Reagan’s diaries to be printed

In what is likely to be one of the most intimate portraits of the Ronald Reagan White House, the former president’s personal diaries will be published next year -- though how much of them and in what form is still unclear.

HarperCollins, which earlier this year published former presidential candidate and Republican Sen. Bob Dole’s memoirs, bought the rights from the Reagan Library Foundation for an undisclosed sum.

Officials for the publisher and the library said it’s unclear whether the eight years of daily diaries -- five red-and-tan leather-bound volumes -- will be edited into one book or published separately, or whether some of the entries will be redacted for national security and other concerns.

“We can’t really determine what will be included until we get in there and take a look at them,” said HarperCollins spokeswoman Patti Kelly.

Reagan Library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said the former president began the diaries on his first day of office and ended them on his last. One of the diaries went on display this week at the library, but the entries won’t be open to view.

“We’re going to wait to do that until the diary is released,” Giller said.

Some of the diary details have made it to public light already, as evidence in the Iran-Contra investigation and a part of the research for “Dutch,” Edmund Morris’ biography of Reagan.

Nancy Reagan said in a prepared statement that the journals were meant to be a personal keepsake.