How important were Clarks relationships with the Vatican and key Catholic leaders, including Pope John Paul II?
Paul Kengor: Clark helped set up that initial and historic June 1982 meeting between President Reagan and Pope John Paul II, where the two men confided in one another that they believed that God had spared their lives for a special purpose, which they concluded was to undermine Soviet communism, beginning particularly in Poland, which both men—as well as Clark—saw as the wedge that could crack the entire Communist Bloc. Over the next year and a half that followed, Clark became the primary White House conduit to the Vatican. Along with CIA director Bill Casey, another committed Catholic, Clark met very frequently with Pio Laghi, the apostolic delegate to Washington. He and Casey had code language when discussing over the telephone the need for a quick meeting with Laghi: “It’s time to get some cappuccino,” they would say. That meant a visit to Laghi’s residence for a cappuccino and to share information about the critical activities going on around the world, especially in Poland. They w
