Win One for the Gipper: The Death of Ronald Reagan
“Breaking news out of Washington D.C. this afternoon. President Ronald Reagan has been shot. I repeat, President Ronald Reagan has been shot. CBS news reports that he has been rushed to George Washington University Hospital and is in critical condition. Of course we will have more on the story as soon as we get the information. Once again, President Ronald Reagan has been shot.”
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan made the fateful walk from the Washington Hilton Hotel towards his waiting car. Emerging from the crowd was one John Hinkley Jr. Hinkley was a disturbed man with an obsession over Jodie Foster. Inspired by the film Taxi Driver, Hinkley had stalked both President Carter and now President Reagan. Hinkley fired six shots from his repeating revolver. The first struck White House Press Secretary James Brady in the head. The second round struck Washington D.C. Police Officer Tom Delahanty in the back. The third overshot the President and smashed into a window across the street. The fourth hit Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy in the stomach. The fifth hit the bullet proof glass on the Presidential limousine’s window. But it was the sixth shot that was the worst. It hit the side of the car and ricocheted into President Reagan. It crashed into his heart. President Reagan fell to the ground, as did those around. The Secret Service sprang into action, and took down Hinkley. As he was dragged away from the scene, he asked if the Academy Awards would be postponed due to his actions. They were.
In the meantime the Presidential motorcade raced to George Washington University Hospital. The President slipped in and out of consciousness as he continued to bleed profusely. When they arrived at the hospital the President was rushed into surgery, but there was little that the doctors could do. He had already lost a great deal of blood and the bullet was buried deep within his heart. He was dead before the sun set. First Lady Nancy Reagan rushed to the hospital, and was in tears for days afterwards. Vice-President Bush was in Dallas at the time, and was flown back immediately. Much like fellow Texan Lyndon Johnson, Bush was sworn in as President on the flight to Washington.
While the President sat on the operating table, several members of his cabinet wondered “What now?” It was a legitimate question. It had been twenty years since John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and in that time the speed at which information was collected and transmitted had grown rapidly. No longer was there a several hour delay between the coasts. Within an hour most of America knew that President Reagan had been shot. The only question now was who was in charge. At the White House it was Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Haig met with Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and National Security Adviser Richard Allen to figure out exactly what needed to be done. Their first priorities were deciding what to do about the nuclear football (which was still near the President), the presence of many Soviet nuclear subs near the coast, and the line of succession. Secretary Haig stated "the helm is right here. And that means right in this chair for now, constitutionally, until the vice president gets here." This drew a negative reaction from Weinberger, who saw this as unconstitutional and almost authoritarian. At the same time, Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes was asked who was in charge, to which he responded "I cannot answer that question at this time." Following this remark Speakes exited the room, and Haig entered. He would then utter the now infamous line “Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending the return of the vice president and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.” Whatever the case, with Ronald Reagan dead and George Bush the new President of the United States, the nation was shattered and confused. It would take quite a bit to pull it back
“Breaking news out of Washington D.C. this afternoon. President Ronald Reagan has been shot. I repeat, President Ronald Reagan has been shot. CBS news reports that he has been rushed to George Washington University Hospital and is in critical condition. Of course we will have more on the story as soon as we get the information. Once again, President Ronald Reagan has been shot.”
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan made the fateful walk from the Washington Hilton Hotel towards his waiting car. Emerging from the crowd was one John Hinkley Jr. Hinkley was a disturbed man with an obsession over Jodie Foster. Inspired by the film Taxi Driver, Hinkley had stalked both President Carter and now President Reagan. Hinkley fired six shots from his repeating revolver. The first struck White House Press Secretary James Brady in the head. The second round struck Washington D.C. Police Officer Tom Delahanty in the back. The third overshot the President and smashed into a window across the street. The fourth hit Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy in the stomach. The fifth hit the bullet proof glass on the Presidential limousine’s window. But it was the sixth shot that was the worst. It hit the side of the car and ricocheted into President Reagan. It crashed into his heart. President Reagan fell to the ground, as did those around. The Secret Service sprang into action, and took down Hinkley. As he was dragged away from the scene, he asked if the Academy Awards would be postponed due to his actions. They were.
In the meantime the Presidential motorcade raced to George Washington University Hospital. The President slipped in and out of consciousness as he continued to bleed profusely. When they arrived at the hospital the President was rushed into surgery, but there was little that the doctors could do. He had already lost a great deal of blood and the bullet was buried deep within his heart. He was dead before the sun set. First Lady Nancy Reagan rushed to the hospital, and was in tears for days afterwards. Vice-President Bush was in Dallas at the time, and was flown back immediately. Much like fellow Texan Lyndon Johnson, Bush was sworn in as President on the flight to Washington.
While the President sat on the operating table, several members of his cabinet wondered “What now?” It was a legitimate question. It had been twenty years since John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and in that time the speed at which information was collected and transmitted had grown rapidly. No longer was there a several hour delay between the coasts. Within an hour most of America knew that President Reagan had been shot. The only question now was who was in charge. At the White House it was Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Haig met with Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and National Security Adviser Richard Allen to figure out exactly what needed to be done. Their first priorities were deciding what to do about the nuclear football (which was still near the President), the presence of many Soviet nuclear subs near the coast, and the line of succession. Secretary Haig stated "the helm is right here. And that means right in this chair for now, constitutionally, until the vice president gets here." This drew a negative reaction from Weinberger, who saw this as unconstitutional and almost authoritarian. At the same time, Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes was asked who was in charge, to which he responded "I cannot answer that question at this time." Following this remark Speakes exited the room, and Haig entered. He would then utter the now infamous line “Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending the return of the vice president and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.” Whatever the case, with Ronald Reagan dead and George Bush the new President of the United States, the nation was shattered and confused. It would take quite a bit to pull it back