As detente between the United States and the Soviet Union collapsed in the late 1970s, the prospect of superpower confrontation and nuclear war became a disturbing possibility for the entire world. Entering office vowing to confront the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan struggled to reconcile his determination to confront Soviet power with his efforts to improve U.S.-Soviet relations and step back from the brink of annihilation. When Mikhail Gorbachev ascended to the leadership of the Soviet Union, for the first time Reagan found a Soviet leader with whom he could work. The dramatic diplomatic revolution that followed fundamentally altered the status quo, even as both men, and their governments, remained suspicious of one another and unsure where their work would take them, and take the world.

This program will be conducted as a conversation, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.