Ruth Rabb on Nancy Reagan. Interviewed by Bruce Logan.

In 1979 Rurh Rabb invited Nancy Reagan to visit Daytop Village, a teenage drug rehabilitation program in New York City. Intrigued, she returned the next year in 1980 when her husband had become the Republican candidate for President. Ruth Rabb was the wife of Maxwell Rabb, former Secretary to the Cabinet (1951-58) under Eisenhower and and an early backer of Ronald Reagan. Subsequently he became America’s longest serving ambassador to Italy (1981-1989). Ruth Rabb believed that teenage drug rehabilitation would be a worthy cause for Nancy Reagan to lend her support should she become First Lady. This led in 1985 to Nancy Reagan, as First Lady, launching her “Just Say No” anti-drug crusade. Nancy Reagan gives credit in her web page on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library website to the Daytop Village experience for inspiring her hugely successful “Just Say No” program. www.reaganlibrary.com
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