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Reagan diaries reveal private thoughts of a public leader

Two decades after President Reagan left office, we're given a new glimpse at his private thoughts, with the publication of the handwritten diaries he kept during his eight years in the White House.

He kept the diaries diligently, using clear orderly handwriting to take note of his daily events and activities and to shed a human light on the most dramatic chapters of his time in office.

"What the style tells you more than anything that … here is a man who is comfortable in his own skin," said Reagan biographer Lou Cannon.

Vanity Fair has published excerpts from Douglas Brinkley's forthcoming book, The Reagan Diaries, which include an entry days after he took office in 1981. The new president made it clear he would play to win the Cold War.
Read entire article at ABC News