The perception of Ronald Reagan today is so different from the public image of Reagan when I interviewed him in the mid-70s. Today’s Reagan is a beloved former President who won the hearts of even his staunchest political opponents by virtue of his personality, his conviction and his courage.
     In the 70s, many viewed Ronald Reagan as a cold-hearted, former B- picture actor—a Barry Goldwater with a prettier face; George Wallace without the southern drawl. Moderate Republicans denounced Reagan as too extreme, “scary”, one told me. 
     It is interesting to note that those who denounced him then now extol Reagan’s attributes and values in near reverent terms. 
     The interview was conducted in his suite at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Nashville. My photographer and I were admitted to the room by an aid who, after Reagan won the Presidency five years later, I recall as having been Michael Deaver.
     “The Governor is freshening up and will be with you in a minute,” Deaver said. 
     Like a gust of fresh wind, Ronald Reagan entered the room, and the room lit up. With a smile that could warm the coldest heart, he instantly put me at ease; he made me feel good. People who had been in the presence of John F. Kennedy have reported a similar reaction. There are people (I’ve had the good fortune of meeting four) who literally glow. Reagan was one of them.
     Ironically, a Reagan film, The Hasty Heart, had been aired on TV the night before. When I mentioned it, he went into several fascinating stories about making that movie. Other film stories followed, all with humor, mostly with himself being the butt of the joke. Ronald Reagan remains to this day the best story teller I have ever encountered. 
     The political part of our discussion was standard Reagan—smaller government, welfare fraud, lower taxes, the communist threat, etc—but conveyed without the anger, the bitterness and hostility I had been told was the Reagan persona. 
     As we left, he was as gracious as when he greeted us. I’ll never forget that twinkle in his eye that made you feel he really was glad he met you when he says it.
     Former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker—who became President Reagan’s Chief of Staff a decade later—told me once that Ronald Reagan is special because Reagan has a “central core of conviction” that he maintains without wavering. He knew what he believed. 
     The national press, for reasons I have never discerned, did not like that belief, and the picture they painted of Reagan reflected that dislike. 
     My lesson after meeting Reagan was to nullify any perception formed by another party—a lesson used as the years and guests paraded by.