In these, his private thoughts, Reagan expressed what it took to deal with the mullahs of Iran -- and playing nice was not it.
Iran has been listed as a state sponsor of terrorism since the mid-1980s. Evidence that Tehran is avidly pursuing nuclear weapons has been piling up since 2002.
And when allied forces brought down Saddam Hussein, the Iranians promptly established a pipeline to funnel powerful improvised explosive devices into Iraq, specifically for killing American soldiers.
Yet, President Obama entered office intent on "engaging" this hateful government. When Green Revolution's cries for freedom echoed in the streets of Tehran, Obama turned a deaf ear. Instead, his administration downplayed Iran's blatant human rights abuses.
From the start, the Iranian government responded to the president's outreach efforts with ridicule, disdain and derision. Tehran's contempt for Obama has only emboldened its hostility.
In February, Iranians hacked the Voice of America website. Iranian intelligence is reported to have penetrated the Voice of America Persian service.
And now we learn of the Iranian plot to plant a bomb in Washington to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Apparently, the president knew of the plot in June. Yet, later that month, he published his strategy to combat terrorism, a 19-page document that included precisely one sentence referencing Iran.
Obama played nice with Iran -- and look what happened. We now face a country even more bellicose, more aggressive, more determined to get nuclear weapons and more committed to crushing its people's cries for freedom.
In responding to the "keystone" Quds plot, nothing less than a complete reversal of administration policy will suffice to keep the regime in Tehran from making the world a much more dangerous place.
The only enduring answer to the troublemaking leaders of Iran is to bring freedom to the people living under their tyranny. Ultimately, like the other acts of the Arab Spring, this change that has to come from within the country. What the White House has failed is recognizing it can and should be contributing to this end.
For starters, it would be nice to see the administration not just "seeking" and piling up sanctions. What's needed is a full-course press to assure that all nations implement those sanctions fully and consistently.
Next, it is time for the administration to expose the regime's horrifying human rights record, and keep up the drumbeat of condemnation. This will require extensive public diplomacy to document and publicize abuses and to aid victims.
It also entails stepping up VOA broadcasting and supporting independent Iranian broadcasters outside the country who have proved adept in exposing the regime's corruption and lavish aid to terrorists.
And it's past time for the United States to remind Tehran that America plans to be an enduring military presence as long as countries like Iran make trouble. The United States needs a carrier battle group stationed in the region 24-7-365.
The White House should also immediately reverse course in Iraq and Afghanistan by renewing our commitment to safeguard the peace and security of those nations.
Finally, the White House needs to stop short-selling missile defense. Its phased-and-adaptive approach is a plan to sleepwalk into combating an Iranian missile threat.
The United States needs a new missile defense mantra: comprehensive-and-immediate. Playing nice with Tehran has played out badly for the United States.
Examiner Columnist James Jay Carafano is a senior research fellow for national security at the Heritage Foundation.
