Although not diagnosed until 1994, Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease as early as 1987 while he was in the last years of his presidency. The History Bluff had an exclusive interview with one of Reagan’s aides who asked to remain nameless because of the sensitivity of the information disclosed.

Suffering from Alzheimer’s, and sometimes frothing at the mouth, President Reagan did his Rudolph the Rabid Reindeer impersonation whenever he could.

Reagan’s aide said that while the president’s mental lapses were few during his time in office, one in particular was almost disastrous to Reagan’s legacy and to national security. President Reagan was flying to Egypt aboard Air Force One in 1988 when he had a spell during which he believed that the plane had been hijacked.

Determined to wrest control of the plane from terrorists, Reagan overpowered three guards and barged into the cockpit where he punched and broke the co-pilot’s nose. Within a few minutes the situation settled down and Reagan was taken to his office where he rested for the remainder of the trip.

Reagan played travel games on his notepad with his imaginary friend Gipper until Air Force One arrived safely in Cairo.

Upon returning, the security aboard Air Force One was immediately heightened to prevent similar situations from occurring. The crew also stowed away several packs of adult diapers just in case.

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Our friends at the National Geographic Channel have more information about Air Force One. Also, tune in to the National Geographic Channel on Sunday, January 25 at 8pm to watch “On Board Air Force One.”