Ronald Reagan's Journey From Sports Announcer to President Who Ended the Cold War

[music] How do you do everybody? I'd like to introduce myself. [music] My name is Ronald Reagan. A few months ago, I was a sports announcer on a radio station in De Moine, Iowa. [music] One day, I ran into one of these movie talent scouts. I think I caught him off guard because the next [music] thing I knew, I was taking a screen test for Warner Brothers in Hollywood. Hello again, folks. Here's something hot right off the griddle. My job is spreading news. These days, when a fellow fights against his [music] own team, it's a break for the other side. >> What do you know? Boston, Philadelphia, Washington. Washington? Hey, wouldn't it be something the president came to see us? The chief himself. >> Ladies and gentlemen, we take pride in presenting a thoughtful address by Ronald Reagan on behalf of Barry Goldwater. >> You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well, I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down. I haven't even announced yet. You make me think I've been elected. We'll know the results soon. >> Ronald Reagan won [music] by 1 million votes. >> The people of this country, what a nation that once again will stop trying to buy [music] the world's affection and start earning its respect. >> When Governor Reagan left office, the $94 million deficit had been transformed into a $550 million surplus. >> How do you balance the budget? And it's like protecting your virtue. You have to learn [music] to say no. [applause] >> I'm here tonight to announce my intention [music] to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States. >> Reagan for president. >> I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. >> Coming home. >> Coming home. >> If voters have their way, what message will Jimmy Carter be sending to Plains, Georgia? I, Ronald Reagan, do [music] solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. >> So help me God. Now congratulations. [applause and cheering] Ronald Reagan was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He led a profound change in our world at home and abroad. His deep convictions, optimism, and determination continue to inspire millions of people around the world today. In 1980, Pink Floyd's The Wall was the number one selling album. Pac-Man debuted in arcades across the nation. Kramer versus Kramer swept the Oscars and The Empire Strikes Back dominated the box office. Dallas was the number one show on television. A >> job at Ying Oil. Well, the way oil companies are doing right now, I I wouldn't offer a job to anybody. >> In 1980, oil prices continued to skyrocket, as did inflation, unemployment, [music] and fixed rate mortgages. Militants seize the American embassy in Iran. More than 50 are held hostage. In 1980, the 52 hostages in Iran still weren't home, and President Carter was reeling from a failed rescue attempt. >> Why did you undertake a mission that you said was not feasible all along? >> All while in the background, tensions continued to grow between America and the [music] Soviet Union. I do not believe that we any of us can afford in the nuclear age simply to cut off communications with the Soviets and to trust a test of strength to solve all our issues. This was the world in 1980, the climate that Ronald Reagan campaigned in and ultimately won. And on January 20th, 1981, he was sworn in. [applause] The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months. But they will go away. They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now as we've had in the past to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom. In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. [applause] As Reagan delivered his inaugural address, final negotiations to resolve the Iranian hostage crisis were underway. >> Some 30 minutes ago, the planes bearing our prisoners left Iranian airspace and are now [applause] free. >> Within the first hour of Reagan's presidency, [applause] he achieved his first major victory. >> [music] >> The Reagans were very magnanimous people. >> We're delighted to be here and thank all of you for your being here >> and they were [music] very kind and welcomed us onto the team very well. We met with them after the convention and we had a wonderful meeting with Mrs. Reagan and the children [music] and it was very warm and cordial. >> A little news bulletin. I have just learned that the planes have landed in Alers. >> [applause] [music] >> After 444 days in captivity, the 52 hostages were given a warm welcome back home. >> And I just won't call them hostages. They were prisoners of war. >> [music] >> You've come home to a people who for 444 days suffered the pain of your imprisonment, prayed for your safety, and most importantly shared your determination that the spirit of free men and women is not a fit subject for barter. [applause] President Reagan had two major tasks before him. First, the Soviet Union. How do you do, Sam? >> Mr. President, what do you see as the long range intentions of the Soviet Union? Do you think, for instance, the Kremlin is bent on world domination that might lead to a continuation of the Cold War? Or do you think that under other circumstances dant is possible? Well, so far Dayton's been a one-way street. The Soviet Union has used to pursue its own aims. Uh, I don't have to think of an answer as to what I think their intentions are. They have repeated it. I know of no leader of the Soviet Union since the revolution in including the present leadership that has not more than once repeated in the various uh communist congresses they hold. their determination that their goal must be the promotion of world revolution and a one world socialist or communist state, whichever word you want to use. Mr. President, when and how will you seek the deontrol of natural gas prices? >> Well, we haven't dealt with that problem yet. Um, we thought oil would do for a starter. Oil is the Middle East's major export. >> More [music] than 10% of the whole world's known reserve. >> Everyone agrees that as the search spreads to more remote and inhospitable areas, oil must cost more. >> 1 million barrels of oil will supply all the energy requirements of the state of California for about 8 hours. By the end of 73, our oil imports were approaching 7 million barrels per day, nearly double the average for 1970. >> Conflicts with the Middle East kept oil prices at an all-time high with America heading into a full-blown recession by 1981. >> I'm speaking to you tonight to give you a report on the state of our nation's economy and regret to [music] say that we're in the worst economic mess since the Great Depression. This marked the second item on Reagan's agenda, fixing the American economy. >> Here is a dollar such as you earned, spent, or saved in 1960. And here is a quarter, a dime, and a penny. 36. That's what this 1960 is worth today. >> Wages and prices often play leapfrog. One jumps up, then the other, which means a steady rise in our cost of living. >> How can a guy ever save any money? >> Now, we've just had 2 years of back-to back double-digit inflation. 13.3% in 1979, 12.4% last year. The last time this happened was in World War I. In 1960, mortgage interest rates averaged about 6%. They're two and a half times as high now, 15.4%. The percentage of your earnings the federal government took in taxes in 1960 has almost doubled. And finally, there are 7 million Americans caught up in the personal indignity and human tragedy of unemployment. Less than a month as [music] president, he delivered a national address to the American people on the economy to make [music] his pitch so that they understood that his first priority was to get the American economy going again. >> Thank you all very much. I am proposing a comprehensive four-point program. Now, let me outline and detail some of the principal parts of this program. This plan is aimed at reducing the growth in government spending and taxing, reforming and eliminating regulations which are unnecessary and unproductive or counterproductive, and encouraging a consistent monetary policy aimed at maintaining the value of the currency. If enacted in full, this program can help America create 13 million new jobs, nearly 3 million more than we would have without these measures. It will also help us to gain control of inflation. This then is our proposal. America's new beginning, a program for economic recovery. I don't want it to be simply the plan of my administration. I'm here tonight to ask you to join me in making it our plan. Together, we can embark on this road. [applause] He always believed in reaching across the aisle. He had a plaque on his desk that said it can be done and he believed it. He believed he could get anything done with compromise. He should have been called the great negotiator. >> Thank you very much. I [clears throat] >> I should have arranged to quit right there. To recap, recap. To recap, just to recap then, there has been an assassination attempt on President Reagan. The [music] president has been hit. He has a wound, we believe, in his upper shoulder. My wife, who is now my wife, uh she was a Reagan speech writer, she had written the speech he gave at the Hilton that morning. Reagan had a practice of taking the speech writer to the event. So, she was walking 20 ft in front of him when Hankley shot him. What you'll see first is a brief glimpse of President Reagan as he emerges from a Washington hotel after a lunchon engagement. Very soon afterwards, there'll be the shots. WATCH OUT. advis up. Rawide is okay. The shooter was quickly apprehended. >> Despite initial reports that President Reagan was unharmed, later this proved to be false. >> The Secret Service agent shoved him into the car and was lying on top of him. And he was saying, you know, I can't breathe. You know, could you get off of me, please? This is difficult. And uh when they saw the blood, they said, we're going straight to the hospital. >> Roger. We want to go to the emergency room. of George Washington. >> Good afternoon. >> This is to confirm the statements made at George Washington Hospital that the president was shot once in the left side this afternoon as he left theos as he left the hotel. His condition is stable. A decision is now being made whether or not to operate to remove the bullet. We had a brand new suit on that day and he [music] was very upset they had to cut the suit off. The bullet didn't go directly [music] into him. It ricocheted off the door and then into his chest and he lost more than half of his blood volume. >> And Mrs. Reagan, as you can imagine, is really, really [music] distraught. They get a call from Tip O'Neal, the speaker of the house, polar opposites in terms of [music] his politics. Tip O'Neal calls and asks if Mrs. Reagan would allow him to come down and see the [music] president. She said yes. He comes into the room and it's just the president lying in bed and Tip um kneels down, kisses his forehead and says, "I love you, old buddy." one friend to another, one American to another. >> And we know now today he was much nearer to death than we realized at the time. And the gallantry [music] and humor with which he experienced a near-death moment, saying to the doctors at George Washington [music] emergency room, "I hope you're Republicans." >> Yeah. And he said, "I hope you're all Republicans." [music] And when he saw Nancy, he said, "Honey, I I forgot to duck." I am deeply heartened by Dr. Olir's report on the president's condition that he has emerged from this experience with flying colors and with the most optimistic prospects for a complete recovery. President Reagan has been making what officials here say is astounding progress. And despite some discomfort from his chest wound, he was out of bed and walking about a bit this morning. So, as the sirens and flashing lights of yet another Washington motorcade announced the arrival of his wife Nancy, the president was in good spirits. Tight security is in force all around the hospital, part of which has been turned into a presidential office, complete with communications equipment, even a shredding machine for excess paperwork. >> I think he's doing a marvelous job. I really do. We're very good friends and I and I just adore him and thank God he's alive. I mean, you know, that was a very dramatic thing. So, we just look for America to step on its toes and go forward. Now, Dr. Olirri warned that he might look a little bit thinner. And here he comes now dressed in his um dressed in a red sweater. And uh he's coming out the front door with his daughter Patty Davis and Mrs. Reagan on his arm, both dressed in red. >> What are you going to do when you get home? >> Sit down. >> [applause] >> He believed that he was saved for a reason. He knew how close to death he was. [music] So he believed as a man of faith that there was a reason and [music] that that reason was to end the cold war. >> [music] [bell] >> Once allies, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated into a geopolitical rivalry [music] in the aftermath of World War II. >> Soviet Russia was expensively stabbing westward, knifing into nations left empty by war with misery and chaos as [music] allies. It was communism versus democracy to the flag of the United States of America. >> Alliance versus domination. >> Civil liberty and individual freedom versus suppression of disscent and censorship. Proxy wars ravaged the earth as two global superpowers vied to expand their spheres of influence in an ideological battle that left a trail of death and instability. Tensions were high as nuclear weapons technology [music] advanced. Mutually assured destruction, the grim deterrent that prevented the delicate balance from unraveling. [music] Whatever sad episodes exist in our past, any objective observer must hold a positive view of American history. 1957, Russia orbits Sputnik 1, the Earth's first man-made satellite. Circling the globe every 90 minutes, Sputnik 1 flashes its radio signals from space. Running parallel to the Cold War arms race was the race to space. >> The early satellites, both Russian and American, confirmed the work of scientists in many parts of the world. >> When President John Kennedy challenged America to go [music] to the moon, he said it would not be one person going, but an entire nation putting him there. The achievement by the USSR of orbiting a man and returning him safely to ground is an outstanding technical accomplishment. We congratulate the Soviet scientists and engineers who made this feat possible. Tminus 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 12 11 10 9 Ignition sequence start. 6 5 4 3 2 1 When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969, the race was won. For a quarter [music] of a century, we've moved steadily forward in the exploration and utilization of space, extending our [music] knowledge of our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. The space shuttle, our most recent advance [music] in space technology, gives us routine access to space. This is a picture taken at hypersonic speed with a telescope on the California coast. And I think it's an illustration of the precision with which our system, both the the spacecraft and the ground, have been able to pull off an entry. And this thing flies just as solid as a rock. TK and Hank, all of us who just witnessed the magnificent sight of the Colombia touching down in the California desert feel a real swelling of pride in our chests. Thank you both and God bless you for what you're doing. Before I introduce you, if you'll all just look, well, I'm sure down in front, maybe you can't see, but way out there in the end of the runway, the space shuttle Challenger, a fixed at top a 747, is about to start on the first leg of a journey that will eventually put it into space in November. It's headed for Florida now, and I believe they're ready to take off. Challenger, you are free to take off now. [cheering and applause] >> [music] >> When the Reagans weren't at the White House, they were often here, a ranch just north of Santa Barbara, California. >> Oops. Pardon me, Victory. Sorry, I didn't know. No accident, huh? Didn't mean it on purpose. Sometimes known as the western white house, its official name was Rancho deliello, which means ranch of the sky. And at both the eastern and western white houses, he found time to relax. Okay, Dennis, mark them. Very scientific business. Let's make sure that we didn't >> everything. Uh, [laughter] >> did you get that, Pete? >> Yeah, >> you did, huh? >> The ranch was a place that Ronald could spend quality time with his wife, Nancy. I've got an idea for another picture. I've got the chainsaw. No. And you're blocking me off, [laughter] stopping me from approaching. We won't >> Don't just stand there. You're supposed to be saying, "No, I'm not going to start the saw." >> What? [laughter] [bell] >> They loved riding horses together. >> Come, Mrs. R. >> This is not for me, honey. >> But Mrs. R didn't much care for the heat. >> He likes 110. >> Occasionally, the Reagans would host friends at the ranch. >> Well, well, Lincoln's invading. How are you? >> Well, sir, where are you? >> I don't remember this manicured look on this front lawn. Well, anyway, this been Once a formidable opponent, Vice President George HW Bush had become a trusted adviser. [music] >> They had an excellent relationship and he was really tasked with deregulations. [music] That was the primary thing that HW was working on during those years. And I mean, he was a man of many gifts. He [music] run the CIA. I mean, he was, I would say, an important part of that inner circle of Reagan, Bush, Cap Weinberger. He [music] had an excellent relationship with him. >> They even ate lunch together every Thursday in the Oval Office. While HW was an important member of the cabinet, Reagan's most important adviser was the first lady. >> We are holding it to 7%. We're losing power. Aren't they coming fast enough without moving it up? >> Hold the candle out. >> Make a wish. >> Make a wish. [laughter] >> You should. >> You should know what I'm wishing. >> She was [music] an incredibly important adviser. Anybody who was an adviser of his knew that the first person they needed to develop a good relationship with was Mrs. Reagan. They had a very special relationship. Obviously, they were lovers. He wrote wonderful love letters to her. Sent her great telegrams [music] when he was on the road with GE. >> I mean, he hated being away from her. They'd sit sometimes at night in the upstairs in the residence at the White House watching television having dinner off trays and he'd write her a note. She's 6 feet away. He'd write her a note. He was a romantic in that sense. >> He was very devoted to her and she to him and very protective. She was [music] very protective of him. >> Well, maybe this would be a good time for you to tell him whether you think he should run against [laughter] >> you. We're not getting too old to run again, are you, sir? What? >> You're not getting too old to run again, are you, sir? >> How would you like a piece of cake, Sam? [laughter] >> Huh? >> What kind was she? Her work was his career. That is, she wanted to make sure that people didn't take advantage of him and that he was well served. >> Mike Dver, who was a longtime associate and adviser, told [music] me she had the best political instincts of any person he had ever known, devoted and dedicated [music] and tiny but mighty and smart as hell. when you visit the White House, it's something like the landlord visiting the tenant because the White House belongs to all the American people >> and was his partner. You know, he believed in face toface diplomacy was like, "Okay, Ronnie, then we're going to have five state dinners a year." >> Many important state events take place here. The president and first lady often greet outstanding Americans or foreign dignitaries. >> Was 56 state dinners in 8 years, something like that. That's a lot. and they were productions because both of them felt it was the way to get business done. This young man is a young impressionist from Toronto and a little bit different. >> My [snorts] name is Jim Carrey. I'd like to do some impressions for you tonight. Leonard Brv [applause] International Airport will be a strange place Monday morning if the air traffic controllers do go ahead with their threatened illegal walk out. Although negotiations will go on throughout the weekend, local Patco President Steve Waller thinks the talks will be a waste of time. You think the FAA is going to budge? Not until we go out on strike. Although Wallard says a strike won't close the airport, he does say if the controllers walk off the job here, then you shouldn't come here to the airport to catch a flight because Wallard says it just won't be safe. This morning at 7 a.m., the union representing those who man America's air traffic control facilities called a strike. >> We took a shot once and we had an empty bullet. We're not going to do it again. This is for real. At one point in these negotiations, agreement was reached and signed by both sides. Now, however, the union demands are 17 times what had been agreed to. >> While the average salary of air traffic controllers is around $33,000 a year, they say money was never the main issue, but early retirement and shorter work weeks. >> This would impose a tax burden on their fellow citizens, which is unacceptable. The Soviets watched from afar, affording Reagan an opportunity to demonstrate [music] his resolve. Let me read the solemn oath taken by each of these employees. I am not participating in any strike against the government of the United States or any agency thereof. It is for this reason that I must tell those who fail to report for duty this morning, they are in violation of the law. And if they do not [music] report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated. End of statement. Mr. President. >> And according to the historians, the Soviets saw that as an astonishing point of strength. They were very surprised that Reagan had the courage to do that. >> Reagan wasn't the only leader taking a hardline stance against the Soviet Union. He had a formidable ally and friend overseas. >> Your warm welcome and this deeply moving ceremony will strike a chord in the hearts of British people everywhere. >> Three people stepped onto the world stage about the same time. Thatcher, Reagan, and John Paul II, and they were all very alike, anti-communist, great communicators. History said, "Let's churn up a new crop." >> In Britain, you will find a ready response, an ally, valiant, staunch, and true. [music] [applause] Along came Margaret Thatcher and said, "This flaccid social democratic consensus won't do. Britain is a failing. It's the sick man of Europe." and it needs the jolt of free enterprise and a much lighter government. >> America's time as a player on the stage of world history has been brief. I think understanding this fact has always made you patient with your younger cousins. Well, not always patient. I do recall that on one occasion, Sir Winston Churchill said in exasperation about one of our most distinguished diplomats. He is the only case I know of a bull who carries his china shop with him. >> With British and American interests aligned, Reagan was given the honor of being the first American president to address parliament. >> I believe the renewed strength of the democratic movement complemented by a global campaign for freedom will strengthen the prospects for arms control and a world at peace. I have discussed on other occasions, including my address on May 9th, the elements of Western policies toward the Soviet [music] Union to safeguard our interests and protect the peace. What I'm describing now is a plan and a hope for the long term. The march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism, Leninism on the ash heap of history [music] as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-exression of the people. >> [music] >> You know, it was Margaret Thatcher who said, "Rone Reagan ended the Cold War without firing a shot." He believed in what Teddy Roosevelt said, "You know, walk softly and carry a big stick." He believed in peace through strength. We desire peace, but peace is a goal, not a policy. Lasting peace is what we hope for at the end of our journey. It doesn't describe the steps we must take and the paths we should follow to reach that goal. I intend to search for peace along two parallel paths, deterrence and arms reductions. >> The brush doctrine was all about expansionism. They had gone into Africa. They were in Cuba. They were in Afghanistan, various areas in the Caribbean. The communists were on the march. >> On November 10th, 1982, Leoned BRV died. [music] Former chairman of the KGB, Yuri Andropov succeeded Brev as the leader of the Soviet Union. >> Mr. Andropov is a man with a mind very much of his own, and I think that people are hoping for something more positive this time. >> Given the heightened defense posture of the Reagan administration and now the death of Soviet President Leonid Brev, new questions have arisen about the buildup of nuclear weapons under new government leadership there. The new leadership is likely to continue I think the interest in arms control that the Bref [music] leadership had. >> Reagan was not elected he [music] thought to manage the Cold War. He was elected to end it. >> [music] >> One thing too few people understand about Reagan is all the way back to the 1940s when he was a progressive Democrat in Hollywood, he loathed nuclear weapons. Loa and Reagan famously said, "We win, they lose." Because loathing nuclear weapons, he thought we should not count [music] forever on this balance of terror with our two nations like two scorpions in a bottle. The strategic arms limitation talks or salt treaties were a series of treaties between the United States and the Soviet Union that limited the growth of nuclear arsenals. Opponents of the salt 2 treaty, mainly Russian exiles, stage a symbolic protest rally at the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. A major campaign is being launched to swing public opinion against ratification. >> They had ignored the Salt One treaty. They had ignored the provisions of the salt 2 treaty which had never been ratified and all of the European leaders were writing the president and saying please do something. >> Our offer, the American offer, the west's offer is to do away with them totally on both sides. Remove all the Russian ones that exist and don't deploy any on the west. They have come forward with something that falls well short of that. >> Salt 2 was set to expire in 1985. You often hear that the United States and the Soviet Union are in an arms race. [music] Well, the truth is that while the Soviet Union has raced, we have not. As you can see from this blue US line in constant dollars, [music] our defense spending in the 1960s went up because of Vietnam. Now follow the red line, which is Soviet spending. It's gone up and up and up. In spite of a stagnating Soviet economy, Soviet leaders invest 12 to 14% of their country's gross national product in military spending, two to three times the level we invest. This chart shows the changes in the total number of intercontinental missiles and bombers. Well, that red Soviet bar stretching above the blue American bar tells the story. >> [music] >> The Soviet Union was economically crippled. A failing invasion of Afghanistan, [music] political revolts in Poland and Ethiopia, and internal corruption fueled descent between the struggling populace and their leadership. What we are saying to them is this. [music] We will modernize our military in order to keep the balance for peace. But wouldn't it be better [music] if we both simply reduced our arsenals to a much lower level? >> Ronald Reagan made it very clear. We are not aggressors. We will [music] protect freedom. We will support freedom fighters and we will stop anyone [music] who is actively trying to suppress human rights. He always [music] said when given freedom to choose, people choose freedom. >> Our children should not grow up frightened. They should not fear the future. We're working to make it peaceful and free. I believe their future can be the brightest, most exciting of any generation. We must reassure them and let [music] them know that their parents and the leaders of this world are seeking above all else to keep them safe and at peace. Let us remember the lines of the famous old hymn. Oh God of love, oh king of [music] peace, make wars throughout the world to cease. [music] Thank you. Good night and God bless you. >> [music] >> During my first press conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that as good Marxist Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution. I think I should point out I was only quoting Lenon, their guiding spirit, who said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality that proceeds from supernatural ideas, that's their name for religion, or ideas that are outside class conceptions. >> One of the things that deeply disturbed him about the Soviet Union was the repression of the right to practice of faith. He was a man of deep faith, but he didn't impose his faith on other people. >> So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride, the temptation of bllidly uh declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault. To ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire. to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil. [music] >> This was a thou shalt not kill kind of guy. He was not in favor of attacking. >> Deterrence between the United States and the [music] Soviet Union has been achieved by a perception that both sides have sufficient nuclear capability to inflict unacceptable damage on the other. In other words, there would be no winners. So far, this concept has served us well. But I've always been deeply disturbed, as I think you must be, too, at the thought that this would be a permanent solution. >> When Reagan was governor of California, he went to Lawrence Livermore Laboratories. >> Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, [music] California, the father and mother of America's nuclear weapons arsenal. and he at that point through Edward Teller was exposed to the concept of defensive weapons. [music] >> Dr. Edward Teller, physicist, worked on the original atomic and hydrogen bomb projects in the United States. >> The way to preserve peace is not deterrence by mutual assured destruction. [music] >> The Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars as the press called it, was a nuclear deterrent shield. This is the lab's Nova laser, the most powerful laser in the world. It's one device in which they're now testing the feasibility of projecting lasers that will strike incoming ballistic missiles out in space. What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that their security did not rest upon the threat of instant US retaliation [music] to deter a Soviet attack? that we could intercept and destroy strategic ballistic [music] missiles before they reached our own soil or that of our allies. >> As you know, our embassy in Beirut was the target this morning of a vicious terrorist bombing. While Reagan focused on bolstering domestic defense, America's forces overseas remained vulnerable. >> By 1982, Israel has invaded Beirut, but so did Hezbollah. So did the Syrians. Beirut was really the center of the terrorist cauldron, [music] so to speak. >> My fellow Americans, in a few hours, I'll undertake one of the [music] saddest journeys of my presidency. I'll be going to Andrew's Air Force base to [music] meet one of our Air Force planes, bringing home 16 Americans who died this week in the terrorist attack on the United States embassy in Beirut. I undertake this task in great sadness, but also with a tremendous sense of pride in those who sacrificed their lives in our country's efforts [music] to bring peace to the Middle East and spare others the agony of war. Middle East issues are not particularly popular. Uh the difficulties are evident and the president will try to avoid it, but I suspect he's [music] going to have to do something about it. After all, there's another angle here. Uh some reports are that the group behind this bombing were Iranian Shiites. And if that comes to light and is confirmed, the reaction here against Iran could be very intense. 5 months later, tragedy struck again when the Soviet Union shot down a passenger jet. >> Those were the voices of the Soviet pilots. In this tape, the pilot who fired the missile describes his search for what he calls the target. He reports he has it in sight. Indeed, he pulls up to within about a mile of the Korean plane, mentions its flashing strobe light, and that its navigation lights are on. He then reports he's reducing speed to get behind the airliner, gives his distance from the plane at various points in this maneuver, and finally announces what can only be called the Korean airline massacre. It was an act of barbarism born of a society which wantingly disregards individual rights and the value of human life and seeks constantly to expand and dominate other nations. They deny the deed. But in their conflicting and misleading protestations, the Soviets reveal that yes, shooting down a plane, even one with hundreds of innocent men, women, children, and babies, is a part of their normal procedure if that plane is in what they claim as their airspace. >> Again and again, lives were lost at the hands of the Soviets when 52 days later, America suffered the largest military loss since Vietnam. Observers argue yesterday's bomb was a pure anti-US propaganda exercise. [music] >> I know there are no words that can express our sorrow and grief over the loss of those splendid young men. >> Why our children have to die is unfair. If >> my son died, my life won't be no Christmas. >> [music] >> But I think we should all recognize that these deeds make so evident the beastial nature of those who would assume power if they could have their way and drive us out of that area. >> Does everyone have a copy of Margaret Thatcher's cable? I am horrified at the news of the barbarous attack on your Marines in Lebanon. Please accept the deepest sympathy of all us here for you and for the families of the victims. They gave their lives for peace. The suggestion from Washington of Iranian involvement in these attacks comes as no surprise here given that the Americans believe that the Iranians carried out a similar suicide mission on the American embassy in Beirut earlier this year. What has surprised many people here though is the bluntness of the American warning that they'll take appropriate action against those who perpetrated these attacks. Some two months ago, we were shocked by the brutal massacre of 269 men, women, and children, more than 60 other Americans in the shooting down of a Korean airliner. Now, in these past several days, violence has erupted again in Lebanon and Grenada. You are welcome to this lovely [music] land. >> It is a classic stretch of Caribbean paradise. But the Reagan administration argues that beneath the tranquility here lurks a menace which threatens the whole Caribbean region. Ever since the former premier here, the somewhat corrupt Sir Eric Garry and his Mongoose gang were thrown out in a bloodless coup ago, Washington has seen the developing friendship between Grenada and Cuba as posing an ever greater threat to both the Caribbean and Central America. >> The new self-proclaimed prime minister is a young London trained barrista, Mr. Morris Bishop. And with him came a very different sort of regime, overtly Marxist and with strong leanings towards Cuba and the Soviet Union. >> Ladies and gentlemen, the United States received an urgent formal request from the five [music] member nations of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to assist in a joint effort to restore order and democracy [music] on the island of Grenada. >> Hello, Margaret. Yes. If I were there, Margaret, I'd throw my hat in the door before I came in. >> I suppose that there's no need to do. >> Listen, I'm We regret very much the embarrassment that's been caused you. And I'd just like to tell you what the story is from our end. Early this morning, forces from six Caribbean democracies and the United States began a landing or landings on the island of Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean. I was awakened at 3:00 in the morning, supposedly on a golfing vacation down in Georgia because of this offer or this offer, this urgent plea, an urgent request that we join them in a military operation [music] to restore order and democracy to Gren to Grenada. >> Over the years, the Reagan administration has suggested that Grenada's inlets and lagoons are being prepared to provide secret Soviet submarine pens. I think that uh Grenada forms an important component of an area of vital strategic interest to the United States. >> It's the building of an international airport here though that has attracted President Reagan's strongest attack described as a potential facility to service Russian bear bombers. The US administration has even released satellite pictures of the complex. Just behind these fuel tanks lies an annex to an American university attended by 700 US students who pass this alleged Russian [music] bomber base every day. We have taken this decisive action for three reasons. First, and overriding importance to protect innocent lives, including up to a thousand Americans whose personal safety is, of course, my paramount concern. Second, to forestall further chaos. And third, to assist in the restoration of conditions of law and order and of governmental institutions to the island of Grenada, where a brutal group of thugs violently seized power, killing the prime minister, three cabinet members, two labor leaders, [music] and other civilians, including children. President Reagan had already condemned Grenada as a Soviet Cubanbacked [music] threat in the Caribbean, but intelligence sources in Washington have now disclosed that a plan had existed for some weeks, if not months, before today, to invade the island. >> I don't think that the United States has the right to invade another country to change its government. >> But I don't think this is an invasion, if I may answer that question. This is a question of asking for support. We are one region. They were proposing this action under the terms of a treaty, a mutual assistance pack that existed among them. >> And Grenada is one of the countries and signitories to that treaty. Uh and observed that treaty at one time when they had a democratic government and a constitution, [music] a constitutional government, the constitution that was left to them by the British. >> Well, the constitution I was suspended in about 1979. >> Yeah. That's when Bishop uh made his crew and took over. [music] We think he was murdered because not by opposition to his Cuban connections and Soviet connections, but because he began to make some noises as if he would like to get better acquainted with us. >> A civilian cook told intelligence officers that Prime Minister Bishop was dumped [music] in this trench and burnt. The bloody coup on Grenada last week gave the president the opportunity for action. But even as the president's White House statement ended, word was reaching Washington that the invasion had not found favor in Britain. [music] >> When your word came of your concerns by the time I got it, the zero hour had passed and our forces were on their way. [music] But I, as I say, I'm sorry for any embarrassment we caused you, but please understand it was just our fear of our own weakness over here with regard to secrecy. >> Well, let's hope it's soon over and that you managed to get it democracy restored. >> In every little manifestation of communism anywhere in the world, Mr. Reagan feels it is our job to go in and use military force [music] and cut off those what he sees as Soviet tentacles. [snorts] >> The events in Lebanon and Grenada, though oceans apart, are closely related. Not only has Moscow assisted and encouraged the violence in both countries, but it provides direct support through a network of surrogates and terrorists. It is no coincidence that when the thugs tried to rest control over Grenada, there were 30 Soviet advisers and hundreds of Cuban military and paramilitary forces [music] on the island >> and but the the actions underway now and we just hope that um it will be successful. >> Well, we are sure it is. It's going beautifully. The two landings immediately took the two airfields. >> Yes. >> Uh then we um managed to secure that medical school where we have about 800 students. These small peaceful nations needed our help. Three of them don't have armies at all and the others have very limited forces. The legitimacy of their request, plus my own concern for our citizens, [music] dictated my decision. >> On the streets of America, reaction to today's news is still mixed. Most Americans are only now learning of this latest US intervention coming on the heels of the high casualties in Beirut. There's likely to be quite a strong reaction. >> Some see it as getting one back after the Beirut disaster. Others fear America getting into another problem area from which it may again prove hard to get out. But our work is not finished. We have made a new beginning. Vice President Bush and I would like to have your continued support and cooperation in completing what we began 3 years ago. I am therefore [music] announcing that I am a candidate and will seek reelection to the office I presently hold. [music] In 1984, Apple unveiled the Macintosh. >> Your computer's going to become your window into the world. rally. While Casey Kasem counted down the hits, >> Prince remained top of the charts. [music] Temple of Doom divided audiences. >> Yeah, this is great popcorn with much more butter than the first film. >> And Sunny and Rico [music] worked undercover on Miami Vice. >> I need these three things to survive. Miami Vice, MTV, and Rock and Roll. Yeah. In 1984, the promises President Reagan made four years prior were being fulfilled. The economic crisis was turning around. Inflation and mortgage rates were down and millions of jobs were created. [music] >> Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS for short, almost always fatal, leads to a complete breakdown of the body's own natural defenses. >> In 1984, researchers tirelessly worked on finding a solution to the AIDS epidemic. I myself have lost now 18 friends who have died. >> Although 3/arters of those affected by the syndrome are homosexual, the disease has now spread to other segments of society. This baby is one of 12 who have been diagnosed as suffering from AIDS in the state of [music] New Jersey. >> In 1984, another election was underway. >> It's [music] morning again in America. Today, more men and women will go to work than ever before in our country's history. With interest rates [music] at about half the record highs of 1980, nearly 2,000 families today will buy new homes, more than at any time in the past 4 years. This afternoon, 6,500 young men and women will be married. And with inflation [music] at less than half of what it was just four years ago, they can look forward with confidence to the future. This morning again in America. >> Reagan's America had four years of success to look back on before voters went to the polls. [music] For example, in his first term, he found time to nominate the first woman to the Supreme Court. >> I'm absolutely overjoyed with [music] the expression of support from the Senate. >> Congratulations. Like I said, I don't remember coming out like this for anybody else. I have a dream. >> In his first term, he declared Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday >> that all men are created equal. >> Let each of us honor his memory by pledging in our own lives to do everything [music] we can to make America a place where his dream of freedom and brotherhood will grow and flourish. >> In his first term, he visited the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain between communism and the West. Do the Soviet leaders want to be remembered for a prison wall ringed with barbed wire and armed guards whose weapons are aimed at innocent civilians, their own civilians? Or do they want to be remembered for having taken up our offer to use Berlin as a starting point for true efforts to reduce the human and political divisions which are the ultimate cause of every [music] war? In his first term, he delivered a moving speech in honor of the 40th anniversary of D-Day. The air was dense with smoke and the cries of men. The air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. And in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. 225 came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear [music] arms. Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before [music] me are the men who put them there. You were here to liberate, not to conquer. And so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to do doubt. You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for. And democracy is worth dying for because it's the most [music] deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny. And you knew the people of your countries were behind you. There's some who've forgotten why we have a military. It's not to promote war. It's to be prepared for peace. There's a sign over the entrance to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State that [cheering] and that sign [cheering] that sign that sign says it all. Peace is our profession. >> [cheering] >> Reagan secured over 98% of the popular vote in the Republican primaries. In 1980, the people decided with us that the economic crisis was not caused by the fact that they live too well. Government live too well. [cheering] [applause] Good evening from the municipal auditorium in Kansas City. I am Dorothy Writings, the president of the League of Women Voters, the sponsor of this final presidential debate of the 1984 campaign between Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Walter Montdale. >> President Reagan was a fierce opponent in a debate. >> You turn that microphone off, please. >> I am paying for this microphone. Governor Reagan again typically is against such a proposal. >> Governor, there you go again. Uh many observers have said that many of the facts that you use in your arguments are wrong. You've spoken of the Kennedy 30% tax cut when it was really 18%. [music] That was the first year. It was a two-year tax cut, Howard, and it was 27% and I think that's close enough to [music] round out to 30. Ah, >> his intelligence, eloquence, humor, [music] and quick wit made short work of Carter, Bush, and finally Manddale. You already are the oldest president [music] in history, and some of your staff say you were tired after your most recent encounter with Mr. Manddale. Um, I recall yet that President Kennedy had to go for days on end with very little sleep during the Cuba missile crisis. Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances? >> Not at all, Mr. Tru. And I and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. If I still have time, I might add, Mr. Tru, I might add that um [clears throat] it was Senica or it was Cicero, I don't know which, that said, if it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young, there would be no state. As the genial former actor coasted to the conclusion of a 5-day 15 city tour, [music] he gave every indication that he knew his victory is assured. >> I wanted many times to be able to stop and say, "Thank you for how easy you're making it for an old campaigner." [music] >> And in 1984, he is cruising toward a landslide win. Late in the campaign, President Reagan's aids come to him and say, "You know, we had a chance to [music] win Minnesota, which we think would give us a 50 state sweep." And the aid said, "I think we should go up to Minnesota and campaign." [music] And the president said, "No, we're not going to do that. Can't we just let him have his own state? Why do we need to win 50 states? Can't Can't we just give him the dignity of having his own state?" And that was that's Ronald Reagan. Now, >> long before the polls closed in many parts of the country, Republicans were already celebrating victory in a race which nearing its conclusion was never a race at all. >> Now, we're going to go to the Century Plaza Hotel in Los [music] Angeles, California, and the victory statement of President Reagan. [music] >> President Reagan made it look so easy. He spoke in a way that people could understand. He had a genial attitude about him. You know, Nixon was not comfortable in his own skin. Carter was not considered to be a very effective president. But Reagan had this just charm about him and the American public responded to it. [cheering] >> Thank you all very much. Thank you. [cheering] THANK YOU. I um [cheering] I uh I think that's just been arranged [cheering] in foreign policy. I think Walder Manddale's analysis of Ronald Reagan was exactly wrong. That is that Ronald Reagan in the second term is going to desire very much and emphasize very much accommodation of the Soviet Union. I've heard the president talk this way in private and I think he believes again mistakenly in my judgment but quite sincerely that he is a great communicator and that the iron old men and the Kremlin will yield to the powers of his charm. >> Are you willing to abide by or keep in force all the past uh arms agreements with the Soviets while the negotiations are going on? >> Well, we have been more or less doing that. I just think as long as they know that in the absence of an agreement, we are not going to sit back unilaterally disarming and let them carry on their great military buildup to an unquestioned superiority. The the other point is Allan look and I shared this information with the others too. In the 48 years from the beginning of Roosevelt's first term to mine, there have been eight presidents. And those eight presidents over a period of 48 years only had to deal with three different Russian leaders. Well, I had three in the first three years. The Soviets were on the march all over the globe. And Reagan as a negotiator felt the best way to get somewhere was face-toface diplomacy. [music] And when Brushnaf died, then another man by the name of Yuri Andropos took over. Hardline Soviet, I think, is probably the best way to [music] describe him. >> After just 15 months in power, Yuri Andropov died. >> And then Chernenko took over and Chernenko was not well. Reagan's efforts to engage with his successor were cut short yet again when Constantine Chenenko died 13 months later. >> Brev had died and drop had died. There was someone the other had died. They didn't live very long and Reagan said they quit dying on me. I can't get together with them. >> After a series of stagnant political relationships that characterized Reagan's first term, the landscape shifted when a new Soviet leader took power. and Gorbachoff was very [music] realistic about the very sad state that the Soviet Union was in All of their money had been [music] poured into munitions, into military. The people were suffering. The rate of alcoholism was [music] extremely high. The Soviet Union was in trouble economically [music] and we knew it. And Gorbachev was willing to come to the table and obviously that's Reagan's [music] approach. Well, Gorbachov, of course, has relatively little foreign policy experience, and his visit to Britain last December, [music] which was very successful in terms of protocol, in terms of establishing relationships, mustn't disguise the fact that he is really short on foreign policy experience. >> Mr. Gorbachoff and the Prime Minister appeared to get on well together, first over lunch and then for nearly 3 hours of talks, which were described as business-like and relaxed. >> On the summit, sir, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher met Mr. Gorbachoff and said, "I like Mr. Gorbachoff. We can do business together. Is it necessary, do you think, that you and Gorbachoff like each other at the summit in order to do business? >> Well, I wasn't going to give him a friendship ring or anything. >> Mr. President, would you support a massive government research program against AIDS like the one that President Nixon launched against cancer? >> I have been supporting it for more than four years now. It's been one of the top priorities with us and over the last [music] four years and including uh what we have in the budget for 86. It will amount to over a half a billion dollars. This AIDS booklet was handed out to school teachers and school personnel. Among those who received it were teachers here at PS63 in Queens where the boycott and lawsuit started. After the program ended, I asked those who just viewed it if it changed any minds. I had hoped to have my worries alleviated. >> Are they? >> Not at all. >> Some of my fears have been assuaged and relieved. Not totally. >> For others, AIDS in the classroom still brings fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. >> I don't feel any more reassured at all. I feel about the same as I felt before I saw the film. >> This didn't work. >> No, definitely not. Especially the idea, too, that they only presented the one viewpoint. It made I think it made all of us wonder what are they hiding that they are hiding something that we we feel we should know as teachers. The fear was contagious most apparent in Cookamo, Indiana, where a teenage boy, Ryan White, contracted the virus and was barred from attending school. >> If you had younger children, would you send them to a school with a child who had AIDS? I'm glad I'm not faced with that problem today and I can well understand the plight of the parents and how they feel [music] about it. I also have compassion as I think we all do for the child that has this and doesn't know and can't have it explained to him why somehow he is now an outcast and can no longer associate [music] with his playmates and schoolmates. On the other hand, I can understand the problem with the parents. My family and I held no hatred for those people because we realized they were victims victims of their own ignorance. Uh >> I think we just have to do the best we [music] can with this problem. I can understand both sides of it. >> U Mr. President, why couldn't all the weapons and all the technology that are currently under the rubric of the strategic defense initiative be used offensively as well as defensively? Well, I'm sure there must have been some research in things of that kind. Uh, but we're definitely seeking a defensive weapon. And one of the things that I believe u should be taken up at the summit >> at Geneva. Reagan's tactic of face-to-face diplomacy would [music] finally be tested on the Soviets. >> He didn't have a coat on. He was standing waiting for the motorcade to arrive. He was there first. He was aware of the optics. You could call it theatrical, but it's also strategy. like LBJ on Air Force [music] One had a chair that would raise him up above everyone else. >> It was a real surprise because for so long the president's words were very tough on the Soviets. He he was trying to build up the strength of the American economy in his [music] first term and build up the military so that he had strong position when he got to the bargaining table. >> Going on much longer than planned. Why? because whoever was scheduling didn't allow enough time. >> Mr. President, you think you are going to meet again, Mr. Cop? >> Yeah, I repeat, it's nice that don't be in a hurry and don't rush things and try to learn everything in advance. We've come to the end of the meetings. I said and I'm sure others did that this summit was a beginning and an end [music] >> and whatever we failed to agree on one important decision was that we would Continue. We've packed a lot into the last two days. [music] I came to Geneva to seek a fresh start in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and we [music] have done this. General Secretary Gorbachoff and I have held comprehensive discussions covering all elements [music] of our relationship. I'm convinced that we are heading in the right direction. We've reached some useful interim results which are described in [music] the joint statement that is being issued this morning. In agreeing to accelerate the work of our nuclear arms negotiators, Mr. Gorjov and I have addressed our [music] common responsibility to strengthen peace. I believe that we have established a process for more intensive [music] contacts between the United States and the Soviet Union. These two days of talks should inject a certain [music] momentum into our work on the issues between us. A momentum we can continue at the [music] meeting that we have agreed on for next year. >> Nothing was really resolved at [music] that point. It was really just the first attempt at finding a way to trust each other. I don't think we ever really realized it was the beginning of the end of communism in the Soviet Union, at least at that moment in time. Perhaps the central marvel of our age is space travel. It was less than three decades ago that the first US satellite was launched and less than two decades ago that man first walked on the moon. And yet today, the dream of regular space travel is already becoming a reality, a working part of our everyday lives. It seems like yesterday when Nancy and I watched the space shuttle Colombia glide to a magnificent landing in the California desert, one of 23 space shuttle missions so far. I think my greatest surprise was out there in Edwards Air Force Base to be told to get up on the platform that it was on its approach. And I said, "Where is it now?" And they said just over Honolulu. >> Challenger, you are free to take off now. [cheering] >> If we apply technology to education with thoughtful skill, good education will be available to all. Education and technology will enable all to participate fully in the wonders and [music] benefits of American life. One area where those wonders and [music] benefits is most apparent is space. It's long been a goal of our space shuttle, the program to [music] someday carry citizen passengers into space. Until now, we hadn't decided who [music] the first citizen passenger would be. But today, I'm directing NASA [music] to begin a search in all of our elementary and secondary schools and to choose as the first citizen [music] passenger in the history of our space program, one of America's finest, a teacher. The teacher who will be going into space, Christa McAuliffe. Where's that you? [laughter] [applause] Christa teaches in Conquered High School in conquered New Hampshire. She teaches social studies. Good luck, Christa. And God bless all of you. Thank you very much for coming. And you too get one of these. [applause] So, here comes the flight crew now. Commander Dick Scobby, followed by mission specialist Judy Res, Ron McNair, pilot Mike Smith, followed by Christo, teacher in space, Ellison Anuzuka, and payload specialist Greg Jarvis. It's It's not often that a teacher is at a loss for words. I know my students wouldn't think so. I've made nine [music] wonderful friends over the last two weeks. When that shuttle goes, they might do one body, but there's going to be 10 souls that I'm taking with me. Thank you. [applause] We have main engine start. 4 3 2 1 and liftoff. Liftoff of the 25th space shuttle mission. And it has cleared the tower. 1 minute 15 seconds. Velocity 2900 ft per second. Altitude 9 nautical miles. Downrange distance 7 nautical miles. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss. 19 years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger 7, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes. We mourn their loss as a nation together. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. And I want to say something to the school children of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted. It belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future and we'll continue to follow them. The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us for the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surirly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. Thank you. It was half a world away in Hawaii that news of the Soviet nuclear disaster reached the Reagan entourage as the president prepared to leave for Indonesia and the economic summit in Japan. The man who should have known all about it, national security adviser Po Dexter, initially only knew what he'd learned from the media. How serious is it? >> No more than you've read in the past. >> But by the time Air Force One came into the Pacific island of Guam, the radio and TX traffic from the presidential aircraft back to Washington had convinced the Reagan [music] team that something far worse than America's own three-mile island accident had indeed occurred. The president sent a message to Mr. Gorbachof, assuring him that all America's expertise in the field would be at his disposal. Traveling with White House officials, their expressed opinion is that the Soviet nuclear incident not only serves to boost the anti-uclear movement in Europe, but to confuse Allied opinion at just the moment when the Americans seek to unite it in the buildup to the Tokyo summit. First challenger, then Chernobyl, the most deadly nuclear disaster in history. The unknown ramifications of radiation reducing nearby Pryyat to a ghost town. With these two national tragedies fresh in their minds, Reagan and Gorbachoff travel to Reuvic for their second summit. Ronald Reagan set off for what was expected to be the final round of talks this morning, determined to stick to his guns on arms control. The president arrived first going into the hafty house without ceremony. A few minutes later, [music] Mr. Gorbachoff was there bringing with him the Russians new offer on arms control. >> Mr. President, President, do you have any new proposals that you're going to make to Mr. Gorbachov while you're here? >> We'll discuss all that between us. >> Does the general secretary have dates for another meeting? Ronald Reagan's mood as he emerged with Mr. Gorbachov seemed to reflect American despondency that no deals had been struck. Agreement faltering over the president's insistence to stand by his Star Wars program. >> The Soviets were also [snorts] working on that kind of technology, but they were not prepared to share it. Whereas Reagan said to Gorbachev, "I'll give it to you. We'll share the technology with you." And they ignored it. And unfortunately for them, Reagan had the courage to walk out of the summit at Rekovik. >> Despite their disagreements, Reagan remained steadfast that progress was being made between the Soviet Union and the United States. But Rekuik was only the tip of the iceberg. A Lebanese magazine broke a story alleging that the United States was illegally tra