Reagan at Reykjavik audiobook

Who would read a book pertaining to a long weekend in remote Reykjavik, Iceland? It’s not a romance novel set around a glowing fireplace or a murder mystery thriller. But wait, it was a historic event witnessed by the author. I like first hand accounts, but how historic? It’s not about the 1972 World Chess Championship in Iceland between American Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky. The story is of a more famous meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev that set the stage to change the world and the lives of individuals around the globe. Author Ken Adelman served as the U.S. arms control director and accompanied President Reagan on the trip. His documentation is priceless for future generations of all societies to comprehend.The leaders, one a capitalist and one a communist came from vastly different backgrounds but shared a strong desire to halt the Cold War and nuclear escalation of arms during their tenure. Past discussions involved talks and treaties with SALT I&II, ABM, and SDI, but hope was in the air for something special. Gorbachev reached out to Reagan for a bold meeting to take place over the weekend of October 11-12, 1986. The armament details would naturally be too much for any one person to absorb so both world leaders brought their closest councils in tow to Iceland. The showdown would be held behind closed doors in the stark rural Hofdi House complete with rumors of a haunted past.Adelman notes Reagan’s wandering mind that some journalists preyed upon as a character fault. Was it due to partial deafness or early onset of Alzheimer’s? Throughout his presidency his mind was often focused on his wife Nancy. During this historic encounter common jet lag would also be a factor. At 75 would Reagan be up to the challenge? Offers, counteroffers and concessions were dealt back and forth followed by recess and new rounds to see who might blink. Those who knew Reagan best would never underestimate the qualities within “The Gipper”. Of utmost importance was when the chips were in and America’s best interests were at stake Reagan came through. Following the talks the press clamored for hard facts. What exactly went down? Reagan avoided details and rather spoke in bold strokes. As the dust settled the months lingered into the Iran-Contra affair, a setback that severely tested Reagan’s ultimate visionary goal. Reagan’s second term was winding down and any significance of the Reykjavik talks were fading fast. June 12, 1987 would provide Reagan a chance to reach out to Gorbachev and reconnect to the weekend in Reykjavik, Iceland that was full of hope. He would shift his focus from military armament to human rights. While in Germany standing upon a podium at the Berlin Wall and gazing into communist East Germany, President Reagan representing the free world, spoke into the microphone; “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Against all odds the wall was dismantled by the end of the decade.In turn Gorbachev issued another invitation to Reagan, this time to Russia and for this occasion Nancy accompanied him. On communist turf Reagan could not be too critical, but the optimist portrayed the spirit of the American free enterprise through: “Bureaucrats are no substitute for entrepreneurs.”The Reykjavik meetings paved the way to ending the Cold War and a simple mutual friendship was formed to the benefit of all humanity.

Nice memoir of what happened in Reykjavik from the eyes of a presidential adviser. Gives a sense of what happened in the room, with some commentary for people who either did not have a clear sense of what was going on or who wasn't alive during the entire Reagan Presidency. First eight chapters were a pretty good detail of the summit. The last two tend to be more of his personal opinion on a host of topics relating to after the summit. Its not a complete piece of revisionist history (Pat Buchanan), but some of the arguments that he makes seem to fall under the lines of "Ronald Reagan is the greatest person ever. Everything he did was right. Anyone who disagrees is a loser who was jealous of him". His defense of SDI makes no sense and Mr. Adelman doesn't even consider for a fact that it was the breakaway of all the smaller republics that broke the Soviet Union. Again, he is entitled to his own opinion and many people have made the same arguments, but that is just my take. Also, the book steers clear of a more over-the-top partisan rewrite of history, which makes this a more enjoyable read.

Reagan at Reykjavik: Forty-Eight Hours That Ended The Cold War, is one of the best books I read in 2014. The author, Ken Adelman, is an amazing statesman and scholar. Ken was Director of U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency at the time of the Reykjavik Summit, so he observed and participated in the events of which he writes. Also, having served previously as the Deputy Ambassador to the UN during Reagan’s first term in office, Ken brings a unique perspective to his observations of Reagan during the summit: this was a man he had observed up close on many occasions over several years. More than anything, this perspective makes Reagan at Reykjavik an engaging look at a president in action. Reagan at Reykjavik is an important book for all of us to read. The events at the summit and those that unfolded as a result of the summit are a real-world reminder that our perceptions of the monolithic character of other nations and peoples are almost always illusions. When we have the courage to meet and speak and work with the people representing those other nations in settings that allow our mutual humanity to assert itself, we can achieve great things. Ken paints a picture of Reagan as a man whose faith gave him this courage. We see Reagan as one who believed he could reason with Gorbachev. In spite of the limited gains at the summit itself, the humanizing effect of intense work among key leaders on both sides allowed the process to continue and ultimately bear fruit. There are lessons here, I think, for how we approach other seemingly intractable diplomatic issues. My favorite anecdote from the book was Ken’s description of the basement of Hofdi House, the building where the negotiations took place. This space was necessarily shared by both CIA and KGB communications teams. A dispute arose over which team would get the larger of two bathrooms, and the KGB station chief ultimately pointed out the silliness of the dispute and suggested both sides share both facilities. Ken writes, “Thus, while intelligence agencies normally operate on a need-to-know basis, for this weekend in Reykjavik, the world’s two main intelligence agencies operated on a need-to-go basis.” I would encourage everyone to read Reagan a Reykjavik. It is more than a historical description of a key diplomatic event. Indeed, as we prepare to select our next president, this book affords us a personal account of a president ranked in the top tier of all presidents by many recent polls of historians and scholars. In this light, we may find here some insights into the kind of leader we should seek as we approach the 2016 elections.

A great insider view of the key summit between Reagan & Gorbachev and the aftermath. It's an honest and personal look at these leaders and the end of the Cold War.

As Arms Control Director, Ken Adelman was present at the controversial 1986 summit between President Ronald Reagan and Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev at Reykjavik, Iceland. Adelman provides as detailed analysis and narrative of the summit was possible, and places the proceedings of Reykjavik in the context of the Cold War. As an 18 year old college freshman, my only recollection of this summit was the perception that it was a tragic failure and missed opportunity. Adelman provides a corrective to that. On the contrary, he argues that it was an enormous success in the long-term because it brought the leaders of the super powers closer together and paved the way from some historic arms reductions that followed. A critical element of his narrative of the conference is the extent that it was a genuine one-on-one between Reagan and Gorbachev. From the transcripts, Adelman shows that the two leaders did not shy away from frank, and, at times, confrontational, direct communications. Many of their advisors were unaware of what the two leaders were discussing and many of the proposals from both of them had not been vetted by their staffs. This stood in contrast to many previous summits in which here was much scripted discussions and little direct communications. Finally, Reagan and Gorbachev had some misperceptions of each other and what they had promised their own domestic audiences, mostly around the Strategic Defense Initiatives (SDI). Reagan, much to Adelman's surprised kept insisting that he had made a sacred promise to the American people not to abandon SDI. On the other side, Gorbachev and his intelligence experts, believed that the United States was close to implementing a system that had, in fact, not progressed beyond the concept stage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was something of a surprise. I wondered, as you may be wondering, how anybody could write an entire book about a weekend? The secret is: the book wasn't just about the weekend, but about the build-up to and aftermath of the weekend. For example, there was a fairly long chapter about the coming down of the Berlin Wall and the unraveling of the Soviet Union. But what I found really enjoyable about the book were the personal anecdotes related by the author. I suppose there are some that wouldn't want to read about his freezer going out right before he was due in an important meeting, but for me, those are the sorts of things that put a human face on politics.

I thought it was fascinating, but I lived through this period. It might be a little too detailed for someone who just wants a fast synopsis of the weekend in Reykjavik when the US (President Reagan) and the USSR (Gorbachev) got together and set the framework for nuclear disarmament.

Only one word will do - WOW!This is an incredible book. Assuming most of it is a reasonably accurate portrayal of what took place, it represented to me an incredibly scary exhibit of what I had expected to be a sane, planned, thoughtful process discussing critical issues between the two major powers of the time. Instead, it seems to me to be a head-shaking process that was more unplanned and serendipitous than anything else. The book is a little long and a little hard to follow at times, but overall a good read, most particularly for the portrayal of a process that likely none of us imagined, either then or now. And in these seemingly crazy days of the Trump presidency, I'd make this a must read for the potential similarities and implications.

I enjoyed this account of the Reykjavik Summit and the subsequent events that spelled the end of Communist totalitarianism in Europe and Russia. Reagan and Gorbachev were both vital in the ending of the cold-war. The world was a much dangerous place while the super-powers had countless nukes pointed at one another. Nuclear annihilation under the MAD doctrine was a possibility. I still recall doing 'duck and cover' drills in grade school and many folks built bomb-shelters, not just the survival extremists that are on reality television.Victory in the Cold War was Reagan's greatest achievement. Gorbachev's humanity in allowing the Soviet system to crumble with a whimper instead of a bloody bang was his. Both need to be remembered and lauded.

Reykjavik from the perspective of someone who was there and witnessed the action and events. For anyone who wonders why a meeting that seemed such a disappointment and a failure at the time could take its place in history as one of the most consequential cusp incidences in the Twentieth Century, Adelman supplies the details, the players, and the terms of discussion. In the end, the most important consequence of this meeting was that Reagan and Gorbachev took full measure of each other, found that they could work together, and did so. This is an awesome and welcome addition to Cold War historiography.

For those who still think of Ronald Reagan as an "amiable dunce" in the White House, this book is a wake-up call. En route to Iceland on Air Force One, Reagan dismayed his advisers by refusing to read any of the "position papers" his staff had written to prepare him for his confrontation with Mikael Gorbachev. Despite the misgivings of his advisers, Reagan pulled off one of the greatest bluffs in history, while at the same time laying the foundation for a lasting relationship with the new Russian leader.

Interesting insider view of the Reykjavik summit and the impact that it had on the end of the cold war. After the experience of the Iran-Contra scandal and how much Reagan said he wasn't aware of what was happening, I've been a little critical of him and his leadership style. The book did provide some new perspective -- Reagan was a man with a vision and stuck to that vision despite heavy pressure to change. I do see his commitment to eliminate weapons, and how holding firm on SDI helped hasten the end of the cold war, despite the actual short-term viability of the program.

A great behind the scenes look at the summit that everyone considered a failure at the time.The insider at the meeting gave a good take on the summit and its followup in the history between the two Superpowers. The fall of Communism, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, and the coup attempt in the Soviet Union.Reagan's refusal to cave when it seemed like he should have at the surprise offering at this meeting led to all of those events.

Best history lesson I ever hadI was to young when all this took place. The fall of the Berlin Wall is one of my earliest memories about a significant world event. I remember drawing a picture and asking my mom “why didn’t I know that there was a wall through Germany?”Ken has done an excellent job at giving me the history lesson I never got.

What a fantastic read! Really felt like I was there in the room. Ken Adelman's story reminds us of one of the most pivotal moments that would finally end the Cold War. He talks about the major players, but most importantly the remarkable leaders that made this all possible: Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. For any student of the Cold War, this is a must-read.