Thatcher On Reagan: He’s Fit, But Memories ‘Partial’ She And Her Husband Visited Former President In March

Former President Reagan is physically fit despite suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, but has “good days and bad days,” his friend Margaret Thatcher said Monday.

The former British prime minister, Reagan’s conservative soulmate in the 1980s, spoke during an interview of her last meeting with Reagan in March when she and her husband Denis visited him in California.

“Physically (he was) very fit. Fortunately he recognized Denis and me,” Mrs. Thatcher said. “Whether we were recognized in our official capacity I don’t know, and you don’t test a person under those circumstances. You don’t say, ‘Do you remember?’ You talk about things. You look at the beautiful grounds.”

Reagan announced in a signed statement released Nov. 5 that he has the progressively debilitating disease of the elderly. Since then, his wife Nancy has made public-service announcements in behalf of Alzheimer’s groups.

As always with Alzheimer’s, Reagan’s “memories are very partial. They often remember things from earlier,” Mrs. Thatcher added. “But I know he has good days and bad days.”

Earlier Monday, the former British leader told an audience at the National Press Club that despite some frequently acrid criticism in recent years, history will be kind to Reagan’s administration and hers.