Ronald Reagan

“ Breaking faith with freedom fighters would signal that aggression carries no risk, and this we will not allow. My fellow Americans, we are entering a season of hope. If we remain resolute for freedom and peace, if we keep faith with God, then our American family, 238 million strong, will be even more thankful for next year. ”

“ On arms control, the Soviets, after several years of resisting talks, have now agreed that each side should cut nuclear arms by 50 percent in appropriate categories. And in our joint statement, we called for early progress on this, directing the emphasis of the talks toward what has been the chief U.S. goal all along: deep, equitable, fully verifiable reductions in offensive weapons. If there's a real interest on the Soviet side, there's a chance the talks can begin to make headway.
Mr. Gorbachev and I discussed our work on SDI, America's Strategic Defense Initiative. ”

“ If there is one conclusion to draw from our fireside summit, it's that American policies are working. In a real sense, preparations for the summit started 5 years ago when, with the help of Congress, we began strengthening our economy, restoring our national will, and rebuilding our defenses and alliances. ”

“ Opportunities to address important problems of Soviet-American relations should not be squandered. We must always be realistic about our deep and abiding differences, but we should be working for progress wherever possible. ”