By Patrick Spilling

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Since his firm confident face nition. The chances of a Soviet military base on this tiny island were dramatically reduced when Reagan had it dismantled sod by sod and reassembled half a mile from the Eastern coast of the United States, as a new venue for the US Golf Open.

His plan to reinvade Vietnam - breathtaking in its vision and ambition - was wrecked by lesser minds in the American administration - and his determination to prevent Nicaragua falling into the hands of a Government backed by foreign people set a model for the rest of the world.

He was a much loved figure and in Cuba in particular his name was often on the lips of the population as they went about their happy-go-lucky ways, piling sand bags, positioning anti-aircraft weapons and practicing their air-raid drill.

As the anniversary draws close the anecdotes about the Reagan administration flourish - his youthful face painted on with powder; his winning habit of forgetting the name of the country; his amazing ability to read his autocue unaided. These all make up the great American legend.

But it is for his more solid political achievements he deserves to be known. There was his largely unsung work in the poorer quarters of American cities teaching citizens to be less dependent on the state and to rely more on the capabilities their own hands.

He reshaped the face of American trade unions, sympathetically setting a model in the air traffic controllers union that few others would dare to emulate.

Foreign policy was his forte. Often he would sit with Nancy in his Oval Office, idly spinning a globe and stabbing it suddenly with his finger. ''There" , he would say. "That's our next base."

He made technology beyond the reach of poorer countries like Britain available in vast quantities and his supplies of Cruise missiles did much to keep Europe on its toes.

Despite some carping critics he did much to break down the Cold War, preferring to transform it into a red hot battle zone fought well way from his own borders.

In the Middle East, in the Far East, in Europe and in the ghettoes of America, thousands, nay millions will stop for a moment when the anniversary comes and pause in what they are doing. They will put down a blood soaked bandage or stop chewing the crust of bread they liberated from the dustbin, and they will give thanks for an American President who did so much.

Coming soon, in a major TV production. Reagan - the Day After. on a march of unemployed people from one end of the country to the other.

Even more incredible, given that a General Election was called during the period of the march, were some of the 'official' chants that stewards tried to impose: 'What do we want - Jobs. When do we want them? — Now'; 'All we are saying is give us a job'; 'We are the Merry marchers' (!).

The mood of the march was gradually subdued by the controls imposed on it:

''May 18 - For a couple of days it has seemed that the march is past the point of being changed. The opportunity, the people and the money is being totally wasted."

"May 31 - When we arrived in Hemel Hempstead I was told that people waiting for us didn't 50p for a single copy, 40p per copy for 5 or more, and 30p per cop for 20 or more, from Employment Unit, Southwark CVS, 135 Rye Lane, London SE15. Cheques payabl to Southwark CVS.

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156, 24, 1983, Page