Reagan at Reykjavik: Forty-Eight Hours That Ended the Cold War

A dramatic account of the historic 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Icelandamp;#8212;the turning point in the Cold Waramp;#8212;by Ken Adelman, Reaganamp;#39;s arms control director and a key player in that weekendamp;#39;s world-changing events

In October 1986, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met for a forty-eight-hour summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. Planned as a short gathering to outline future talks, the meeting quickly turned to major international issues, including SDI (amp;#34;Star Warsamp;#34;) and the possibility of eliminating all nuclear weapons. Both men were at the height of their powers, and they had a rare opportunity to move toward peace. The meeting led to negotiations and concessions that neither side had predictedamp;#8212;and laid the groundwork for the most sweeping arms accord in history, adopted the following year, and the end of the Soviet Union a half decade later.

From his position as a participant in these historic events, Ken Adelman is able to reveal the motivations, relationships, and conversations that led to the summitamp;#39;s breakthroughs. His analysis as both a participant and historian provides an invaluable perspective on this uniquely significant episode.

Scrupulously researched and based on now-declassified documents, Reagan at Reykjavik tells the gripping tale of the weekend that changed the world. Adelman provides an honest, laser-etched portrait of President Reagan at one of his finest and most challenging momentsamp;#8212;and, indisputably, one of the most significant triumphs of his presidency.