Joseph Verner Reed Jr., Protocol Chief Who Presided Over Colorful Gaffe, Dies at 78 While under President George Bush, Mr. Reed was part of ‘the talking hat’ affair, a slip-up that entered the annals of diplomatic history. Share: Facebook Twitter Google+ Stumble Digg Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook Related Posts:Next Stop: This Indonesian Island Is a Respite From Bali. At Least for Now.After Missile Tests, North and South Korea Wage War of PicturesFormer South Korean Spy Chief Sentenced for Trying to Sway ElectionU.S. Military Threatens to Bomb Convoy Transferring ISIS FightersA Scion of Mexico Fights Corruption, and Becomes a TargetGuatemala’s Top Court Says President Can’t Expel Chief of Anticorruption Panel