Book Sheds Light on Reagan

In his book Perilous Statecraft, Michael Ledeen, a former consultant to the National Security Council, writes that US President Ronald Reagan was so eager to gain the release of the American hostages that he once told senior aides he was willing to go to prison if necessary. Half jokingly, Reagan added that visiting hours were on Thursdays.Ledeen described a particularly interesting incident regarding the American operation to catch the hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro.American jet fighters forced the Egyptian plane carrying the hijackers to land in Italy. The incident prompted a series of exchanges between Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi and Reagan.When Reagan was asked if the United States knew who the terrorists were, he responded, "I'm not sure we know exactly who they are."The answer was incorrect. "We know exactly who they are," Ledeen translated. The US President would later thank him for his "helpful translation." Read full story