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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JUNE 15, 1984
Why is it that President Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher, together again
in London for the Economic Summit meeting, seem to have so much
in common that neither would be equally at home with, say, Presi
dent [Francois] Mitterrand of France? .•.
Mrs. Thatcher must be one of the most remarkable British politi
cians of the postwar period. She wins elections. She is a woman
prime minister of what is still predominantly a male role. Far
from her running out of puff, she still stands head and shoulders
above her ministerial colleagues, perhaps more so than ever•...
It is the same with President Reagan••.it must be a fiction that
he is totally incompetent. No one can govern California, which
has a larger population and a greater domestic product than some
European countries put together, without having some interest in
power. To go on to become president, and then to seek reelection
with every chance of winning, must at least indicate considerable
ambition and self-confidence.
Most Important Bilateral Meeting
There was one more "bilateral
II
that took place during the conference-
actually two--of even greater significance. In the late afternoon of the
second day of the summit, June 8, Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong met
the two top Japanese leaders back to back. To me this is astounding, as
both Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone
and
Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe
(who is a likely future prime minister) were extremely busy with the summit
proceedings. Nevertheless they made time available to Mr. Armstrong.
The Japanese leadership is eager to continue and, in fact, expand their re
lationship with Mr. Armstrong and the Ambassador Foundation in jointly
funding worthwhile projects in Third World countries. An example of this
is the cooperation between the two with regard to the funding and construc
tion of the Jomo Kenyatta College of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya.
The Japanese leaders trust Mr. Armstrong to take the lead in such efforts by
planting the initial seed. Once they are convinced that they want to parti
cipate, they then follow up with multiple times over the initial invest
ment. This comes from the treasury of the world's second-largest economic
power. Such projects not only give prestige to God's work, they open still
more doors for Mr. Armstrong to walk through.
Seeing firsthand the honor and respect that these powerful leaders have for
the apostle of God's Church in this end-time age was personally far more
thrilling to me than being associated with the activities at the summit it
self.
This world's political activities, summits and all, are nearing their ulti
mate end. But the activities of God's Church in this age will help usher in
the wonderful World Tomorrow.
--Gene H. Hogberg, News Bureau