White House Diaries

Tuesday, November 19, 1985

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This was the day. Mr. G. & I met. We were scheduled for 15 min. of pvt. one on one—we did an hour which excited the h--l out of the Press. Then we joined the plenary meeting. I gave him the floor 1st and he did a pitch about us not trusting them etc. We should have no pre-conditions set before any agreement about better relations. “Our ruling class (munitions makers) keep our people upset at the Soviets so they can sell more weapons.” He also took off on the Heretage [Heritage] Foundation & think tanks that do the same. He said we had declared zones of special interest around the world but attacked the U.S.S.R. when they did the same thing. We must recognize right of people to a revolution. Well finally it was my turn and I took them all the way through the history of Soviet aggression etc. We broke for lunch but I assurerebut me after lunch. Our gang told me I’d done good. In the P.M. session he had quite a prepared thing that had us suspicious without cause etc. Again I rebutted with some pretty solid examples—WW II then refusal to let Am. warplanes use Soviet fields etc. When I finished I suggested he & I leave the group & do another one on one. We walked down to a pool house on the lake shore. Eddy had a fire going & we did about 2 hours on S.D.I. He’s adamant but so am I. I scored one we’ve worried about;—that the meetings should be on an ongoing basis. He accepted my invite to U.S. next year & I’m invited to U.S.S.R. in ’87. That in itself could make the meeting a success.—Tonite to their place for dinner. And what a dinner—they must be influenced by the Orientals. Course after course & for half of them I thought each one had to be the entrée. Finally dessert & by this time it was time to go home & that’s what you did because the host & hostess pushed back their chairs & escorted us to the front door. When you have dinner with the Russians—dinner is the full evenings entertainment.