Reagan Shouts Back at Man Disrupting a Campaign Dinner

DETROIT — A man claiming he had been the subject of government mind-control experiments disrupted an appearance by President Reagan at a Republican fund-raising dinner Friday night.

The man made a long and rambling argument that he had been mistreated, while guests at the $1,000-a-plate event attempted to drown him out with applause. The disruption occurred just after Reagan concluded his address.

Secret Service agents on the scene made no attempt to approach the man, who identified himself as William McKnight, 58, of Inkster, Mich. But after several moments of yelling in the direction of Reagan, who was approximately 150 feet away on the podium, the President interrupted him.

Reagan went to the microphone and said the outburst “was unfair” to the guests. Shouting angrily, Reagan told the man that if he had a complaint, he should “put it in a letter and send it to me.”