Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

The tenth in a series on presidential libraries focused on Ronald W. Reagan’s life and career using rarely seen film and sound recordings, as well as letters, documents and artifacts collected from the stacks and vaults of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Library officials conducted a tour of the library and responded to telephone calls and electronic mail. Series historian and consultant Richard Norton Smith participated from the studio in Washington, D.C.

Air Force One, on which President Reagan pursued a diplomatic end to the Cold War, was shown. After serving seven presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, the plane, located at the Reagan Library, was opened to visitors in the fall of 2005. Highlighted film included White House TV footage behind-the-scenes in the White House, at Camp David and at the 1985 Geneva Summit; U.S. Army training films from the World War II era starring Ronald Reagan. Featured documents and artifacts included all five volumes of Ronald Reagan’s White House diaries.

C-SPAN’s Presidential Libraries: History Uncovered was a 12-week series airing live on location from the 12 presidential libraries spanning Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton. close