Reagan Decries ‘Flagrant’ Lies

Over the course of three decades in public life, books by the dozen have been written about my family and me. I have generally refrained from reading them and have withheld comment.

While I am accustomed to reports that stray from the truth, the flagrant and absurd falsehoods cited in a recently published book clearly exceed the bounds of decency. They are patently untrue--everything from the allegation of marijuana use to marital infidelity to my failure to be present at the birth of my daughter, Patti.

Many of my friends have urged me to issue a point-by-point denial of the book’s many outrages. To do so would, I feel, provide legitimacy to a book that has no basis in fact and serves no decent purpose.

I have an abiding faith that the American people will judge this book for what it really is: sensationalism whose sole purpose is enriching its author and its publisher. Neither I nor my wife, Nancy, intend to have any further comment on this matter.