th Amendment. This was the
MORE
J
unanimous view, I believe, of all concerned. I had personally
spoken to Al Haig to that effect from the hospital before I left
to come back over here.
Q
That there was no need to invoke it? This was
after the report on the surgery?
MR. BAKER: Well, there was on need because no
presidential decision was called for during that period of time.
Q
He would have had to decide his own disability,
wouldn't he?
MR. BAKER: No. There's another -- if the President
cannot decide his own disability and, of course, you cannot when
you're under anesthesia, then the Vice President and a majority of
the Cabinet make that determination. But there was never any
question in the Vice President's mind.
Q
Is that why it was important to mention that
there was a majority of the Cabinet present in the Situation Room?
MR. BAKER: Yes. Yes. Frankly, we were positioned to
take whatever action we needed, whether it was under the 25th Amendment,
whether it was under the normal chain of command responsibilities of
Cabinet officers, or whether it was under the national command
authority, to deal with whatever contingency happened. And there
was complete and instant communication between those three places.
Q
Was there any effort made or were any assurances
sought from the Soviets that they would not seek to take advantage
of the situation?
MR. BAKER: I don't want to get into that. You'd
have to ask other -- somebody else that.
Q
You trailed off. What'd you say?
MR. BAKER: That's not a question for me to answer.
Q
Because you don't know or because you --
Q
Did you suggest someone else would be better
for it?
Q
Was there any warning given to them not to make
a move?
MR. BAKER: I don't want to get into that.
Q
Was the hotline used?
MR. BAKER: You should ask the Secretary of State
that.
Q
Was the state of U.S. forces, the readiness state,
ever changed? Was the state of readiness --
MR. BAKER: I don't want to get into that either, Sam.
Q
Tell us about the President's curiosity about the
shooting.
MR. BAKER: You can ask the Secretary of Defense that
and you can ask the Secretary of State that,
K
I
The President's curiosity about the shooting?
Q
Of the Cabinet government?
MR. BAKER: The Cabinet government, that's right.
Q
The President's curiosity about the shooting,
himself? It seems he was very interested in who the young man was
and --
MR. BAKER: Yes.
Q
Did he ask you what the motive was and --
MR. BAKER: I'm told that he did. I was not there
when -- he asked who it was and I don't remember specifically what
he was told other than that he was an unlikely gunman, that he came
from a fairly well-to-do family in Denver, Colorado -- originally
Lubbock, Texas.
Q
Was it Evergreen or Denver?
MR. BAKER: I'm sorry, Evergreen, Colorado.
Recently from Lubbock, Texas. I don't know. What else was
he told, Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: I don't know.
a
You don't know what specific questions he asked
about it, what the President's questions were?
MR. BAKER: No, I was not there. I was not there
when he was carrying on.
Q
Do you think he saw the man? Do you think he
saw him?
MR. BAKER: I don't know.
Q
He only saw one agent fall, saw one agent fall.
But he didn't see Brady fall, did he?
MR. BAKER: I don't know. He saw one person on the
ground as he left and that's why his inquiry last night -- he
assumed it was an agent and he inquired last night at some point
about the welfare of that agent. And I believe it was the agent,
not Jim, that he --
Q
He was aware that the firing was gòing on when
he was being pushed in the limousine?
MR. BAKER: Yes. Yes.
Q
By that time he heard the fire?
MR. BAKER: Yes.
MR. SPEAKES: May I prevail on you for a loan of your
tape so that we can pick up the first part?
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L
D
Do you think he'll have to wipe out the border
trip, San Diego?
MR. BAKER: I don't know.
Q
You know; I wish you would reconsider telling us
what this discussion, this discussion between Weinberger and Haig
was because it simply now will be part of the rumor. I mean we
will think of all kinds of things which will be worse, probably,
than the fact.
MR. GERGEN: Well, I know the rumor.
Q
Can you give a hazy idea?
MR. GERGEN: No, I think we've talked with the
principals involved and they really do not believe there was
any row.
Q Was it over invoking the 25th Amendment?
MR. GERGEN: Oh, no, no.
Q See, by not telling us we're now going to have
to think of all sorts of things.
Q Wasn't it over the suggestion that Haig. had
opened the bag on this national command authority?
MR. GERGEN: I think it's really better that -- I think
the critical thing from our point of view was that there was -- from
our perspective and from the perspective of the individuals that
there was no row. I can't tell you how other people will characterize
any conversation.
Q
I wonder why it got out like that.
MR. GERGEN: Well, you never know what other people
do.
Q
They're known in recent days not to have great --
there's a problem, you see.
MR. GERGEN: That's what we would suggest to you that
there is not.
Q
A week ago Monday we had a little problem here
involving Haig and the White House Staff. If it weren't for that --
MR. BAKER: That's the point I'm trying to get across
to you, that the White House Staff is not displeased at all with the
Secretary's performance yesterday. We think the entire government
functioned well yesterday. We particularly think he functioned well
yesterday here as the contact in the Situation Room. Now, just
because there was some difference of opinion between Secretary
Haig and Secretary Weinberger, we now have a story out there that
the White House Staff and Secretary Haig are feuding once again.
We are not. We agree on this procedure.
I
Which he suggested?
MR. BAKER: Which he suggested, which, as I told you,
we probably would have suggested had he not suggested it. And to
which we readily agreed. Readily.
MORE
MR. GERGEN: It's the natural order of things, after all,
given his senior status.
Q
Forgive me if I missed one of the comments.
Just because there was a difference of opinion, I think, just because
there was a difference of opinion between Secretary Haig and
Secretary Weinberger, we now have stories that they have been
feuding again.
MR. BAKER: No, that Secretary Haig and the White
House Staff is feuding.
Q
I beg your pardon.
MR. BAKER: I'm really hopeful that I can lay that one
to rest. We are not. This arrangement was agreed to. It was
originally his suggestion but if it hadn't been, Sam, I think it
would have been ours. It just happened like that. And before I
even left this -- left the premises to go to the hospital, I said.
absolutely, "I will be in touch with you the minute I get to the
hospital," and he was the point of contact during the entire
situation.
Q
Medical update? Are we going to get another one?
MR. BAKER: Yes.
2
No late word on Brady?
MR. BAKER: Brady's doing a little better.
Q
Has he shown any conscious signs?
MR. BAKER: Yes. His pupils are good. They say,
"Wiggle your toes." He wiggles his toes. His arm.
Q
But he has not spoken?
MR. BAKER: No, but they think he might speak
this afternoon.
Q
He doesn't speak?
MR. BAKER: He can't speak until they take out the
endotrachial tube.
Q
Oh, I see. So they really don't know whether
he can speak?
MR. BAKER: Haven't you ever had an endotrachial
tube? You can't even breath. It does your breathing for you.
Q
Are they telling you that they think he's going
to be able to function and --
MR. BAKER: Well, they're cautiously optimistic that
he'll be able to regain a lot of it. They're certainly now saying,
as they were not yesterday afternoon, that he's going to live. A,
he's going to live. B, they think that the mental capacity will be
there and that there may be some weakness on the left side of the
body. Whether that's a total paralysis or just weakness -- mostly
it's the arm, they think. But, I mean, it's incredible because
they told us when he first came -- when they first brought him in
there that people just normally don't recover from this kind of a
wound. That was the first thing they said when he walked in.
They said, "We hold out very little hope." So maybe some of those
ers are doing some good.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
PRESS BRIEFING BY
LYN NOFZIGER
The Briefing Room
9:37 P.M. EST
MR. NOFZIGER: May I have your attention? My name is
Lyn Nofziger.
They are passing out a little hand-out, but I came from
the hospital just a few moments ago and I talked to the doctor who
operated on Jim Brady and the prognosis is certainly better at this
moment than it was earlier this afternoon. The doctor is Dr. Arthur
Kobrine. K-o-b-r-i-n-e. Usual spelling on Arthur. He is the Professor
of Neurosurgery at the George Washington University Medical School.
Jim came out of surgery at about 8:15. His vital signs are stable. His
pupillary reflexes -- that's the reflexes of his pupils in his eyes --
are normal. Dr. Kobrine feels that there may be some impairment, but
he doesn't know how much at this time nor will he be able to know for
quite some time.
Now, there will be, tomorrow morning at 8:30, a complete
briefing on the status of the President and Jim and of the Secret
Service Agent and I really have nothing further to say at this time. I
think it's better for you to wait for the briefing in the morning and
really the only reason I'm here is because there have been many questions
about Mr. Brady and a lot of bad rumors going around.
I
Lyn, did Kobrine indicate to you what the impairment
might be?
MR. NOFZIGER: He's not sure at this time and I, not being
a doctor, would much rather wait until we have a doctor here at 8:30 in
the morning to get into that.
Q
Here in this room?
MR. NOFZIGER: No. It will be in 450 across the way.
I
Well, surgeons who've worked on both cases or all of
the injuries --
MR. NOFZIGER: No. My understanding is that Dr. Dennis
O'Leary who did the briefing on President Reagan will do the briefing in
the morning.
Q
Lyn, this statement says something about tubes in
the President's mouth. What is the function of those tubes and how many
are there?
MR NOFZIGER: I'm not a doctor. I cannot answer that.
Q
Lyn, when did the operation on Jim begin?
MR. NOFZIGER: I asked the doctor that and he couldn't tell
me. He said he didn't look at a watch and so -- sometime in mid-afternoon.
Q
Where is he now? In intensive care or --
MR. NOFZIGER: Yes.
I
About how long was the operation?
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- 2 -
MR. NOFZIGER: I can't talk of that because I don't
know when it began.
Q
Then, will there be medical bulletins during the
night?
MR. NOFZIGER: No. I don't expect any medical bulletins
during the night barring the unforeseen. This operation will remain
open and there's no lid on. So, you know you're going to have to play
it by ear. We will have people at the hospital and people here in
case something happens. I do not expect anything to happen.
Q
Lyn, you said the prognosis for Jim was better than
it was this afternoon. Why was there that kind of optimism? A result
of what they found in the surgery?
MR. NOFZIGER: Because the doctor feels better about him.
Q
Did the doctor say the significance of the pupils?
MR. NOFZIGER: It indicates that things are functioning --
Q The brain?
MR. NOFZIGER: The brain scan apparently is functioning,
whatever that may mean. Once again, you get into this stuff, and I will
not guarantee for the wracity or the authenticity or the accuracy of
any of it.
Q
Did the doctor use a condition word? Grave, critical,
serious?
MR. NOFZIGER: Certainly is critical.
And that, really,
is all we've got to say at this time. Thank you all.
Q
Somebody said something about a pool up at the
hospital.
MR. NOFZIGER: Well, there are people pooling up there, but
they're notin the hospital.
Q
It's not your pool?
MR. NOFZIGER: It's not my pool.
END
9:45 P.M. EST
- 3 -
0
Say it again, please?
MR. NOFZIGER: Yes. As he was going down the hall on
the gurney, I guess they call them, to surgery, he winked at Baker.
He had earlier told Senator Laxalt, who was there, "Don't worry
about me. I'll make it." He had told Mrs. Reagan, "Honey, I
forgot to duck."
Q
What?
MR. NOFZIGER: "I forgot to duck." And as they were
wheeling him into surgery he saw Mease and Baker and Deaver there
and he said, "Who's minding the store?" And then when he got into
the operating room be looked at the doctors and he said, "Please
tell me you're Republicans." (Laughter.)
So --
Q
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: That, literally, is all I have and if
you will excuse me we will keep you informed as quickly as we know
anything.
Ω
Lyn, are they still in the operation?
MR. NOFZIGER: I don't know. I don't have the
vaguest idea. I don't know. I'll check on that. I don't know.
END
5:25 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Washington, D.C.)
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
BRISFING FOR THE PRESS
BY LYN NOFZIGER
Ross Hall,
George Washington University Hospital,
Washington, D.C.
(5:10 P.M. EST)
MR. NOFZIGER: I have two bits of information here.
The first concerns the President. He went into surgery roughly an
hour ago. He is still there and will be there for a while longer.
However, the doctors have come out and given a preliminary report
to Mrs. Reagan and their word 18 that his condition is good and
it is stable.
Beyond that, I have no further comments.
Regarding Jim Brady, the Press Secretary, he is still
in surgery. He has a head wound and beyond that I have no further
knowledge.
Q
what kind of operation are you performing --
or is the doctor performing on the President/
MR. NOFZIGER: I think that we'll just let it go that
he is in surgery and it is -- well, I think we'll just let it go
at that.
Q
Can you confirm it or not that Brady has
suffered a serious head wound?
MR. NOFZIGER: I can confirm that Mr. Brady suffered a
serious head wound, yes.
?
Where is Vice President Bush?
MR. NOFZIGER: Last I heard, he was on an airplane
headed this way.
O
Are you going to arrange a medical briefing for
us later today?
MR. NOFZIGER: We will try to arrange one after the
President is out of surgery and after we've talked to them. Yes,
we will try to do that.
Now, one further thing. We will continue to keep you
posted here this afternoon and tonight. Tomorrow we expect to
move the briefings back down to the White House and do them in
their regular -- in the regular setting there.
Q
How about the other men who were shot?
MR. NOFZIGER: I have no information on them.
One at a time.
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- 2 -
Q
Was the bullet inside the President? Is that
why they went in and was there more than one bullet?
MR. NOFZIGER: There was only one bullet and I just
cannot comment on the operation. I haven't had a chance to talk to
the doctors.
&
Who is the President's doctor?
MR. NOFZIGER: I do not have a name.
Q
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: The only thing that I want to say is
that he will be in there for a while yet.
Q
Do you know whether or not the lung collapsed
because of the wound?
MR. NOFFIGER: I have not heard. As I say, the
doctors say his condition is good.
Q
Lyn, did you get to see him before the operation
began?
MR. NOFZIGER: Did she?
C:
Yes.
MR. NOFZIGER: Yes.
Ω
Is there ary thought of transferring the
President to any other hospital?
MR. NOFZIGER: We'll just wait and see. You're a
little premature.
Q
Can you confirm that it's open chest surgery?
MR. NOFZIGER: No, I can't.
2
Lyn, did they give you a specific location on
the bullet? How close to the heart did it come?
MR. NOFZIGER: My preliminary reports were that it
entered the left chest and clearly it did not -- no, I can't.
It did not, obviously -- there is no indication that it nicked the
heart or anything like that.
Q
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: I can't tell you.
?
Was the President conscious before the surgery
or did he lose consciousness?
MR. NOFZIGER: He was conscious as he went into
surgery.
Q
Did he say anything?
MR. NOFZIGER: Oh, yes. I have some stuff here. I'm
glad you reminded me of that because I took some notes. As he was
going down the hall into surgery he winked at Baker, James Baker.
MORE
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS
BY
SECRETARY HAIG
The Briefing Room
4:14 P.M. EST
SECRETARY HAIG: I just wanted to touch upon a few
matters associated with today's tragedy. First, as you know, we
are in close touch with the Vice President who is returning to
Washington. We have in the Situation Room all of the officials
of the Cabinet who should be here and ready at this time.
WE have informed our friends abroad of the situation,
the President's condition as we know it, stable, now undergoing
surgery. And there are absolutely no alert measures that are
necessary at this time we're contemplating.
Now, if you have some questions, I'll be happy to take
them.
Q
The Crisis Management, is that going to be put into
effect when Bush arrives?
SECRETARY HAIG: The Crisis Management is in effect.
Q Who is making the decisions for the government
right
now? Who's making the decisions?
SECRETARY HAIG: Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have
the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State in
that order and should the President decided he wants to transfer
the helm to the Vice President, he will do so. He has not done
that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending
return of the Vice President and in close touch with him. If
something came up, I would check with him, of course.
Q
What is the extent of the President's injury?
SECRETARY HAIG: Well, as best we know, he's had one
round enter his body, in the left side, into the left lung and
there is surgery underway to remove the round now. When the
President entered surgery, he was conscious. His signs were stable.
And the situation is very clear.
Q
Did
you
talk
with him by phone before surgery?
SECRETARY HAIG: No, I did not nor was it necessary.
I was in close touch with both Mr. Me'ese and Mr. Baker throughout
and have been from --
I
Mr. Secretary, approximately when did you arrive
at the White House after following --
SECRETARY HAIG: Very few moments after the incident,
very few moments after the incident
Q
And do you know what is the condition of Mr.
Brady?
SECRETARY HAIG: We understand that -- I just saw on
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- 2 -
television what you saw and it sounds serious.
I
What's the reaction of the Soviets on this?
Any reaction?
SECRETARY HAIG: I don't anticipate any reaction.
I think you've gotten all that you need for the moment. In fact --
Q
Will you remain in charge here until the Vice
President returns?
SECRETARY HAIG: We will stay right where we are until
the situation clarifies.
Q
How long has the President been in surgery, sir?
Q
When is the Vice President expected here?
2
8:00.
SECRETARY HAIG: Later this afternoon.
Q
Do you know when the operation began on the President,
about what time?
Q
Will he go to the hospital?
SECRETARY HAIG: Was I here? Yes.
2
What time?
SECRETARY HAIG: What time was the -- I don't know. Just
it was shortly after that announcement that you heard on the --
I
What time will the Vice President be back, sir?
Q
Early evening.
SECRETARY HAIG: I'm not going to make it a habit of
saying what I --
Q
Will you come back and talk to us soon?
2
Mr. Secretary, any additional measures being taken --
was this a conspiracy or was this a --
SECRETARY HAIG: We have no indications of anything like
that now, and we are not going to say a word on that subject until the
situation clarifies itself.
2
Do you anticipate from what you know of the President's
condition that the Vice President will have to for a period of time
take the role of acting President?
Q
That's a fundamentally premature question,
END
(4:22 P.M. EST)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For II mediate Release
March 30, 1981
BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS
The Briefing Room
(3:37 P.M. EST)
MR.GERGEN: Good afternoon. This is to confirm the
statements made at George Washington hospital that the President
was shot once in the left side, this afternoon, as he left the
hotel.
His condition is stable.
A decision is now being made whether or not to operate
to remove the bullet. The White House and the Vice President are
in communication. And the Vice President is now en route to
Washington. He is expected to arrive in the city this afternoon.
Mrs. Reagan is currently with the President at the
hospital. For your background, we anticipate that press statements,
additional press statements, will be forthcoming from the hospital
site.
I'd like to add two notes. We have been informed by
Jim Baker that the President walked into the hospital.
I would also like to inform you that in the building
as of the moment are the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General as
well as other assistants to the President.
&
What building, the hospital?
MR. GERGEN: No, in this building.
2
Do you have any condition on Brady, on Jim Brady?
MR. GERGEN: I'm sorry, we do not. We would like to
get that for you as rapidly as possible.
&
Will the Vice President act as President under
these conditions?
MR. GERGEN: No. Because of the delicacy of the
situation we wanted to inform you that the Vice President is on
his way back to Washington.
I would emphasize once again that the President's
condition is stable and that we were informed by Jim Baker that
he did walk into the hospital.
Ω
Could he have been hit by a riccochet? Is there
any chance that he was hit by a riccochet?
MR. GERGEN: I'm sorry, we simply don't have enough
information that is hard at this moment.
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- 2 -
Q
Is the President conscious now? Is the Presider
conscious?
MR. GERGEN: I'm sorry, I do not know the information 1
on that so I'm really not able to respond.
Let me say this, let me just emphasize this for your
background: the folks at the hospital are obviously closer to this
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- 3 -
situation from a moment-to-moment basis and we are here. We are
obviously in very close communication with them and we will try to
keep you informed here. But that the primary statement, we expect, will
be coming from the hospital because we feel that they are closer to
the facts.
Q
Who is there, David, at the hospital?
MR. GERGEN: Well, as of the moment, in addition to Mrs.
Reagan as I've informed you and others -- Mike Deaver, as you know,
and Dave Fisher were with the President at the time. Four people
went up together, Ed Meese, Jim Baker, Larry Speakes and Lyn Nofziger
went together to the hospital -- oh, I'm not sure of the time. Frankly,
the time of these events have run together somewhat.
But we will try to keep you poster here as well as we can.
I think you all understand the delicacy of the situation. I simply
don't want to report facts that we're uncertain of as of the moment.
This is really to confirm what has been said from the
hospital already.
Q
David, do you know whether there's any plans to move
the President to Bethesda, or Walter Reed, or is he going to stay at
George Washington?
MR. GERGEN: I cannot answer either of those questions.
We will, as soon as we get additional information, we will obviously
try to help you.
I think if you'll be patient, as the situation demands,
we will try to get as much information for you as possible.
Q
Dave, is the President under any sedation?
MR. GERGEN: I cannot answer that. I really would like --
we basically wanted to let you know where we were as of the moment.
We will try to let you have further information as we can. Thank you
very much.
Q
What time with the Vice President arrive?
MR. GERGEN: Later this afternoon.
END
3:42 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
PRESS BRIEFING BY
VICE PRESIDENT BUSH, LARRY SPEAKES, DAVID GERGEN
Press Briefing Room
8:20 P.M. EST
MR. SPEAKES: The Vice President will be in the Briefing
Room shortly. For your information, the Vice President landed at
Andrews at 6:30. He came to the Situation Room at 7:00 which he presided
over a meeting of some members of the Cabinet. He will make a brief
statement and will not take questions, but I will follow and take some
questions.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I have a very brief statement
that I'd like to read. I am deeply heartened by Dr. O'Leary's report
on the President's condition, that he has emerged from this experience with
flying colors and with the most optimistic prospects for a complete
recovery. I can reinsure this nation and the watching world that the
American government is functioning fully and effectively. We've had
full and complete communication throughout the day and the officers of
the federal government have been fulfilling their obligations with
skill and with care. I know I speak on behalf of the President and
his family when I say that we are very grateful to all -- the many people
from across this country who've expressed their concern at this act
of violence and finally, let me add our profound concern on behalf of
two brave law enforcement officers who served to protect the President
and then, of course, for a friend of everybody here, dedicated public
servant, Jim Brady. We're going to watch their progress with all our
prayers and with all our hopes.
Now, I'm going to walk over and speak briefly to Mrs. Reagan
who's returned to the residence. Thank you all very much.
Q
Larry, who was in the Situation Room?
MR. SPEAKES: Let me go over what I know to be the situation
as I saw it here. As I said, the Vice President arrived in the Situation --
at Andrews at 6:30. He came to the Situation Room at 7:00, was present
in that meeting and this does not necessarily mean the order, but it's
more or less the way they were sitting at the table. The Vice President,
of course, Ed Meese, Richard Allen, Secretary Lewis, Attorney General
Smith, Secretary Weinberg, Secretary Regan, Admiral Murphy of the Vice
President's staff, Jim Baker, the White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary
Haig. Also Secretary Block, Secretary Baldrige, Secretary Watt and CIA
Director Casey. In addition, there were other staff members present such
as Martin Allin, David Gergen, and Max Friedersdorf and Fred Fielding.
The meeting continued for about 30 minutes. At which time
the medical press conference from the hospital came on the television and
we watched that basically to its conclusion and the Vice President then
went to his office, drafted the statement and came here. Mrs. Reagan has
returned from the hospital as the Vice President said and he's now going
over to visit with her.
As far as tomorrow, we will basically continue with the
schedule as the President had planned. There is a plan for a brief meeting
of the Cabinet. A plan for a brief meeting with the Congressional
Leadership and then a continue with the schedule which includes a meeting
and a working luncheon with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
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- 2 -
Q
-- working luncheon?
MR. SPEAKES: The Vice President.
Q
During the meeting in the Situation Room, what subjects
were discussed?
MR. SPEAKES: I really don't want to go into that, except
to say that the general situation was discussed. The Vice President
received the very ! latest information on the President. Jim Baker and
Ed Meese had been at the hospital and they returned some time earlier.
So, they were up to the minute.
Q
Larry, was the question of Poland discussed?
MR. SPEAKES: I'm just not going into the subject matter --
Q
Larry, has the President turned over control or
authority to the Vice President?
Q
What was the question?
MR. SPEAKES: Has the President turned over control or
authority to the Vice President? There has been no cause for that to
take place.
Q
The President will be under sedation until tomorrow
morning.
Can't we assume that the Vice President would have
to be able to take charge in that case, Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: Well, there is, for your information, an
automatic assumption of command authority that requires no steps be
taken. It goes first on the Vice President and second on the Secretary
of Defense.
Q
Why did the Vice President wait six hours to reassure
the country that things were under control?
I
Doesn't it go to the Speaker?
MR. SPEAKES: Question about --
Q
Larry, please answer this. How come it goes to the
Secretary of Defense?
MR. SPEAKES: Let me get started here so you can understand
it. There is a succession. That goes from the President to the Vice
President, to the Speaker, to the President Pro Tem
There is
another one called the command authority which is an automatic assumption
and that's the only thing that happened at this time.
Q
What is the line up in the automatic assumption, then?
What is that?
MR. SPEAKES: I just gave it to you. The Vice President and
the Secretary of Defense.
I
Larry, what triggers that?
Q
Not the Secretary of State? Secretary of Defense?
MR. SPEAKES: It is an automatic assumption.
I
Larry, where will the Vice President have his working
headquarters while the President is in the hospital?
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- 3 -
MR. SPEAKES: I would assume the Vice President would
remain in his office in the West Wing as he operates --
I
Larry, who is the Commander in Chief tonight at this
hour?
MR. SPEAKES: Certainly the President is the Commander
in Chief. If any actions are required, I'm sure that it will be taken
by the appropriate official in the government.
Q Larry, why did the Vice President wait six hours to
reassure the country that everything was under control?
MR. SPEAKES: The Vice President came directly back to
Washington, as I understand it. There was a 30-minute meeting and then
it's been followed by less than an hour after the conclusion of that
meeting that the Vice President made the statement. I think we were
constantly reassuring the nation through Secretary Haig and through the
statement that we could make here at the time. We were all awaiting the
outcome of the surgery and we were confident throughout it and the
reports, as the Vice President said, have been excellent and that's --
Q
Then why reassure us with Haig rather than the
Vice President?
MR. SPEAKES: Yes?
Q
Larry, then what you just said about the succession
of command authority, Haig was completely wrong when he thought he was
in command here when Weinberge, was in the building?
MR. SPEAKES: The Vice President was in the Situation Room,
the President's Chief of Staff and the Counsel of Mr. Meese and Mr.
Baker were at the hospital. They were confering with Secretary Haig.
Secretary Haig talked to them and offered to be helpful. He was in
charge of the situation in the Situation Room and that's basically it.
2
Larry, when you talk about command authority, are
you talking about what specifically? Military command? Specifically
what?
MR. SPEAKES: Yes.
Q
But can you say that
Vice President Bush is now
the Acting President of the United States?
MR. SPEAKES: No. There is no move --
I
Larry, what triggers the command authority?
MR. SPEAKES: It's automatic.
Q
I mean, upon what conditions?
Q
How is Jim Brady?
2 Does Haig still make any foreign policy?
Q
How's the condition of Jim Brady, now?
Q
Could it be set off by anesthesia, for example?
MR. SPEAKES: It was my understanding from the legal people
that it's an automatic situation.
I
Larry, where does Secretary Haig --
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- 4 -
MR. SPEAKES: You aren't letting me finish my answers.
It's an automatic situation and if there's a need to act, there is a
capacity to act here. And I don't think it needs any further explanation.
Q
Larry, how is Jim Brady?
MR. SPEAKES: You saw the television reports and that's
the latest we've heard.
I
What about foreign policy? Is Haig still handling
that?
MR. SPEAKES: The situation is the same as it has been
before the incident and after the incident.
I Larry, may I follow up on my question? What conditions
however set off the automatic assumption of authority that you're speaking
of?
MR. SPEAKES: I can't address that specifically.
I
Does it have to be a declaration of incapacity?
MR. SPEAKES: No. There does not have to be a declaration.
I
Has it been assumed, is this trigger -- are we in
that process now with the Vice President?
MR. SPEAKES: It isn't. If need be, it could be. But there's
been no need for that.
Q
Could you explain --
I
To respond to a military threat, Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: You're putting words into my mouth and I'm
not going to accept it. If there's a need for the Vice President to
assume command authority, he will.
I Larry, -- this interval -- Secretary Haig was here.
Secretary Weinberger was in the White House in the Situation Room at
that time. Now, under this automatic assumption, goes from the Vice
President to the Secretary of Defense. How did it happen that Secretary
Haig said he would be charged until --
MR. SPEAKES: Let me make a statement and hopefully I'll
cut off this line of questioning. The President's staff was at the
hospital. They were talking to the President. Secretary Haig was in the
Situation Room and they were talking to Secretary Haig and Secretary
Weinberger who were there. We have just come through a very serious
situation as far as the President's concern. We have come through with
a very optimistic outcome. It think that's the important thing to
dwell on. I can assure you that there were no problems with succession
and there were not problems with command authority. And, frankly, that's
all I'm going to say on it.
2
Larry, could you tell us --
Q
Who asked Haig to come down here, Larry? Larry, who
asked Haig to come down to brief us?
MR. SPEAKES: I'm just not going to discuss it any more.
I think everything is obvious.
2
Did he mispeak himself when he said he was in command
of the White House?
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- 5 -
MR. SPEAKES: I'm just not going to discuss it any more.
I've made a statement. I think you're looking here when you should be
looking here.
Q
Larry, can you tell us why it took -- the President
came out of surgery at 6:20. The briefing at the hospital wasn't
until 7:30. Can you tell us why no where in the White House command
structure could assure the nation that the President had survived surgery
and that he was all right?
MR. SPEAKES: Not having been there, I don't know the
situation at the hospital. I know that once the Vice President was here
that he moved very expeditously.
2
What's the crisis management system that's been so
talked about. Was that invoked today?
MR. SPEAKES: I don't know in a formal sense, but there
was no problem with what was going on --
Q
So, what assembled in that room was not his crisis
management team? Is was just the Cabinet --
MR. SPEAKES: It's my judgement that it was most of the
Cabinet who happened -- who was in town at this time.
I
Larry, on the automatic assumption -- after you get
through with the Vice President and Weinberger, then what happens? Does
anybody else --
MR. SPEAKES: Sarah, I don't know the specifics on that.
I'm sure a legal person can tell you that.
Q
Larry, did the Attorney General either provide or
was he asked to give an oral opinion during that 30-minute meeting on
the formal constitutional succession particularly the incapacitation
provision?
MR. SPEAKES: I just don't want to go into the details of
the meeting.
Q
Haig says the crisis management is in effect and you
say not? So, there is a contradiction there.
MR. SPEAKES: No, there's not a contradiction.
Q
Larry, how long does -- how long does the Vice President
have this -- holds much of this command authority?
I
Until tomorrow morning?
MR. SPEAKES: It is not a thing that is -- it's an assumption.
Q
I understand.
MR. SPEAKES: It's not a thing that requires an act.
It is just if the need arises -- there is an authority that moves
automatically.
Q
For how long if the need arises? Tomorrow morning when
the President will presumably be free of the effects of --
MR. SPEAKES: We'll just have to cross that bridge when
we get to it.
Q
Where is the man with the black bag? Is he with
the President or is he with the Vice President?
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- 6 -
MR. SPEAKES: Well, I can assure that -- I don't want to
discuss that. Because, of course, we don't discuss security matters of
this type, but I can assure you there were certainly no problems in that
direct capacity.
Q
Larry, is the Vice President going to spend the
night at the White House? Or at his own residence?
MR. SPEAKES: I trust he'll go to his residence.
I
Are they stuffing up security protection on everyone
more?
MR. SPEAKES: I won't comment on security.
I
Larry, was there any consideration of invoking
the disability provisions of the 25th Amendment?
MR. SPEAKES: There has been no need for it nor any cause
for it because the information we're receiving was optimistic almost from
the first, SO there has been no need for it.
I --Bush was advised of the --
&
I wonder, if there has been made a check of the
background of the assailant of the President to see where that --
MR. SPEAKES: Can I have the question again?
Q
This is an act of terrorism against the President
of the United States. I wonder if there has been a check of the background
of this gentleman to see where that kind --
MR. SPEAKES: I have your question. I think anything, you
know, discussing the background of the individual who is in custody should
come from the Justice Department.
Q
Is there any reason to think anybody else was involved,
Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: That kind of information, law enforcement
information, should come from the Justice Department.
I
Could you tell us when Bush was advised of the shooting?
Where he was and what he did immediately thereafter?
MR. SPEAKES: I don't have the timetable, but the White House
staff and the Situation Room were in full contact with the Vice President
during the entire period and Mr. Meese and Mr. Baker talked with him in
route to Washington while he was airbound.
Q When didn't Meese and Baker become aware that the
President had, indeed, been shot? Was that Deaver's call over here?
MR. SPEAKES: Yes. I presume -- yes. They -- I went to
the hospital with both of them and with Lyn and --
I What? About 2:40 roughly?
I
Larry, could you describe what you saw when you got
there at the hospital?
MR. SPEAKES: Well, I think you've had -- Lyn and I were side-
by-side through that and I think you've had it from Lyn except the note that
the President was in the emergency room.
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- 7 -
He was transported to the operating room, and
that is about the extent of it.
Q
Why was he not carried inside, Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: Carried inside of --
Q
Why did he walk into the hospital? Wasn't that rather
dangerous when he was shot?
MR. SPEAKES: I think he was --
O
Was he being offered the stretcher?
MR. SPEAKES: Well, I was not there, so I really do not
want to go into it.
Q Larry, has anyone spoken to the President since the
operation or is he able to talk?
MR. SPEAKES: Mrs. Reagan has visited with him. I don't
know whether she has spoken with him.
Ω Larry, was there a decision made to delay for maybe ten
or fifteen minutes the announcement that the President had been shot
to give time to inform either Mrs. Reagan or the Vice President? There
seems to be a time gap there between the time that you people heard that
he had been shot and the time that the rest of the world heard about it.
MR. SPEAKES: Well, I think that we moved as quickly as we
could with accurate information.
Q
But did you say, "Well, let's first tell the Vice Pre-
sident and then we will make the announcement"?
MR. SPEAKES: I am not priviledged to know what was going
on because I was in one place and things were going in another place.
I don't know of any purpose of delaying for notification. Let me clear
up -- to be absolutely certain that you understand this command of author-
ity. Early in the afternoon Haig was informally helping to coordinate
activities in the Situation Room through regular communications with the
Baker, Meese, and the Vice President. The command authority is simply
an agreement whereby if the President is temporarily unavailable, then
the Vice President has command authority. It is not a constitutional
delegation and no formal declaration is required.
Q
Was this operative under the Carter and before that
administrations or is this something new?
MR. SPEAKES: I do not know.
Q
Where did this exist?
MR. GERGEN: This is not an agreement.
Q
Well, when did it originate?
MR. SPEAKES: We will get the legals.
Q
How long do you expect the President to be unavailable?
A week or --
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- 8 -
Q
Is that what happens? The Vice President decides
that he needs command authority and he takes it?
MR. SPEAKES: As I say, we will get the legal end of it
for you.
MR. GERGEN: It is clearly not statutory.
I
If it is not statutory then how did it get to be in
effect?
Q
Shh. Let him finish.
MR. GERGEN: There are arrangements which I think that are--
conferring with the attorneys on this matter, I think that the --
frankly we have not been spending the whole afternoon researching the
law and the Constitution.
I Well, you should have been.
MR. GERGEN: Well, our concerns were with the President's
health and we thought that the arrangements were working rather smoothly
in here, frankly, and I think that there will come a time that we can
give you more information on this. It is my understanding, in confering
with the President's counsel, that this command authority is nonstatuatory.
There is an arrangement whereby in the event that the President is not
available, say under sedation as he has been this afternoon, that the
command authority resides with the Vice President.
But I think the thing to be -- aside from the fact that all
of us tale heart from the President's progress and prognosis -- I think
the thing that I would raise and press upon you is the fact that this
administration pulled together and there was a very smooth operation.
Frankly, it was fairly informal.
O We are a nation of laws, are we not?
MR. GERGEN: That is correct. But I wouldn't -- I cannot
describe: for you because I am not exactly sure how these arrangements
work. The more important thing was that people gathered here spontan-
eously. They came because of the situation that we were in. And the
Vice President was in contact and the Chief of Staff and Mr. Meese and
others were in complete contact and we, frankly, did not spend a great
deal of time sorting through the statutory book and that sort of thing.
Fred Fielding, the lawyer, was there constantly and the Attorney General
was there. But as to describing these arrangements in great detail --
0 The Justice Department was supposed to have sent things
over. Why didn't they --
MR. GERGEN: The Justice Department was here. I don't think
that we are equipped tonight to describe this for you. We really didn't
come out here to talk about the law and the Constitution, frankly, and
I think that that is a subject --
I Well, sir, if it is there, you ought to be able to find
it in a few seconds.
MR. GERGEN: This is a subject that we can address in greater
detail at an appropriate time, if you don't mind. We are really out here
to let the Vice President make a statement.
Q Would you just give us an idea of what "command" encom-
passes? What is command?
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- 9 -
MR. GERGEN: Well, I think that you have asked that ques-
tion as to whether it had military aspects in it, and I think that you
got an answer on that.
I
Could you tell us who gave Haiq the authority to
come and talk to the administration?
MR. GERGEN: Frankly, we were all very appreciative that
he was here.
Q
Was it Meese and Baker?
MR. GERGEN: He was here before Jim and I went over. He
was here in the building.
Q
Did they ask him to come and show that there was
someone in charge?
MR. GERGEN: No, he came here. I am not sure what the
information flow was, but frankly, a lot of people came here spontan-
eously and some may have been called. But frankly most people showed up
spontaneously.
Q
Did Haig talk to Bush on the plane?
MR. GERGEN: I do not know the answer to that.
Ω
What precautions are being taken that Haig is not
going to try a coup d'tat?
MR. GERGEN: I think that we have exhausted --
Q
Will there be further briefings?
Q
Are there any plans yet for the recuperation? Anything
said about --
MR. SPEAKES: WE are just not that far along. The house-
keeping situation -- I think, if it suits you, we will remain open through
the night. We will staff here. I would anticipate a regular briefing
at some time during the day tomorrow as soon as we see how we are cleared
to do it. Hopefully we can do it around noon. Lyn has made an announce-
ment, I understand, about an 8:30 briefing --
Q
8:30?
Q
8:30 in Room 450. Will that be cancelled?
MR. SPEAKES: I don't know. Was that a medical briefing?
MR. GERGEN: Yes, he said that he would bring doctors over.
We are going to work on that tonight and we will try to get an advisory
out tonight on that.
Ω
Larry, will be photo coverage tomorrow on the Vice
President's schedule?
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- 10 -
MR. SPEAKES: I don't know. We'll put the schedule out --
Q
Will there be another briefing tonight?
MR. SPEAKES: We will be available tonight but I don't anti-
cipate the need for another formal briefing.
Q
What will Mrs. Reagan do, Larry?
END
8:45 P.M.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Washington, D.C.)
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS
BY LYN NOFZIGER,
DR. O'LMARY,
AND SHEILA PATTON
Ross Hall,
George Washington University Hospital,
Washington, D.C.
(7:30 P.M. EST)
MR. NOFZIGER: Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your
attention. Everybody happy? The President is out of surgery
and is in good condition and I have brought with me here this
evening Dr. Dennis O'Leary, who is the Dean for Clinical Affairs
at George Washington University Hospital. Have I got that?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes, sir.
MR. NOFEIGER: Dr. O'Deary will brief you on the
President's operation and on his condition as well as that of the
Secret Service agent.
Following that, Sheila Patton, who is Mrs. Reagan's
press secretary, will have a word to say about Mrs. Reagan. So
now let me introduce to you Dr. Dennis O'Leary. Doctor?
DR. O'LEARY: Thank you. Should I use the podium?
Mr. Nofsiger has told you the President is in the
recovery room. He is in stable condition and he is awake. He
was at no time in any serious danger. He was alert and awake with
stable vital signs up until the time he underwent anesthesia. He
was in the operating room for approximately two hours. Part of that
time was spent ascertaining that he did not have any blood in his
abdominal cavity. Indeed, he 816 not. It was a single bullet
wound that entered slightly underneath the left armpit. It traversed
about three inches of the chest wall and then ricocheted off the
seventh rib into the left lower lobe of the lung and moved about
three inches into the lung substance itself.
The operative incision was about six inches in width,
a relatively simple procedure. The bullet was removed and then the
incision was closed. As I say, he is stable and in good condition.
?
What is the prognosis for his recovery?
DR. O'LEARY:
The prognosis is excellent.
Q
You are saying that he will no doubt recover?
How long a time, Doctor?
DR. O'LEARY: That is always difficult to say. The
President, however, is an excellent physical specimen and we do
not anticipate any problems. It is always hard to be precise as to
how long he'll be hospitalized, but he is clear of head and should
be able to make decisions by tomorrow, certainly.
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- 2 -
Q
Did the bullet fragment when it hit the lung?
DR. O'LEARY: The bullet was distorted and we believe
that it probably was distorted by virtue of impacting against the
seventh rib as it redirected its path into the lung tissue.
Q
Any permanent damage done to the heart?
DR. O'LEARY: We do not believe there is any permanent
injury. The heart area was explored. The heart was not involved
at all. There were no major bleeding points in the lung and there
was no involvement of the aorta, the major vessel running through
the chest.
Ω
Has the lung been reinflated?
DR. O'LEARY: The lung has been reinflated. He has a
couple of chest tubes in.
Q
What about the Secret Service agent?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay. Mr. McCarthy had a single bullet
wound also. It entered the postorior right chest and passed through
the lung tissue causing virtually no damage at all except for the
passage tract. It passed through the disphragm into the dome of the
liver and passed through the liver into the lateral side of the
chest where it lodged against the and of the eleventh rib. Mr.
McCarthy had -- did have blood in his abdominal cavity. The same
test that was performed on the President was also performed on him
and it was positive. The abdominal cavity was carefully emplored
and the only damage was the bullet through the liver itself and a
drain was placed in this area and he is doing extremely well, has
been in the intensive care unit now for about 45 minutes.
Q
James Brady?
DR. O'LDARY: Okay. Mr. Brady is still in surgery.
His condition is critical. We don't have any further information
at this time.
Q
Dr. O'Leary, how long would you anticipate that
the President would remain hospitalized?
DR. O'LEARY: That is difficult to say. It might be
as long as two weeks but that is just a guesstimate at this point
in time.
Q
Will the President remain here?
DR. O'LEARY: A couple questions. That's not for me
to answer. The question was the amount of blood. The President
required transfusion of approximately five units of blood before
surgery but none during the course of surgery. Mr. McCarthy required
no transfusions at all.
Q
Can you tell us about the D.C. policeman?
DR. O'LEARY: The D.C. Policeman was taken to the
Washington Hospital Center. We have no firsthand information on him.
Q
Can you tell us about the Brady surgery?
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- 4 -
DR. O'LEARY: Very doubtful. The President is
physiologically very helpful. The caliber of the bullet is going
to be very hard to tell in the President because it was a really
mangled bullet.
Q
Is there a. possibility of any other complications?
DR. O'LEARY: It's really doubtful. Again, I would
emphasize that he is physiologically very young and in good shape.
Q
Can you tell US where the bullet entered, at
what angle, from the front, from the rear? Can you get into that?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, one would assume that it probably
seemed to come from a little bit top down, entering approximately
here (gesturing), traversed down.
Q
Could you move over here?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes. Travered down approximately three
inches, striking the top of the seventh rib, Interally, and then
going about three inches into the tinsue of the lung itself.
Q
It deflected downward further from the seventh
rib?
DR. O'LEARY: No. It's like coming down, hitting the
rib and then deflecting in to take a new path.
&
Where was it actually found?
DR. O'LEARY: It was in the parencyma of the in the
tissue of the lung itself, contained within the lung itself.
Ω
You said that the President was conscious for
much of the time. What, if anything, did he say?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, the surgeons said that his last
remark before he underwont anesthesia was he wanted to make sure
that all of them were Republicans.
Q
Were they?
DR. O'LEARY: They said that today everyone is a
Republican.
Q
Doctor, how narrowly did the President escape
mortal injury?
DR. O'LEARY: That's a hard question to answer. As I
stated, he was never in any serious danger. The bullet was really
not very close to any vital structure.
Ω
How far is not so close? How far from the heart?
DR. O'LEARY: Probably several inches.
Q
Is that because it struck the rib?
DR. O'LEARY: If it had not struck the rib it might not
have even entered the lung cavity. It could have passed right through
the chest wall if it had not struck the rib.
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- 3 -
DR. O'LEARY: He was shot in the forehead.
Q
Which side?
DR. O'LEARY: I'm not certain, sir. The bullet did pass
through his brain and came out the other side. He obviously has
significant brain injury and he is in critical condition but I'm
sorry, we have no further information at this time.
Q
Dr. O'Leary, who performed the operation on the
President?
DR. O'LEARY: The operation on the President was
performed by Dr. Ben Aaron, who's on our fulltime faculty here as a
cardiovascular theracic surgeon.
Q
How do you spell that?
DR. O'LEARY: The last name is spelled capital A,
small A, r-c-n. First name, Benjamin.
Q
Kis title?
DR. C'LEARY: I'm trying to think. I think he's an
associate professor of surgery.
Q
Who else?
DR. O'LEARY: Ckay. The other surgeon was Dr. Joseph
Giordano, G-i-o-r-d-a-n-o, who is head of our trauma team and was
in the emergency room almost simultaneously with the
arrival of the President.
Q
Why did the operation take so long?
DR. O'LEARY: The length of the operation really had a
lot to do with the testing to make sure that there was no bleeding
into the abdominal cavity. That took about 45 minutes.
Ω
What was that test?
DR. O'LEARY: It's called a peritoneal lavage.
Q
How do you spell that?
DR. O'LEARY: P-e-r-i-t-o-n-e-a-l. Lavage, L-a-v-a-g-e.
Q
Why was that important?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay. That test is important -- is very
simple, a small incision is made beneath the umbilicus and several
liters of fluid are placed into the abdomen and then the fluid is
brought back outside and looked at to determine whether there's any
blood in it. That fluid can move anywhere throughout the whole
abdominal cavity and if any organ has been damag-d and there's any
bleeding, one will find blood in the fluid that comes out. That
test was negative and the President, as I said, positive in Mr.
McCarthy.
Ω
Doctor, in view of the President's age, is there
any danger that the lung might collapse again?
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- 5 -
Q
Doctor, would you say that, clinically speaking,
the President is fully able to discharge the duties of his office
as of now?
DR. O'LEARY: I would say probably not now. One has
to let the effects of the anesthesia wear off but I think all of us
feel that by tomorrow that he would be fully capable of doing that.
Q
If there were a basic decision he had to make
tomorrow, a decision of state, would he be able to do it?
DR. O'LEARY: We believe that he would be able to do it.
Ω
Who's operating on Jim Brady?
DR. O'DEARY: Chay. Dr. Arthur Kobrine, K-o-b-r-i-n-e.
He is operating on Mr. Brady. He is an associate professor of
neurosurgery.
Q
Is it possible to give us any prognesis on
James Brady?
DR. O'LEARY: It's really not possible right now. As
I said, he's in critical condition. Anything I would say would
be highly speculative.
Q
Is Brady being kept alive artificially?
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- 6 -
DR. O'LEARY:
Not at the present time although in the operating room, remember
that you've got respirators and monitors and, you know, what
have you.
Ω
Is he on a respirator now?
DR. 0' LEARY: Well, almost anyone undergoing
brain surgery would be on a respirator.
0
Dr. O'Leary, aside from the obvious gunshot
wound, did the President suffer any other injuries? Were there
any abrasions, contusions surrounding the --
DR. 0' LEARY: Well, not as we're able to ascertain.
It's possible that We missed a small contusion here or there.
But he was gone over quite carefully.
0
Why was the Preident forth to this
hospital and when did the hospital receive word from the ambulance
that he would be on the way?
DR. O'LEARY: I can't tell you for certain but
I believe we were probably the closest hospital which would have
been the prudent thing to no. I received information at about
twenty of three that be was in the emergency room and I think
he probably got there around 2:30.
0
Who got there first, Brady or the President?
DR. O'LEARY: Chay, I'm not sure who got there
precisely first. They all came very fast.
C
-- how about Brady? (Inaudible.)
DR. O'LFARY: Well, we maintain a stock of blood.
Please remember the Washington -- we do: not run our own blood
bank. The Red Cross has a regional center that is very near
by and we have all the blood we need within minutes.
a
Did you have enough immediately or --
DR. 0' LEARY: Yes.
O
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: I can't answer that question. I
don't know.
C:
Doctor, do you know if the President
required -- (inaudible) -- of the lung?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay, it appears as if the major
reason for bleeding within the chest was as a consequence of
the hole made when the bullet actually entered the lung substance
itself. -- the only bleeding signs that really could be determined
and I although he bled down about five units of blood, it was
never very brisk. It was kind of steady bleeding. It was
very easy to transfuse him and keep up with his blood loss.
O
What is five units of blood? How do you --
DR. O'LEARY: Well, each, let's see, how can I
make that simple, it's about two and a half quarts, total of
two and a half quarts.
C
-- lungs collapsed?
DR. 0 'LEARY: What?
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- 7 -
Question about collapsed over here.
C
Is his lung still collapsed?
DR. O'LFARY: No, he has a chest tube. And all
one has to do is, usually through a chest tube, is to get it
in and get the air out of the space between the lung and the
chest wall and the lung expands.
He had a chest tube placed in the chest in the
emergency room within minutes after he was in the emergency
room.
0
So, he's again breathing normally?
DR. O'LFARY: Yes.
(
Did Mrs. Reagan suffer any emotional medical
trauma ---
DR. O'LEARY: No, I think we'll let someone else
deal with that question.
C
Have you got any -- (insudible) -- the
President not being moved from this hospital for the next
few days?
DR. O'IEARY: I would say for the next few days
it would probably be reasonable not to move him, but J would
expect that he will do well and that will be a judgment of
someone else at that time.
C
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: We have no reason for believirg that
significant nost-operative problems will develop.
C
-- the President might have to undergo
as a result of this operation?
DR. O'LEARY: I would really doubt it. Fe had
a simple procedure. There was very little necessity to cut
a lot of tissue and he -- we have everv expectation that he'll
have a normal post-operative course.
C.
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LFARY: I don't know the answer to that
question.
C.
-- the first fer moments when he came into
your emergency room and he walked in, what was the first thing
that was done?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay, I was not personally there.
But my understanding is that he got out of the car and stood
up and walked in on his own. As I say, he was alert and awake
all the time.
C
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: No.
C
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: Not to the best of our knowledge.
C.
-- carrying the President at that time?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, I think, as soon as he appeared,
he may not have wanted to be on a stretcher, but that is our
usual procedure for someone who's had a gunshot wound.
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- 8 -
C
How far inside the chest did the bullet
go --
DR. O'LEARY: About three inches. Okay, I'll
give you maybe four inches. We'll give you an inch for the
thickness of the chest wall.
0
Dr. O'Leary, can you explain why it was
that there was no immediate announcement -- (inaudible) --
DR. O'LEARY: I really can't answer that question.
I wish I could.
C.
-- know that he'd been injured?
DR. O'LFARY: Yes, I think he knew that he had
been shot.
O
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEAPY: No, I think, again, I'm giving this
to you secondhand. I gather he seemed a little bit light headed
but he was cracking jokes and in very good spirits even at that
time.
0
-- immediately in the emergency room --
(inaudible ) -- any incisions, you have to put --
DR. O'LEARY: No, usually, the smallest incision
is made between the ribs and the tube is placed in and then
attached to suction.
C
And that was the first emergency procedure?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes, I'd say that was the emergency
procedure.
O
Would that be taking the blood off that was
coming from the wound in the lung?
DR. O'LEARY: There is probably two basic purposes.
One is if there has been any deflation of the lung, the major
purpose is to reexpand the lung, remove the air and the other
is to provide drainage for any blood in the lung space.
0
-- will Mr. Brady suffer any permanent
brain damage?
DR. O'LEARY: I'd have to say that
probably is likely but I really can't give you any more information
since he is still in surgery.
?
Doctor, how long elapsed between when the
President -- (inaudible) -- to the hospital, went into surgery,
and can you account for that time?
DR. O'LEARY: I would say from the time he hit
the hospital to the time he went into surgery probably was no
more than about 40 minutes. There were a variety of things
being done. He had to have blood tests performed to find out
how much blood he had lost. We had to check his blood gases
to determine how much oxygen was getting into his circulation.
I think the thing that probably took
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- 9 -
so much time before surgery
was probably fus the most part the x-rays. He had to have both a
chest x-ray and an abdominal x-ray.
Q
Was there surgery on the lung without actually
removing the bullet? There was an earlier report that that might
be the case.
DR. O'LEARY: I saw those reports but at the time those
reports were out the surgeons had not even entered the chest as yet.
Ω
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: I think every effort would be made to
remove the bullet but if it took a lot of additional extensive
surgery that might have caused a different decision.
2
Can you give us a timetable? He arrived at
2:30 and we were told the surgery began about 4:00.
DR. O'LEARY: No, no. He got to the operating room
maybe 3:15, 3:20. Ckay? It takes --- he has to get into the
operating room, on the table, get under anesthesia, in order for
surgery to start. So surgery started roughly between 3:30 and
quarter of four and it lasted until about 5:30.
0
How about the surgical procedure on Mr. Brady?
DR. O'LFARY: Very simply, he is having a craniotomy
which simply means an exploration of the inside of the head.
Craniotomy, C-r-a-n-1-o-t-o-m-y.
0
Doctor, do you find it extraordinary that a
70-year old man could be shot in the lung and then brought to the
hospital and walk in under his own power?
DR. O'LEARY: I think it speaks well for the
physiologic health of the President. We do have elderly people,
much more elderly than the President is, who do undergo chest
surgery but he certainly sailed through it.
Q
Do you find that medically extraordinary?
DR. O'LEARY: Maybe not medically extraordinary but
just short of that. Okay?
C
Doctor, you said the bullet was mangled. Is
there any possibility that the bullet fragments might remain inside
the President's body?
DR. O'LEARY: That is a finite possibility but the
bullet did, although mangled, seem to be intact. You're never sure
that you have ever tiny little fragment out.
a
Has the President been told about Mr. Brady's
condition?
DR. O'LEARY: I don't think that he is alert enough,
really, to assimilate that information. I don't know really what
we would tell him at this juncture, since we're not sure yet what
the story is.
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- 11 -
Q
That's a pretty rugged place to cut, isn't it?
DR. O'LEARY: About an average muscle.
Q
You've told us what the surgeons did to the
President. What are they doing or trying to do for James Brady?
Exactly what happened there?
DR. O'LEARY: I can't, again -- anything I'm telling
you is rather speculative. Normally they would have to remove
the tissue that seemed irreparably damaged. Any time you're
operating inside the head, for very obvious reasons, you try and
salvage as much tissue as you think has a remote chance of
recovering. This is not a good injury. It causes a lot of damage.
Q
Is there a finite possibility that with the
damage sustained by the President, would there ever be in the near
future a need to go back and reopen?
DR. O'LEARY: I said that was extremely remote.
Ω
Doctor, would you say that Mr. Brady's fighting
for his life?
DR. O'LEARY: I think any time a patient is in critical
condition, in a sense he's fighting for his life.
O
Did the President get any first aid in the car
on the way over?
DR. O'LEARY: I really can't answer that question. I
don't know.
Ω
Doctor, what type of medication is the
President on or will he be on while he's in the hospital? Is he
on any IVs or anything else?
DR. O'LEARY: He's on intravenous solution right now.
As I said, he required no blood intraoperatively and, as with any
patient, the medications, really, depend upon what the patient's
needs are. I would expect the President is probably not going to
need very many medications except perhaps some modest painkillers
for a day or so.
Q
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: It depends. In a totally normal routine
I would guess probably a couple of months after his hospitalization
so maybe 2-1/2 to three months might be a good quess, but it is a
guess.
2
Would you recommend that he leave Washington
for, say, his ranch?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, that's really up to him and his
staff. I'm sure that he will be adequately protected.
l
What was Mr. Brady's brain waves? Were they flat?
What can you tell us?
DR. O'LEARY: I don't know the answer to that question.
Ω
As a doctor would you advise him to take off
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- 10 -
0
Can you talk a little bit about what the body
goes through, how much of a shock to the body it is to go through
an operation like this? (Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: Well, yes, I'd say anytime anyone
undergoes major surgery, a thoracotomy is major surgery. It is not
extraordinary surgery but it's major surgery. It's got to be a
stress fcr any one of us. It'd be a stress for me. But the
critical element is the physiological health of the person and your
ability to maintain their vital signs and their blood volume
satisfactorily.
The President's vital signs were absolutely rock stable
through this whole thing.
Q
(Inaudible.)
DP.. O'LEARY: Well, that is a decision really made by
the ambulances but I think that we do have several trauma centers in
the District of Columbia and to the exhant that one center does not
get many very seriously injured patients, all of our ability to
care for the patients is increased.
Cbviously, in the heat of a situation people do the
best they can. If you track back where that decision was made it
is sometimes hard to find out viso really made that decision.
Ω
(Inaudible) -- who made the incision and how large
was it?
DR. O'LEARY: The incision is about six months --
excuse me -- six inches long and it extends basically from about
here (gesturing) into the posterior part underneath the armpit.
Ω
Could you show that again?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay. (Gesturing). About from here to
here. Can you see it? Here to here. Just underneath the nipple.
Ct
Just underneath the nipple?
Ω
(Inaudible.) -- about the pain?
DR. O'LEARY: Again, hard to tell. He's a healthy guy
and I'm sure this is a painful surgery but he withstood it very,
very well.
Ω
Is this a fairly common procedure that
hospitals in urban areas have to do frequently, gunshot wound to
the chest?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes. No question.
Q
Will he have pain for days or weeks or months?
DR. O'LEARY: His surgeons believe that he will
probably be in moderate pain. That will probably not be for more
than a day or two.
O
Well, you have to cut through muscle, don't you?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes, you have to cut through chest wall
muscle.
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- 12 -
further time beyond the time that he's hospitalized?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, taking off time depends on what
you're talking about.
Ω
I'm saying away from the pressures of the
Presidency.
DR. O'LEARY: That's really not my judgment to make
for him. I think that I would urge him to limit his physical
activity within reason. There is no reason to believe that he has
any impairment of his ability to make decisions or what have you.
Making decisions is stressful business but I think he's going to be
fully up to it.
Ω
Doctor, earlier there was a report that the
bullet missed the heart by an inch. You caid it missed by several
inches. Several inches is 3 relatively large amount of distance
within the chest. Was the heart much closer than that? Do you have
an actual measurement rather than an estimate of Low close it came?
DP. O'LEARY: I wasn't specifically there in the
operating room. I think I knew where those reports came because,
remember, when we're in an operating room the only xray that we can
really get that's going to be valid is one that is taken from
front to back. Okay? And when you held that UD it looked as if
the bullet was close to the heart. Dut you are missing that third
dimension and that third disension it turned out that the bullet was
significantly removed from the heart by several inches, as I said.
It was not close.
Ω
Could you tell us at what stage Mr. Brady is in
surgery now and about when be will be completed?
DR. O'LEARY: Well, having seen some of these patients,
it may go on for hours.
Q
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: I honestly don't know that. I suspect so
but I don't know.
O
There were reports that the President wasn't
aware of what happened to him. When he first was shot, that he
didn't know what happened.
DR. O'LEARY: Sometimes there's some shock as a
consequence of being hit. You hear people described afterwards,
"My goodness, I've been shot." So it's hard to know at what point
that realization hit him. I would think by the time he hit our
emergency room that he knew that he had been shot.
Q
Were you notified that the President was coming?
DR. O'LEARY: Yes. Yes.
0
Who took the call?
DR. O'LEARY: Okay. I don't know where the call came
in from but we were notified in advance and he was here almost
immediately after that and was literally met by the trauma team at
the door.
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- 13 -
Q
There were reports that the bullet was a low
caliber bullet. Can you speculate as to what would have happened
with a higher caliber bullet?
DR. O'LEARY: I really can't speculate on that. I'm
not a ballistics expert.
Q
(Inaudible.)
DR. O'LEARY: Yes, he was.
Ω
Are you seeking outside medical care?
DR. C'I.EARY: Not at this time.
?
Here there no complications in surgery of any
kind?
DR. O'LEARY: No. He had a simple, penetrating bullet
wound into his left lung and that was basically it.
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- 14 -
actually performing surgery, probably four or five, between
Mr. McCarthy and the President, neuro-surgical teams working
separately.
MR. NOFZIGER: Is that it ladies and gentlemen?
2
Thank you.
Ω
Thank you, Doctor.
Q
Could you spell the Doctor's name, please?
MR. NOFZIGER: O'Leary. 0-'-L-e-a-r-y. Dennis with
two Ns and one S.
Ω
Middle initial?
MR. NOFZIGER: Got a middle initial?
DR. O'LEARY:
S.
MR. NOFZIGER: S as in Sam.
Ω
Specialty?
DR. O'LEARY: Internal medicine and hemotology.
MR. NOFZIGER: Let Be thank you -- thank Dr. O'Leary
first of all, and then take upon the White House the blame for
you not getting detailed information earlier. We had specifically
asked the team at the hospital to let the White House handle
this and to wait until the surgery was over before there was any
briefing. So if any of you have any complaints about lack of
information, don't blame them, blane me which you've done
in the past anyway.
O
If the operation was completed at 5:30, was
there any reason why you waited SO long to brief?
MR. NOFZIGER: No, I n don't think the operation was
completed at 5:30. I think that by the time that it had been
closed up -- he had been closed up and was out of there, it
was considerably later than that. I think it was near 6:30,
Sam.
Q
Can the Doctor verify that?
DR. O'LEARY: The basic surgery was finished at
5:30. He was then closed, which is basically routine for a
procedure of this type, and I believe that they finished closing
very carefully at about 6:20.
Ω
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: Yes, he was
Q
Would you say that while the President was
incapacited here during the operation that the Vice President
was in charge? There was a report from the White House, I believe
that General Haig said that he was in charge? (Laughter.)
MR. NOFZIGER: I don't think I want to comment
on that. The President will be fully capable of making decisions
tomorrow, according to the doctors. In the meantime, the business
of government is going on normally and we expect it to continue to.
And Vice President Bush is here and the rest of the government
is functioning normally, and we expect that it will continue to
do so.
2
When you say Bush is here -- where?
MR. NOFZIGER: He should be at the White House.
Q
Lyn, n one more question. Since you're taking
the blame, can you explain why --
MR. NOFZIGER: I would blame you, but --
Q
(Inaudible.)
- 15 -
MR. NOFZIGER: I'm sorry. Because the initial
reports to us were that he had not been hit and by the time
I got to the hospital, we knew that he had been. But you're
going to ask me why -- so many bad rumors run around these
things. Some of them come from us. Some of them come from
you all.
Q
Who arrived first -- the President or Brady?
MR. NOFZIGER: I cannot tell you that. I just
don't know.
Ω
The initial report came from whom?
MR. NOFZIGER: Probably the wire services. That
was the first I heard.
Q
Have you heard anything about the motive of
this thing?
MR. NOFZIGER: No, I have not. You'll have to talk
to the Secret Service and to the police about that. That's
outside of my area right now.
a
Will you establish now a schedule for regular
medical bulletins?
MR. NOFZIGER: My plan is to meet with the doctors here
shortly after 7:00 tomorrow morning. We will then have a briefing
in the White House Press Room as scon thereafter as possible. We
will notify you. My suspicion is it will probably be maybe
as early as 8:30 and we i will bring Dr. O'Leary or one of
the doctors with us at that time.
C
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: Yes, this was to keep you out of the
rain.
Ω
Have you considered invoking the 25th
Amendment that the President be disabled and rejected?
MR. NOFZIGER: No. We have not considered it. We
have not considered invoking it, no.
Ω
Did the Secret Service agent save the President's
life by stepping in frort?
MR. NOFZIGER: I do not know. I was not there.
Ω
What is Bush's status now? Technically --
MR. NOFZIGER: He is the Vice President. (Laughter.)
Q
He is the acting President now, is he not?
MR. NOFZIGER: No, he is not.
2
Will he spend the night at the White House?
MR. NOFZIGER: I don't know. You'd have to ask him.
Q
Did the Presidential limousine go to any other
place or did it make a direct route from the scene of the shooting
to the hospital?
MR. NOFZIGER: To the best of my knowledge, it came
directly to the hospital.
Q
Can you put to rest all fears, all rumors,
that more than one gunman was involved in this?
MR. NOFZIGER: To the best of my knowledge, there
was only one
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- 16 -
gunman. That's all we've heard of and the people who were on
the scene don't indicate there was anything more.
Ω
Is there evidence of a conspiracy behind
the scenes?
MR. NOFZIGER: I'm not going to get into that, for
goodness'sake. We've been -- You know, we'll wait and let the
Secret Service and the police do their investigation and then
we'll look at it there. But I don't think that that's even for
me to speculate on -- no matter how farfetched it may be.
Ω
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZICER: I think that the President can speak
for himself on that when the time comes.
Q
Who has physical possession of the bullet
at this moment?
MR. NOFZIGER: To my knowledge, the Secret Service
does.
Now, if you all would hold it for just a moment,
I would like to re-introduce Sheila Patton to you who is the
First Lady's Press Secretary, and she can tell you about Mrs.
Reagan.
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- 17 -
MS. PATTON: Mrs. Reagan was calm
and composed throughout this ordeal. She is grateful for
the outpouring of support and prayers from all over the world.
She's also grateful for the fine medical attention that her
husband is receiving. And, lastly, she's praying for Jim
Brady, for agent McCarthy, and Officer Delahante and she hopes
everyone else is too.
Ω
(Inaudible.)
MS. PATTON: Mrs. Reagan heard there was a shooting
from her Secret Service agent. We had just returned to the
White House from a luncheor. She immediately left for the
hospital and learned that the President had been shot here at
the hospital.
C
She didn't know --
MS. PATTON: She learned it after she arrived here.
a
-- she'll be staying here all night?
MS. PATTON: That has not been determined yet.
0
How many minutes elapsed when the President
arrived -- (inaudible) --
MS. PATTON: To the best of my recollection, we
left about 25 of three.
C.
-- that where. From the --
MS. PATTON: From the White House in five minutes.
C
Did Mrs. Reagan have any contact with Mrs.
Brady at all during the --
MS. PATTON: Yes, she has seen both Mrs. Brady
and Mrs. McCarthy.
Q
Can you tell us anything about --
MS. PATTON: No, it was a private meeting.
0
Where --
MS. PATTON: In an office near the emergency room.
C
-- visit the chaplain?
MS. PATTON: Yes, she did. She visited the chaplain.
0
hen was that?
MS. PATTON: Shortly thereafter.
CI
Shortly after she arrived?
MS. PATTON: After the President went up for
surgery.
0
What did she say to him?
MS. PATTON: I do not know.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
MR. NOFZIGER: Let me make a couple of quick
announcements. Vice President Bush is spending the night at
the Vice President's Residence. So, that clears that up.
Secondly, I've been asked do I want to move the A.M. briefing
to Room 450 in the EOB because it's larger and so let's move
it to Room 450 in EOB because it's larger. We will see you
there in the morning. Thank you.
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- 18 -
0
Is that going to be it for tonight? Should
we anticipate any announcements regarding Jim Brady?
MR. NOFZIGER: My feeling is that depending on
the situation, I would not rule it out. But: that will come out
of the White House briefing room. I think we can wind up this
place here after this briefing. I think that will he more
convenient for all of us.
(
Have our allies abroad been contacted about
the President's stable condition?
MR. NOFZIGER: I cannot tell you if our allies
have been contacted. But. I would be willing to bet that they
had been.
C:
(Inaudible.)
MR. NOFZIGER: I cannot answer that. I do not
know.
END
8:15 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 30, 1981
BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS
BY LARRY SPEAKES
The Briefing Room
(4:09 P.M. EST)
MR. SPEAKES: Mainly I wanted to come here to let you
know that I will be present here throughout. Lyn Nofziger's at
the hospital. He will be making statements from there. We will
have the same information here.
I can only say what we said earlier, that the President
has a gunshot wound in the left side of the chest, is in stable
condition.
Jim Brady has been shot. It is a head wound. We have
no information on his condition.
That's the extent --
I
Is the President in surgery?
Q
Are they in surgery yet?
MR. SPEAKES: I can't say.
Q
Is Brady?
Q
We have gotten confirmed reports, so have other
network news, so have the wires, can't you help us with that,
Larry?
MR. SPEAKES: As soon as we can confirm it we will,
and I just --
Q
Larry, his brother's been called by the White
House and has been told that the President is in surgery right now,
that he's already had blood transfusions. Is your information going
to be that far behind what we're getting from other sources?
MR. SPEAKES: Lesley, we will do our very best to
keep it up. As you know, earlier when I was out here, our initial
report was that the President was not hit. That's what we run into
when we try to give information when we are not hundred percent sure
or we don't have it from the source. We do have somebody there with
the President. I will be here. I just wanted to let you know I'll
come down every 15 or 20 or 30 minutes just to let you know exactly
what we know and will also let you know when we don't have any
further information.
Q
Is that the extent of what you know, what you've
just said now, is that the extent of what you know?
MR. SPEAKES: That's the extent of what I can say at
this point.
Q
Can you check on the surger/ and come back?
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- 2 -
I
Could you confirm the surgery report with a
phonecall or something?
MR. SPEAKES: I will.
Q
Not 15 minutes, but a few minutes?
Q
Larry, can you give us an understanding of how
serious the chest wound is?
MR. SPEAKES: No.
Q
Do you have any idea? There are reports that
it punctured the lung.
MR. SPEAKES: We can't confirm that yet. We've talked
to the doctors but, you know, we cannot confirm that yet.
Q
Larry, can you confirm reports that Jim is in
surgery now?
MR. SPEAKES: Yes.
Q
What process does the United States government
go through with foreign governments when something like this occurs?
MR. SPEAKES: Jerry, there is a notification process
and I think the State Department has moved on that.
Q
Has the U.S. military been placed on any higher
readiness?
MR. SPEAKES: Not that I'm aware of. There were some
questions about the Vice President. I understand he was in Texas
today. He is returning. He's expected to arrive at Andrews around
8:00 o' o'clock this evening according to the information that I have
now. He has been informed, he is in communication.
Q
Would he assume emergency powers?
Q
Will there be a division of labor of any kind?
MR. SPEAKES: Not that I'm aware of. We just haven't
crossed those bridges yet.
Q
What's the nature of the notification that the
State Department is making with foreign governments?
MR. SPEAKES: I'm sure it's a notification to indicate
that the President is in stable condition.
Q
Who's running the government right now?
Q
If the President goes into surgery and goes under
anaesthesia, would Vice President Bush become the acting President
at that moment or under what circumstances does he?
MR. SPEAKES: I cannot answer that question at this
time.
Q
How about the crisis management team? Would that
come into effect?
I
Larry, what is the consideration is not keeping us
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more up to date on the President's condition? We know he's in surgery
and no one seems to be able to come out and confirm it. Why the time
lag?
MR. SPEAKES: Lesley, I would assure you there is no
reason except we want to be completely sure of our facts.
2
Well, is the President's surgery a fact?
MR. SPEAKES: I'm sorry, I cannot do it from here at
this time.
Q
What can you tell us about the gunman who's in
custody?
MR. SPEAKES: Absolutely nothing. That would have to
come from Secret Service or the police.
Q
Larry, who'll be determining the status of the
President and whether the Vice President should, in fact, become
the acting President?
MR. SPEAKES: Pardon?
2
Who will be determining the status of the
President --
MR. SPEAKES: I don't know the details on that.
Q
Larry, what's the note say?
MR. SPEAKES: I'll let you know shortly.
I
Listen, will you announce it each time you come
out here, Larry?
END
4:25 P.M. EST