Soviet Public Treatment of President Reagan

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

## Document 1 of 2 AGAL Concatenated Database

policy course or only its form, as has already been the case.

343. Commentators Aleksandr Korshunov and Oleg Blinov (Soviet domestic radio, 12 Jan 83)

344. At the end of his [latest radio] speech, Reagan stated the readiness of the United States--and I quote--to sit down at the conference table with the Russians to discuss practical measures capable of resolving the problems and leading to a more durable and genuine improvement of relations between East and West. If this is really so, then one can only welcome the U.S. President's utterances. The Soviet Union believes that the path toward mutual talks is open and that our two countries could make an important contribution to the cause of creating a climate of mutual trust, mutual understanding and cooperation in the world.

345. Valentin Zorin, Soviet television political observer (Moscow radio [in English] to North America, 3 Apr 83)

346. But the leaders in Washington are not only rude and tactless in their political styles, they also break another unwritten rule of statesmanship. It is unfortunate when the mass media juggles with facts but it is inexcusable when leaders in positions of utmost responsibility resort to overt lies. There have been many instances when the current leaders in Washington have flagrantly distorted the truth and deliberately lied to the public. That was the case in the most recent statements made by President Reagan about Soviet policy.

## 347. Kobysh (Literaturnaya Gazeta, 6 Apr 83)

348. [In his] 1 April speech and in previous speeches, R. Reagan cast aside all Easter rhetoric and explained quite clearly and bluntly that the Administration that he heads, far from intending to renounce its military preparations on a monstrous scale and its hegemonist aggressive course, actually contemplates something still more sinister. Playing with words, he presented to the public in the guise of "ABM defense" the announcement that the United States is embarking on the implementation of a vast new, purely aggressive program of military preparations, mainly covering space. This announcement was further evidence that the present U.S. Government is not simply preparing for nuclear war, but has set a course toward unleashing such a war.

349. Valentin Falin, Izvestiya political observer (Izvestiya, 14 Aug 83)

350. And what does the U.S. leadership think now? It links the maintenance of peace between our states to the United States' acquisition of military superiority in addition to the USSR's