Excerpts of Gorbachev-Reagan Reykjavik Talks In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held their second summit meeting Reykjavik, Iceland. Little of substance was expected to be discussed. But during two days of discussions, the two leaders nearly negotiated the most historic arms control agreement ever -- but Reagan's defense of his "Star Wars" initiative prevented a breakthrough. Here are excerpts from their discussions.
Reagan's "Star Wars" Speech In the following speech, President Ronald Reagan first announced his intentions to develop a new system to reduce the threat of nuclear attack and end the strategy of mutual deterrence. The system he proposed became known as "Star Wars", after the popular movie, because it was meant to destroy missiles from space.
Gorbachev's Speech to the United Nations On December 7, 1988, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev addressed the United Nations General Assembly. After speaking about the recent changes in the Soviet Union, Gorbachev stunned the global community when he announced drastic cuts in the Soviet military presence in Eastern Europe and along the Chinese border -- a move that ultimately allowed Soviet satellites to choose their own paths.
Bush Reacts to Collapse of Berlin Wall The following is a transcript of the November 9, 1989 news conference with U.S. President George Bush as he reacts to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bush's unenthusiastic response disappointed the American public. But the president explained simply, "I am not an emotional kind of guy."
Transcripts from Malta Summit Off the coast of Malta in a Soviet ship named the Maxim Gorky, U.S. President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met within weeks of the fall of the Berlin Wall to discuss the rapid changes in Europe. No agreements were signed at the summit, but to some it marked the end of the Cold War. Following are excerpted transcripts of conversations between Bush, Gorbachev and their top aides on December 2-3, 1989.
Yeltsin Denounces the Coup On August 19, 1991, Boris Yeltsin, president of the Russian republic, learned that communist hard-liners had seized control of the Soviet government from President Mikhail Gorbachev. Shortly after noon, after Soviet military forces directed by the coup leaders had taken up key positions in the capital, Yeltsin walked out of the parliament building, climbed up on a tank, and delivered the following remarks, denouncing the coup and calling for a general strike. The text has been translated from Russian by the U.S. State Department.
Gorbachev's Address after the Coup In the early morning hours of August 22, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev returned to Moscow after being held under house arrest at his Black Sea dacha by old-guard communists who had plotted the coup. At the airport he was greeted by a cheering crowd of officials and well-wishers, and delivered the following address.