ron dal reagan from any harm. the ambition from his advisors and negative publicity. the couple's strong bond was renowned and from the silver screen to the governor's mansion to the white house, her devotion to her husband never waivered w. >> she became the former president's primary care giver. >> each day brings another reminder of this very long good-bye. >> following his death in 2004, she became an outspoken public advocate for stem cell research, a scientific effort that promised hope for patients of alzheimer's and other illnesses. in this hour, the hollywood love story that would become a political success story. the life of nancy reagan. >> hello, i'm lester holt. welcome to a special presentation, nancy reagan, a life remembered. the president has the most powerful job on earth so a president's wife is automatically a force to be reckoned with. first ladies are often in the news, closely watched, often controversial and so it was with nancy reagan. one of the most criticized, admired and influential fi

reagan. there were people around the country who thought he had been such an effective spokesperson for the conservative cause as the ge spokesman. we remember that when barry goldwater ran for president, ronald reagan gave a much-commented-on speech. carl m. cannon: the speech. judy woodruff: the -- in fact it was the -- that's right, that was the coming -- you can argue the coming-out speech for ronald reagan. and all of those forces, those disparate forces came together while he was still in the governor's office. and they gelled, more or less, in that year after, so that in -- when gerald ford was running for election -- he, of course, succeeded richard nixon -- in 1976, ronald reagan popped on the public consciousness as a very appealing, conservative potential challenger for gerald ford. carl m. cannon: well, remember, he'd already run in 1968 for president. i have a story about nancy in the earliest presidential conversation. maureen reagan is writing her dad letters, and they communic

i think nancy reagan helped to orchestrate the reagan legacy. carrying the torch for the reagan legacy while he was alive and ailing from alzheimer's and afterwards after he died. >> did she talk to you about the criticism that she faced and there are frankly no first ladies who don't come under criticism, whether the clothes or china or the implication that she was the power behind the throne, a lot of negative things were out there about her, did she talk to you about that and was her concern for what it would mean for him and for his presidency? >> i think she just realized she had a role to play. her role was to make ronald reagan as great as possible, to do everything she could to help him make his mark on the nation and world. i think she realized she would be seen as bad cop. she saw what she was doing to help ronald reagan in a position to change this nation and this world. >> as someone who spent time with her what will you remember about her that other people might not know? >> i think at the time i saw her, her relative -- this is a w

reagan a note. to my surprise, i got back this lovely handwritten, lengthy note discussing the president's situation and discussing, you know, taking care of somebody with alzheimer's and everything. and i thought that was, you know, emblematic of another side of nancy reagan, the care and compassion she could feel for people. she was just wonderful. >> she became so active in alzheimer's disease. her husband, ronald reagan, announced he was suffering from alzheimer's after he left office in 1994. and she became very active in the ronald and nancy reagan research institute to support alzheimer's research, worked on that and several other causes. she became very active in her post presidency years. she was always by his side during those years, wasn't she? >> absolutely. she was -- i mean, that was her first, second and last objective always, was to take care of ronnie, as she called him. she was extremely protective of him. and that extended at every possible level, whether it was polishes, you know

wedding with nancy reagan.e quotes the part of the novel where he's talking about the end this carrier commander is looking at the fighters going off over the korean peninsula and asking hichlmself, where do get such moneen? we get them where we always got them, in our cities, our towns, our farms. again, highlighting this quality of american service. so throughout his presidency, he's really using fiction to communicate these ideas. the west point address, he references the works of james warner bella who he calls the american kipling. he prioritizes fiction over nonfiction in strange ways. i think he uses fiction as a personal war game. a space where he can imagine the near future. it equates to how he's working through the fog of war. he constantly talks about the fog of war and you need to make up these amorphous shapes in the fog. a more standard thinker, he's probably going to try to compare them to what he knows. whereas, reagan is going to imagine what they could be. so because he's trying to imagine wh

she was critical of ronald reagan, governor reagan's staff. she was criticized by the press for her glamorous friends and expensive lifestyle. and she had a number of issues, including veterans. those were many of the same things. >> interesting, isn't it? she developed a thick skin during those years. she didn't like the criticism. she is specially didn't like the criticism of her husband, and she talked about that. she knew it was not going to be easy, but she underestimated how much the press -- and it does everywhere going to be critical of politicians everywhere. she had to develop an even thicker skin. they looked at her choice of causes. and she and the press had a testy relationship. >> she shopped in beverly hills, and sacramento did not have stores like that. she was used to cool breezes. sacramento gets hot. and mostly, she hated the "sacramento bee." it was a very democratic newspaper. they were relentless in their criticism of reagan. she canceled the subscription. people asked reagan about this. he said, it is ok, i get it in my

so ask about nancy reagan. would ronald reagan have become president if he had not married nancy? would he been as major a president if she were not the first lady i argue that wouldn't have happened either. this is someone who did change history and all of our lives. >> was she unfairly covered in her own time thinking about the mini scandal referred to in the short hand of white house china. how was that wrongly reported at the time? how was just say no her anti-drug campaign perhaps wrongly reported in the years since? >> i think in terms of the spending of money in the first year or two she said later on she said to me on one occasion i was less sensitive than i should have been to the fact that the country was going through a recession and people were really undergoing hardship even though in decorating the white house and buying china she was doing that with private money. she felt that the message was wrong. she was criticized for lack of seriousness about just say no. i think that was wrong for her to be criticized in that fashion. that was a program that she spent a lot o

reagan. # nbc news coverage of the death of former first lady nancy reagan. some of our stations may now go back to regular programming. for others, our coverage continues. nancy reagan, the widow of president ronald reagan has died. she was 94 years old. her death was announced in a statement from her spokesperson, and lester holt looks at the life of the former first lady. >> nancy davis was an actress herself when she met ronald reagan on the mgm lot in 1949. he was already a star. but though she had her own hollywood dreams, she later said she found her greatest role as his wife. >> i think i was born to be married. i was the happiest girl in the world when i became we. >> they married in 1952. a simple ceremony and even appeared together in "hellcats of the navy" the last of her 11 films. >> i began to think maybe you were playing the south seas circuit. >> you knew better. >> how could i know. did you give me a post dated check. >> from then on, by her own description, her life was devo

an opponent of ronald reagan. she wanted him to talk to her husband and give advice on handling things so she performed not only the loving parts we have talked about, you have talked about so. , but, she ifed services for him that he needed, she felt and she was almost always right. >> she had this gaze as george talked about across a room and listening to president obama's speak but she had outgaze that sent daggers to staff that were not doing the right thing the you have seen that. what was it about her, sam, that made her so effective inside the white house? and so unique as a first lady? >>> she was the president's wife. but we have had a lot first ladies and she was someone thatten understood they were inseparable. they wanted to be together. the stories that george probably knows better than i they preferred to is dinner alone in the family quarters rather than go out but they before out when they need on occasion, and they perform the function of the first couple but they witnessed to be together and ever

reagan. talk a little bit about the post presidency. because not only -- even before ronald reagan died we had the sad long period where the effects of alzheimer's kick in. he famously wrote that letter to the public which was kind of like a good-bye letter and she was really the public face of the couple who had been president and first lady and almost by default charged with keeping that legacy alive. >> the day that came out, called mrs. reagan fully expecting to not ever reach her but just expressing my sympathies and she got on the phone and we talked for probably 20 minutes or so the day the reagan letter was released and she talked about the fact she looked so forward to being able to share the golden years and memories. you have to remember, she was the stepdaughter of a doctor who, in effect, was her father, so she had a very keen sense of medical issues and sensitivity to doctors. she was so sad about the idea that they would not be able to share these memories. that that was going

reagan: 11. >> did you act together? mrs. reagan: once.was fun except there was a scene, he played a man in service and i played a navy nurse. there was a scene where he was supposed to be telling me goodbye. we had not been married too long. i took it all very seriously. i started to cry. they had to keep reshooting it. >> there is a picture want to ask you about. you've got to president reagan here, jack benny, george burns -- did you know all these folks? mrs. reagan: i did not know al jolson. i knew jack benny, george burns, and ronald reagan. i did not know what this was. >> right over here -- mrs. reagan: this was a favorite picture of mine. clover cleveland. i love that picture. >> i want to ask you about this picture with president truman. mrs. reagan: he was a big fan of truman. >> are people surprised when they find out? mrs. reagan: yes. >> what did he like about him? mrs. reagan: he thought he was strong and direct. he just liked him. >> were you interested in politics? mrs. reagan: i was not. i knew nothing about politics. >>

the death of nancy reagan. america remembers one of the most influential first ladies of the 20th century. the fiercely protective partner of president ronald reagan. tonight a look back at her many roles and their life together. their triumphs and challenges from their years in hollywood to the governor's mansion white house. tonight we'll hear from some of those who knew nancy reagan best. >>> plus the showdown looming for those who would be president as ted cruz and bernie sanders pick up steam going into some of the most crucial contests yet. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. one of the most remarkable chapters in american political history ended sadly today with the word 69 death of nancy reagan. she was of course first lady to her husband president ronald reagan but so much more. the death of her devotion to the president built her an unrivaled level of influence. nancy reagan died of

nancy reagan has often said that her life began with ronald reagan. was in her mid-20s when they met in 1949. he was then in his late 30s and newly divorced. reagan's first wife was fellow actor jane wyman. they married in 1940 and stayed together for eight years, but there's no question that nancy davis who became the second mrs. reagan was the love of ronald reagan's life. that was evident in every letter he wrote to her. in our conversation, i asked mrs. reagan if she shared his gift for writing. what about the letters she wrote to him? >> i found some of the letters in his desk, but i didn't write him the way that he wrote me. i couldn't. i mean, i just couldn't do it. >> there is something wonderful about getting a letter and opening it and feeling the feel of the paper. >> yep. >> in your fingers and seeing someone's handwriting, which makes it so meaningful and personal obviously. >> and warmer, yes. oh, yes. >> to my wife, on christmas day, 1978. it's amazing what that four letter word wife covers when it's applied to you. it means a companion

reagan? >> well, my last communication was a public one because i called her when maggie thatcher died. they shared such a love and respect for each other. margaret thatcher was the first to take ronald reagan seriously and she was his partner throughout the very ta'u muchous years when he was isolated from the other foreign leaders in their perspective toward east-west relations and also econom economics. she was very important to her and was kind enough to come on our show on msnbc and share her reflections. i thanked her afterward. i would send her flowers and commemorate anniversary and birthdays because she was always so kind and i did receive a beautiful letter from her when i had my cancer experience almost five years ago. and she had been one of the first ladies, you know, not as much of a breakthrough as betty forward so memorably and courageously back in the day with breast cancer, but nancy reagan had her own experience. and then we also, of course, shared that moment when ronald r

drug by reagan, -- instantly struck by reagan he says that , the charisma and personality of reagan workn order of magnitude over what he expected. he said he could, "charm the pants off of a cobra." he inquired about his next book, and clancy responded that it would be about world war iii. reagan asked to win, and he said, "the good guys." reagan had to then go out to lunch with henry kissinger. [laughter] mr. griffin: he recalls that of reagan could not charge -- charm "garbagechov" that he felt -- clancy discussed the book with john lehman, who confided that his response upon reading the novel was to ask him "who the hell did this?" robert mary, at the time working for the wall street journal, recalls a lively discussion between clancy and the navy secretary. clancy would note the discussion also had to do with the fbi. gerald stonecroft indicated that he could win a nuclear war, something the clancy did not bite into. despite being in clancy's words a rather -- dovish fellow, -- as well as the director of the u.s. for agency, charles wick, who would later use a letter as an excuse to

reagan was "an amazing women." senator marco rubio tweet bd her integrity and grace while senator ted cruz praised her deep passion for this nation. governor john kasich said america and the reagan family have lost a woman of grace and strength. >>> and we'll have more on nancy reagan and the enduring love story later in this broadcast. but as we turn now to the race for president, a series of major showdowns is coming this week and next for the candidates. the republicans are all descending on florida as trump and 1 and marco rubio tries to stay afloat. for the democrats sanders and clinton square off in their latest debate in flint, michigan. ahead of that state's primary this tuesday. that's where kristen welker starts our coverage tonight. cristen? >> reporter: lester, good evening. it's battleground michigan. the focus is on flint tonight. both candidates will need to get specific about how they'll deal with the water crisis here and a whole host of other topics from trade to the economy. bernie sanders and hi

ronald reagan. secretary, it's an honor to have you on on this sad day, and i guess i'm just going to leave you to your recollections. >> well, i have, of course, lots of recollections, but i was lucky enough to be a pal with nancy reagan. we had fun together. at a white house dinner, she always fixed me up with a hollywood starlet for my dinner partner. i got to dance with ginger rogers and so on. we had fun. but here is a story -- >> go ahead. >> -- about her. you remember when mikka came to visit the white house. i went to nancy and i said the deal is he comes to the west wing, we have a meeting in the oval office. we walk down to the mansion which is your home and then we have some sit around time and then there's a working lunch. so i said you're the hostess. how about your being there at the sit-around time and be the hostess. she's a great idea. we'll do it. so we come down there and he cea sees nancy and goes right over to her. and nancy so bristle, and he says to her, does your husband want

reagan. absolutely. >> that's why i wanted to get her on because i got to hear some of the stories and i thought it was great for america to hear those stories. >> terrific insight, just so loving. judy miller is with us now. the adjunct professor fox news contributor. reminds me there's a woman running for president now, but we're hearing through the stories of the white house insiders that we've already had a very powerful woman symbol in the white house and that was nancy reagan. >> yes, precisely. this was the difference between nancy reagan who was the size 2 fashionista pit bull, behind the scenes woman, a woman who believed in exercise power through her husband and the modern incarnation of what to be a powerful woman is all about hillary clinton. you couldn't have a more stark contrast. look, nancy reagan was famously quoted as saying my life didn't really begin until i met ronnie. you cannot imagine that kind of statement today from a modern woman politician. and i think that's the b

we want to talk about nancy reagan. you had a very interesting and close relationship with her, but i want to talk first about what happened last night. you anchored the coverage after the debate last night, and your reactions to, first of all, the tone and the occasional violence among protesters and supporters. as far as we can tell from all of our people on the field, started by the supporters going after the protesters in each instance they have recognized and what he had to say about foreign policy because he did veer off of republican orthodoxy in many cases last night. >> as well as anyone, speech is protected in this country. you're allowed to say what you want. you can yell awful things at people. you can't hit them. if you hit them, it's a criminal act and that distinction has to be understood. it's difference between civilized and not civilized and i think trump has to understand this. his words incite that kind of behavior, even one out of a thousand people. he's got to take account of that. i think that's b

reagan.a, was once asked what is the most important thing that a religious person can do? his answer was given in one word, remember. that is precisely what we do this day. this is what we do as religious people every time we gather. we hear again and again the stories of encountering god, ancient and cherished, stories that point to god as a mystery, yet still revealed to our fragile and mortal humanity. we remember god's saving love for the human race and family, and in that act of remembering, the god of life and giver of every good gift is present to us. and these moments that i speak to you, it is really for one purpose. to gather all the remembrances that you have just heard, those that you carry in your hearts, those of the people of our nation, and the world, and to remind you where to place them all. before the living god who gave nancy life from the first, and who now receives it back again. who is this god? this is the one who raised up israel, out of bondage in egypt, fulfilling a

how nancy reagan was in her final year, and behind the scenes in the reagan white house, the reagan marriage. but we begin with matt gutman at the reagan presidential library in california. >> reporter: nancy reagan died at her los angeles home sunday morning. a family spokesman said heart failure was the cause. she remained spry and stylish to the very end, even grinning here at her 94th birthday party last summer. her stepson, michael reagan, tweeting earlier that "she is where she has always wanted to be, with her ronnie." tonight, condolences pouring in. fellow first lady, barbara bush, writing, "we take comfort that they will be reunited once more." former california governor, arnold schwarzenegger. >> she was one of the greatest first ladies. extraordinary human being. >> reporter: well wishers dropping off flowers, those close to her pulling into the family estate sunday to pay respects. followed by that hearse. the reagans have been living in this estate for a quarter of a century, and it's also here that in 2004, ronald reagan died. she was as devoted to him in death as in his life.

the reagan letters. >> hello, everyone. what made ronald reagan special? his optimism, confidence, love of country? to nancy reagan, his wife and constant come panian for more than half a century what made him special was his devotion and their boundless love for each other. romance may not be what we associate with politics or even when the real life world of hollywood the reagans once inhabited but the bond between ronald and nancy reagan was undeniable. their friends saw it and the country saw it during their eight years as america's first couple. she protected him, advised him, worried about him, and he returned that devotion in full measure, something made clear by the publication of a treasure troef of love letters he wrote to her. letters, notes, cards, telegrams, dating back almost to when they first met and continuing uninterrupted for decades. reagan's personality shines through in these letters, addressing my darling wife, glamour puss. nancy pants, my beloved first lady and signed first papa, your roommate, your husband. messages from the heart

reagan. wife of our 40th president. died a few days back at the age of 94. this is the final farewell, and she'll be laid to rest right near her husband on a beautiful hillside that looks downslo slog valley to the pacific ocean. we have seen johnny mathis arrive, wayne newton, and it's going to be that kind of day. media luminaries, political and entertainment. a lot of our friends and colleagues and coworkers are out there to pay tribute and say farewell to this woman known to many of us. chris matthews is among our contingent. chris, at the funeral for ben bradley, bob woodward said this feels like the end of the 20th century. what do you reckon today will feel like in that room? >> well, i guess it is about the 1980s. especially in that time in which politics was so different than today. and we had all the arguments we have today, but they were conducted differently. i always thought that tip o'neil and ronald reagan, my boss for all those years, the democratic speaker of the house and th

reagan are there in 2009. there is a story behind this image. >> reporter: their relationship to all to an awkward start when president obama in his very first press conference seem to do so by using the astrologer reference. he had to apologize to her. you see them linking arms right favor federal funding for stem cell research. it was a really big deal for nancy reagan because it was something that most conservatives at the time were to. >> she wanted it to help against the fight against alzheimer's. >> reporter: we had a tweet from the campaign trail from hillary clinton saying, nancy especially for alzheimer's research, was tireless. from the bushes, they put out a statement say nancy reagan was fiercely loyal to her beloved husband and that devotion was matched only by her devotion to our country. very warm words for those who came to the white house after the reagans left. >> thank you. >>> there is still much more ahead on world news tonight. donald trump any momentum for ted cruz. the winds this weeken

nancy reagan dead today at 94.ef white house correspondent jonathan karl. good morning to you. can you tell us more about the influence she had within the republican party especially in these later years and at this moment now where the republican party is in such turmoil. >> the timing is just incredible, dan. nancy reagan as you heard cecilia refer to in her story was often controversial as first lady and fought with some of reagan's top advisers and she was the guardian of ronald reagan, above all things, jealously protecting him from anybody who she saw that would in any way cause him any trouble at all. in the years since he died she became the protector of the ronald reagan legacy and when you think of the towering figure that reagan is and has been in this party. this is really over the last several decades become the party of lincoln and the party of ronald reagan. and it was nancy reagan who carried that flame, kept that flame lit every presidential election cycle, the republican candidates for president w

nancy reagan was 94. c-span, mrs. reagan gave a tour of the reagan library in california. this is about one hour. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] >> for somebody who has not been to this library, how do you get hair, where is it? >> it sits high on 100 acres. it is not too far from los angeles. we can leave our house and the -- be here in 45 minutes. it is beautiful. everybody should come to see it. >> one of the things that struck me after being at the ranch was the winding roads, the hills. did you think about that? mrs. reagan: ronnie always liked to be high. shining city on the hill. our house in bellaire is high. the ranch is high. this is high. that always appealed to him. he could never live in the valley. >> when you thought about this library, what was your objective? mrs. reagan: our objective was to have his legacy here. he wanted very much to have everything here so that people could see and read all o

>>> nancy reagan worked tirelessly to protect her husband, president ronald reagan, from harm. ambition of his advisers and negative publicity. the couple's strong bond was renowned. from the silver screen to the governors mansion to the white house, her devotion to her husband never wavered. >> i was very blessed to find him. >> in the decade after ronald reagan's diagnosis of alzheimer's disease she became the former president's primary caregiver. >> each day brings another reminder of this very long good-bye. >> following his death in 2004 she became an outspoken public advocate for stem-cell research, a scientific effort that promised hope for patients of alzheimer's and other illnesses. in this hour the hollywood love story that would become a political success story. "the life of nancy reagan." ♪ >> i'm lester holt. welcome to an msnbc special presentation, "th"nancy reagan: life remembered." a president's wife is automatically a force be reckoned with. first ladies are often in the news, closely watched, often controversial. so it was with nancy reagan. one of the most c

reagan? >> she was devastated by the news but she described to me when he was told by the doctor he definitely had alzheimer's how he went right to his desk and wrote that beautiful let tore the american people. she never left his side. she would come to new york when he was still not so bad for a day or two and she called him every night at 10:00 new york time. in the middle of a dinner party she would call him. once he really took a fall at age 90 and then deteriorated much more, she basically never left the house. she went to lunch up at bel air hotel around the corner and couldn't wait to get home to him. i think patty davis, their daughter confirmed that with died he had been in a coma and he opened his eyes and looked at nancy and it was like he was saying goodbye. it's one of these love stories that's almost unbelievable. but it's really true. the whole thing is true. >> an incredible love story and it played out in public for so many years. we have just a moment left. i wonder if you

to nancy reagan. we saw their relationship. and then that iconic image at his funeral at the end of the day as the sun was setting in simi valley of her sitting there silent by herself with her husband. now she will be buried right there next to him. their relationship is something that a lot of books have been written about. she had this -- there's the coffin of ronald reagan as she's tapping it there from the funeral. it's tough to put into words all that she -- the relationship met not only on a personal level obviously but as you mentioned inside that white house. >> a good bit of the presidential role, we're a unique country in that our president head of government is also head of state and performs some of the rituals we associate with royalty or a ceremonial head of state and she was an important part of that. the reagans followed the carters and there had been a certain cultural tension to put it politely about whether or not the carter have been too informal. obviously in a republic there's a

you were talking about nancy reagan -- >> i was talking about nancy reagan's role -- >> gorbachev?d her husband's engaging, forming a personal relationship with mikhail gorbachev. >> nancy reagan, many have said she was the one who persuaded her husband to engage with the soviet general secretary, to take a more concilliatory tone, calm down his rhetoric. i don't actually see it that way. what i have found in my research is that nancy and ronald reagan were in lockstep in their view that before there could be serious engagement with the soviets that the u.s. military buildup, abilities with allies would have to return. when that happened, we saw them come together, spectacular summit more than any other cold war president, four in total. nancy was part of that. i think it wasn't that she was persuading her husband as much as she was confident after the military buildup, after the reengagement of allies, after -- as the missile defense program was put in place, that it was time to deal with a soviet general secretary and, in fact, mikhail gorbachev was a new generation of soviet lea

reagan's death.erstein, we've heard him discussed as a former chief of staff late in the reagan presidency. it's good to see you, old friend, and by old friend i mean not, of course, old, but i have known you for a long time. >> likewise, brian. >> what are your thoughts about nancy reagan today? >> oh, she's with her ronnie. i think she's spending nonstop time filling him in on all the gossip since he passed away ten years ago. you know, she was so devoted to him. she put her life on hold so that she single mindedly focused on him. one of your other guests said -- i guess it was bob, said something about ronald reagan didn't like firing people. he trusted everybody. she was the verifier. she is the one who could tell whether the people were on her husband's agenda or they had their own agenda. she was absolutely fundamental to everything that the president did and everything he accomplished whether it was with gorbachev or with tip o'neill. she believed in governing, as he did. she believed in reach

nancy reagan had a good acting career before she met ronald reagan.eared on stage in the 1940s before she signed a seven-year contract with mgm studios at the time, appearing in some 11 movies from 1949 to 1957. her last one was the one that she appeared with ronald reagan. >> a lot of people minimize the impact that a first lady has on the presidency and the white house, but she certainly, maybe right there in the top three, if not number one had, a huge impact on her husband and his presidency. you see that video of her saying quietly what he should say and he repeating her words. it's really remarkable that she just loved him so much, protected him so fiercely. and you heard colin powell say earlier that he really believed she had one of the smartest minds. >> had quite an impact. we'll be right back. ♪ milk and cereal, cereal and milk ♪ ♪ sxhilg milk and cereal ♪ cereal and milk >> so the favorite food of 5-year-olds and 95-year-olds, but can so much more be done with that morning meal? here to help us celebrate national cereal day, private chef m

reagan, and there likely would not have been a president ronald reagan, without a nancy reagan. of course, it may not have happened that way, if she was not made of such stern stuff, she may not have made it all the way to being mrs. ronald reagan. my dad played hard to get a little bit when they were dating, way back when. he had already purchased a ranch not too far from here in malibu, and he loved to go there and ride his horses and buck hey, generally get dirty and sweaty outdoors. not the kind of thing that she is really crazy about, my mother. but she was a good sport, and she wanted to participate in this. if he loved his ranch, well, she was going to love the ranch, too. they would go out there, and she would wonder how she could help. this ranch in malibu, about 700 acres, had a long driveway that led to the house, about a half mile, fences on both sides. so they would go out there and hang out, the ranchers, but she wanted to help, as i said, so she asked him, what can i do to help? did i mention that the fences lining that half mile driveway were unpainted? so he han

reagan? >> she was devastated by the news but she described to me when he was told by the doctor he definitely had alzheimer's how he went right to his desk and wrote that beautiful let tore the american people. she never left his side. she would come to new york when he was still not so bad for a day or two and she called him every night at 10:00 new york time. she would call him. once he really took a fall at age 90 and then deteriorated much more, she basically never left the house. she went to lunch up at bel air hotel around the corner and couldn't wait to get home to him. i think patty davis, their daughter confirmed that with nancy at home just before he he opened his eyes and looked at nancy and it was like he was saying goodbye. it's one of these love stories that's almost unbelievable. but it's really true. the whole thing is true. >> an incredible love story and it played out in public for so many years. we have just a moment left. i wonder if you might comment a bit on what jon ka

reagan. presidential historian mishle besh lof joins me on the phone. tell me your most profound memories of nancy reagan and the legacy that she leaves behind. >> well, i think there's no question this was one of 0 the great central important first ladies of american history and i think it's not too much to say that she made reagan possible. she made the ronald reagan presidency possible. we think of her as first lady at the side of the very successful, popular president in the 1980s, but in fact, when they married in early 1950s, ronald reagan was at the ebb of his professional career, he had come back from world war ii, audiences in hollywood were not what they were before the war. and she basically stood at his side and brought him back not only as an actor, first on television, a few more movies and in he were taking in one famous film of the late 1950s called "hell cats of the navy" only time they acted together. she was a central lab rater in the political career. one thing about nancy

, ronald reagan died. she was as devoted to him in it was at his gravesite that this iconic image was taken. the first lady kissing the coffin, pressing her cheek against it and lingering there. year after year, visiting that gravesite. and on the 10th anniversary of his passing in 2014 is, seen in that wheelchair. >> funeral preparations are already under way here at the reagan presidential library, a place that was very special to nancy reagan, a place she would come to pray and meditate always knowing one day she would join her husband, the man to whom she had been so devoted those five decades. matt gutman, simi valley, california. >> some people thought she was kind of crazy because it's proven true that she got an astrology jis that she -- to counsel with. there was a series of assassinations, taem add assassination on him, there was john lennon and attempted assassination on the pope. she really felt his security was >> she wanted to do absolutely anything to make a difference. let's continue our te

reagan.his was a different kind of partnership. nancy davis was an actress in hollywood. during the blacklist era. she found her name on a blacklist. she wasn't sure how to clear it. suggested that she should go visit the head of the screen actors guild. that was ronald reagan. dinner andnto a long a romance and ultimately she was aware of his clinical ambitions because she had been in the screen actors guild. the role that she played throughout. she had some early missteps. known as thes person who had his back. she was called the personnel director. she watched everybody that surrounded the president. made sure h they were loyal to him. smith: she had a thankless role. ronald reagan really was as nice a guy as you here. he was as close to being without guile is any president. he believed the best in people. he did not automatically assume that people have agendas of their own. was admirable traits. it places a particular burden on someone whether the white house toef of staff or a spouse co

behind ronald reagan. president and mrs. obama said lady. former president and laura bush called her influence on the white house complete and lasting. from both sides of the political divide, donald trump called her an amazing woman. hillary and former president clinton, an extraordinary woman. ordinary people are streaming to the reagan library with flowers and memories. >> she always seemed so kind and sweet and proper, and the way >> reporter: beneath that sweet and proper exterior was a soul of steel. hardened following the assassination attempt against the president just 69 days into his first term, that changed everything. former reagan chief of staff james baker remembers how nancy reagan's number one priority became protecting ronnie. >> she was very, very much his protector. she could be tough. >> i began to think maybe you were playing the circus. >> you knew better. >> reporter: her role as mrs. ronald reagan began in hollywood, where the two actors met and fell in love. arnold schwarzenegger,

ronald reagan, and there likely wouldn't have been a president ronald reagan without a nancy reagan.course, it may not have happened that way if she was not made of such stern stuff. she may not have made it to being mrs. ronald reagan. my dad was playing a little hard to get when they were dating way back when. he had already purchased a ranch not too far from here in malibu, and he loved to go there and ride his horses and buck hay and generally get dirty and sweaty outdoors. not the kind of thing she's crazy about, my mother. but she was a good sport and wanted to participate in this. if he loved his ranch, well, she was going to love the ranch, too. so she would go out there and he would do his thing, and he would wonder about how she could help? now this ranch in malibu is about 700 acres or so, had a long driveway that led to the house. about half a mile with fences on both sides. so they would go out there and they would hang out and be ranchers, but she wanted to help, as i said, so she asked him, what can i do to help? did i mention that the fences lining that half mile driv

she was an enormously influential person in the reagan -- the entire reagan story. political career. the fact he became president, how he staffed his presidency. as have been mentioned. his decision particularly in the second term to become much more aggressive in seeking accommodation with the russians, negotiating with the russians, she was a key player in all of that. >> the person -- you did get a chance to know her, i think a lot of americans at the time admired nancy reagan. some were critical at times. she hit the press particularly in the early years before she became involved in earlier efforts before the just say no to drugs program. tell us a little bit about what she was like as a human being. >> complete fun, i'm completely biased by her. >> fair enough. >> i thought she was just terrific. when you sat and talked with her, you were the only person in the room and that famous gaze she looked at the president with when he spoke, she would focus that on you, and she was gossipy. she liked, you know, to chat about things that were going on. very approachabl

husband, ronald wilson reagan. prior to the service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the library. tributes are pouring in, remembering nancy reagan as a woman of grace and grandeur. she was honored by a moment of silence on the debate stage. hillary clinton praising her predecessor. nancy's strength of character especially forral al tiemzheimer's research, was tireless. also, accolades for her husband. >> she loved her husband, loved her country, and at least with me, she was always very fair and decent. >> reporter: president obama and first lady obama releasing a statement saying, our former first lady redefined the role in her time here, and we remain grateful for nancy reagan's life. thankful for her guidance and prayerful that she and her again. the first lady who succeeded her, barbara bush, writing, nancy reagan was totally devoted to president reagan, and we take comfort that they will be reunited once more. and former president george w. bush saying, her infl