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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Roberts, John G.: Files
Folder Title: [JGR/Presidential Interviews
and Questionnaires] (01/01/1986-02/03/1986)
Box: 38
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
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 16, 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR DAVID L. CHEW
STAFF SECRETARY
FROM:
H. LAWRENCE GARRETT,
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Draft Q&A for American Legion Magazine
Counsel's Office has reviewed the draft answers to questions
submitted to the President by American Legion Magazine, and has
no legal objection to them.
ID #.
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
o . OUTGOING
H - INTERNAL
I . INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent: Dave Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject:
plraft Q&A for american
Kernon magazine
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agemtly
Staff Name
Code
TEMMOD
Response
Code TY/MM/DD
CUITOLL
ORIGINATOR 86,01,15
/
-
cuat 02
Principal Receipt
R
86,01,15
586,01,16
Referral Note:
1pm
/ /
-
-
Referral Note:
1 /
No No
Refenced Note:
/ /
- "
Referral Note
CROW CODES
DISPOSITION CODES
A Agencoriate Address
the Case Addition
A Answers
C
Completed
C Comment/Recommendation
DIRECT Magily w/Crey
Non-Special Referred
$ Sumperted
D Draft Response
For Signature
-
I I Fail
1 I
the be uned ⑉
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE,
3 Type 1 I I $
Code
Completion Date Date of Dungsing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB)
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
Document No.
366066
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 1/15/86
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 1:00 p.m. 1/16/86
SUBJECT: DRAFT Q & A FOR AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
OGLESBY
à
REGAN
POINDEXTER
MILLER
RYAN
BUCHANAN
SPEAKES
X
CHAVEZ
SPRINKEL
CHEW
P
STEELMAN
DANIELS
SVAHN
FIELDING
THOMAS
HENKEL
TUTTLE
HICKS
GIBSON
KINGON
LACY
REMARKS: Please give your comments directly to Tom Gibson, with an
copy to my office by 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
David L. Chew
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 15, 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR DAVID CHEW
FROM:
TOM GIBSON TE.
SUBJECT:
Draft I & A for American Legion magazine
Attached, for staffing, are draft answers to questions submitted
to the President by American Legion magazine.
The President has already been photographed with the American
Legion editors. In order to meet their publication schedule for
the March issue, the final manuscript needs to be mailed to
Indianapolis next Monday, January 20.
Thanks very much.
CC: Pat Buchanan
January 15, 1986
DRAFT PRESIDENTIAL Q AND A FOR AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE
1.
Mr President, looking back over the past five years, how
have you fulfilled your 1980 campaign promise to rebuild
America's defenses?
Five years ago, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that
the all-volunteer army wasn't working. Troop morale was
dangerously low and military families overseas were having
serious trouble making ends meet. I am proud that we turned
this around. Military pay levels are now about one-third
higher than they were back in 1980, and military personnel
overseas have more buying power due to the stronger dollar.
The men and women in uniform once again have reasons to
join, to train, to stay in, and to prepare for any
emergency. They are really the muscle, mind and heart of
America's defenses.
Perhaps I am most pleased by the quality of our all-
volunteer force. We are attracting substantially more
recruits than in 1980, and the percentage of new recruits
with a high school degree is the highest ever.
Re-enlistment
rates are up as well. And this is happening despite the
opportunities our growing economy has produced in the
private sector.
And we're working to give these men and women the tools they
need to get the job done. Thanks to our program to restore
our defenses, we now have planes that can fly and ships that
can sail. We are proceeding with the MX and the B-1 bomber,
and we are approaching our goal of a 600-ship Navy.
2.
You met last November with General Secretary Mikhail
Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union. What did your
discussions accomplish?
More than anything else, my goal was to meet my Soviet
counterpart and to have a frank discussion with him
one-on-one, without distraction or media filters.
He found out that I'm not the trigger-happy buckaroo they
sometimes picture me in PRAVDA. And I found out that,
though he believes very strongly in his Marxist-Leninist
worldview, he may be willing to consider a little give and
take on certain issues.
-2-
The meetings amounted to a fresh start. That phrase holds
no illusions: It simply means that we aired our differences,
looked for common ground, and planted some seeds that, by
the next summit, might grow into tangible agreements.
3.
Why do we continue to negotiate with the Soviet Union, when
they repeatedly violate treaties and agreements at will?
That's a good question. There are times when negotiating
with the Soviet Union serves no useful purpose other than to
give the western media stories to write. If you are looking
for an agreement -- any agreement - in order to score
points for domestic consumption, the Soviets get the idea
that you can be taken for a ride.
Or, if the American military posture is in bad shape and our
alliances are in tatters, as was the case five years ago,
you send off the wrong signals by trying to negotiate from a
position of weakness.
The key to negotiating with the Soviets is to seek treaties
that allow us to verify how well the other side is keeping
its word. I decided my second term was the time to pursue
the negotiations at full press -- partly to see if the other
side was serious. Since the Soviet negotiators had stayed
away from the table for a year during my first term, there
were certainly some doubts about that.
I can't predict even now that there will be agreements as to
arms, world trouble-spots and so on, this year or in 1987.
But your readers should rest assured that our country will
sign nothing that is not verifiable and is not in our
national interest.
4.
The Soviet Union has sharply upgraded its chemical warfare
capability. What is the U.S. response?
The United States signalled its abhorrence for chemical
weapons by unilaterally halting all research and
development on chemical weapons, and by burying those
weapons stockpiled since 1972.
American restraint in this area was not met with equal
restraint by the Soviets. On the contrary -- the evidence
shows that they continued beyond the research stage and into
deployment of chemical weapons, which have been unleashed on
the Afghans and on the people of Indochina.
-3-
5.
Afghan Freedom Fighters have held out against Soviet armed
forces for six years with inadequate support from the West.
Why is the United States not offering more support, when the
Mujahadeen is in such desperate need of material and other
forms of assistance?
More assistance is exactly what we do plan to give the
freedom fighters in Afghanistan. Their bravery stands as a
continuing reminder of what some must endure for freedom's
sake.
In the case of the Afghans, it's more than abstract freedom
they're fighting so valiantly for. As a recent Washington
Post editorial put it, their struggle is against a monstrous
machine of genocide. One third of her population has fled.
One third is starving. The remainder endure the torments of
a ceaseless air war against civilians, chronic shortages of
food and the rudiments of medical care, and the relentless
propaganda of the so-called "liberators" -- who bark that
all these troubles are the result of Western "imperialism."
6.
What is our government doing to protect American citizens,
both at home and abroad, from terrorist attacks? What is
the policy of your Administration when such attacks occur?
This gets into an area where I cannot answer direct
questions for fear of compromising some of the efforts we
have underway. But there is no question that protecting the
lives of Americans is the highest duty of government.
As for what can be done when these beasts and thugs carry
out terrorist attacks, I look at each situation
individually. But, as I warned those hijackers of the
Achille Lauro, those animals can run, but they can't hide.
7.
You have stated that the resolution of the POW/MIA issue is
of the "highest national priority." What is our government
currently doing to account for our missing servicemen?
The information we have makes it impossible for us to rule
out the possibility that there are American servicemen alive
and imprisoned today in Vietnam. We are investigating the
95 unresolved reports of first-hand sitings, and are working
with the Vietnamese to investigate some of the 200 known
sites where U.S. military aircraft crashed in that
country.
-4-
8.
Mr. President, the Congress recently passed the Balanced
Budget and Deficit Reduction Act of 1985, mandating a
balanced budget by 1991. One provision of the law would
require across-the-board spending cuts if Congress fails to
meet the specified budget targets. What effect will this
legislation have on your program to rebuild the Nation's
defenses?
My agreement with the Congress called for a one-year pause
in our defense buildup, in conjunction with our efforts to
tighten up certain domestic items and abolish some dozen
nonessential programs. That was to be followed by two years
of 3 percent growth in military spending after inflation.
We froze defense spending, but we never got the type of
spending cuts and program terminations we wanted. The
House of Representatives seems to have been the culprit
here.
If, back in August, Congress had produced a credible budget
plan for the current fiscal year, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings
might not have been needed. But we have it, and I signed
it, despite some doubts. All I can say at this point is
that I am going to insist on two more years of 3 percent
growth in defense, to put the finishing touches on what we
did in the first term.
9.
Should veterans' benefits be exempt from these automatic
across-the-board cuts?
Yes. The legislation I signed into law on December 12,
1985, stipulates that there can be no automatic cuts in
Veterans Compensation and Veterans Pension.
10. Mr. President, when you leave office in January 1989, what
legacy do you hope to leave your country?
There are several accomplishments, or ideas, that I hope for
in my second term.
Domestically, I hope to see the federal government's
financial house put in order, with continued economic
prosperity. This will require the discipline of spending
reductions, the implementation of meaningful tax reform, and
other proposals that will allow individuals and businesses
to boost productivity and keep the American economic engine
at full speed.
-5-
The other legacy I want to endure is that of a secure
America, protected by traditional military readiness and by
a Strategic Defense Initiative. One day, even if it takes
twenty years, we are going to shield the American people,
and the European people, and the Russian people, from the
threat of missile-borne nuclear warheads.
As we get to the point where that's possible, we will, by
applying good old American ingenuity, be making the world's
nuclear arsenals less and less useful -- for as we move toward
more effective missile defenses, we take the pay-off out of
nuclear retaliation.
This can't happen overnight. We are moving slowly but
surely away from the balance-of-terror, and toward the
balance-of-safety. In that direction lies a safer world,
for ourselves and our children.
#
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 3, 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR TOM GIBSON
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS
FROM:
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL 933 TO THE PRESIDENT
JOHN G. ROBERTS
SUBJECT:
Draft Presidential Interview
for Industry Week Magazine
Counsel's Office has reviewed the above-referenced draft
Presidential interview, and finds no objection to it from a
legal perspective.
CC: David L. Chew
ID #
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
o . OUTGOING
H INTERNAL
I INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent:
Dave Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject: Drupt Presidential Internew for
Industry week magazine
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agency
(Staff Name)
Code
YY/MM/DD
Response
Code
YY/MM/DD
Cultou
ORIGINATOR 86,02,03
/ /
Crut 18
Referral Note:
R 86,02,03
586102104
Referral Note:
5pm
/
/
/ /
Referral Note:
/
/
/
/
I
Referral Note:
/ /
/ /
Referral Note:
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A Appropriate Action
I Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A Answered
C Completed
C Comment/Recommendation
R Direct Reply w/Copy
B Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S For Signature
F Furnish Fact Sheet
X Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
Code
#
"A"
Completion Date = Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 3, 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR TOM GIBSON
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS
FROM:
JOHN G. ROBERTS 2202
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Draft Presidential Interview
for the Arizona Republic
Counsel's Office has reviewed the draft Presidential interview
for the Arizona Republic. It might help mitigate potential com-
mercial exploitation problems if "my favorite Western writer" in
line four of the response to question two were changed to "one
of my favorite Western writers."
For what it's worth, the response to question four struck me as
a bit trite and stereotypical -- and I'm not convinced that the
air in Los Angeles is cleaner, or the air in Seattle dryer, than
air in the East.
CC: David L. Chew
ID #.
CU
WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHEET
o OUTGOING
H INTERNAL
I INCOMING
Date Correspondence
Received (YY/MM/DD)
/
/
Name of Correspondent:
Due Chew
MI Mail Report
User Codes: (A)
(B)
(C)
Subject: drapt Presidential Internew bar
arezona Republic
ROUTE TO:
ACTION
DISPOSITION
Tracking
Type
Completion
Action
Date
of
Date
Office/Agency
(Staff Name)
Code
YY/MM/DD
Response
Code
YY/MM/DD
CUHOLL
ORIGINATOR 86,01,31
/ /
Referral Note:
cuat 18
R
86,01,31
86,02,03
Referral Note:
12N
/ /
/ /
I
Referral Note:
/ /
/ /
I
Referral Note:
/ /
/ /
Referral Note:
ACTION CODES:
DISPOSITION CODES:
A - Appropriate Action
I Info Copy Only/No Action Necessary
A Answered
C Completed
C * Comment/Recommendation
R Direct Reply w/Copy
B . Non-Special Referral
S Suspended
D Draft Response
S For Signature
F Furnish Fact Sheet
X Interim Reply
to be used as Enclosure
FOR OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE:
Type of Response = Initials of Signer
Code = "A"
Completion Date = Date of Outgoing
Comments:
Keep this worksheet attached to the original incoming letter.
Send all routing updates to Central Reference (Room 75, OEOB).
Always return completed correspondence record to Central Files.
Refer questions about the correspondence tracking system to Central Reference, ext. 2590.
5/81
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
1/31/86
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 12:00 p.m. 2/3/86
SUBJECT: DRAFT PRESIDENTIAL INTERVIEW FOR ARIZONA REPUBLIC
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
OGLESBY
REGAN
POINDEXTER
MILLER
RYAN
BUCHANAN
SPEAKES
CHAVEZ
SPRINKEL
CHEW
P
SS STEELMAN
DANIELS
SVAHN
FIELDING
THOMAS
HENKEL
TUTTLE
GIBSON
HICKS
KINGON
LACY
REMARKS:
Please give your recommendations directly to Tom Gibson,
with an info copy to my office by 12:00 p.m. Monday,
February 3rd. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
David L. Chew
Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 31, 1986
MEMORANDUM FOR DAVID CHEW
FROM:
TOM GIBSON TG.
SUBJECT:
Draft Presidential Interview for Arizona Republic
Attached, for staffing, are draft Presidential answers to
questions submitted by the Arizona Republic.
Thanks very much.
cc: Pat Buchanan
January 31, 1986
DRAFT PRESIDENTIAL INTERVIEW FOR ARIZONA REPUBLIC
1.
Mr. President, how would you describe a "Westerner"?
There's a line in Glendon Swarthout's novel The Shootist:
"We hung onto our pride." That's an important part of being
a Westerner -- having pride in yourself, pride in the land,
and pride in what you can accomplish with the sweat of your
brow. It's the image John Wayne projected -- tough,
independent and pioneering -- when he starred in the movie
version of the book.
2. Who is your favorite Western author? Your favorite Western
works of art?
If you had asked me about my favorite Western movies, we
would be here all day.
While I don't have near enough time for light reading in
this job, my favorite Western writer is Louis L'Amour. He
writes about the rugged individuals with deep-seated values
who conquered the frontier. A L'Amour novel, such as Hondo
or Jubal Sackett, reaffirms the potential we Americans have
as explorers, as pioneers and as a free people.
Since moving to Washington in 1981, Nancy and I have tried
to make the White House something of a showcase for works by
Western artists. A total of nearly 50 works by George
Catlin hang throughout the West Wing. The White House
collection includes works by Charles Russell, Henry Farny,
Alexander Proctor and a number of other Western artists.
I have surrounded myself with nearly a dozen works of
Western art in the Oval Office. My good friend Barry
Goldwater gave me "Arizona Cowboy," a magnificent bronze
sculpture by Ray Renfroe, on behalf of the people of
Arizona. Among the other bronzes are Frederic Remington's
"Bronco Buster" and "The Rattlesnake," as well as a set of
twelve miniature bronze saddles by Paul Rossi illustrating
the evolution of the saddle from the sixteenth through the
twentieth century. In fact, from the moment you walk into
the Oval Office, it's plain that a Westerner is in the White
House.
-2-
3.
Why is it that the East and West seem to have such divergent
political, economic, and social agendas?
I'm not so sure that East and West are as different as some
observers make them out to be. On the surface, it might
appear that Westerners have a different agenda from
Easterners, Midwesterners or Southerners. But we're all
Americans -- a united people, living in freedom under God.
People in New York, in Illinois, in Arizona and in
California all have the same goals, the same dreams. We all
want freedom and peace. We all want to make the world safer
for our children.
All of us want prosperity. We want plenty of productive
jobs and low inflation. Right now we have both. I think
Americans want to restrain the federal budget, while leaving
the family budget alone. I'm optimistic about that coming
to pass, too.
Raising your taxes is no permanent cure for the deficit. A
tax hike to reduce the deficit would impose substantial
burdens on American families and reduce incentives to work,
save and invest -- and create more jobs. Experience has
also shown that higher taxes do not necessarily go to reduce
the deficit, but more often are used to justify increased
government spending.
And I know that Americans want a tax code that's simpler,
fairer, and that promotes a healthy economy. We've made a
good start on tax reform last year. I look forward to
working with the Senate to finish the job in 1986.
4.
How would you describe the difference between the
Washington, D.C. and Western lifestyles?
Life in the East is very different from our life in the
West. For the most part, the East keeps a slightly quicker
pace and is somewhat more crowded -- some might say
"citified." It is also more devoted to manufacturing and
commerce. The American industrial revolution started in the
East.
Westerners are more likely to be farmers or ranchers, though
we have our manufacturing and the banking and commericial
activities that support economic activities of all kinds.
?
And the air is different -- dryer, cleaner.
-3-
The West is, as we all know, full of wide open spaces. The
spectacular grandeur of the West leaves its imprint on all
of us and makes us closer to and more appreciative of the
land.
5.
Why has the conservative philosophy dominated the
presidential races in the West for nearly 40 years?
Westerners are by nature and necessity individualists.
Westerners have long known that government couldn't do
everything and that yes, it was doing too much. Government
doesn't have the answer to every problem, and it can be the
cause of many. It didn't work, it invited inefficiency and
it just plain cost too much.
More recently, I think that great surge of economic growth
we had after the 1981 tax cuts convinced a lot of people
-- in the whole country -- that working Americans in a free
economy could do more than any politician's promise.
6.
Why have so many federal policies affecting the Nation's 300
Indian tribes seem to have failed? Will you undertake new
policies for American Indians in your second term?
In the past, the government's policy failed to recognize
the special relationship between Indian tribes and the
federal government, a relationship based on a long history
of treaties and congressional actions. Instead, the policy
was to treat native Americans as Washington's wards.
This mindset led to the creation of weak economies in Indian
country, often supported by nothing more than monthly
federal handouts. There was no attempt to build industries,
start businesses, or promote the creation of real jobs.
This led to a cycle of dependency on the federal government,
which in turn led to more subsidies. In short, in many
cases, a paternalistic federal government just made matters
worse -- leaving treaty issues unresolved and undermining
tribal initiative.
In January 1983, I issued a policy statement that marked the
beginning of the end of this wrongheaded approach. This
Administration is restoring tribal government so Indians can
resume control over their own affairs. Soon we will be
announcing new policies which will help identify markets for
Indian businesses, create wealth on the reservations, and
bring jobs to Indian people. We're also encouraging the
tribes to negotiate treaty claims rather than spend years in
costly litigation.
-4-
The solution is self-determination and self-sufficiency. In
that spirit, I appointed Ross Swimmer as Assistant Secretary
of the Interior last year. Ross was chief of the Cherokee
tribe in Oklahoma and is the first tribal chief to be named
to that job.
7.
About 90 percent of the Nation's mineral wealth lies in the
West. Many of these industries, especially copper, are
having a rough time. Any positive signs or solutions ahead?
Prices of a number of commodities are lower than they were
in the recent past; wheat, cotton, gold and oil today are
much cheaper than they were in 1980, even without
discounting for inflation. Continued economic growth is the
only way to get these commodity-based industries back to
full strength. And the outlook is encouraging.
Under our economic recovery and expansion, the rate of
inflation is staying low and growth remains on track. And
our major trading partners are gaining economic strength.
As these countries experience noninflationary economic
growth such as America has seen over the past three years,
the value of foreign currencies will rise, and markets for
U.S. products will grow.
I'm only too aware that the copper industry has had its
share of problems, as fiber-optic technology has replaced
copper wiring in telecommunications and other areas. To
examine the state of affairs in copper and other mineral
industries, I recently created the Critical Materials
Council to provide a focus within my Adminstration on
minerals and materials issues.
8.
Your administration has proposed a new federal-state
relationship in water. What steps do you plan to simplify
overlapping jurisdictions and bring about a clearer cost-
sharing policy?
You better believe I know how precious water is to us. In
this Administration, we've tried to keep federal policy
flexible and at the same time get the different federal
agencies to show some consistency in their activities
related to water policy.
With respect to sharing costs of water projects, we've been
working with Congress on this. In our fiscal year 1987
budget, we propose the people who benefit from these
programs put up about half of the cost. That's a reasonable
figure -- and it's only fair to the taxpayers.
-5-
9.
What steps will you take to get control of our borders and
stop the flow of illegal immigrants?
We're a nation of immigrants. Over half of all Americans
have an ancestor who passed through Ellis Island. So we
want fair, workable immigration laws that can be enforced.
We want to curtail illegal immigration by making it illegal
to give these people a job. And that means we're going to
have to make some changes in existing law.
Until we do that, we're vigorously enforcing the laws we
have. Since 1981, 800 more Border Patrol agents are on the
job and funding for the Immigration and Naturalization
Service has been increased 60 percent.
10. What happened to the Sagebrush Rebellion?
Few people in Eastern and Southern states realize how much
of the land the federal government owns in the West. Only
10 percent of Alaska is in private hands; the federal
government holds title to some 581 million acres. In
Arizona, the federal government owns over 44 percent of the
land; in Nevada, over 85 percent; and in my own California,
almost 46 percent. Use of these lands, of course, is highly
restricted and has become more so over the years. When used
for grazing, for example, a great deal of red tape and
endless regulation are involved.
I think what really set off the "rebellion" was the decision
by the previous administration -- in one of its first acts
in 1977 -- to "review" or eliminate some 320 federal water
projects. Many of these projects in the West had been
partially completed, and many private ventures had been
started on the assumption that these projects would be
completed. Millions had been spent and there was no need
for more Washington bureaucratic "studies." I am sure you
recall that the Central Arizona Project was on their hit
list.
As you know, this enraged the Congressional delegations from
the Western states -- and a long-simmering resentment in the
West toward the federal government just boiled over and was
dubbed "the sagebrush rebellion."
The term "sagebrush rebellion" is convenient shorthand, but
it almost trivializes what was behind it. Fundamentally, it
was all about government meddling, tossing arbitrary
barriers and delays in front of people who have clear vision
and a declared purpose. That sort of meddling will frustrate
any American -- Westerners, I suppose, most of all.