Those who underestimate Reagan just don’t understand intelligence

WHAT was the secret of Ronald Reagan’s success? Was it his timing and theatricality? His charisma? His optimism? His circle of advisers? Or was it that, time after time, people underestimated him?

Three years into his presidency, Reagan hosted the G7 summit of industrialised nations. He had to chair the group and conduct intricate one-to-one negotiations with world leaders. Lengthy briefing papers were prepared for study the night before.

The problem was, Reagan had the actor's habit of committing material to memory and he read very slowly. His advisers knew that if he stayed up late, he would be exhausted the next morning and Nancy would be on the warpath.