The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
Edited compilation of speeches regarding the Cold War and relations with the Soviet Union made by Ronald Reagan during his Presidency.
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
November 22, 1982 Excerpt from Address to the Nation on Strategic Arms Reduction and Nuclear Deterrence. Ronald Reagan says he will seek peace through deterrence and arms reductions. "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 nor the paths we should follow to reach that goal. I intend to search for peace along two parallel paths: deterrence and arms reductions. I believe these are the only paths that offer any real hope for an enduring peace." edit "What we are saying to them is this: We will modernize our military in order to keep the balance for peace, but wouldn't it be better if we both simply reduced our arsenals to a much lower level?"
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
March 8, 1983 Excerpt from Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida. Ronald Reagan, "... 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." edit "Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness - pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the Earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
March 23, 1983 Excerpt from Address to the Nation on Defense and National Security. Ronald Reagan regarding Soviet / Cuban "power projection" or militarism in Grenada: CUs spy photos (ones that won t compromise our techniques of procuring them). "The rapid buildup of Grenada's military potential is unrelated to any conceivable threat to this island country of under 110,000 people and totally at odds with the pattern of other eastern Caribbean States, most of which are unarmed. The Soviet-Cuban militarization of Grenada, in short, can only be seen as power projection into the region. And it is in this important economic and strategic area that we're trying to help the Governments of El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and others in their struggles for democracy against guerrillas supported through Cuba and Nicaragua. These pictures only tell a small part of the story. I wish I could show you more without compromising our most sensitive intelligence sources and methods. But the Soviet Union is also supporting Cuban military forces in Angola and Ethiopia. They have bases in Ethiopia and South Yemen, near the Persian Gulf oil fields. They've taken over the port that we built at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. And now for the first time in history, the Soviet Navy is a force to be reckoned with in the South Pacific. Some people may still ask: Would the Soviets ever use their formidable military power? Well, again, can we afford to believe they won't?"
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
June 22, 1983 Excerpt from Remarks at the National Conference of the National Federation of Independent Business. Ronald Reagan prays for the day where nuclear weapons no longer exist. "Our proposal incorporates the recommendations of the Scowcroft commission on strategic forces. It reflects a growing consensus and support crucial to effective negotiations. The Soviet Union has not yet responded positively. We sincerely hope they will. The aspirations for genuine arms reductions, stability, and peace are shared by all mankind. And I pray the day will come when nuclear weapons no longer exist anywhere on Earth."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
September 5, 1983 Excerpt from Address to the Nation on the Soviet Attack on a Korean Civilian Airliner. "We are more determined than ever to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the threat hanging over mankind. We know it will be hard to make a nation that rules its own people through force to cease using force against the rest of the world." edit "And make no mistake about it, this attack was not just against ourselves or the Republic of Korea. This was the Soviet Union against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere. It was an act of barbarism, born of a society which wantonly 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. They owe the world an apology ..." edit "But we shouldn't be surprised by such inhuman brutality. Memories come back of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, the gassing of villages in Afghanistan. If the massacre and their subsequent conduct is intended to intimidate, they have failed in their purpose. From every corner of the globe the word is defiance in the face of this unspeakable act and defiance of the system which excuses it and tries to cover it up. With our horror and our sorrow, there is a righteous and terrible anger. It would be easy to think in terms of vengeance, but that is not a proper answer. We want justice and action to see that this never happens again."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
September 26, 1983. Excerpt from Address Before the 38th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York. Ronald Reagan addressing the United Nations on the Soviet downing of the KAL passenger jet: C/As of Korean & Soviet delegates. "Reactions to the Korean airliner tragedy are a timely reminder of just how different the Soviets' concept of truth and international cooperation is from that of the rest of the world. Evidence abounds that we cannot simply assume that agreements negotiated with the Soviet Union will be fulfilled." edit "Just look at the world over the last 30 years and then decide for yourself whether the United States or the Soviet Union has pursued an expansionist policy."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
January 16, 1984 Excerpt from Address to the Nation and Other Countries on United States-Soviet Relations. Ronald Reagan says that peace talks must progress, despite the back and forth slagging between the two countries. "I have openly expressed my view of the Soviet system. I don't know why this should come as a surprise to Soviet leaders who've never shied from expressing their view of our system. But this doesn't mean that we can't deal with each other. We don't refuse to talk when the Soviets call us imperialist aggressors and worse, or because they cling to the fantasy of a Communist triumph over democracy. The fact that neither of us likes the other system is no reason to refuse to talk. Living in this nuclear age makes it imperative that we do talk." edit "We can't predict how the Soviet leaders will respond to our challenge. But the people of our two countries share with all mankind the dream of eliminating the risk of nuclear war. It's not an impossible dream, because eliminating these risks are so clearly a vital interest for all of us. Our two countries have never fought each other. There's no reason why we ever should. Indeed, we fought common enemies in World War II. Today our common enemies are poverty, disease, and above all, war."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
June 6, 1984 Excerpt from Remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day. Pointe de Hoc, France. Ronald Reagan, "It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
January 20, 1984 Excerpt from Remarks to the Reagan Administration Executive Forum. Ronald Reagan, "Sooner or later the Soviets are going to realize that equitable and verifiable arms reductions are in their interest, too. And, as I made clear in my address earlier this week, when they do, we'll be at the table, waiting for them, ready to go on negotiating real arms reductions."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet Union
January 25, 1984 Excerpt from Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union. C/As of Congressmen applauding in Capitol Dome; good shots GEORGE BUSH and House Speaker TIP O'NEILL behind Ronald Reagan. "People of the Soviet Union, there is only one sane policy, for your country and mine, to preserve our civilization in this modern age: A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used. But then would it not be better to do away with them entirely?"