This book is the culmination of twenty years of research in which the editors gathered thousands of pages documenting the most important conversations of the late Cold War. Every word Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev said to each other in their five superpower summits from 1985 to 1988 is included in this volume. The editors argue in their contextual essays and detailed notes that these summits fueled a learning process on both sides of the Cold War. Their anthology provides insight into the nuanced shifts of monumentally important discussions, showing how Moscow’s sense of threat was eased and how a hawkish Reagan softened his tone in negotiations during his second presidential term. Documents from foreign ministers Eduard Shevardnadze and George Shultz offer a particularly intriguing look into the handful of conversations that ended almost half a century of conflict.

These verbatim transcripts, until now top secret, are combined with fascinating photos and crucial information from declassified preparatory and after-action documents from both the Americans and Soviets, obtained in the US through the Freedom of Information Act and in Russia from the Gorbachev Foundation, the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow, and from the personal files of Anatoly Chernyaev, Gorbachev’s foreign policy adviser.

Preface and Acknowledgements

Main Actors

Chronology of Events

Chapter 1: The Geneva Summit, 1985

Document No. 1: Record of Conversation between Thatcher and Reagan, December 22, 1984
Document No. 2: Memorandum from Yakovlev to Gorbachev: "About Reagan," March 12, 1985
Document No. 3: Letter from Reagan to Gorbachev, April 30, 1985
Document No. 4: CIA Intelligence Analysis: "Gorbachev, the New Broom," June 1985
Document No. 5: Record of Main Content of Conversation between Gorbachev and U.S. Senate Delegation, September 3, 1985
Document No. 6: Memorandum Dictated by Reagan: "Gorbachev," November, 1985
Document No. 7: CIA paper: "Sharing SDI Technology with the Soviets," November 1, 1985
Document No. 8: Memorandum from McFarlane to the President: "Papers on the Soviet Union: Gorbachev and his Geneva Agenda," November 12, 1985
Document No. 9: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Private Meeting, Geneva, 10:20 a.m. - 11:20 a.m., November 19, 1985
Document No. 10: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Plenary Meeting, Geneva, 11:27 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., November 19, 1985
Document No. 11: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Plenary Meeting, Geneva, 2:30 p.m. - 3:40 p.m., November 19, 1985
Document No. 12: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Private Meeting, Geneva, 3:40 p.m. - 4:45 p.m., November 19, 1985
Document No. 13: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Dinner Hosted by the Gorbachevs, Geneva, 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., November 19, 1985
Document No. 14: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Third Private Meeting, Geneva, 10:15 a.m. - 11:25 a.m., November 20, 1985
Document No. 15: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Third Plenary Meeting, Geneva, 11:30 a.m. - 12:40 p.m., November 20, 1985
Document No. 16: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Fourth Plenary Meeting, Geneva, 2:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., November 20, 1985
Document No. 17: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Dinner Hosted by President and Mrs. Reagan, Geneva, 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., November 20, 1985
Document No. 18: Draft Private Letter from Reagan to Gorbachev, November 28, 1985
Document No. 19: Letter from Gorbachev to Reagan, December 24, 1985

Chapter 2: The Reykjavik Summit, 1986

Document No. 20: Letter from Gorbachev to Reagan, January 14, 1986
Document No. 21: Letter from Reagan to Gorbachev, February 22, 1986
Document No. 22: Record of Conversation between Gorbachev and Members of the U.S. Congress Fascell and Broomfield, April 4, 1986
Document No. 23: Letter from Gorbachev to Reagan, September 15, 1986
Document No. 24: Meeting in the Secretariat Room with Members of the Politburo and Assistants, September 22, 1986
Document No. 25: Memorandum from Shultz to the President: "Reykjavik," October 2, 1986
Document No. 26: Gorbachev's Instructions to the Reykjavik Preparation Group, October 4, 1986
Document No. 27: Notes of a CC CPSU Politburo Session, October 8, 1986
Document No. 28: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Meeting, Reykjavik, 10:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., October 11, 1986
Document No. 29: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Meeting, Reykjavik, 3:30 p.m. - 5:40 p.m., October 11, 1986
Document No. 30: Record of Conversation in the Working Group on Military Issues, October 11-12, 1986
Document No. 31: Transcript of Reagan-Gorbachev Reykjavik Talks, October 12, 1986
Document No. 32: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Fourth Meeting, Reykjavik 3:25 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., October 12, 1986
Document No. 33: Transcript of Gorbachev-Reagan Reykjavik Talks, Final Meeting, October 12, 1986
Document No. 34: State Department: "Lessons of Reykjavik," October 12, 1986
Document No. 35: Gorbachev's Thoughts on Reykjavik, October 12, 1986
Document No. 36: Memorandum from Poindexter for the President: "Why We Can't Commit to Eliminating All Nuclear Weapons Within 10 Years," October 16, 1986
Document No. 37: Memorandum from Shultz for the President: "Visit of UK Prime Minister Thatcher," November 12, 1986
Document No. 38: Notes from the Conference with Politburo Members and Secretaries of the Central Committee, December 1, 1986

Chapter 3: The Washington Summit, 1987

Document No. 39: Memorandum from Yakovlev to Gorbachev: "Analysis of the Visit to the USSR of Prominent American Political Leaders (Kissinger, Vance, Kirkpatrick, Brown, et. al.)," February 25, 1987
Document No. 40: Memorandum of Conversation between Gorbachev and Shultz, April 14, 1987
Document No. 41: Plan of Negotiations with Reagan in Washington [Draft dictated by Gorbachev to Chernyaev], May 1987
Document No. 42: Notes of a CC CPSU Politburo Session, July 9, 1987
Document No. 43: Memorandum of Conversation between Gorbachev and Shultz, October 23, 1987
Document No. 44: Memorandum from Abramowitz to the Secretary: "Gorbachev's Private Summit Agenda," November 28, 1987
Document No. 45: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Meeting, Washington, 10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., December 8, 1987
Document No. 46: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Meeting, Washington, 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m., December 8, 1987
Document No. 47: Record of Conversation between Akhromeyev and Nitze at the U.S. State Department, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., December 8, 1987
Document No. 48: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Third Meeting, Washington, 10:35 a.m. - 10:45 a.m., December 9, 1987 (with Information Memorandum by Ermarth from December 15, 1987)
Document No. 49: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Fourth Meeting, Washington, 10:55 a.m. - 12:35 p.m., December 9, 1987
Document No. 50: Record of Conversation between Akhromeyev and Carlucci, December 9, 1987
Document No. 51: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Fifth Meeting, Washington, 12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m., December 10, 1987
Document No. 52: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Working Luncheon, Washington, 12:40 p.m. - 2:10 p.m., December 10, 1987
Document No. 53: Record of Conversation between Bush and Gorbachev Following Summit, Washington, December 10, 1987
Document No. 54: Notes of a CC CPSU Politburo Session, December 17, 1987

Chapter 4: The Moscow Summit, 1988

Document No. 55: Memorandum of Conversation, Gorbachev-Shultz, Moscow, February 22, 1988
Document No. 56: Notes from a CC CPSU Politburo Session, February 25, 1988
Document No. 57: Notes from a CC CPSU Politburo Session, March 10, 1988
Document No. 58: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Private Session, Moscow, 3:26 p.m. - 4:37 p.m., May 29, 1988
Document No. 59: Memorandum of Conversation: "The President's Meeting with Monks in Danilov Monastery," Moscow, 2:28 p.m. - 2:47 p.m., May 30, 1988
Document No. 60: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, First Plenary Meeting, Moscow, 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., May 30, 1988
Document No. 61: Department of State Cable, "The President's Human Rights Reception a Success," May 30, 1988
Document No. 62: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Private Meeting, Moscow, 10:08 a.m. - 11:07 a.m., May 31, 1988
Document No. 63: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Second Plenary Meeting, Moscow, 10:05 a.m. - 11:20 a.m., June 1, 1988
Document No. 64: Notes of a CC CPSU Politburo Session "On Reagan's Visit to Moscow," June 6, 1988
Document No. 65: Memorandum from Arbatov to Gorbachev, June 1988

Chapter 5: The Governors Island Summit, 1988

Document No. 66: Memorandum from Dobrynin to Gorbachev, September 18, 1988
Document No. 67: Notes from a CC CPSU Politburo Session, November 3, 1988
Document No. 68: Special National Intelligence Estimate: "Soviet Policy During the Next Phase of Arms Control in Europe," November 16, 1988
Document No. 69: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Private Meeting, Governors Island, 1:05 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., December 7, 1988
Document No. 70: Memorandum of Conversation, Reagan-Gorbachev, Luncheon Meeting, Governors Island, 1:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m., December 7, 1988