Throwback Thursdays

Today’s subject? The President’s diplomatic efforts with China in 1984. Yes, in those years, there were positive diplomatic efforts. In fact, the administration developed a relationship with Ziyang who was a reformer, in office from 1980 to 1987. Shortly after George Shultz became Secretary of State, he completed an initiative with Ziyang in August 1982, that arranged for acceptance of a joint US-China communique that limited US arms sales to Taiwan in exchange for a vague pledge by the Chinese government to strive for “peaceful unification of the Motherland.” While many criticized Reagan for supporting this, knowing of his staunch support for Taiwan, it was a sign of reciprocity. Ultimately, Ziyang lost power because he criticized the government’s handling of the Tiananmen Square protests and empathized with the students. He believed China should become a liberal democracy and was placed on house arrest until his death in 2005. So let’s get started by listening to an excerpt from the President’s welcoming remarks.

Throughout Ronald Reagan's presidency, the subject of Cuba was frequently raised. In frustration, on one occasion, the president asked, “When’s the last time you heard someone swimming TO Cuba?” But long before he sat in the Oval Office, President Reagan commented on a documentary that had been crafted on Cuba, in order to bring attention to the idea of false reporting and an effort to cover the truth.

So just imagine. You’re the president, it’s late in December 1983. You’ve delivered your evil empire speech in March putting the Soviets on notice… you’ve learned by detailed intelligence reports that the communists and Fidel Castro are expanding their efforts in the Caribbean along with infiltrating the island of Grenada….you’ve announced your Strategic Defense Initiative in March which was renamed Star Wars by the press, you’ve sent forces into Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force which became a target of terrorists killing 270 marines in their barracks as they slept, you’ve watched the war in the middle east escalate exponentially with bad actors getting involved from every angle, you’ve watched Soviet leader Andropov continue to advance the Brezhnev doctrine and …you’ve learned how the Soviets shot down Korean airliner 007 killing all passengers aboard…now those are just the high notes. 

 

SO..if you were president, and had to draft a message for the new year….where would you start??

Let’s begin by listening to our 40th president, the eternal optimist who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons. But always the responsible citizen, he begins by cautioning Americans about drunk driving on New Years eve then moves on. Let’s listen to a bit.

Do you remember Spacelab? Or perhaps the question should be, what do you recall about Spacelab? In case you’re a little foggy on this one, here’s a little history: during the development of the Space Shuttle in the 1970’s, NASA recognized the need for a facility to allow scientists to conduct experiments on the Shuttle while in orbit. So under a cooperative agreement with NASA, the European Space Agency built a modular research laboratory that would fit inside the Shuttle’s cargo bay. And what is so unique is not only our collaboration with the European Space Agency, but how Spacelab was built by a consortium of 10 European companies. And on December 5th, both President Ronald Reagan and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl had a fascinating conversation with the crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Columbia from space and from the President’s Oval Office. In the second half of this podcast, we’ll hear the crewmembers explain in detail their objectives. It’s a little out of this world, I know, but a refreshing reminder of space exploration in the 70’s.

Today, we are witnessing the emergence of hatred targeted at numerous religious groups. It defies logic, since the basis of all religion is love, isn’t it? Ronald Reagan, a man of private yet devout faith, respected all religions and this time of the year, honored the celebration of Hanukkah. He deeply revered the lighting of the Menorah. And he empathized with Soviet Refusniks who were prohibited and punished for practicing their Jewish traditions. So in December 1983, 40 years ago, Ronald Reagan travelled to the Jewish Community Center in Rockville, Maryland to attend a Menorah lighting. And he delivered touching, inspiring remarks. But in our opinion, these words should echo throughout the land today, throughout America and across the globe.

Family – well, it’s the center of all our activities this time of year, the reason for the season, so to speak. And to Ronald Reagan, incredibly important. So following in the tradition established in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, he proclaimed National Family Week which occurs near Thanksgiving. In 1981, Ronald Reagan wrote as he proclaimed National Family Week:

The family is the basic unit of our society, the heart of our free democracy. It provides love, acceptance, guidance, support, and instruction to the individual. Community values and goals that give America strength also take root in the home. In times of change and challenge, families keep safe our cultural heritage and reinforce our spiritual foundation.

Because of the war in the Middle East, we thought it would be a good idea to devote today’s podcast to Israel, focusing on the radio addresses written by Ronald Reagan before entering the Oval Office. So remember, he wrote these, on a yellow pad, without the oversight of a foreign policy advisor, without a secretary of defense or secretary of state or national security advisor hanging over his shoulder. These, from the late 70’s, came from his own pen. One entitled Palestine and the other Brezhnev. Overall, the politics of the Middle East was not the subject of many radio broadcasts in the late 70’s. Of course, as soon as he became President, Ronald Reagan met with Prime Minister Menachem Begin early in his administration and clearly defined America’s role and his objective focusing on peace.

Now this might seem an odd pairing…Israel and Thanksgiving. But, as of this writing, the war in the Middle East rages. While in America, we are focused on Thanksgiving celebrations, we cannot overlook the terrible pain, suffering, and yes, terror the residents of the Middle East are enduring. Therefore, in this podcast, we’ll cover the President’s position on Israel briefly, and then we’ll close in the second half with his heartfelt Thanksgiving remarks.

Forty years ago, President and Mrs. Reagan made an historic trip to Japan and South Korea. The President’s last stop was to Camp Liberty Bell, which was less than a mile from North Korean guns. Yes, they were quite near the DMZ. They attended an open air church service and the president wrote in his diary, that they were entertained by a choir of little Korean orphan girls. You might be surprised to know that our GI’s support and maintain that orphanage. Following the service, they went up onto a 500 foot promontory to Post Guard Collier where they met a patrol just going out. As you probably know, the zone is patrolled night and day. Still, they were so close, that they could hear the North Korean loudspeakers spewing their propaganda. He then toured the bunker and returned to Camp Liberty Bell where he addressed the troops. But to fit in, he chose to forget about the business suit…rather he wore his military, army assigned, POTUS khaki garb. He spoke in the mortar bunker area of the camp, which is located near the DMZ (demilitarized zone) dividing the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Let’s begin listening.

In today’s podcast we honor our veterans and in the president’s messages to veterans, we’ll cover peace through strength. Going through our archives, both Citizen, Governor and President Reagan delivered many addresses saluting those who serve our country. Today we’ve chosen two – the first he delivered in August 1980 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The theme was Peace because, in candidate Ronald Reagan’s view, Peace was the first purpose of American foreign policy. So in saluting the sacrifices made by veterans, President Reagan is stressing that in order to protect these men, and find a path toward peace, we must focus on peace through strength. He covers why he thinks American foreign policy has been working against peace and how that trend could be reversed. In the second half of the podcast, we’ll hear when he addressed the American people in honor of Veterans Day 40 years ago in 1983. Of course, this address was focused on the veterans of both the Grenada and Beirut operations.