;



Dallas Morning News Inside Account: How George H.W. Bush asserted control in the wake of the Reagan assassination attempt

Breaking News
tags: George HW Bush, Reagan assassination attempt




At the center of a diamond formation of Secret Service agents, Ronald Reagan stepped from the secure VIP exit of the Washington Hilton and onto the damp sidewalk. When a small crowd yelled greetings from across T Street, his movie-star smile instinctively materialized. 

The new president crossed the pavement to a Lincoln parade car and heard the familiar voice of ABC White House correspondent Sam Donaldson rise above the din: “What’s the latest on Poland, Mr. President?”

Reagan merely turned toward the press line and waved. 

Next to Donaldson, a 25-year-old man in a trench coat flexed his knees and raised his hands in a marksman’s stance. With a revolver he had purchased at a Dallas pawnshop, John W. Hinckley Jr. fired six shots. 

It was the 70th day of the Reagan presidency. ...

Read entire article at The Dallas Morning News

comments powered by Disqus