"I'm Leaving, I'm Leaving!"

The end, when it came, was brutally abrupt for Donald T. Regan. Sitting in his office Friday afternoon, the chief of staff pronounced himself vindicated by the Tower report: "1,250 lines on 'What Was Wrong' and I'm mentioned in 15, less than 2%," he declared. He confided to TIME Correspondents David Beckwith and Barrett Seaman that he planned to resign Monday, on his own schedule. But he was clearly unsettled. No, he didn't know who his successor would be, and no, he hadn't been invited to a Reagan summit that night to discuss presidential strategy.

As the interview ended, Regan's secretary buzzed him. "O.K., I'm leaving," he called through the door. The phone buzzed again. This time Regan picked up the receiver and barked good-naturedly, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" before slamming it down. The phone buzzed twice more. This time Regan listened. "Carlucci needs to see me urgently," he said.

As the reporters exited, National Security Adviser Frank Carlucci entered Regan's office and told him that Howard Baker would be the new chief. The story is leaking, Carlucci explained. Stripped of his last attempt to leave with a modicum of dignity, Regan angrily dictated a one-sentence letter of resignation -- "Dear Mr. President: I hereby resign as Chief of Staff to the President of the United States" -- and had it messengered down the hall to the Oval Office. Too late, the President finally called. After a strained exchange, Regan put on his coat and walked out to his car.

Even before the West Wing could disclose Baker's appointment, Nancy Reagan issued a statement lauding the choice. The President then dictated a brief statement suggesting that Regan had been planning to resign but had asked to stay on through the Iran investigation; his resignation was being accepted "effective today." Baker arrived at the White House an hour later and announced he would be on the job Monday morning. A more gracious presidential note arrived at Regan's office that night. But the Regan era was over.