The Murder of Prince Klemens Von Metternich

The Murder of President Ronald Wilson Reagan December, 2016

In December 1988 and Ronald Regan is enjoying is last few weeks in White House before leaving as his vice president George H.W. Bush is about to take the oath of office which he will take on January 20, 1989.

These are the facts of history. However, what happened next is little known. As he traveled to Washington, Reagan’s motorcade was stopped. Reagan stepped from the presidential limousine and was shot dead. With a single gun shot to the head, Reagan, the symbol of American conservatives and the lassie -faire economic policies of the 1980s fell dead. {In real life, Reagan died in 2004 after having reached the age of 93.} The Washington, D.C. police began to search the crime scene.

Clues In trash bin outside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on a nearby street corner they discover a leather sack.

 Inside the sack was a copy of Reagan's first inaugural speech with the highlighted statement.... "Government is not the solution to our problem -- government is the problem."

 A few coins from the Soviet Union, and other Central American nations

 A copy of Milton Freidman book Free to Choose and copy of Alan Bloom's book The Closing of the American Mind some of its pages turned backed

 An envelope postmarked in Reykjavik, Iceland

 A ticket stub for a performance of the musical Music Man at the Kennedy Center for the Preforming Arts in Washington, D.C.

 Highlight copy of Reagan's horoscope from December 1988

 The phone number Fawn Hall and pieces of shredded paper 2

These clues are helpful, but much work remains. With so many suspects, the police cannot possibly investigate all of them. Therefore the police need your help.

Assignment: First: Each of you will be assigned a character. You will need to read up on them that their world in James Patterson and elsewhere Second: You will also need to write a one-page background check on each of the potential suspects. This background check will include basic information about the person and their relationship to Reagan. Please note here that some characters were dead by 1988, however you can assume there are some vengeful ghosts that are still looking for justice.

Third: Once you have completed the background check, the investigation committee will meet to hear reports about the suspects. Each of you will be expected to present your findings to the committee. During these presentations, you should be prepared to ask questions of each other. Remember that many of your characters knew each other.

Fourth: Once the presentations are completed the committee will meet to determine which suspects are most likely. Finally: Each of you will write a report identifying whom you believe killed Reagan. These reports should be based on your own background checks, the initial detective reports and the clues in the leather sack, your textbook reading and your research. Each report should:

 Say why you believe the suspects you have chosen must committed the crime  Say why you believe the other suspects did not commit the crime  Back up all of your theories with specific evidence from class, research, etc.

Advice: Be creative here. Not all of the suspects have obvious connections to Reagan. You have to figure out why they might be angry with him.

The Usual Suspects

Walter Mondale - 1984 Presidential candidate Donald Regan - White House Chief of Staff Tip O'Neil - Speaker of the House Nelson Mandela - South African anti-Apartheid activist Larry Kramer - AIDS activist C. Everett Koop - U.S. Surgeon General Air Traffic Controller - Gary W. Eades PATCO Jesse Jackson - African-American civil rights activist Jimmy Carter - Former President of the United States Alexander Haig - Secretary of State for President Reagan Mikael Gorbachev of the Soviet Union Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua James Watt - Secretary of the Interior for Ronald Reagan (1980-1983) Faye Wattelton -- Director of Planned Parenthood Mummer Gadhafi - Libyan dictator Jerry Falwell - Evangelical Christian - leader of the Moral Majority Judge Robert Bork - Nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court by President Reagan Lt. Colonial Oliver North - member of National Security Council (NSC) John Poindexter - National Security Advisor for President Regan Hudson Austin - President of Caribbean island of Grenada Benito Aquino - political opponent of Philippine leader Ferdinand Marco Eleanor Smeal - President of the National Organization of Women