A SAD DAY IN MARCH

THE ATTEMPT

MARCH 30, 1981
Only a couple of months after becoming President of the United States, Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin.  He
recovered quickly and resumed his duties, and his wit during this shocking event caused his popularity to skyrocket.  In an
attempt to impress the actress Jodie Foster, a man named John Hinckley shot Reagan outside the Washington Hilton.  White
House staff, Secret Service agents, and police officers were all around Reagan, but he still sustained a bullet wound under the
left arm. The bullet malfunctioned and did not explode on impact.  Reagan was seriously wounded but survived the attack.

POP,POP,POP,POP,POP,POP.
FIRECRACKERS IN MARCH?
Much like the sound of firecrackers, six
quick pops staccato through the air as
President Reagan walks to his waiting
limousine after delivering a speech. The
pops are from John Hinckley's gun. Amid
the ensuing chaos and confusion, agents
quickly push the president into the car, as
Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy,
right, is hit in the stomach by one of
Hinckley's bullets.

At the White House there was some
confusion as to who was in charge. In
the situation room, national security
advisor Richard Allen had two
important things; a copy of the
constitution, the codes to release our
nuclear weapons. White house lawyer
Fred Fielding immediately prepared for
a transfer of presidential power.

President Reagan collapsed in the
emergency room.

The question hanging over the Situation
Room was whether all this was a
Soviet plot that could lead to war. That
very day, a Soviet invasion of Poland
seemed a real possibility. And Soviet
missile subs were moving in, closer to
our coast than usual. Mr. Reagan was
headed to surgery and would soon be
unconscious.

Haig answered a reporters question,
saying Constitutionally gentlemen, you
have the president, the vice president
and the secretary of state, in that order,
and should the president decide he
wants to transfer the helm to the vice
president, he will do so. As for now,
I'm in control here, in the White House,
pending the return of the vice president
and in close touch with him. If
something came up, I would check
with him, of course.

AGENT McCARTHY GOES DOWN
Agent McCarthy, at right of photo, steps in front of
the President, and takes a bullet in the stomach.

GET HIM OUT OF HERE
YELLS  AN AGENT !!!!!.

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION-- Cameraman Hank Brown,right of photo, and
Shelly Feldman, top right, move in on the action as Hinckley is wrestled with.
Hinckley who slipped in behind cameramen, fired his weapon between the
cameramen hitting Reagan, Officer Delahanty, and Agent McCarthy.

Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy lies in
the foreground wounded in the stomach and
Metropolitan Police Officer Thomas Delahanty
shot in the back of the neck lays in pain.

Copyright ©2003   RON EDMONDS

All photographs are the copyright of The Associated Press and Ronald A Edmonds. No graphics, pictures
or design of any page from this web site can be used without the written permission of Ronald A. Edmonds.