Subtitle:

More Than Just an Actor: The Early Campaigns of Ronald Reagan

Series:

Governmental History Documentation Project - Ronald Reagan Era

Topic:

Politics and Government

Biographical Note:

Co-founder of the Behavior Science Corporations (BASICO), which advised Ronald Reagan’s first gubernatorial campaign.

Interviewer:

Stern, Stephen

Interviewee:

Plog, Stanley

Persons Present:

Plog and Stern.

Place Conducted:

Plog's office in Reseda, California.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Stephen Stern, Senior Editor, UCLA Oral History Program; Ph.D , Folklore, Indiana University.

Processing of Interview:

Editing was done by Bernard Galm, Senior Editor, Oral History Program. He checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings and edited for punctuation, paragraphing, correct spelling, and verification of proper and place names. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed.Plog reviewed the manuscript and approved the edited transcript. He made minor corrections and provided or confirmed spellings of names that had not been verified previously. The final manuscript remains in the same order as the original taped material.Stephen Stern reviewed the edited transcript before it was typed in final form and wrote the introduction.Members of the Oral History staff prepared the index.

Length:

1 hr.

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

Interviews in this series were undertaken by the UCLA Oral History Program in conjunction with similar efforts at the University of California, Berkeley, Regional Oral History Office; Claremont Graduate School Oral History Program; California State University, Fullerton, Oral History Program; and the University of California, Davis, Oral History Project. Funds were provided by the state legislature through the office of the state archivist. The project was an outgrowth of earlier efforts of the Regional Oral History Office to document Earl Warren, Goodwin Knight and Edmund G. "Pat Brown, Sr., eras in California politics. All interviews in the series are deposited at each of the participating institutions and at the California State Archives in Sacramento. A full listing of interviews on the Reagan era can be located at the Regional Oral History Office. Individual efforts are listed in the catalogs of the various participating programs.

Tape I (January 5, 1981)Educational background--BASICO's initial involvement with the Reagan campaign--Conditions for working with Reagan--Cross-referencing system developed--Preparing candidate for "spies"--Pinpointing important voter issues--Strategiesemployed by Brown campaign--"Developing the whole man"--Reagan's relationship with extremist elements--"Citizen Politican" and "the Creative Society"--Brownisms and Reagan goofs-­ Relationships among Plog, Holden and Roberts-­BASICO's influence on the outcome of the campaign. Reagan's budget plan--Reagan letter to Plog and Holden--Effects on BASICO of working for Reagan campaign--Reactions from the press to Reagan's "prairie fire of reform": water pistol fights on the road--Miscellaneous comments on the press.