U.S.

Nancy Dismayed By Reagan Bio

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 27, 1999 / 7:11 PM EDT / CBS

First lady Nancy Reagan handpicked Edmund Morris to write Ronald Reagan's biography. Now that the book is finally about to appear, a close friend says that although Mrs. Reagan hasn't yet read it, she's definitely not pleased with what she's heard about it, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante.

"I think some of the things disturbed Nancy, yes," said longtime Reagan aide Michael Deaver. "She's got her hands full right now, pretty busy just taking care of Ronald Reagan. So I doubt if she's gonna sit down and read the 700 pages or so anytime quickly."

The author, speaking to CBS News' 60 Minutes, knew Nancy Reagan would be upset "...because it observes her husband very, very objectively. And I do not hide the fact that Reagan was frequently an old, spaced-out man, inattentive to details."

Ron and Nancy

Most of the people who were close to Ronald Reagan are bewildered by reports about the book. Morris invents three fictional characters, one an extension of himself, to help tell the story of the man he found so hard to know.

"He was truly one of the strangest men who's ever lived. Nobody around him understood him," the author told 60 Minutes.

Deaver said Ronald Reagan was always reserved - but not inscrutable.

"I don't understand why it's so complicated. Reagan is a very private person, and he's hard to get to know. The last person he wants to talk about is Ronald Reagan," Deaver said.

Another Reagan biographer, Lou Cannon, says that for all the pages devoted to understanding Reagan the man, much of what has happened during his two terms is left out.

"It seems to me that Mr. Morris's contribution would have been, because he had access during the presidency, was to tell us what went on during the presidency. And with very few exceptions, he really doesn't," Cannon said.

Reagan's daughter, Maureen, issued a statement saying she'll pass on reading the book, suggesting that the author wasted an irreplaceable opportunity.

In the end, Morris does say that he came to the conclusion that Ronald Reagan was a great president, but his controversial book seems unlikely to satisfy either Reagan's friends or enemies.