Reel

Tape 654 Part 1 Edited compilation piece of speeches made by Ronald Reagan during his Presidency.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.