What Reagan Knew

And Why So Many Knew So Little About What He Knew

Inspired by four decades of scholarship, public service, and firsthand experience in the Reagan White House.

For more than four decades, I have studied Ronald Reagan's ideas, leadership, and presidency as a scholar, author, and former member of President Reagan's National Security Council.

What Reagan Knew began with a simple question: What if Ronald Reagan understood far more than history has given him credit for?

Drawing on newly available archival materials, Reagan’s own handwritten letters and commentaries, and my experience serving in the White House during the Reagan years, this book traces the development of Reagan’s ideas from his youth in Illinois to his presidency and the peaceful conclusion of the Cold War.

The book challenges the enduring image of Reagan as merely a gifted communicator. It presents a different portrait: a leader whose ideas were shaped over decades, whose policies reflected a coherent worldview, and whose influence helped reshape both American politics and world affairs.

At its heart, What Reagan Knew is the story of a lifelong intellectual journey, Reagan’s journey, and my own effort to understand it.

About the Book

What Reagan Knew explores the intellectual foundations of Ronald Reagan's leadership and presidency.

Long before entering the White House, Reagan developed a coherent set of ideas about party politics, individual freedom, economic growth, American leadership, and the challenge posed by Soviet communism.

Contrary to the familiar image of Reagan as primarily a gifted communicator or a mere deal maker, this book reveals the depth and consistency of his thinking. Reagan knew a lot more than even his supporters recognized.

Drawing on Reagan’s own writings, speeches, radio commentaries, letters, and newly available archival sources, the book traces the evolution of his ideas from his youth in Illinois through his years in Hollywood, California politics, and ultimately the presidency.

It shows how Reagan’s policy convictions were not improvised in office or initiated by staff but developed over decades of reading, reflection, debate, and political experience. He wrote his own script and made his major decisions in office, often against the advice of his staff. His success as president – from leading the Republican Party out of the wilderness after six decades in opposition, to restoring public confidence in the American economy, to helping bring the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion – was rooted in a worldview he had spent a lifetime refining.

More than a biography or political history, What Reagan Knew is an exploration of the ideas that shaped Ronald Reagan’s leadership and created a legacy that endures to the present day.

Selected Commentary on Henry Nau’s Work

“A Republican presidential aspirant should articulate what Henry R. Nau calls ... Conservative Internationalism ...” — George F. Will

“Conservative Internationalism should be required reading for the foreign policy and national security staffs of every serious presidential campaign, Democratic or Republican.” — Paul Carrese on Conservative Internationalism, Claremont Review of Books

“Perhaps the most overlooked book of the summer...a better guide than the others to the shape of things to come...sharp judgments... [and] cool-headed prognostications of the future.” — David Warsh, The Washington Post, on The Myth of America's Decline

Other Books by Henry Nau

Explore Henry Nau’s published books →