New York Times, June 6, 1987:

President Reagan warmed up for a taping of his weekly radio address today by telling an Italian-Irish joke, unaware that his remarks were being picked up on broadcast monitors.

At a recording session at the villa where he is staying before the economic summit conference, Mr. Reagan announced that he was going to tell ''my gondola joke.''

The President's first words could not be overheard, but the joke evidently concerned a gondolier who was singing ''O Sole Mio'' as he piloted his boat through the canals.

The rest of the joke went like this:

''And the Lord said, 'I wonder what would happen if I took away 25 percent of his brain power?'

''So the Lord did,'' and the gondolier sang, '' 'O sole, O sole.'

''The Lord said, 'Hey, I'll take half of it away,' '' and the song became '' 'O so, O so.'

''Finally, the Lord said, 'What will happen if I take all of his brain power away?' and He did.'' And the gondolier sang, '' 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.' ''