Conversations / Live Q&A

You have a good ear. At first, Secret Service Agent Jerry Parr -- who was with Ronald Reagan in the limousine fleeing from the Washington Hilton after the gunfire -- did not know the president had been shot. In fact, he thought he had gotten Reagan out of harm's way and got on the radio and said: "Rawhide is ok, Rawhide is ok." Rawhide is Reagan's Secret Service code name. Anyway, they were driving back to the White House when Reagan's condition began to deteriorate. And Parr decided to divert to the hospital. Even then, Parr thought Reagan may have punctured a lung with a rib during the scramble into the limousine. Nobody – including Reagan – realized he had been hit until a doctor spotted the bullet hole in his left side, about five inches below his armpit.
This scene is one of the most dramatic in the book. In a matter of about 90 seconds – probably less – Jerry Parr saves Reagan’s life twice. He got the president out of Hinckley’s direct line of fire (if the agent had been a split second slower, Reagan would have been hit in the head). In the car ride back to the White House, Parr noticed that Reagan had bright frothy blood on his lips – that’s a signal that the blood is oxygenated and coming from the lungs. So he decided to divert to George Washington University Hospital. Doctors say if Parr hadn’t made that decision, Reagan would have died.

Actually, Roosevelt was wounded while campaigning for president in 1912 – nearly four years after he left office in 1908 and decided to run again as the candidate for the Progressive Party. He was merely a candidate. Now, after getting shot, he continued with his speech. That was very impressive!

March 30, 1981, was a big day in their lives and they had amazing and detailed memories of the crisis and the care they provided the president. After their long shifts,  many went home and took notes about their interactions with Reagan and what they did -- which really benefit historians. I came to really admire the nurses because they are such unsung heroes and without them the medical system would fall apart. They are key care givers but also great comforts to patients during their most dire hours. Almost all nurses continued in medicine -- Kathy Paul Stevens, Marisa Mize, Denise Sullivan and Wendy Keonig are all active nurses, more or less. And just fantastic subjects. Great memories. They are also very spirited and passionate about their jobs. As a writer, you cannot ask for better characters. Thank you very much for reading the story and recognizing the work these nurses did -- and for picking up the book!

Ah. Some are secret and I don't even know. They began using tents, as you noted, and magnetometers became much more common. Perimeters were expanded, and the Secret Service became much more active in tracking potential assassins. Agents have taken other steps -- which they refuse to disclose -- that they believe have helped avert another shooting. But, as we saw in 2009 when two would-be socialites snuck into the White House and shook Obama's hand, no security measure is fool proof.

There was NO second shooter. Audio and video tape revealed that only six shots were fired and all six shots came from the gun brandished by John W. Hinckley JR.  The reliability of witnesses at shooting scenes -- especially when it comes to sound, etc. -- is often murky. Reagan was struck in the left side, about five inches below his armpit. That bullet, which ricocheted off the side of the armored limousine, was certainly fired by Hinckley. And all of the other injuries – and forensic examination of the bullets – were consistent with a lone gunman, Hinckley.

Actually, I found that the Kennedy assassination attempt played a marginal role in improving the Secret Service. The training that taught Jerry Parr to save the president's life that day did not come into existence until the mid-1970s -- and only after some agents in the LA Field Office decided they needed to improve their response to attacks. This training -- so intense it caused some agents Vietnam flasbacks -- was eventually adopted by the Secret Servicce. The response to George Wallace's shooting in 1972 was a debacle. The response in Kennedy's was lackluster. It was surprising to me that the training that got Parr to react so quickly -- and to recognize Reagan's injury as a serious one -- didn't come into existence until just a few years before the assassination attempt. I was also surprised to learn that the trauma care that ultimately saved Reagan's life at GW hospital also didn't come into existence until the mid-1970s. Reagan was very lucky to have survived.

Actually, Haig said: "I'm in control." And he mangled the line of presidential succession. Bush was on Air Force 2 heading back from Texas. However, this plane did not have secure voice communications and that made it difficult to keep tabs on what was happening in Washington. Dick Allen, the national security advisor, made 4.5 hours of tape recordings in the Situation Room that he allowed me to listen to and take notes. They were instrumental in my reporting on this day and helped show that Haig really was confused about presidential succession, even behind the scenes, and did want to exert control over the response to the crisis. I came to admire Haig -- he was a former general and a well-regarded chief of staff to President Nixon -- but this day came to define him as a power-hungry Secretary of State. That is unfortunate. I think he was trying to do the right thing even as he seemed to blunder through the day.

I don’t know. I certainly came to admire Ronald Reagan while researching this book. And this shooting certainly helped redefine and recalibrate his presidency. His one-liners at the hospital – “Honey, I forgot to duck.” – were reassuring to the American public. The country had just had a string of not-so successful presidencies and the four presidents who had been wounded all died.  On this day, Reagan was heroic. I often say that Reagan had one of the most scripted presidencies in history, and this was its most unscripted day. His actions and bravery on March 30, 1981, allowed him to form a bond with the American public because people got an unvarnished glimpse at the man, and they liked what they saw. It really helped him – not in the sense that people felt sorry for Reagan for being shot. But they got a real look at his true character and poise.