Reagan Denies Pressure Kept Patti Off TV

President Reagan today denied using his influence to get interviews with his daughter, Patti Davis, dropped from two television shows but said he hopes she “makes a lot of money” from her autobiographical-style book, “Home Front.”

Reagan had an impromptu question and answer session as he escorted special emissary Philip C. Habib to a limousine as Habib prepared to depart on a Central American fact-finding tour.

Asked whether he had influenced TV talk show hosts Merv Griffin and Joan Rivers to drop scheduled interviews with Patti, Reagan gave an emphatic “no.”

“I hope she makes a lot of money,” he added with a big smile.

‘Interesting Fiction’

As for the book, the story of a daughter who becomes estranged from her presidential parents, Reagan said, “I thought it was interesting fiction.”

Davis, who is on a national tour to promote her novel, flew to California last Thursday to appear with Rivers, only to learn a few hours before show time that the interview had been canceled.

“The Tonight Show said they were sorry but that Joan had read the book and felt, as a wife and mother, she couldn’t do the interview,” Nancy Kahan, associate publisher of Crown Publishers, said.

A spokeswoman for Griffin told the Washington Post that he had read the novel and decided in late February that he “didn’t want to promote the book on his show.”

First Lady’s Friends

Both Rivers and Griffin are close friends of Nancy Reagan. Rivers was invited to a state dinner and later appeared at a luncheon at the Republican National Committee at the First Lady’s request.

Penny Rotheiser, NBC spokeswoman for the Phil Donahue show, said, “We were approached not to do the show” with Davis. “There was an effort made for us not to do the show. But it was not by anybody in government service. I don’t know who it was. Phil has not shared that information with anyone. He did the show” last week with Davis.

Donahue told USA Today two days ago: “An effort was made to discourage us from doing the show. The pressure did not come from anyone connected to or in government service.”