Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States.
The Great Communicator Vol 3: Reagan on Government & the ...
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1987
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Mar 4, 1987 Excerpt from Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy. "Much has been said about my management style, a style that's worked successfully for me during 8 years as Governor of California and for most of my Presidency. The way I work is to identify the problem, find the right individuals to do the job, and then let them go to it. I've found this invariably brings out the best in people. They seem to rise to their full capability, and in the long run you get more done."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1987
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June 12, 1987 Excerpt from Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. Ronald Reagan praises the few thaws of freedom within the Soviet Union, but wonders if the Soviets' expression for change is real or simply an empty token gesture. "And now the Soviets themselves may, in a limited way, be coming to understand the importance of freedom. We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness. Some political prisoners have been released. Certain foreign news broadcasts are no longer being jammed. Some economic enterprises have been permitted to operate with greater freedom from state control. Are these the beginnings of profound changes in the Soviet state? Or are they token gestures, intended to raise false hopes in the West, or to strengthen the Soviet system without changing it?" edit "As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, "This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality." Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom." edit "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Much applause and flag-waving.
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1986
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October 12, 1986 Excerpt from Remarks to American Military Personnel and Their Families in Keflavik, Iceland. Reagan says that though Gorbachev rejected the arms control offer, he is still optimistic. "We came to Iceland to advance the cause of peace, and though we put on the table the most far-reaching arms control proposal in history, the General Secretary rejected it. However, we made great strides in Iceland in resolving most of our differences, and we're going to continue the effort."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1986
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October 6, 1986 Excerpt from Remarks at a White House Briefing on Soviet-United States Relations for the President's Commission on Executive Exchange. Reagan says he looks forward to meeting w/ Gorbachev in Iceland. "We're discussing not just arms control, for example, but arms reduction, as well as human rights and regional conflicts. Progress toward our twin goals of peace and freedom then will not be easy. As I mentioned in my Saturday radio talk, we seek the support of all Americans. We need your help, and we also need, as I said, some careful preparation. And that's why we agreed to the talks in Iceland and will look forward to meeting Mr. Gorbachev there."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1986
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June 11, 1986 Excerpt from The President's News Conference. Reagan says Gorbachev is first Russian to even discuss arms reductions.
Focus on the 70s - The Carter Years - PT3
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1981
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Presidential Inauguration 1981: MS Chief Justice WARREN BURGER administering Oath of Office to U.S. President RONALD REAGAN, wife NANCY REAGAN watching. Jan 20, 1981; LS four ceremonial howitzers being fired in honor of Reagan's inauguration.
Focus on the 70s - The Carter Years - PT3
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1981
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Presidential Inauguration 1981: MS Ronald & Nancy waving to crowd from podium at Inauguration; Jimmy Carter shakes Ron's hand, congratulates him.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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November 13, 1986 Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy (Iranian arms for hostages deal). Ronald Reagan tells the "truth", opting to discuss the "facts" about the secret initiative with Iran before the rumors grew into groundswells; denies allegations about trading arms for hostages or any ransom schemes of the sort; says that those who think we've gone soft on terrorism should consult with Mommar Khadafy. Iran-Contra scandal. "Good evening. I know you've been reading, seeing and hearing a lot of stories the past several days that have been attributed to Danish sailors, unnamed observers at Italian ports and Spanish harbors and especially unnamed government officials of my administration. Now you're going to hear the facts from a White House source, and you know my name. I want at this time to talk with you about an extremely sensitive and profoundly important matter of foreign policy. For eighteen month now, we have had underway a secret diplomatic initiative to Iran. That initiative was undertaken for the simplest and best of reasons, to renew a relationship with the nation of Iran, to bring an honorable end to the bloody six year war between Iran and Iraq, to eliminate state sponsor terrorism and subversion, and to effect the safe return of all hostages. Without Iran's cooperation we can not bring an end to the Persian Gulf war. Without Iran's concurrence there can be no enduring peace in the Middle East. For 10 days now, the American and world press have been full of reports and rumors about this initiative and these objectives. Now my fellow Americans, there is an old saying that 'nothing spreads so quickly as a rumor.' So I thought it was time to speak with you directly, to tell you first hand about our dealings with Iran. As Will Rodgers once said, ' Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth.' So let's get to the facts. The charge has been made that the United States has shipped weapons to Iran as ransom payment for the release of American hostages in Lebanon. That the United States undercut its allies and secretly violated American policy against trafficking with terrorists. Those charges are utterly false... Our government has a firm policy, not to capitulate to terrorist demands. That no concessions policy remains in force. In spite of the wildly speculative and false stories about arms for hostages, and alleged ransom payments, we did not, repeat, did not, trade weapons or anything else for hostages. Nor will we. Those who think we have gone soft on terrorism, should take up the question with Colonel Qaddafi."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1981
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Jan 29, 1981 The President's News Conference. Ronald Reagan announces that he and Sec. of the Interior David Regan have requested Congress to raise the debt ceiling, then blames government for spending beyond its means. "How do you do. I have a brief opening statement here, before I take your questions. Yesterday the Secretary of the Treasury, Donald Regan, sent to the Congress a request to raise the debt ceiling to 985 billion dollars. This represents a dramatic jump of 50 billion dollars over the previous debt ceiling. The administration took this action with great regret because it is clear that the massive deficits our government runs is one of the roost causes of our profound economic problems. And for too many years this process has come to easily for us. We've lived beyond our means and then financed our extravagance on the backs of the American people. The clear message I received in the election campaign is that we must gain control of this inflationary monster."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Mar 23, 1983 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on Defense and National Security. As the Soviets have increased their military power, they have been emboldened to extend that power. They re spreading their military influence in ways that can directly challenge our vital interest and those of our allies. The following aerial photographs, most of them secret until now, illustrate this point in a crucial area very close to home, Central America and the Caribbean Basin. Their not dramatic photographs but I think they ll give you a better understanding what I m talking about. (Photograph - Airfield Under Construction - Point Salines, Grenada) 10,000 Foot Runway, Fuel Storage). On the small island of Grenada, at the southern end of the Caribbean Chain, the Cubans with Soviet financing and backing are in the process in building an airfield with a 10,000 foot runway. Grenada doesn t even have an air force. Whose is it intended for?
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Sept 5, 1983 Ronald Reagan TV address regarding the Korean Airliner Flight 007 shot down by the Soviets. Ronald Reagan denounces the heinous act. I m coming before you tonight about the Korean airline massacre. The attack by the Soviet Union against 269 innocent men, women and children aboard an unarmed Korean passenger plane. This crime against humanity must never be forgotten, here or throughout the world. Despite the savagery of their crime, the universal reaction against them, and the evidence of their complicity, the Soviets still refuse to tell the truth. They have persistently refused to admit that their pilot fired on the Korean aircraft. Indeed they have not even told their own people, that a plane was shot down. Let me state as plainly as I can. There was absolutely no justification either legal or moral for what the Soviets did.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Sept 26, 1983, Ronald Reagan Address Before the 38th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York. He calls USSR's bluff in terms of arms reduction; good wide shots of delegates, delegate hall. I call upon the Soviet Union today to reduce the tensions it has heaped on the world in the past few weeks and to show a firm commitment to peace by coming to the bargaining table with a new understanding of its obligations. I urge it to match our flexibility. If the Soviets sit down at the bargaining table seeking genuine arms reductions, there will be arms reductions. The governments of the West and their people will not be diverted by misinformation and threats. The time has come for the Soviet Union to show proof. That it wants arms control in reality not just in rhetoric.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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May 16, 1984, Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Annual Awards Dinner of the White House News Photographers Association. He is speaking in TV address about the safe return of the American students from Grenada, quantifying the Grenada invasion. Earlier this year one event said it all. It took place at an air base in South Carolina. Shortly after a plane had returned from Grenada carrying the medical students whom been trapped at St. George s Medical School. As one student got off the plane, we all know, he dropped to his knees and kissed the good earth of the United States. And nearby there was a news photographer clicked his camera that caught that moment for all Americans to share.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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June 22, 1983: Ronald Reagan Remarks at the National Conference of the National Federation of Independent Business. He gives a glowing economic report to a meeting of independent businesssmen. It s clear that recovery is strengthening and spreading throughout the economy. Venture capitol investments have reached record levels. New businesses are being formed at near record rates. The stock market has awakened from a decade of disappointment to surge into new high ground. Sunrise industries are springing up like jackrabbits. Production in autos and steel is regaining strength. Housing starts, in May climb to the highest levels in three and a half years. Factories in May ran in their highest rate in fifteen months. More and more workers are being called back. And as Al Jolson would have said, You aint seen nothing yet. But there s an easier way to tell you that our program works. That recovery is here, and the economy is beginning to sparkle. I ve said this a few times before but I ll say it again. Suddenly our critics are no longer calling the program Reaganomics.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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June 17, 1984, Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Opening of the 1984 International Games for the Disabled in Uniondale, New York. It is my honor to declare the 1984 international games for the disabled officially opened. Thank you, and God Bless You All. Thank you. Begin the games C/A's of participants in wheelchairs passing by grandstand, then in competition.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Jan 29, 1984 address to the nation regarding the Reagan / Bush re-election campaign, announcing that he will seek re-election. It s been nearly three years since I first spoke to you from this room. Together we faced many difficult problems and I ve come to feel a special bond of kinship with each one of you. Tonight, I m here for a different reason. I come to a difficult personal decision as to whether or not I should seek re-election. America is back, and standing tall. We ve begun to restore great American values, the dignity at work, warmth of family, strength of neighborhood and the nourishment of human freedom. But our work is not finished. This historic room and the Presidency belong to you. It is your right and responsibility every four years to give somebody temporary custody of this office and of the institution of Presidency. You so honored me and I m grateful. Grateful and proud of what together, we had accomplished. We have made a new beginning. Vice President Bush and I would like to have your continued support and cooperation in completing in what we began three years ago. I am therefore announcing that I am a candidate and will seek re-election to the office I presently hold.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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EST shots of the Reagan ranch outside of Santa Barbara. MSs RONALD REAGAN grooming and riding horses. MSs sawing wood with a chainsaw, working in the yard while wearing a white t-shirt. VO of Reagan recounting his decision to seek re-election in 1984. Before I reach my decision to run for re-election, some people thought that maybe I d be happy to retire to that beautiful ranch outside of Santa Barbra, and spend the rest of my life enjoying the simple things, riding horses, chopping wood and spending time with Nancy, being outdoors and close to all of God s natural gifts. But they forget, there are so many things that remain to be done, so many challenges that must be met. I would have felt like a quitter if I just walked away from getting federal spending under control, for once and for all. Or reforming or simplifying our tax system.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Nov 5, 1984, Ronald Reagan Remarks at a Reagan-Bush Rally in San Diego, California. This is the last rally of my election campaign. And four years ago this particular day, it was also right here in this same place that we had that rally. But there s so much to do and plan for. These past few months have been really something. We took our campaign out to the country. We journeyed to the bright grid of the cities and the suburbs of the East and we went to the broad avenues of the sun belt. We talked to farmers outside of Des Moines and families in the shopping malls. On a whistle stop Tour in Harry Truman s old train, I went across Ohio and saw the people of that state spill out waving flags. We ve been to University and College campuses all across the country. And we saw a dazzling new generation coming to life with an honest love for America. Now a couple of weeks ago, I ran out of time on a debate. I didn t get to finish what I set out to say, I m going to say it here. All of us or most of us grew up in America where we took it for granted that we could dream and make our dreams come true, fly as high and as far as our ability and effort would take us. Then we came to a time not too long ago where people began telling us that those days were over, that we were in an era of limits. That there was a ceiling and we never again could have it as quite as good as they had been. Well don t you believe it. My generation and those other generations I mentioned, we have a sacred trust and we re going to fill that trust and that is, to see that when the time comes, to turn the reigns over to you, we re going to turn over to you a country that is free in a world that is at peace. And now just one last request. One last request. Don t read the polls, don t get complacent. The last time I looked at Mount Rushmore, President Dewey s face wasn t up there. We need every vote, so make up your mind your vote is needed. Get out there and vote, get your neighbors to vote. Go to the polls tomorrow. Our best days are yet to come. And now, for the last time in a campaign that I can say it, because I know it drives a certain candidate up the wall, I m going to say it, and that is, You Ain t Seen Nothing Yet.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Election Night, Nov. 6, 1984. Remarks at an Reelection Celebration in Los Angeles, California. Ronald Reagan at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles after whipping Walter Mondale in the presidential elections (crowd eagerly waves small American flags as Ron and family take stage; they chant for four more years, then chant NANCY Reagan's name). Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States, Mrs. Reagan and the family. (Applause and cheering) The band is playing Hail to the Chief. Four more years. Four more years. Four more Years Ronald Reagan, Thank you all very much, thank you. Thank you. I think that s just been arranged. (More cheering) Nancy and I would like to express (More cheering - extremely loud) The crowd is cheering, Nancy, Nancy, Nancy. The President leans over and says to his wife, They're yelling for you. Nancy thanks you. Seems like we did this four years ago. Let me just say, that you know, good habits are hard to break.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Jan 21, 1985 Inauguration: RONALD REAGAN being sworn in as President by Chief Justice WARREN BURGER in the Capitol rotunda. Ron kisses wife NANCY REAGAN. Diss to speech. Four years ago I spoke to you about a new beginning and we have accomplished that. But in another sense our new beginning is a continuation of that beginning created two centuries ago. When for the first time in history, Government, the people said, was not our master it is our servant. Its only power, that which we the people, allow it to have. Let history say of us, these were Golden Years, when the American Revolution was reborn, when freedom gained New Life and America reached for its best.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Mar 11, 1985 press conference regarding the death of Soviet Head of State Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, remaining optimistic that arms reduction progress with his sucessor will continue. Today we ve learned of a death of Head of State, Konstantin Chernenko. And I sent my condolences to the Soviet leadership and people. I want them to know that we will deal with Chairman s Chernenko successor with an open mind and will continue our efforts to improve relations between our two nations, to settle our differences fairly and particularly, to lower the levels of nuclear arms. Tomorrow in Geneva, American negotiators will sit down with their Soviet counter parts to begin the most important arms talks, in which our nation will likely to participate, for the rest of this decade. Press, Are you anxious to meet the new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev? Reagan, Very much so. And I was with the previous three also. (Half laughing) I was ready to have a meeting, and as they themselves said, At such a time if you have a legitimate agenda and not just have a meeting to get acquainted .
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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July 8, 1985: Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Annual Convention of the American Bar Association. He discusses terrorism. It will not surprise any of you to know that in addition to Iran, we have identified another nation, Libya, as deeply involved in terrorism. We have evidence which links Libyan agents or surrogates to at least 25 incidents last year. Colonel Khadafy outrages against civilized conduct are of course infamous as those of the Ayatollah Khomeini. So the American people are not, and I repeat, not, going to tolerate intimidation, terror and outright acts of war against this nation and its people. And we re especially not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states, run by the strangest collection of misfits, looney toons and squalled criminals since the advent the Third Reich.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Oct 24, 1985, Ronald Reagan Address to the 40th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York He speaks about impending Geneva Talks w/ Mikhail Gorbachev. C/As politicos EDOUARD SHEVARDNADZE, GEORGE SCHULTZ. When Mr. Gorbachev and I meet in Geneva next month. I look to a fresh start in a relationship of our two nations. We can and we should meet in the sprit that we can deal with our differences peacefully. And that is what we expect. The United States never saw Treaties merely to paper over differences. We continue to believe that a nuclear war is one that cannot be won, and must never be fought. And that is why we have sought for nearly 10 years, still seek and will discuss in Geneva, radical, equitable, verifiable reductions in these vast arsenals of offensive nuclear weapons.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Jan 25, 1985 Ronald Reagan Remarks at the 1985 Reagan Administration Executive Forum It s been a tremendous four years and I m feeling absolutely bullish on the next four. I was just thinking the other day that in our first administration we made history, and the second, we can change history forever. I think there s an understandable tendency when the second term begins, to think that all the great work is behind us, that the big battles have been fought and all the rest is anti-climax. Well, that s not true. What s gone before is prologue. Our greatest battles lie ahead. All is newness now and the possibility of great and fundamental change. We can change America, forever. And that s some great and beautiful music we been playing these four years, but the way I see it, from here on it s Shake Rattle and Roll. (Loud applause)
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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Jan 28, 1986 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. I 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 of 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. And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle s take off. 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 Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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Jan 31, 1986 Remarks at the Memorial Service for the Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger in Houston, Texas. President Ronald Reagan delivers a eulogy for the heroes. C/A Camelot kids JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR. (JFK, Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr.) and CAROLINE KENNEDY seated in crowd, listening to speech. C/As of the bereaved listening to the President speak. We come together today to mourn the loss of seven brave Americans. To share the grief we all feel, and perhaps in that sharing to find the strength, to bare our sorrow, and the courage to look for the seeds of hope. Our nation is indeed fortunate, that we can still draw on immense reservoirs of courage, character and fortitude. That we re still blessed with Heros, like those of space shuttle Challenger. Dick Scobee knew that every launching of a space shuttle is a technological miracle, and he said, That if something ever does go wrong, I hope that doesn t mean the end to the space shuttle program. Every family member I talk to, ask specifically that we continue the program that is what their departed loved one would want, above all else. We will not disappoint them.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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June 11, 1986 Ronald Reagan Remarks to Participants in the Young Astronauts Program. So yes, were going ahead with a space program worthy of the memory of the Challenger Seven. Their commitment to excellence will guide us on to new and even greater achievements and conquests. For our journey into space, we have a co-pilot now, the memory, the sprit of the Challenger Seven.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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Oct 6, 1986 Ronald Reagan Remarks at a White House Briefing on Soviet-United States Relations for the President's Commission on Executive Exchange. As I mentioned in my Saturday radio talk we seek the support of all Americans. We need your help and we also need, as I said some careful preparations. That s why we agreed to the talks in Iceland and to look forward to meeting Mr. Gorbachev there.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1989
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Jan 11, 1989 Farewell Address to the Nation. Reagan's last as President. Intercut with footage of Ron and NANCY Reagan leaving the White House, GEORGE BUSH and BARBARA BUSH sending them off; Ron salutes from Presidential helicopter Marine One which then takes off. "My fellow Americans. This is the 34th time I'll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We've been together eight years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time. It's been the honor of my life to be your president. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve." "They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense." "And in all of that time I won a nickname, "The Great Communicator." But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation, from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries." "And in all of that time I won a nickname, "The Great Communicator." But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation--from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries." "We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. And so, good-bye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1988
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May 17, 1988 Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters. A reporter asks Ronald Reagan if he denies using astrology to help scheduling presidential events. Popular belief in pseudoscience. Reporter, "Do you deny that either you or Mrs. Reagan used astrology on any occasion during your time here at the White House to help set the schedule for trips or the signing of the INF treaty. I must say this goes against what a lot of aids are telling us, sir." Reagan, "Well. I'm only going to tell you one thing. And that is, after I had been shot, which was quite a traumatic experience for my wife. And though I was confident that I was going to be alright, other people can't know that. A friend, now she was getting a great many calls from friends, and a friend called and said that he'd known what I was going to do that day and so forth because, he mentioned someone who had said that all the signs were bad and everything else. And Nancy was, well it was a trauma that didn't go away easily. And when suddenly things of the same kind, just for a short period there, when I was booked for something of the same kind as the accident occurred, why she would ask, what does it look like now. And no changes were ever made on the basis of whether I did or did not conduct this." Reporter, "What about the changes to the signing of the INF treaty?" Reagan, "No, it wasn't. Nothing of that kind was going on. This was all, once again smoke and mirrors."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1988
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May 11, 1988 Remarks at the Annual Republican Congressional Fundraising Dinner. Ronald Reagan says he's going to work hard to make VP George Bush the next president of the United States. "If I may, I'd like to take just a moment to talk about my future plans. In doing so, I'll break a silence I've maintained for some time with regard to the Presidential candidates. I'm going to work as hard as I can to make Vice President George Bush, the next President of the United States." Applause. People stand and cheer. LS of GEORGE BUSH and BARBARA BUSH walking onstage to join hands with the Ron and NANCY Reagan, red white and blue balloons falling about them.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1988
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May 31, 1988, Ronald Reagan visits Moscow, Russia for Summit Meeting: MS/TLSs of Reagan and MIKHAIL GORBACHEV (and entourage) touring the streets of Moscow.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1988
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Nov 16, 1988: Ron & Nancy welcome PM Margaret Thatcher to the White House. Informal Exchange With Reporters Prior to a Meeting With British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. MS Margaret Thatcher discussing the end of Reagan's administrative term, praising him and his efforts. "They're mixed obviously. I'm so pleased to see him and have the chance of thanking him, everything he's done for freedom in the world. But of course I'm sad that I'll not sit in this position, with him sitting in that chair again. Because we knew one another before he was the President and before I was the Prime Minister, and we had the same political dreams and the same ways of achieving them. And we were both just recalling a moment ago, I remember a time Governor Reagan came to see me in my room in the House of Commons when I was leader of the opposition. So, there are lots of times to recall. But I think the nicest thing of all, its a very different world now and a very much better one. And a very much more hopeful one then it was then." Zoom out to MS of her and Reagan sitting in White House, talking with reporters, Reagan reciprocates the feeling. "There are some things she says about the state of the world, she has played a major role in bringing those things about, and these improvements. And when you stop to think today that the unity we have with the united allies in NATO. I don't think very much of the world can remember when more than four decades of peace have followed as a result of that." Thatcher, " That was staunch and consistent leadership. The President staked out the ground on which he wished to fight, he stood on that ground and he fought and he won."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1982
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June 17, 1982 Excerpt from Remarks in New York, New York, Before the United Nations General Assembly Special Session Devoted to Disarmament. Ronald Reagan stresses the importance of deterring conflict worldwide and his commitment to it. "The United States has fought four wars in my lifetime. In each, we struggled to defend freedom and democracy. We were never the aggressors. America's strength and, yes, her military power have been a force for peace, not conquest; for democracy, not despotism; for freedom, not tyranny. Watching, as I have, succeeding generations of American youth bleed their lives onto far-flung battlefields to protect our ideals and secure the rule of law, I have known how important it is to deter conflict. But since coming to the Presidency, the enormity of the responsibility of this office has made my commitment even deeper."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1981
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November 18, 1981 Excerpt from Remarks to Members of the National Press Club on Arms Reduction and Nuclear Weapons. Ronald Reagan talks about the significance of the United States' involvement in WWI and WWII. "Twice in my lifetime, I have seen the peoples of Europe plunged into the tragedy of war. Twice in my lifetime, Europe has suffered destruction and military occupation in wars that statesmen proved powerless to prevent, soldiers unable to contain, and ordinary citizens unable to escape. And twice in my lifetime, young Americans have bled their lives into the soil of those battlefields not to enrich or enlarge our domain, but to restore the peace and independence of our friends and Allies. All of us who lived through those troubled times share a common resolve that they must never come again."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1985
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July 8, 1985 Excerpt from Remarks at the Annual Convention of the American Bar Association. Ronald Reagan says USSR is totalaristic. "You see, it's true that totalitarian governments are very powerful and, over the short term, may be better organized than the democracies. But it's also true - and no one knows this better than totalitarian rulers themselves - that these regimes are weak in a way that no democracy can ever be weak." edit "I have on my desk at home a letter signed by 10 women in the Soviet Union. They are all in a prison camp in that Union - a labor camp. The letter is no more than 2\1/2\ inches wide and just an inch high, and yet, by hand, they wrote a complete letter, signed their 10 names to it, smuggled that and another document just a little bigger - about a 3-inch square of paper - that is the chart of the hunger strikes they have endured. And they smuggled it out to be sent to me because they wanted to tell me and all of you that the United States, where they are, in that prison, still remains their hope that keeps them going - their hope for the world."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1984
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August 23, 1984 Excerpt from Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. C/As of white convention delegates (decked out in cheap and strange GOP celebratory wares, natch) listening and cheering Ronald Reagan; zooming (in) MS of NANCY REAGAN and RON REAGAN, JR. "In the 4 years before we took office, country after country fell under the Soviet yoke. Since January 20th, 1981, not 1 inch of soil has fallen to the Communists."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1986
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October 13, 1986 Excerpt from Address to the Nation on the Meetings With Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev in Iceland. Reagan says the Soviets must show their sincerity for change. "I made it plain that the United States would not seek to exploit improvement in these matters for purposes of propaganda. But I also made it plain, once again, that an improvement of the human condition within the Soviet Union is indispensable for an improvement in bilateral relations with the United States. For a government that will break faith with its own people cannot be trusted to keep faith with foreign powers. So, I told Mr. Gorbachev -- again in Reykjavik, as I had in Geneva -- we Americans place far less weight upon the words that are spoken at meetings such as these than upon the deeds that follow. When it comes to human rights and judging Soviet intentions, we're all from Missouri -- you got to show us."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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1986
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January 1, 1986 Excerpt from New Year's Messages of President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev. Reagan talks (briefly) about the first summit w/ Gorbachev, extends good will upon the Soviet people. "Good evening. This is Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America. I'm pleased to speak to you on the occasion of the New Year. This is a time for reflection and for hope. As we look back on the year just concluded and on the year that is to come, I want to share with you my hopes for the New Year, hopes for peace, prosperity, and good will that the American and Soviet people share. Just over a month ago, General Secretary Gorbachev and I met for the first time in Geneva. Our purpose was to begin a fresh chapter in the relations between our two countries and to try to reduce the suspicions and mistrust between us."
Capitol Journal - Civil Rights
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1985
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September 9, 1985: MS as President Ronald Reagan signs executive order imposing "modified" sanctions on South Africa and explains his intentions in signing it. CU Reagan, I want to work with the Congress to advance bipartisan support for America's policy toward South Africa, and that's why I have put forward this Executive order today.
Focus on the 60s - Entertainment
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492978_1_8
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1966
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MS/CUs NANCY REAGAN and RONALD REAGAN arriving at polling place, voting in the 1966 California gubernatorial election.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1980
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Nov 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan speaks at Century Plaza Hotel after winning presidential election, wife NANCY REAGAN at his side. "Let me just say first of all, there has never been a more humbling moment in my life and I give you my sacred oath that I will do my utmost to justify your faith." DISS to MS Ron & Nancy being greeted by JIMMY CARTER and ROSALYN CARTER at White House on Inauguration Day, 1981. "Earlier this evening, I spoke on the phone with President Carter, the President pledged the utmost in cooperation in the transition that will take place."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1981
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Jan 20, 1981 Excerpt from Reagan's Inaugural speech. "You and I as individuals, can by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why then should we think that collectively as a Nation, we're not bound by that same limitation. We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding, we are going to begin to act, beginning today." Cut to MSs of Ron and Nancy on parade from Inauguration ceremony (great MS of Ron clapping enthusiastically at passing soldiers).
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1981
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Jan 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan Toast at the Inaugural Luncheon. Speaking to small group of Republicans, announces that the Iranian hostages have been freed and are en route to the US. "With thanks to Almighty God, I have been given a tag line, the get off line that everyone wants, for the end of a toast or speech or anything else. Some thirty minutes ago the planes bearing our prisoners, left Iranian air space and are now free of Iran. "
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1981
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Jan 27, 1981 Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Welcoming Ceremony for the Freed American Hostages. Speaking at White House ceremony honoring the former hostages, says that the American people suffered along with them. MS of GEORGE BUSH and BARBARA BUSH standing with NANCY REAGAN, STROM THURMOND wearing neck brace in BG "... and I can think of no better way to let you know how Nancy and I feel about your presence here today, then to say on behalf of us, of the Vice President and Barbara, the Senators, the members of Congress, members of the cabinet and all of our fellow citizens, these simple words, Welcome Home." Panning CU former hostages. "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."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1981
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Feb 18, 1981 Ronald Reagan Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery. Announces economic reform package to Joint Session of Congress. "Only a month ago I was your guest in this historic building. And I pledged to you my cooperation in doing what is right for this nation that we all love so much. I'm here tonight to reaffirm that pledge and to ask that we share in restoring the promise that is offered to every citizen, by this, the last best hope of man on earth. 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 begins and he receives standing ovation. Shots of Congress giving Reagan a standing ovation. MS Reagan, GEORGE BUSH and Speaker of the House TIP O'NEILL. "Thank you very much. I should have arranged to quit right there." (Laughter)
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Jan 20, 1983 Ronald Reagan Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With Reporters on the Second Anniversary of the Inauguration of the President. He opens the third year of his presidency by rehashing his goals. Some of you may know today marks the second anniversary of this administration. Time flies when you re having fun. I remember John Kennedy saying that, when he came into office the thing that surprised him most, was to find that things were just a bad as he been saying they were. My case the biggest surprise was finding out that they were even worse. And it s a real human tragedy that so many of our people today are still suffering for the political mistakes of the past that we ve finely started to correct. Looking back, I guess my greatest satisfaction is the conviction that the country was skidding dangerously in the wrong direction, loosing the respect of friends and foes alike in the world and even worse loosing faith in its own future, has been set on the right course. We begun to undo the damage of the over taxing, over spending, over regulating binge of the 60 s and 70 s has inflected the American way of life and we made America respected in the world again.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Oct 27, 1983 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on Events in Lebanon and Grenada. TV address regarding the terrorist truck bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut & the invasion of Grenada. This past Sunday at 22 minutes after 6, Beirut time, with dawn just breaking, a truck looking like a lot of other vehicles in the city approached the airport on a busy main road. There was nothing in its appearance to suggest it was any different than the trucks or cars that were normally seen on and around the airport. But this one was different. At the wheel was a young man on a suicide mission. The truck carried some 2,000 lbs. of explosives. But there was no way our Marine guards could know this. Their first warning that something was wrong came when a truck crashed through a series of barriers including a chain link fence and barbed wire entanglements. The guards opened fire but it was too late. The truck smashed through the doors at the headquarters building at which our Marines were sleeping, and instantly exploded. The four story concrete building collapsed in a pile of rubble. More than 200 of the sleeping men were killed in that one hideous and insane attack. Now I know another part of the world is much in our minds a place much closer to our shores, Grenada. Grenada we were told is a friendly island paradise for tourism. Well it wasn t. It was a Soviet, Cuban colony being readied as a major military bastion to export terror and undermine Democracy. We got there just in time.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Mar 29, 1985: Ronald Reagan Remarks at the National Space Club Luncheon. He amusingly quotes author Arthur C. Clarke. Arthur C. Clarke, distinguish author of science and fiction says ideas have often three stages of reaction. First, it s crazy, and don t waste my time. Second, it s possible but it s not worth doing. And finally, I always said it was a good idea.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1983
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Mar 23, 1983 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on Defense and National Security. Ronald Reagan condones the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), calling the science community to focus their energies upon making this project a reality. What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that their security did not rest upon the treat of instant US retaliation to deter a Soviet attack? That we could intercept and destroy strategic ballistic missiles before they reached our own soil or that of our allies? I know that this is a formidable technical task one that may not be accomplished before the end of this century. Yet current technology has obtained a level of sophistication where it s reasonable to for us to begin this effort. I call upon the scientific community in our country those who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Jan 16, 1984 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation and Other Countries on United States-Soviet Relations. I believe that 1984 finds the United States in the strongest position in years to establish a constructive and realistic working relationship with the Soviet Union. We must and will engage the Soviets in a dialog as serious and constructive as possible. A dialog that will serve to promote peace in the trouble regions of the world. Reduce the level of arms and build a constructive working relationship. As I said before my dreams is to see the day when nuclear weapons will be banished from the face of the earth. Last month the Soviet Defense Minister stated that his country would do everything to avert the threat of war. These are encouraging words but now is the time to move from words, but now is the time to move from words to deeds.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Jan 20, 1984: Ronald Reagan Remarks to the Reagan Administration Executive Forum. Reagan steps onto stage to the strains of "Hail to the Chief" played by a marching band in stage rear, crowd applauds happily. Reagan says that his administration is truly a new beginning, voted and approved by the people of the United States. Thank you all very much. As I stand here I can t help thinking about back to this date three years ago. It was a winter day like this one, only colder because on that day, we held this meeting outdoors. But as I look back to January 20th, three years ago. I can t help thinking; we have made a new beginning. I m convinced that in 1980, America faced one of those historic choices that come to a nation a few times a century. We could continue our decline perhaps comforting ourselves by calling it inevitable, or we could realize that there s no such thing as inevitable and choose instead to make, a new beginning. The American people chose the way of courage. And on this day of January day 3-years ago this administration and all of you began to make a new beginning.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Jan 25, 1984 Ronald Reagan Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union. Once again in keeping with time honor tradition I come to report to you on the State Of The Union. And I m pleased to report that America is much improved. And there s good reason to believe that improvement will continue, to the days that come. (Audience applause)
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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1984 Newsreel of Ron and NANCY REAGAN visiting Japan & China: MS/CUs of them being enthusiastically received by populace; MSs crowd eagerly waving Japanese and American flags; MS man in feudal warrior garb (samurai?) riding horse, firing arrow at target, much to the Reagans' delight; MSs Ron and Nancy walking along the Great Wall of China. A trip to Japan, Korea and later the Peoples Republic of China, makes you realize the old line Go West Young Man Go West still fits. There s a new frontier out there. There is a future and the United States is going to be very much a part, of that future. One cannot meet with those people without realizing that they are tremendously capable people. A talented, energetic people and I found with a great longing for peace, among those people. I think we can have a fine relationship, we do already. But we can keep that and build on that relationship. Whether it s with trade cultural exchange we can mutually be beneficial to each other.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Apr 30, 1984. Remarks at a Signing Ceremony for Four United States-China Agreements. Ronald Reagan speaking at press conference in China. Thank you Premier Zhao. The developing relationship between China and the United States has been one of the principle events of post war diplomacy. Our visit has reinforced our appreciation for Chinese hospitably and for China s ancient and honorable culture. I m delighted that now millions of other Americans will be able to see the artistic and cultural achievements of the Chinese people
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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May 14, 1984, Ron and Nancy Reagan welcome pop music superstar MICHAEL JACKSON to the White House; they present him with an award; Ron shakes hands with the gloved one.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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June 6, 1984, Pointe du Hoc, France, Ronald Reagan Remarks at a United States-France Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day. Archival footage of Allied soldiers landing and storming on Normandy coast; MSs Reagan standing before memorial honoring the rangers who braved the sheer cliffs behind him; MS of the surviving rangers sitting, listening to Reagan talk. We stand on a lonely wind swept point on the northern shore of France but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke, the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of canon. At dawn on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 rangers jumped off the British landing craft at 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. Soon one by one the Rangers pulled themselves over the top 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 still could bear arms. Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Rangers daggers that were trust into the top of the cliffs. Before me are the men who put them there. As the President continues giving his speech to the Rangers, His own VO takes over. President Regan s VO - 62 of the Rangers who scaled the cliffs there at Pointe du Hoc now back 40 years later at the scene of their heroic action. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. (President Regan s VO It was a very moving experience. They were what General Marshall called Our Secret Weapon The Best Dam Kids In The World .
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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June 6, 1984 Remarks at a United States-France Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day. Ceremony at Omaha Beach. Ronald Reagan speaks at the 40th anniversary of D-Day ceremony, very sentimental, weepy, stirring. Lisa Zanatta Henn began her story by quoting her father that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father who died eight years ago with cancer. I m going there Dad. And I ll see the beaches, the barricades and the monuments. I ll see the graves and I ll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I ll feel all the things you made me feel through your stories and your eyes. I ll never forget what you went through Dad. Nor will I let anyone else forget. Dad I ll always be proud. Through the words of his loving daughter, who is here with us today. A D-Day veteran has shown us the meaning of this day far better, than any President can. It is enough for us to say about Private Zanatta and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him 4 decades ago. We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so we may be always be free.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1984
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Aug 23, 1984 Reagan Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. C/As of the happy delegates decked out in their cheapest camapign wares, holding placards showing their support, some waving American flags. C/A of NANCY and RON REAGAN JR. in bleachers; ends w/ delegates chanting for "four more years." (Applause and cheering) Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice President, delegates to this convention and fellow citizens, 75 days I hope we enjoy a victory that is the size of the heart of Texas. (Cheering /Applause) Tonight with a full heart and deep gratitude for your trust, I accept your nomination for Presidency of the United States of America. (The crowd is ecstatic with applause. Banners and American are waved back and fourth.) I will campaign on behalf of the principals of our party which lift America confidently into the future. America is presented with the clearest political choice of half a century. The distinction between our two parties and the different philosophy of our political opponents, are at the heart of this campaign and America s future. Crowd is cheering and saying repeatedly. Four more years. Four more years."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Apr 16, 1985, Ronald Reagan Remarks at a Conference on Religious Liberty. He addresses the controversy re: his visit to the Bitburg war cemetery. Now let me turn to an issue if I could for just a moment that has provoked a storm of controversy. My decision to visit the war cemetery at Bitburg and my decision on the state visit to Germany and not to visit the site of the Concentration Camp at Dachau. It is to cement the 40 years of friendship between the free Germany and the United States. Between the German People and the American People, that Chancellor Kohl and I agreed together, to lay a wreath at the cemetery for the German war dead. That s why I accepted the invitation to Bitburg and that s why I m going, to Bitburg. As for the decision not to go to Dachau, one of the sites of the great moral obscenity of that era, it was taken because of my mistaken impression that such a visit was outside the official agenda. Chancellor Kohl s recent letter to me however has made it plane that my invitation to visit a Concentration Camp was indeed a part of his planed itinerary. So, I have now accepted that invitation and my staff is in Germany exploring a site that will fit in to our schedule there. (Applause)
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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May 5, 1985, Remarks at a Joint German-American Military Ceremony at Bitburg Air Base in the Federal Republic of Germany. Ronald Reagan speaks about touring World War II sites. I have just come from the cemetery where German war dead lay at rest. No one could visit there without deep and conflicting emotions. I felt great sadness that history could be filled with such waste, destruction and evil. But my heart was also lifted by the knowledge that from the ashes comes hope and that from the terrors from the past we have built 40 years, of peace, freedom and reconciliation among our nations. This visit has stirred many emotions in the American and German people too. I ve received many letters since, from first deciding to come to Bitburg Cemetery. Some supportive, others deeply concerned and questioning, and other opposed. Some old wounds have been reopened. And this I regret very much, because this should be a time of healing. Twenty two years ago President John F. Kennedy went to the Berlin Wall and proclaimed that he too, was a Berliner. Today freedom loving people around the world must say, I am a Berliner, I am a Jew in a world still threaten by anti-Semitism, I am a Afghan, and I am a prisoner of the gulag, I am a refugee in a crowded boat floundering off the cost of Vietnam, I am a Laotian, a Cambodian, a Cuban and a Mosquito Indian in Nicaragua, I too am a potential victim of totalitarianism. The one lesson of WW II, the one lesson of Nazism, is that freedom must always be stronger than totalitarianism and that good must always be stronger than evil.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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June 20, 1985: Ronald & Nancy Reagan award the Medal of Freedom to MOTHER TERESA (of Calcutta) in the White House. All of us know of that wonderful individual, Mother Teresa, that living Saint. If you ever met Mother Teresa, you know what I mean. She s probably trust into hand to pamphlet, telling you to love Christ. She wouldn t mind my saying that she s no longer young. If she were here, she d say, look who s talking. (Laughter)
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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June 30, 1985 Ronald Reagan Remarks Announcing the Release of the Hostages From the Trans World Airlines Hijacking Incident (TWA hijacking). The 39Americans held hostage for 17 days by terrorists in Lebanon are free, safe, and at this moment on their way to Frankfurt, Germany. They ll be home again soon. This is a moment of joy for them, for their loved ones and for our nation. And America opens its heart in a prayer of thanks to Almighty God. We can be thankful that our faith, courage and firmness have paid off. This is no moment for celebration. Let it be clearly understood that the seven Americans still held captive in Lebanon must be released, along with other innocent hostages from other countries. The United States gives terrorists no rewards and no guarantees, we make no concessions, and we make no deals. Nations that harbor terrorist undermine their own stability and endanger their own people. Terrorists be on notice. We will fight back against you in Lebanon and elsewhere. We will fight back against your cowardly attacks on American citizens and property.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Nov 21, 1985 Ronald Reagan Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress Following the Soviet-United States Summit Meeting in Geneva He announces that Mikhail Gorbachev will visit the US and he will visit the USSR. I guess you know that I just come from Geneva, talks with General Secretary Gorbachev. In the past few days, the past two days, we spent over 15 hours in various meetings with the General Secretary and the members of his official party. In approximately 5 of those hours were talks between Mr. Gorbachev and myself, just one on one. That was the best part, our fireside summit. I can t claim that we had a meeting of the minds on such fundamentals as ideology or national purpose. But we understand each other better, and that s a key to peace. I gained a better perspective, I feel he did too. It was a constructive meeting, so constructive in fact that I look forward to welcoming Mr. Gorbachev to the United States next year. (Applause) And I have accepted his invitation to go to Moscow the following year. (Applause) We arranged that out in the parking lot.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1985
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Nov 9, 1985, WS Ron and Nancy Reagan welcome PRINCE CHARLES and PRINCESS DIANA to the White House.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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June 26, 1985, Ronald Reagan Remarks to the Finalists in the Teacher in Space Project. When one of you blasts off from Cape Kennedy next January, you ll be representing hope, opportunity and possibility. You ll be the emissary, to the next generation of American heroes. And your message will be one our progress impressive as it is, is only just a beginning.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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1986
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Apr 14, 1986 Ronald Reagan Address to the Nation on the United States Air Strike Against Libya. My fellow Americans at 7 o clock this evening Eastern Time, air and naval forces of the United States launched a series of strikes against the headquarters, terrorist facilities and military assets that support Mu`ammar Qadhafi's subversive activities. The attacks were concentrated and carefully targeted to minimize casualties among the Libyan people, with whom we have no quarrel. Today, we have done what we had to do. If necessary, we shall do it again. It gives me no pleasure to say that. And I wish it were otherwise. Before Khadafy seized power in 1969, the people of Libya had been friends of the United States. And I m sure that today, most Libyans are ashamed and disgusted, that this man has made their country a synonym for barbarism around the world. The Libyan People are a decent people caught in the grip of a tyrant. Despite are repeated warnings Khadafy continued his reckless policy of intimidation, his relentless pursuit of terror. He counted on America to be passive. He counted wrong.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Apr 15, 1986 Ronald Reagan Remarks at a White House Meeting With Members of the American Business Conference. Yesterday as you know pilots of the air and navel forces of the United States spoke to the outlaw Libyan regime in a language that Colonel Khadafy seems to understand. They performed courageisly. Two of our airmen are missing, but let us be clear yesterday the United States won but a single engagement in a long battle against terrorism. We will not end that struggle until the free and decent people of this planet unite, to eradicate the scourge of terror from the modern world.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Oct 12, 1986: Ronald Reagan Remarks to American Military Personnel and Their Families in Keflavik, Iceland. Well, the talks we've just concluded were hard and tough, and yet I have to say extremely useful. We spoke about arms control, human rights, and regional conflicts. And of course, Mr. Gorbachev and I were frank about our disagreements. We had to be. But there remained, at the end of our talks, one area of disagreement. While both sides seek reduction in the number of nuclear missiles and warheads threatening the world, the Soviet Union insisted that we sign an agreement that would deny to me and to future Presidents for 10 years the right to develop, test, and deploy a defense against nuclear missiles for the people of the free world. This, we could not and will not do.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Oct 13, 1986 Address to the Nation on the Meetings With Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev in Iceland. Ronald Reagan TV address regarding the Iceland talks and the SDI dilemma therein. The General Secretary wanted wording that, in effect, would have kept us from developing the SDI for the entire 10 years. In effect, he was killing SDI. And unless I agreed, all that work toward eliminating nuclear weapons would go down the drain -- canceled. I told him I had pledged to the American people that I would not trade away SDI, there was no way I could tell our people their government would not protect them against nuclear destruction. I went to Reykjavik determined that everything was negotiable except two things: our freedom and our future. I'm still optimistic that a way will be found. The door is open, and the opportunity to begin eliminating the nuclear threat is within reach. So you can see, we made progress in Iceland. And we will continue to make progress if we pursue a prudent, deliberate, and above all, realistic approach with the Soviets. I realize some Americans may be asking tonight: Why not accept Mr. Gorbachev's demand? Why not give up SDI for this agreement? Well, the answer, my friends, is simple. SDI is America's insurance policy that the Soviet Union would keep the commitments made at Reykjavik. SDI is America's security guarantee if the Soviets should -- as they have done too often in the past -- fail to comply with their solemn commitments. SDI is what brought the Soviets back to arms control talks at Geneva and Iceland. SDI is the key to a world without nuclear weapons. The Soviets understand this. They have devoted far more resources, for a lot longer time than we, to their own SDI. The world's only operational missile defense today surrounds Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union. What Mr. Gorbachev was demanding at Reykjavik was that the United States agree to a new version of a 14-year-old ABM treaty that the Soviet Union has already violated. I told him we don't make those kinds of deals in the United States.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Nov 7, 1988, Remarks at a Republican Campaign Rally in San Diego, California. Reagan speaks at a Bush rally in San Diego, invokes the memory of his parents. Campaigning for George Bush. "So now we come to the end of this last campaign. And I just hope that Nelly and Jack are looking down on us right now, and nodding their heads and saying their kid did them proud. And I hope that some day your children and grandchildren will tell of the time that a certain President came to town at the ends of a long journey and asked their parents and grandparents to join him in setting America on the course to the new millennium and that a century of peace, prosperity, opportunity and hope had followed."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Dec 7, 1988, NYC: Ronald Reagan, GEORGE BUSH & MIKHAIL GORBACHEV pose by New York Harbor for press opportunity, the Statue of Liberty in BG.
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Jan 25, 1988 Ronald Reagan Address Before a Joint Session of Congress on the State of the Union. "When we first met here seven years ago, many of us for the first time, it was with the hope of beginning something new for America. We meet her tonight, in this historic chamber, to continue that work. If anyone expects just a proud recitation of the accomplishments of my administration, I say let's leave that to history. We're not finished yet." applause. "Tonight then, we're strong, prosperous, at peace and we are free. This is the State of our Union. And if we will work together, this year, I believe we can give a future President and a future Congress, the chance to make that prosperity, that peace, that freedom, not just the state of our Union, but the state of our world."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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June 2, 1988 Remarks Following the Soviet-United States Summit Meeting in Moscow. Mikhail and RAISA Gorbachev wishing Nancy and Ron Reagan well in their future endeavors. Gorbachev, "I wish you a good journey back home, Mr. President and Mrs. Reagan. To you and to all members of the US delegation, I wish good health. Good bye." They shake hands. Reagan assumes podium, thanks them tenderly. "Mr. General Secretary and Mrs. Gorbachev, this is an emotional moment for Mrs. Reagan and me. We have been truly moved by the warmth and the generous hospitality we've received from all of our Soviet hosts during this brief visit. But most especially from the two of you."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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June 3, 1988, London, England. Remarks to Members of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. Ronald Reagan praises Gorbachev before praising British PM MARGARET THATCHER. "Imagine the President of the United States and the General Secretary of the Soviet Union walking together in Red Square, talking about a grown personal friendship and meeting together average citizens, realizing how much our people have in common. It was a special moment." "So let me discharge my first official duty here today. Prime Minister, the achievements of the Moscow Summit, as well as the Geneva and Washington Summits, say much about your valor and strength and by virtue of the office you hold, that of the British people. So let me say simply at this hour in history, Prime Minister, the entire world salutes you and your gallant people and gallant nation."
The Great Communicator, Vol 1: The Reagan Presidency 1981...
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Aug 15, 1988 Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. "This office is not mine to give, only you the people can do that. But I love America too much, and care too much about where we will be in the next few years, I care that we give custody of this office to someone who will build on our changes not retreat to the past. Someone who will continue the change all of us fought for, to preserve what we have and not risk losing it all. America needs George Bush and Barbara Bush as First Lady." Applause. "There's still a lot of brush to clear out at the ranch, fences that need repair and horses to ride. But I want you to know that if the fires ever dim, I'll leave my phone number and address behind, just in case you need a foot soldier." Applause. "Just let me know, I'll be there, as long as words don't leave me. And as long as this sweet country strives to be special during its shining moment on earth." "I'm ready to volunteer a little advice now and then, offer a pointer or two on strategy, if asked. I'll help keep the facts straight or just stand back and cheer. But George, just one personal request, go out there and win one for the Gipper." Reagan smiles and the crowd roars with applause. C/As delegates standing and applauding, some holding Bush '88 placards.
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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June 6, 1984 Excerpt from Remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day. Pointe du Hoc, France. Reagan praises the sacrifices made by the Allied soldiers. Patriotism. C/A of veterans sitting and listening to Reagan. "Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge - and pray God we have not lost it - that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest." edt "Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.'' Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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MSs of Allied cemetery in Normady, France, small flags of nationality (America, France, etc.) flying at each headstone; MSs of Ron and NANCY Reagan walking through cemetery, placing flowers; CU grave of Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.; VO of Ron talking about the sacrifices made by the soldiers. "Where do we fight? Where do we find such men and the answer came almost as quickly as I asked the question. Where we always found them in this country. On the farms, the shops, the stores and the offices. They are just the products of the free st society the world has ever known. "
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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September 14, 1986 Excerpt from Address to the Nation on the Campaign Against Drug Abuse. Ronald Reagan sentimentalizes America & the sacrifices made by our armed forces. "The freedom that so many seek in our land has not been preserved without a price. Nancy and I shared that remembrance 2 years ago at the Normandy American Cemetery in France. In the still of that June afternoon, we walked together among the soldiers of freedom, past the hundreds of white markers which are monuments to courage and memorials to sacrifice. Too many of these and other such graves are the final resting places of teenagers who became men in the roar of battle. Look what they gave to us who live. Never would they see another sunlit day glistening off a lake or river back home or miles of corn pushing up against the open sky of our plains. The pristine air of our mountains and the driving energy of our cities are theirs no more. Nor would they ever again be a son to their parents or a father to their own children. They did this for you, for me, for a new generation to carry our democratic experiment proudly forward. Well, that's something I think we're obliged to honor, because what they did for us means that we owe as a simple act of civic stewardship to use our freedom wisely for the common good."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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November 11, 1985 Excerpt from Remarks at the Veterans Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Ronald Reagan honors who served our country, prosaically of course. Among those seated behind the President is Sen. BOB DOLE. "It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives - the one they were living and the one they would have lived."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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November 21, 1985 Excerpt from Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress Following the Soviet-United States Summit Meeting in Geneva. Ronald Reagan talks about first summit w/ Gorbachev. "can't claim that we had a meeting of the minds on such fundamentals as ideology or national purpose, but we understand each other better, and that's a key to peace. I gained a better perspective; I feel he did, too." edit "We discussed the great issues of our time. I made clear before the first meeting that no question would be swept aside, no issue buried, just because either side found it uncomfortable or inconvenient. I brought these questions to the summit and put them before Mr. Gorbachev."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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October 24, 1985 Excerpt from Address to the 40th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York. Ronald Reagan says that though the political philosophies of the US & the USSR are diamentrically opposed. C/As ambassadors of USSR, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua. "Let us begin with candor, with words that rest on plain and simple facts. The differences between America and the Soviet Union are deep and abiding. The United States is a democratic nation. Here the people rule. We build no walls to keep them in, nor organize any system of police to keep them mute." edit "But isn't it important for us to weigh the record as well? In Afghanistan, there are 118,000 Soviet troops prosecuting war against the Afghan people. In Cambodia, 140,000 Soviet-backed Vietnamese soldiers wage a war of occupation. In Ethiopia, 1,700 Soviet advisers are involved in military planning and support operations along with 2,500 Cuban combat troops. In Angola, 1,200 Soviet military advisers involved in planning and supervising combat operations along with 35,000 Cuban troops. In Nicaragua, some 8,000 Soviet-bloc and Cuban personnel, including about 3,500 military and secret police personnel. All of these conflicts - some of them underway for a decade -- originate in local disputes, but they share a common characteristic: They are the consequence of an ideology imposed from without, dividing nations and creating regimes that are, almost from the day they take power, at war with their own people." edit "I believe fervently that hope is still alive. The United States has spoken with candor and conviction today, but that does not lessen these strong feelings held by every American. It's in the nature of Americans to hate war and its destructiveness. We would rather wage our struggle to rebuild and renew, not to tear down. We would rather fight against hunger, disease, and catastrophe. We would rather engage our adversaries in the battle of ideals and ideas for the future. These principles emerge from the innate openness and good character of our people and from our long struggle and sacrifice for our liberties and the liberties of others. Americans always yearn for peace. They have a passion for life. They carry in their hearts a deep capacity for reconciliation. Last year at this General Assembly, I indicated there was every reason for the United States and the Soviet Union to shorten the distance between us. In Geneva, the first meeting between our heads of government in more than 6 years, Mr. Gorbachev and I will have that opportunity. So, yes, let us go to Geneva with both sides committed to dialog. Let both sides go committed to a world with fewer nuclear weapons, and some day with none. Let both sides go committed to walk together on a safer path into the 21st century and to lay the foundation for enduring peace. It is time, indeed, to do more than just talk of a better world. It is time to act."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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Part 2 April 16, 1985 Excerpt from Remarks at a Conference on Religious Liberty. Ronald Reagan says that Communist repression causes want for religious belief. "We're living in a dramatic age. Throughout the world the machinery of the state is being used as never before against religious freedom. But at the same time, throughout the world new groups of believers keep springing up. Points of light flash out in the darkness, and God is honored once again. Perhaps this is the greatest irony of the Communist experiment. The very pressure they apply seems to create the force, friction, and heat that allow deep belief to once again burst into flame."
The Great Communicator Vol 2: The Military and the Soviet...
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March 11, 1985 Excerpt from Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session With Regional Editors and Broadcasters. Press conference regarding the death of Premier Chernenko: Ronald Reagan, "Today we've learned of the death of the head of state, Konstantin Chernenko, and I've sent my condolences to the Soviet leadership and people. I want them to know that we will deal with Chairman Chernenko's successor with an open mind and will continue our efforts to improve relations between our two nations - to settle our differences fairly and, particularly, to lower the levels of nuclear arms."
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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TLS of inaugural stage, Sen. Mark Hatfield introduces Supreme Court Chief Justice WARREN BURGER. MS/MCUs of RONALD REAGAN takes the oath of office of President of the United States; Nancy Reagan stand by her man; upon being sworn in Reagan kisses Nancy; MS JIMMY CARTER shaking hands with the Reagans; audio of cannon salute.
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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Sen. Mark Hatfield introduces RONALD REAGAN. Mr. Reagan delivers Inaugural Address: "Senator Hatfield, Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. President, Vice President Bush, Vice President Mondale, Senator Baker, Speaker O'Neill, Reverend Moomaw, and my fellow citizens: To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle. Mr. President, I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic. The business of our nation goes forward. These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people. Idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, human misery, and personal indignity. Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity. But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals. You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we're not bound by that same limitation? We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding: We are going to begin to act, beginning today." (applause)
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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RONALD REAGAN continues Inaugural speech: "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. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick - professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. They are, in short, ``We the people,'' this breed called Americans."
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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RONALD REAGAN continues Inaugural speech: "Well, this administration's objective will be a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunities for all Americans with no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination. Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work. Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror of runaway living costs. All must share in the productive work of this ``new beginning,'' and all must share in the bounty of a revived economy. With the idealism and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and prosperous America, at peace with itself and the world. So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government -- not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed. It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government."
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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RONALD REAGAN continues Inaugural speech: "Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it. If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. It is time for us to realize that we're too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet, but deep. Their values sustain our national life. Now, I have used the words ``they'' and ``their'' in speaking of these heroes. I could say ``you'' and ``your,'' because I'm addressing the heroes of whom I speak -- you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God. We shall reflect the compassion that is so much a part of your makeup. How can we love our country and not love our countrymen; and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?"
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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RONALD REAGAN continues Inaugural speech: "Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well, the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic ``yes.'' To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I've just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy. In the days ahead I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity. Steps will be taken aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government. Progress may be slow, measured in inches and feet, not miles, but we will progress. It is time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden. And these will be our first priorities, and on these principles there will be no compromise. On the eve of our struggle for independence a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, president of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, "Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of . . . . On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves." Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children, and our children's children. And as we renew ourselves here in our own land, we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world. We will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom. To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale. As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it, now or ever. Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength. Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors."
1981 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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1981
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RONALD REAGAN continues Inaugural speech: "I'm told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I'm deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inaugural Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer. This is the first time in our history that this ceremony has been held, as you've been told, on this West Front of the Capitol. Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history. At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand. Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man, George Washington, father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence flames with his eloquence. And then, beyond the Reflecting Pool, the dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial. Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln. Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery, with its row upon row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom. Each one of those markers is a monument to the kind of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam. Under one such marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. We're told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, ``My Pledge,'' he had written these words: ``America must win this war. Therefore I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.'' The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with God's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you." CU Mr. Reagan looking back to son, RON REGAN JR., nodding. TLS gallery standing and applauding; President Reagan takes a bow, shakes the hand of Vice-President GEORGE BUSH (George Herbert Walker Bush), waves to former Prez JIMMY CARTER. Nice CU Prez Reagan smiling, waving, nodding to crowd, then grabbing some wood behind bullet-proof glass.