[ laughter ] >> that gets rid of all of that. >> any president, particularly an older president in his second term begins to say "how will history think of me." >> his legacy in the field of foreign policy is he called them an evil empire. that's not something that's going to stand him in good stead with anyone. but if his legacy is that he helped reduce nuclear weapons and make it a safer world -- >> that means a summit, signing arms agreements, the ultimate photo opportunities, a public relations man's dream. >> again, to your right. ♪ >> thank you, david. >> hopes, fears, expectations for this summit.

an expectant world keeps wondering about arms and the men and the issues. in brookline, massachusetts, school children hope the summit will assure peace. parents around the world wish it were so. >> we only want peace. we've got to try, please, please, pleaded this russian grandmother. >> 40 years of cold war suspicions have not thawed. >> i'm very, very afraid of them, and i think they've infiltrated our country. >> we don't think they're overly trustworthy. >> my fellow americans, good evening. in 36 hours i will be leaving for geneva for the first meeting between an american president and a soviet leader in six years. ♪ >> i know that you and the people of the world are looking forward to that meeting with great interest. my mission stated simply is a mission for peace. it is to engage the new soviet leader in what i hope will be a dialogue for peace that endures beyond my presidency.

♪ >> out of sight of the press, the president and mrs. reagan drove to the villa, site of the first day of summit talks. and mr. reagan tried out the chair he will use to conduct his get-acquainted one-on-one, with mr. gorbachev. according to an aide, mrs. reagan sat down in the chair reserved for the soviet leader, and the president said, "well, you're much prettier than i expected."

it is that kind of personal chemistry that could make this summit a success. >> we haven't given them a script, let me get that straight at the start. the man knows what he's talking about. if there's an occasional slip, anyone can slip on a factor two. it is the principles, he'll never slip on principle. >> 3,500 accredited reporters to cover all of this, speaking all languages. using the latest technologies. ♪ >> it's been an issue all of ronald reagan's career, whether he's a strong leader able to sell his vision of the future or whether he's just a salesman with plenty of style and little substance. >> more than the motorcade. [indistinct chatter]

>> they shook hands in the driveway, the first moment of meeting for the 74-year-old american president and the 54-year-old russian leader. >> will you pose again? >> pose again! >> can you stand there and pose again? up at the top, sir. >> then they posed for pictures on the back terrace. >> over here, mr. president! over here! >> where's your overcoat, gorbachev must have said in russian. i left it inside, the president seemed to say in english. no matter the language barrier, as they posed for the press, the interpreters were present. >> he said of you, you have a nice smile but iron teeth, i guess meaning you're tough. what do you have to say about that. >> translator: yes, you have confirmed. as of now i'm still using my old

teeth. >> what is this, 20th? this is november the 20th, 1985. this is geneva for a reception for gorbachev. i forget his title. what is gorbachev's title? >> secretary general. >> secretary general of the people's republic -- socialist -- >> socialist -- >> the union of socialists socialist, commie russia. [speaking foreign language]. >> how's it going? mr. reagan, how's the meeting going? >> we haven't started. >> how did it go yesterday? >> fine. >> are you getting along? >> you can see that, can't you? >> that's a picture. tell us. >> gorbachev seems to be most confident that he can outperform

ronald reagan. he's feeling comfortable, he's feeling good about the way things are going, and he thinks that he should be able to strut his stuff as well on the world stage. >> it is gorbachev who is very vocal with the press, talking, laughing, smiling. it is mr. reagan sitting back speaking monosyllabically. why isn't mr. reagan coming forward in the way we've seen in the past. >> gorbachev is trying to win through public opinion what he doesn't get at the negotiating table. if he can gain leverage with the united states through propaganda efforts, he can win something at the table. >> so the stage is set for mr. reagan and gorbachev to report on their summit. by every indication they will call it a success. behind the smiles and rhetoric, the question is whether they've done something to make the world breathe easier. >> mr. president, do you have good news tonight? >> yes. the news is so good we're going to hold it till tomorrow. >> we've come to the end of the

meetings -- [speaking foreign language]. >> we -- i said and i'm sure others did -- [speaking foreign language]. >> -- that this summit was a beginning, not an end. tom payne said, "we have it in our power to start the world over again." ♪ [ applause ] >> i guess you know that i've just come from geneva and 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. approximately five of those hours were talks between mr. gorbachev and myself, just one-on-one. that was the best part, our fireside summit. there will be, i know, a great deal of commentary and opinion as to what the meetings produced and what they were like. there were over 3,000 reporters in geneva, so it is possible there will be 3,000 opinions on what happened. [ applause ] >> maybe it is the old broadcaster in me, but i decided to file my own report directly to you. [ applause ]

>> we had good meetings, and even where we disagreed we were disagreeable. >> i watched him very carefully and you said a great line, you know. you said, as an actor you could see when somebody's acting and reacting. but you know what i loved? he might have acted, but you know what happened? because you're a good actor, you had him react a couple of times. [ laughter ] >> could i just hold this up, presenting this to the president? >> thank you, mr. president. >> thanks. >> good afternoon and happy new year, everyone. this new year begins with an important demonstration of the renewed communications between the soviet union and the united states. president reagan and soviet leader gorbachev are exchanging new year's messages that will be broadcast directly to the soviet and american people. this will be the first direct address to the american people by a soviet leader since 1973.

♪ >> translator: it is reality of today's world that it is senseless to seek greater security for one's self through new type also of weapons. at present every step in the arms race increases the danger and risk for both sides and for all human kind. i wish you a happy new year. to every american family i wish good health, peace and happiness. >> check. is the mike on? >> yes, it is. >> oh, all right. >> a few words. >> okay. good evening. this is ronald reagan, president of the united states of america. got no history books over there, no things? i am pleased to speak to you on the occasion of -- >> are you okay? >> good evening, everyone. this is ronald reagan. president of the united states of america.

i am pleased to speak to you on the occasion of the new year. on behalf of the american people, i wish you all a happy and healthy new year. let's work together to make it a year of peace. there is no better goal for 1986 or for any year. let us look forward to a future of -- for all mankind. thank you. [speaking foreign language]. >> you say it better than i do, but it sounded as if you had a "t" in it. as if you said netva. >> netva. shistia netba. >> stand by. >> let us look forward to a future of shistia niaba for all mankind.

thank you. spasiba. >> cut. >> we'll have a postscript. now, how does that figure with all of that crud they've been feeding you? >> i think i told you the story of an old woman who said she wouldn't leave the kremlin until she saw him. he said, "bring her in." he said, "old mother, what do you want?" she said, "i want an answer to a question. did a politician or a scientist invent communism? he said well, a politician, she said that explains it, a scientist would have tried it on

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>> the soviet leader mikhail gorbachev made what looks like a dramatic proposal, a plan to eliminate all nuclear weapons by the year 2000. >> the american side was surprised and upstaged by gorbachev's sweeping proposals. >> it is a bid for public opinion and, of course, the seriousness of it would have been highlighted if it had been tabled first in geneva. >> by offering his timetable for the elimination of nuclear weapons, mikhail gorbachev has clearly challenged president reagan, but by holding to their condition that space weapons be banned, the russians have shown that the major obstacle to the spirit of geneva still exists.

♪ >> you and gorbachev had been eye-to-eye before. >> yes. >> would you trust him with your wallet? >> with my wallet, yes. but in discussing such things as weapons and so forth and arms agreements, i must say i did say to him at one point, i'm not a linguist but i did know a proverb i could say in his language. [speaking foreign language]. trust but verify. [speaking foreign language]. it means trust but verify. [speaking foreign language]. >> oh, i remember that one. >> [speaking foreign language].

>> trust but verify. ♪ >> around the craggy fjords, across the snow-capped peaks, here as in other parts of the world people are eager to know whether mr. reagan and mr. gorbachev will take a step this weekend that will make the world a more stable place. >> the people believe because iceland has an american air base they likely will be soviet targets in event of a nuclear war. >> there's so many nuclear bomb in the world that accident might happen. >> this is only the size of can -- canton, ohio, but finding a place here for the two most powerful people on earth to meet has been a problem.

both moscow and washington want something modest, intimate, suitable for one-on-one meetings. both have already rejected the icelandic government's first choice, a big hotel, because they felt it was too big, too slick and might give the impression that the summit was a media event instead of a low-key working conference. are you going to see him again had he co-- when he comes the united states? >> again, i'm not going to predict predict. >> mr. president? >> do you have an agreement, mr. president? >> do you have an agreement,

sir? >> will you meet again? >> have you agreed on anything? >> did you set a date? >> will you meet again before -- >> there is a great sense of disappointment that at least at this meeting a tremendous amount of headway was made, but in the end we could not quite make it. it became more and more clear that the soviet union's objective was effectively to kill off the sdi program. >> mikael gorbachev told a summit that the talks had failed because of the united states.

>> had nothing in their hearts -- >> the president didn't watch gorbachev speak, but the reaction of advisers was to portray the summit as anything but a failure. >> believe me, the significance of that meeting is not that we didn't sign agreements in the end, the significance was that we got as close as we did. >> a great many people are still trying to figure out what it was that mr. reagan and mr. gorbachev almost agreed to. the reagan administration has not done a great deal to clear up the confusion. >> why are you hiding him? show yourself. >> president reagan today gave yet another version of what he says he said and understood about arms patrol proposals made at the iceland summit. and it sounds like what

gorbachev said. >> we're talking about arms reductions, possibly even the complete elimination of ballistic missiles from the face of the earth. >> imprecision language from ronald reagan is nothing new, and often it doesn't matter, but he is telling us that the agreements are nearer than ever before and it is possible to see what he has in mind. >> the usual method, keep the press corps far away, and a helicopter close by. >> so you see a lot of ronald reagan just out of question range, waving a kind hello and that's it. >> over the years, the president's men have come up with variations, such as plunging the leader of the free world into darkness, and cameras can hardly see him.

the first lady once saved the president from a question about the budget with a birthday cake. reporters who cover the president say he knows he makes them look stupid, that he enjoys it and the chaos helps him avoid answering any questions at all. but the question here bears directly on the prospects for arms control and whether at this point they're real or just campaign rhetoric. >> i think there is great reason for hope, ultimately to get rid of nuclear missiles all over the world world. >> we've got two more songs, the children will starts over there. you have two more quick songs. ♪ ♪ got a lot of this and a lot of that so come on down ♪ ♪

and shake your hips ♪ ♪ show us how ♪ ♪ shaikhk shake, shake, shake ♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> mr. president, can you tell them about the summit prospects? we don't -- >> let me just say that i feel very good, but i also am a little superstitious, i don't want to talk about things until they happen.

[ applause ] mr. president, do you have a deal going with iran of some sort? >> no comment. >> good evening, it is taking shape as one of the most controversial foreign policy

developments of president reagan's years in office. the reports of a secret white house operation to ship iran military supplies in exchange for helping free three american hostages hostages. >> mr. president, you have stated flatly and you stated flatly again tonight that you did not trade weapons for hostages. and yet, the records show that every time an american hostage was released, there had been a major shipment of arms just before that. are we all to believe there was just a coincidence? >> if the arms shipments had no effect on the hostages then how do you explain the release of the hostages? >> how do you explain the credibility of your own administration in light of the deception to congress and the public? >> the polls show that a lot of american people simply don't believe you that the one thing

you had going for you more than anything else in your presidency, your credibility has been severely damaged. can you repair it? the rest of your presidency? >> well, i imagine i am the only one around who wants to repair it and i didn't have anything to do with damaging it. >> there is a mood tonight of a president who is very much beleaguered. very much on the defensive? >> what would be wrong with saying that a mistake was made in a very high risk gamble, so that you can get on with the next two years? >> because i don't think a mistake was made. and may i just go now to chris wallace who is at the white house? i believe there is a clarification coming out of this news conference before. >> well, tom, something i never have seen before in my years at the white house, the statement by the president, there may have been a mistake in one of my answers tonight. >> it reaffirms the president is

not on top of this situation. >> this is quite the worst day the administration has. gone from triumph to disaster in a sort time. >> italians were told reagan will have to answer many more questions. for many europeans, the scandal confirms their worst fears about the u.s. >> i'm afraid what it shows is a stupefying shambles at the heart of american policy making. >> others are skeptical of reagan, actors being in the white house, skeptical of people who muff their lines if they can't read them at the right times, or skeptical of people whether or not they sold arms or didn't sell arms. i think none of this came as a great surprise. >> are you supporting terrorism, mr. president? >> have you no respect for this

office? >> mr. president, has this damaged your presidency? >> both friends and critics agree the ronald reagan good guy image has been tarnished. >> what the president must do to solve it. >> may be the last chance to save his presidency. >> in the past, this television has always been able to bounce back with a television speech, a wave and a smile. but if there is a consensus among the admirers this time, it will not be enough. >> here we go.

>> a few months ago i told the american people i did not trade arms for hostages, my heart and the evidence told me it was true, but the facts and evidence told me it was not. as the tower board reported what began as a strategic opening to iran deteriorated in its implementation into trading arms for hostages. >> i asked you 20 years ago how you would like to be remembered and you said as someone who has tried and done his best. how would you like to be remembered as a president? >> someone who tried and who has done his best. >> same answer now? >> yes. >> and if people said well, he was the head of our nation's studio, to put it in -- for eight years, for the first four years, he picked all hits and

then like any studio boss he had a bad run, but then he staked everything on his soviet co-production. would that be a reasonable summary? >> if anyone tells you that we're just marking time for the next 22 months -- the business that i used to be in said save something for the third act! and we will. all right. thank you. >> mikael gorbachev's genius is that he has persuaded everybody that he, not reagan, is in the front of the arms control, that many seem to hold him in higher regard than the president testifies to his political skills skills. >> it's no coincidence the president is challenging him on

human rights. he and his staff are concerned about the growing concern in the soviet union, he came to the berlin wall to prove it is not so so. >> thank you. >> there is one sign the soviets can make that would be unmistakable. general secretary gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the soviet union and eastern, if you seek liberalization, mr. gorbachev,

tear down this wall! >> what went in the middle of celebrations of the 750750st anniversary, the president suggested it could bring the sides together but it has not. >> mr. gorbachev has already established himself as a shrewd chess player, but mr. gorbachev is at home with a weak, ailing economy. his concern is that he can't drag along the old party conservatives and the old guard. they could strengthen his hand to deal with his greatest need

at home, modernizing a third world economy. >> yes, i had this very brief statement. i am pleased to report that i'm rooting for denver here. i received a call from geneva and it appears that all the remaining issues on reaching an imf agreement have been resolved, including a reliable verification package, this tr t treaty will be signed when i meet with gorbachev in a month. >> can you sell it to the senate?

>> i'll bet we can, yes. [ applause ] >> what do you think -- >> i just couldn't believe. it's great he came out to me, and i am very surprised and pleased. >> what do you think of mr. gorbachev? >> the guy is a pr generius. >> thought you had gone home.

>> president reagan meets with congressional leaders who rally support for senate confirmation of the treaty, battling intermediate and short range nuclear missiles. >> our efforts are to give future generations what we never had, a future free of nuclear terror. >> the lines in this political battle were quickly established with reagan finding his greatest support for the treaty from democrats. >> i am glad to be working with the president of the united states for a change. >> the most scathing opposition comes from conservative republicans. >> are you afraid he is going to give away star wars? >> i'm not afraid, it's in the works. if i were to vote today i would vote against the treaty. >> unfortunately ronald reagan is a very weak man with a strong staff and strong wife.

>> he has changed sides and aligned with his former adversaries, the liberals, the democrats and soviets. >> for the first time in history, the language of arms control was replaced by arms reduction. mr. general secretary, though my pronunciation may give you difficulty -- [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> you repeat that in every meeting meeting. >> i like it. >> veterans of past summits worry that this president may be too taken with mikael gorbachev, the man, and not guarded against gorbachev, the dedicated

communist. he says he is a good man, and as evidenced, he puts him on the defensive by asking him to autograph a baseball. >> and he looked confused, and they took about five minutes to discuss it with him and he later signed the baseball. from that moment, the president had control of the proceedings for the second day of the summit. >> the question, sam, is whether we have a change of heart that is come mlinked with the change president thinks so i don't believe so. >> the president gives his advice and consent to ratification of this landmark agreement. >> many of your closest conservative supporters are troubled by your arms control policy. they're afraid that it really could seriously put the security of the united states and the

west at risk. what do you say to that? >> i say to them, they don't know what they're talking about. i think that some of the people who are objecting the most, just refusing even to accept the idea of ever getting any understanding whether they realize it or not those people basically down in their deepest thoughts have accepted that war is inevitable between the two super powers. well, i think as long as you have got a chance to strive for peace, you strive for peace. [ "livin' thing" by electric light orchestra ]

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>> good evening, this is ronald reagan, president of the united states. i'm speaking to you, the peoples of the soviet union on the occasion of the new year. let is consecrate this year to show not courage for war, but courage for peace. we owe this to mankind. we owe it to our children and their children and generations to come. happy new year, thank you and god bless you. >> cut. >> take that, mr. gorbachev. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> president reagan would like

to leave for the summit with a ratified treaty in his pocket but he has not got it yet and the summit is only days away. >> so i think the summit should move quickly. >> that will be a tight squeeze to see that the president reaches that on the flight to moscow. >> if he goes out there without this treaty being ratified i would predict we'll have a terribly crippled president of the united states. usa, usa, usa! ♪ ♪

>> in the gorbachev era, the soviets have become image conscious, and leaving nothing to chance they have hired professional help. meet john, a washington, d.c. marketing public and relations man. his client is the soft government. its claimed that the soviets expect he will help to polish their image for the western press just as surely as the western men who are giving moscow a face lift. >> the pot holes are suddenly getting filled. fresh vegetables are appearing in the stores and new scaffolding is everywhere, as they give parts of moscow a major face lift. would you believe 10,000 official soviet summit t-shirts made in the usa, on their way to moscow. and they expect to earn about

200,000 in hard currency for a way to remember this summit. >> there are those who think that teaching the soviets the latest pr technology is just as dangerous as teaching them the highest technology. and who knows better than reagan the importance of communication. ♪ ♪ after all the rhetoric, the senators have decided overwhelmingly the treaty is a good one. the weapons treaty was approved by the senate this afternoon.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> this is done for the sake of peace peace. >> we would like your visit -- >> do you still think you were in an evil empire, mr.

president? >> no. >> why not? >> well -- >> are you happy -- [ applause ] >> but before things get too far out of hand -- we will find ourselves standing like this.

[ applause ] >> truth came home to us once again, it is not people but governments that make war.

the judgment of future generations will be harsh upon us if after so much sacrifice and now at the hour of hope we falter or fail. let us resolve to continue one nation, one people, united in our love of peace and freedom, determined to keep our defenses strong. to stand with those who struggle for freedom across the world. to keep america a shining city, a light unto the nations. frequently when such moments happen in a nation's history there is a popular saying or song that speaks for that time. and just maybe this verse sounds familiar to you. if tomorrow, all the things were gone i had worked for all my life and i had to start again with just my children and my wife, i would thank my lucky

stars to be living here today because the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away. [ applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ and i had to start again, just my children and my wife ♪ ♪ thank my lucky stars to be living here today ♪ ♪ for the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away ♪ ♪ and i'm proud to be an american because at least i know i'm free ♪

♪ and i wouldn't forget the men who died who gave that right to me ♪ ♪ and i'm glad to stand up next to you ♪ ♪ because there ain't no doubt i love this land ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ god bless the usa ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no presidency before this one was so often judged as if it were a performing art. i shudder when it suggested the politicians who come after him are going to have to succeed

first on television.

a second person arrested in the london tube bomb investigation. scotland yard still tight lipped as the investigation continues. we'll have more information ahead. the pair writris climate acs the u.s. in or out? the white house denies reports that president trump is reconsidering plans to withdraw. plus world leaders arriving in new york this week for the united nations general assembly . we look at some of the topics on president trump's agenda and what kind of he retention he can expect. we welcome our viewers here and all around the world.