A First Lady of Priorities and Proprieties

By Paul Gray

As the duties of the nation's highest office grow ever more complex, one equation becomes simpler: power is access, the ability to get the President's attention. First Ladies, of course, have a natural advantage in that competition, but Nancy Davis Reagan, 57, may well turn out to be as influential as any woman who ever shared the White House.

The point is not that she helps her husband shape policy. They do discuss issues, and she avidly follows television news and current affairs (she has read The Memoirs of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger's White House Years). But the Reagans agree on virtually all political matters; she is not likely to nudge him in directions he would not take on his own. Her power stems rather from her watchful role over his nonpolitical life and the influence she wields over his schedule. She will not tolerate aides who try to overbook him or monopolize his time. Says one friend: "He is the most agreeable guy in the world, and Nancy steps in and says, 'No, no more.' She eliminates extraneous stuff."

Their 28-year-old marriage is truly symbiotic: she provides the conditions in which he can flourish, thereby nourishing her. Observes a longtime California acquaintance: "There is no way in the Reagan relationship that you can say like him, hate her,' or 'hate him, like her.' You take them together, or you don't take them at all." Says another: "Ronnie is a nice man. Nancy isn't nice. Nancy is a doer, an achiever, a loyal friend and a good mother. But nice she isn't."

This assessment is not a judgment of her personality but of the role she has chosen to play. She is a fiercely dedicated and protective wife. Woe unto anyone whom she catches speaking unfavorably about Ronald Reagan. When Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver attacked the then-Governor of California, Nancy was immediately on the phone. "But, honey," Reagan said, after listening for a while, "I can't have him arrested just because he said those things." Acknowledges Reagan now: "She bleeds pretty good."

The private side of the marriage remains tender, even romantic. Her names for him are Ronnie or "honey," and he favors "honey" with her. She is an unabashed sentimentalist. "I'm going to puddle up again" is her way of warning friends that she is about to cry. Neither Reagan remembers how or if he actually ever did propose marriage. Once, though, she told him how she wished it had been: that he had taken her for a canoe ride, strummed a ukulele, sang and asked her to marry him, while she trailed a hand langorously in the water. Reagan later staged this scene, more or less, for their 25th anniversary, having bought a canoe for the ranch pond and named it True-Lov. "He didn't have a ukulele," she remembers, "but I said it would be all right if he just hummed."

Her dream and its fulfillment are instructive. Nancy works tirelessly to make the world live up to her expectations. As First Lady, she will make the White House reflect what she likes to see. That means a comfortable formality for the private quarters. "I think I'm a frustrated interior decorator," she says, with the prospect of being frustrated no longer. Rooms upstairs will probably be done eclectically with English antiques, Chinese vases and old favorites from their home in Pacific Palisades. Freesias are her favorite flower--purple, yellow, red. In fact, red is Nancy's favorite color and will surely blaze in the new White House decor.

The hostess-elect worries about costs, as do millions of others: "I mean, who can afford the price of great wines these days?" The wines they do serve are chosen by Reagan. Her stylish wardrobe will remain much the same: "I tend toward simpler clothes. I like some things from Yves Saint Laurent. I like Bill Blass, Adolfo, and I think Jimmy Galanos is a master, although he's got terribly expensive. I remember the first dress I ever got from Jimmy; I paid $125 for it. Those good old days!" Her size (5 ft. 4 in., 110 Ibs.) is not likely to change either. She does not diet; she "worries" her weight off instead.

The intimate dinner party will remain her preferred mode of entertainment, but when the Reagans throw an official bash, Nancy will bring back hard liquor, pomp and circumstance. Ballroom dancing, which both Reagans enjoy, will return to vogue, and the entertainment will be cheery; husband and wife relish wholesome groups of young people singing in rousing harmony. Old Hollywood friends, such as Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart and Charlton Heston, will turn up at state dinners and public ceremonies, some of which will be white tie.

On her own, Nancy will work quietly for several pet projects. She hopes to spur national campaigns against alcoholism and drug abuse. She would like to garner private funds to refurbish Blair House, the official residence across the street from her new address. Handicapped children have a special appeal to her. Back in California she frequently visited homes and institutions for them, cuddling the youngsters and smiling warmly. Once back in her car, she would break down in tears. She will not give press conferences, sit in on Cabinet meetings or travel extensively on her own. Says a friend: "She is the kind of woman who works very hard at making a good marriage." The White House will not change that.

Indeed, the demands she makes on herself concern those who know her best. Says one: "I wish Nancy could develop a sense of humor about this great adventure, instead of a sense of burden." The burden will be heavy: she not only will endure relentless scrutiny, but her closeness to her husband means that his worries will be hers as well. When these pressures assail her, the public will probably be none the wiser. "If I have a certain core inside of me that is private, it stays private," she told TIME. Life in the national fishbowl will no doubt test that resolve to its fullest. Given her character, drive and record of success thus far, the odds favor Nancy Reagan. --By Paul Gray. Reported by William Rademaekers

With reporting by William Rademaekers

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