Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988

by Jane Mayer, Doyle McManus

Thoroughly researched and documented journalistic account of the Iran-Contra affair and the unraveling of the Reagan presidency. Originally published in 1988, this first paperback edition includes an updated epilogue by the authors. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Presidents, American History, Audiobook, Iran

468 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Jane Mayer is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of three bestselling and critically acclaimed narrative nonfiction books. She co-authored Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984–1988, with Doyle McManus, and Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas, with Jill Abramson, which was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Her book The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals, for which she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, was named one of The New York Times’s Top 10 Books of the Year and won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, the Goldsmith Book Prize, the Edward Weintal Prize, the Ridenhour Prize, the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

For her reporting at The New Yorker, Mayer has been awarded the John Chancellor Award, the George Polk Award, the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, and the I. F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence presented by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard. Mayer lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

"They [Reagan's aides] told stories about how inattentive and inept the president was. He was lazy; he wasn't interested in the job. They said he wouldn't read the papers they gave him--even short position papers and documents. They said he wouldn't come over to work--all he wanted to do was watch movies and television at the residence."
-- Lou Cannon

"And in Beirut, nine American hostages remained in helpless captivity; when Reagan began his arms deals with Iran, there had been only seven."
-- Jane Mayer and Doyle McManus, Landslide: Unmaking of the President, 1984-88

Reaganite revisionism has successfully obscured and denied the faults in the character and presidency of Ronald Reagan in the years since he left office, to the point that "anti-Reagan" books like Reconsidering Reagan: Racism, Republicans, and the Road to Trump and Landslide seem almost incendiary despite their basis in fact. Even Barack Obama, whose ascendancy to the presidential office would have appalled the anti-civil rights Reagan, has felt the need to pay lip service to Reaganite nostalgia. Jane Mayer and Doyle McManus' Landslide isn't entirely unsympathetic to Reagan, with its acknowledgement that at the heart of the arms for hostages aspect of the Iran-Contra scandal was Reagan's legitimate desire to see captive Americans returned home. Outside of that, however, this is a damning indictment of Reagan's second term, in which an increasingly disengaged president allowed the likes of Oliver North, John Poindexter and various other aides and underlings to run amok -- selling weapons to an embargoed Iran, funnelling aid to the terrorist Contras in Nicaragua, and generally being almost comically corrupt and duplicitous.

In the book's epilogue Mayer/McManus write that the Dukakis presidential campaign's failure to take advantage of the Iran-Contra taint during the 1988 election run against an amnesiac George H.W. Bush was a strategic error based on the belief that the American public were as confused as they were upset by the whole sordid affair. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, and the fact is that the lies, contortions and shreddings of the participants left a big ol' mess to try to make sense of. Mayer and McManus do a great job, however, just as Mayer did with Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas . If you have only a basic understanding of Iran-Contra (as I did), this is a book that's going to be very illuminating for you, even if it's frustrating to witness the political tactic of switching from one lie to another repeated ad nauseum over the course of relatively few pages. Landslide doesn't quite have the cloak-and-dagger sexiness of All the President's Men but it's a similarly alarming account of what happens when power finds itself in all the wrong hands.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Trump, given his apparent ignorance and proclivity to address complex issues with simplistic 'solutions', has reminded me of Ronald Reagan, motivating me to read a number of books about Reagan and his administration. This one, its authors being from The LA Times and The Wall Street Journal (hardly left-wing publications), is a study of Reagan's presidential and personal style and how it led, on the one hand, to his popularity, and, on the other, to his downfall. Thus, it reads a bit, structurally speaking, as a tragedy, one's virtue being the tragic flaw.

What appears is a president who was indeed ignorant of most everything beyond his personal life and Hollywood experiences, a man who confused fiction ('history' as portrayed in movies) with fact (history), a man who obtained most of his information from friends, cinema and television, favoring television viewing over the duties of the Executive--a lazy man almost entirely dependent on his virtually unsupervised underlings, many of them right wing ideologues who identified their own various and often conflicting personal beliefs and intentions with those of their somnolent sphinx-like boss. Thus Executive Orders would be formulated at cross-purposes to one another and then signed by an executive who'd had nothing to do with their composition and who would not even read them.

Exemplifying Reagan's 'management style' was the Iran-Contra affair, those illegal enterprises with Israel, Iran and a host of Central American gangsters which brought down several central figures of the administration and which would have brought down the president himself were it not for the wholesale destruction of evidence and mendacious duplicity of many of the principals--and were it not, perhaps, for some pity for the lame duck buffoon in the White House.

Reagan was bad. Trump, I expect, will be worse...

[Ariadna73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the chronic of the last fours years of Ronald Reagan's mandate. It describes in great detail and citing reliable sources how Reagan took the job of being President of the USA as a representative role. He did not want to nor he made important decisions of any kind. That was the job of others. He was there to be on time, impeccably dressed, and to deliver well written speeches with which he had nothing to do.

This is the cover, jacket info and contents of the book I read:


Already in the prologue, the authors show how the Presiden't aides could tell how uninterested he was in all that work stuff. He never read a report, not even the shortest ones; he never bothered to write anything. He started his day at 9 am with a 3 hour lunch break and finished by 4-ish. He had the better job in the world!


The book also shows how before becoming President, Reagan was the governor of a state, and how he left everyone startled one time when he was absolutely unable to remember even one of the points of his legislative plan. Not a single one. He wasn't really interested in being a politician; he was only a face.


Example of what kind of corrections Reagan would do to the speeches written for him: usually changes to make the text easier to read aloud:


On page 102, the author describes a time when President Reagan was grilled on a problem with terrorists and kidnapped americans. In the end the United States had to exchange the kidnapped americans for armament. It was a big scandal, but the President was unprepared to face the media. He always was prepared for cheers and autograph singing; this one took it by surprise and after escaping, it was difficult to see his face again. He behaved like a celebrity, hiding his face behind folders or hats. It was ridiculous.


In the epilogue, the author says that the last two years of Reagan's term were little more than a joke. He was diminished, unpopular, and altogether dragged himself out of the White house.


Here is a little excerpt of the pictures in the book. I wish they were color pictures, but it was probably too expensive for this kind of publication:


Funny that this book mentioned Donald Trump as a despicable hero of the modern decadence. Little did the author know that this hero is now running for president with some possibilities to become the next Reagan.


According to the authors of this book, the exact moment when Reagan lost all his credibility was when he lost his battle in the Iran scandal. He had to confess America's wrongdoing in the deal, and that was what destroyed his public image:


Here is the description of how one of Reagan's Chief of Staff, Don quit his job. There was a lot of bitterness in his farewell note. Also, there is a paragraph on how someone had to go to the White House to work on things, because although Reagan was there, no-one was in charge.


Psst! I have a blog too! Take a look here: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com

[Grindy Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only flaw with this book is the title, as the volume isn't a macro look at the Reagan Administration but rather a detailed (but never tedious) history of the Iran-Contra affair. If you're like me you will think the most striking aspect of the whole scandal was how the Iranians played American amateurs like Oliver North and Bud McFarlane, delivering time and again far less than promised for the plane loads of weaponry delivered to Iran.

[Patricia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book if you're interested in political history. I remember Ronald Reagan's presidency and some of the scandals and Nancy's influence (Hilary Clinton wanted to have more influence and involvement and didn't get the same pass). The book goes into detail about some things that happened during 1984-1988. It took a while to complete because I'd have to stop and do something else (probably watch an old movie or cat videos) or do additional research on a subject like was Reagan an FBI informant during the 40's (turning in his friends) to "protect us" from Communism? The answer to that question is YES, and there's even been some debate through the years that he won the governorship of California and the presidency with the FBI's help. Some in the administration (Republicans!) were worried that Reagan would be impeached for unlawful behavior. Wow! Maybe Saint Ronnie was either criminal or incompetent!

I always wondered how Reagan could get away with so much and keep his image squeaky clean. Something I've discussed with friends is how Dubya Bush had his Texas ranch so he could ride Reagan's popularity and appeal to Reagan supporters. He and Laura left the ranch as soon as Bush left office. Of course, that opinion is not in the book. I just digress! Sorry...

I never thought Reagan was a good president or an especially good actor either. I've always just rolled my eyes when people would claim to be a "Reagan Republican." He damaged our country in so many ways (many of them not discussed in this biography); and after reading this book when I hear that "Reagan Republican" boast, I'll have to bite my tongue as well as roll my eyes.

[Grandt White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landslide, this book, not the amazing song by Fleetwood Mac, is about the Reagan administration. I would here like to echo the sentiments of a one Robert Evans who I have never referenced before in reviews or real life (don’t check my reviews and don’t send me iPhone videos of me talking about Robert Evans, those are false. I’ve been reading to much about the Reagan administration and I’m starting to deny that I did things that there is documentation of me doing, so that’s a bit of orchestrated irony for ya), Evans said that the Reagan administration is a real hoot if you ignore the human cost. I would add that the administration is like Keeping up with the Kardashians but they all have internalized toxic masculinity and also are running one of the most powerful nations in the world. And as far as the book, I ask myself, could it be better? The answer is no. Technically it could be better but it would require the epilogue to predict the future that Reagan would return to his once mythologized self. His fall from public grace, as documented in this book very thoroughly, lasted maybe a decade before the majority of people were back to considering him the presidential equivalent of Jesus Christ. Anyway, Jane Mayer and Doyle McManus do a great job. I’ve read one other book by Jane Mayer, namely The Dark Side and she knows how to weave a story together, and her writing is impeccable. So anyway, if the astrologer who basically controls your life (roughly ten percent of readers are laughing super hard right now) tells you to read this book, read it. If not, then consider reading it.

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 5 out of 5]

For six years Ronald Reagan seemed invincible. Then came the Iran-Contra scandal, and his once-charmed presidency began coming apart. This explosive book provides the first authoritative account of Reagan's second term White House--a book that is both a gripping narrative and a carefully documented investigation.

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ronald Reagan’s talents had hidden his flaws too well; inevitably, his unmasking was his unmaking."

Very interesting account of the Reagan presidency from 1984-1988 and the Iran-Contra and "arms for hostages" disaster, great reading for those who like political history.

[Brendan Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authoritative and holistic account of the characters, decisions, lies, deceit, management style, White House ethos, and personalities that all contributed to the Iran-Contra scandal. Pathetic and corrupt display from our government. Also, sadly, the Regan-Trump similarities are crystal clear - charisma covers for substance in many, many ways. Regan was still very popular by the time he left office... VP Bush became the president himself. Also, so many of the names in the Regan White House find themselves in other Republican administrations from Bush, to Bush Jr., to Trump. Round and round it goes. Overall amazing journalism.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent work of investigative reporting that demonstrates the utter bizarreness of the Reagan White House and how it functioned. Or didn't. The spirit and reality of those years is best illustrated by this one detail about the weapons-for-hostages deal with Iran: the hostage the White House was most anxious to bring home--for Beirut CIA station chief William Buckley--had been dead for three months at the time the deal was concluded.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced and entertaining. For someone who was not in America in the 80s, I'm always amazed by the shenanigans of the Reagan administration. For the older crowd this will read like old news but for me it was gripping and informative.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the chronic of the last fours years of Ronald Reagan's mandate. It describes in great detail and citing reliable sources how Reagan took the job of being President of the USA as a representative role. He did not want to nor he made important decisions of any kind. That was the job of others. He was there to be on time, impeccably dressed, and to deliver well written speeches with which he had nothing to do.

This is the cover, jacket info and contents of the book I read:


Already in the prologue, the authors show how the Presiden't aides could tell how uninterested he was in all that work stuff. He never read a report, not even the shortest ones; he never bothered to write anything. He started his day at 9 am with a 3 hour lunch break and finished by 4-ish. He had the better job in the world!


The book also shows how before becoming President, Reagan was the governor of a state, and how he left everyone startled one time when he was absolutely unable to remember even one of the points of his legislative plan. Not a single one. He wasn't really interested in being a politician; he was only a face.


Example of what kind of corrections Reagan would do to the speeches written for him: usually changes to make the text easier to read aloud:


On page 102, the author describes a time when President Reagan was grilled on a problem with terrorists and kidnapped americans. In the end the United States had to exchange the kidnapped americans for armament. It was a big scandal, but the President was unprepared to face the media. He always was prepared for cheers and autograph singing; this one took it by surprise and after escaping, it was difficult to see his face again. He behaved like a celebrity, hiding his face behind folders or hats. It was ridiculous.


In the epilogue, the author says that the last two years of Reagan's term were little more than a joke. He was diminished, unpopular, and altogether dragged himself out of the White house.


Here is a little excerpt of the pictures in the book. I wish they were color pictures, but it was probably too expensive for this kind of publication:


Funny that this book mentioned Donald Trump as a despicable hero of the modern decadence. Little did the author know that this hero is now running for president with some possibilities to become the next Reagan.


According to the authors of this book, the exact moment when Reagan lost all his credibility was when he lost his battle in the Iran scandal. He had to confess America's wrongdoing in the deal, and that was what destroyed his public image:


Here is the description of how one of Reagan's Chief of Staff, Don quit his job. There was a lot of bitterness in his farewell note. Also, there is a paragraph on how someone had to go to the White House to work on things, because although Reagan was there, no-one was in charge.


Psst! I have a blog too! Take a look here: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com

[Ahsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. Very readable, almost like a mystery thriller novel. But of course it was real life. A lot of things about today's climate become clearer with a book like this. You realize that Republicans' love for know-nothing presidents goes back a long way. That their politicization of the Justice Department is routine, and their flouting of domestic and international law a point of pride. GWB was the continuation, not the start, of a trend. Trump is the symptom, not the cause.

The story itself is insane and is a great window into the dirty politics of defense and security issues in DC. Very, very few people come out well in this book. They are either brazenly insane (North, Poindexter, Casey), corrupt and disgusting (Regan, MacFarlane, Bush, Meese), blithely ignorant (Schultz), or all of the above (Reagan). I guess Nancy comes out alright, though probably not in the way she would like.

[Kyle Rutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and engaging account of the Iran-Contra affair. This book was a very good read and presents it as a narrative that doesn't come off as particularly biased. However, the book itself really does not focus on Reagan, treating him more of a side character lingering in the background of the story.

Landslide introduces the reader to a large cast of the Reagan Whitehouse. But the main character, and antagonist of the story is the President's Chief of Staff, Don Regan (yes, that's his name!) We also get to meet Ollie North, the "fall guy" of the scandal.

If you want to learn about one of the many, many unjustifiable and frankly morally atrocious affairs that have been conducted in "protecting democracy," then this is the book for you.

[Lifa Nobanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Mayer is a good writer and this book proves it! She writes about Ronald Reagan's 2nd term in Office. She brings out vividly the struggles in the White House for the ear of RR and how his impassive and laissez-faire approach gave everyone the opportunity to to try and influence his decisiond. What l thoroughly found interesting was how his Chief of Staff Donald Regan tried to have and give direct access to the president through him, by throwing his weight around. It ultimately cost him his job as his attitude came at loggerheads with Mrs. Reagan (FLOTUS)

Jane Mayer is a brilliant investigative journalist and writer. One of my favorite authors.

[Bill Gour · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors seem to believe that Reagan's hollywood training and simpleminded jingoism represent some real achievement and indicate strong character. His superficial and vacuous character, practical disengagement, and dimwitted policies were, to the authors, astonishing revelations to the American people after the Iran-Contra scandal became known. This owes more to the right-wing efforts over the past thirty years to establish a cult of personality around Ronald Reagan than to the actual reality.

[MacKenzie Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never totally understood Iran-Contra, and this book makes me feel better about that because it demonstrates how complex the scandal was. Like a lot of books on Nixon, it portrays Reagan as hapless, bumbling and unaware of the bad advice of those around him. It also portrays Nancy Reagan as having more influence than I’d realized.

The book was originally written in 1988 and it was shockingly thorough for a book written so close to events, although it would also be interesting to read if it had been written after more of the consequences had shaken out.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the most readable and easy to understand telling of Iran Contra scandal. The authors really keep the narrative moving despite how difficult it is to follow when everyone is lying all the time. The only bad thing about this book is a lack of context to references they make to other events that aren’t explained well. Like off handed references to the CIA’s scandals in the 70s which involved huge hearings on the CIA’s assassination programs among other things. All in all though a very good book.

[Philip Girvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus of the book is the Iran-Contra affair, and, through this telling of Iran-Contra, sheds light on how the dismantling of the James Baker III, Michael Deaver, and Edwin Meese 'triumvirate' weakened the Reagan White House.

It's a fascinating read and sections detailing the CIA and the NSC's manipulation of Reagan's Cabinet and the US Congress, and their brazen disregard for the Constitution are vividly told.

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good account of the Iran Contra affair, dressed up under the general title of the second term of the Reagan administration. In my opinion the book addresses the role of the president during this time, in the never-ending question of administrator vs inspiration, or as Reagan would prefer, communicator. Would have been great to tie the bow around the 25th Amendment call-up at the beginning, but it's not a deal breaker ultimately.

[Katie Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ton of setting up the key players in the first ~1/3 of the book which I found sort of boring, but the payoff was great once shit starts to hit the fan. Found myself wanting a few more of the “action” scenes — a few of the chapters (plane crash, visit to Iran, North secretary shredding the documents) were so fun to read.

[Amita MV · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more things change the more they stay the same?

[Dave N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the somewhat wider scope laid out in its title, this book is really a very good, very exhaustive look at Iran-Contra. In addition to this, it's also a very detailed look at Reagan's cabinet and the disunion and divisiveness therein. I wouldn't say that this book is very good at understanding Reagan's second term beyond Iran-Contra - a lot of what happened from 84 to 88 is left out, including his relations with the Soviet Union and his domestic and economic problems - but for what it is, it's very much worth a read. The personal details on Regan, Oliver North and Bud McFarlane are particularly great.

[Thaddeus Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book I've read that covers Iran-Contra, so I'm glad I read it, but ultimately a stale read.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers looking for a juicy play-by-play of the Iran-Contra Affair — you know who you are — will not be disappointed.

[cassidy snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love narrative nonfiction & getting to read about how stupid ronald reagan and his aides were. <3

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and thorough account of how the Reagan administration's aimlessness and the president's inattention to his policies and his staff set the stage for the Iran-Contra Affair. By giving minimal guidance and not paying attention, Reagan allowed his staff to exploit the leadership vacuum with their own pet projects, with disastrous results. This book highlights the dangers that can arise when the president's cabinet and senior advisers develop and pursue their own policy agendas.

[RickyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last paragraph of this book sums up perfectly everything discussed in the previous 393 pages:

“Reagan’s fall from grace might have been less abrupt had his been a more conventional presidency. But Reagan had never amassed many of the tangible accomplishments of more traditional politicians. He was neither an adept administrator nor a master of the mundane intricacies of policy. His gift was for communication, particularly through television. His was a rhetorical presidency, capable at its best of uniting the country behind a common vision and moving the political center a long step to the right. But the Iran-contra affair revealed his rhetoric to be disconnected from his actions, and his action to be disconnected from his policies. Ronald Reagan’s talents had hidden his flaws too well; inevitably, his unmasking was his unmaking.”

Brilliant!

Authors Jane Mayer and Doyle McManus don’t paint RR in a favourable light at all, and my issues with this are twofold. It either highlights the bias of their political standing that little is said of RR’s second term, or RR himself, that is positive. But I’d prefer this explanation to the alternative: that RR was one of the most obtuse, ignorant, simple-minded human puppets to ever be perched behind the president’s desk in the oval office.

Seriously, it reads like this man had no clue what was going on in his administration. Worse, he didn’t seem to care at all that he knew nothing. His testimony to the Tower commission was embarrassing. If I, or any person of moderate intelligence and moral standing, had performed that poorly at such a crucial time in his leadership role, I would’ve hung myself in shame.

In fact, by the end of this book I had safely shelved RR alongside other disgraceful American leaders as Nixon and George W Bush.

I was disappointed to learn how shallow and self-serving RR was. I was hopeful when, early in the book, it was noted that when meeting one on one with a member of the public RR took his or her plight to heart and really carried that person’s cause with him long after the meeting. He really was a softie when hearing a sob-story personally, and I believe he would’ve liked to have been someone who could solve all those one-on-ones himself. The disappointment came when realising that when dealing with people, groups of people, citizens of a country, leader of nations, RR’s focus and concern dwindled.

Yes, he was all about helping the contras fight and win back a country that was no longer theirs, (even those these same contras were rapists, murderers and torturers, which was why congress had passed laws to ensure they could get no support from America) and he did seem to care about having American hostages released (again, this noble intention increased only after talking one on one with the families of those hostages), but these were the limits of his focus on helping people. So much so that he broke his own laws to ensure these deeds were done.

The rest of his time in office seems to have been made up of giving the impression of helping people and making sure “the people” loved him.

His denials of the crimes committed by his staff and himself during the Iran-contra affair are laughable, especially during the whole book when so much of the evidence is laid out chronologically, and at the end when the findings of the reports are laid out to the reader.

It wasn’t just RR’s seeming inability to recall how much he had approved or even known about while it was taking place that bugs me. It shows what a ridiculous leader he was to have knowledge, any knowledge, of such an operation taking place and this mattered so little to him that it wasn’t even committed to memory. This was no little excursion he was hearing about. As POTUS he should have been on top of this from the very beginning. Notes should have been made. Records kept. Any administrator in charge of such an immense undertaking as, say, running a country, should at least have the common sense to see when something important, and in this case, illegal, makes it to his notice.

He even had one of the culprits in the story, McFarlane, try to justify the president’s non-commitment to the truth of what he knew and approved by claiming the “matter of not notifying [Congress of] the Israeli transfer can be covered if the president made a ‘mental finding’ before the transfers took place.” Seriously! This was a genuine point made to reduce the president’s role in this conspiracy. (p330). Essentially saying, as long as the President mentally gave his permission, all was ok. Once again ignoring the fact that Reagan couldn’t (apparently) remember anything about it in the first place, let alone giving a “mental finding” authorising the actions of his staff.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. This is a frustrating story but well written. And I do understand that it tells only one side of the Reagan story but, seriously, this is such a telling tale that it's really all I need to know about the man to know he wasn't a great leader (or a great man), but he was a good actor by the sounds of things.

The only thing I would have liked is if there was a cast of characters. I highlighted each new player the first time they were mentioned but it would have been great to have a section to turn to that lists each person by name and title. There were so many people involved that it easily became confusing at times.