This is John Batchelor.

Continuing my conversation with Max Booth, the biographer of Reagan, his life in legend,

when it comes to remembering how the White House was, you look to the diaries of the president and the first lady,

and Max Boot is very careful to say, there was no diary from Nancy Reagan because she used it for a book

and then Ronald Reagan's diary was faithfully kept every day. But here's Max Boot to explain.

Reagan is life and legend. Much more of this next week.

Well, no, I think you're referring to their diaries. Nancy Reagan's diary, she actually,

she used it to write her memoir and then destroyed it. So nobody has read it.

The Reagan diary, Ronald Reagan's diary, was published and it was useful. I mean, no question about

it because it was a day-by-day recounting of his presidency.

But it was not very deep or reflective.

It was really basically him taking his daily schedule and offering a few thoughts on, but everything

was great and grand and good.

And he was just such a relentlessly upbeat person that there was, you know,

not much psychological insight to be found from his, or very limited psychological insight to be

found from his diary, I guess I would say.