Peoria Pundit

Upon my death bed, I hope that I will have achieved as great an understanding of our universe as I have the capacity to understand. An insatiable curiosity and quest for knowledge causes me to  jump at the opportunity to seek out anything or anyone that is considered remarkable. I believe there are people that have been put upon our planet with God-given talents that offer them a unique opportunity to change the world. Even more astonishing, is that two of these remarkable people could come together in such a way, and at such a time, that they would leave the world changed forever.  Those two people are Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

From the official “The Ronald Reagan Day Dinner of Eureka College” program:

President Mikhail Gorbachev was President Ronald Reagan’s partner in ending the cold War and introducing reforms that led to more freedom and peace in the world. Their relationship led to significant nuclear arms reductions and the end of the Cold War.

It was with these thoughts that I eagerly anticipated the arrival of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to the Peoria Civic Center last Friday evening. “A conversation with Mikhail Gorbachev” was made possible by the members of the The Ronald Reagen Society of Eureka College and other major sponsors. My evening began alongside several hundred high school and college students. Prior to Gorbachev’s arrival they participated in a lecture called “Witness to History”. It’s purpose was to expose the students to the facts and practical circumstances that existed during the Cold War to prepare them for a greater understanding of the relevance of the evenings program.

As I sat down at a large round table with 8 high school students plus their teacher, it dawned on me that they most likely didn’t have a clue as to how moved most  people of my generation would be by Gorbachev’s presence in Peoria.  As the three speakers held me riveted with facts and personal accounts of the cold war, I noticed more than one student fiddling with their PDA and texting up a storm. Several were chatting and a few were busily looking through photo albums. As the evening progressed, however, I believe  the majority began to understand. One of the panelists, Russian born Ilona Stevenson, was particularly compelling as she described what it was like to grow up in  cold war Russia, deeply distrusting and fearful of the evil Americans who waited hopefully for a single reason to bomb the world into oblivion. 

Her accounts were interestingly similar to the accounts of the first panelist, Donald Samford, a teacher born and raised in the mid-West, not much older than myself. I nodded in agreement as he described the paralyzing fear of the Russian commies that we had as children.  The race into space, the paranoia, the angst, the concept of mutually assured destruction hung over my teenage years and was as palpable as the fear of today’s average New-Yorker.  As Americans we displayed much bravado, but one couldn’t deny the underlying curiosity as to who really had the superior nukes.

Hopefully the students were able to absorb at least some of the serious message that the panelists were trying to convey as the stage was set for Gorbachev’s arrival.  After the “Witness to History” event we moved upstairs into the lavishly prepared ballroom.  It was a sight to behold. The ballroom in the new Peoria Civic Center addition was prepared to receive  nearly 1200 guests. I am so thankful our city leaders “dream big” so that we had the means to welcome this legendary figure to Peoria.

As the guests enjoyed an exquisitely prepared meal of Grilled fillet of beef with Mushroom Merlot Sauce, I snagged an empty seat near the center aisle where Gorbachev was expected to enter. The lights dimmed, the room hushed, and the always dramatic  “Fanfare for the Common Man”  began. After several moments, Gorbachev entered and slowly made his way up the aisle with an entourage of dignitaries and a color guard. He shook a few hands but for the most part looked straight ahead as he marched very dignified.  I was surprised at how good he looked. His skin was smooth and clear, and he had the same sweet, slightly amused expression, dancing eyes and dimples. Time has been very kind to him.

After he made his way on to the stage he was joined by the President of Eureka College, J. David Arnold. Dr. Arnold presented Mr. Gorbachev with the Honorary Reagan Fellow, and a bronze bust of Ronald Reagan. The bust was crafted by artist Lonnie Stewart, and donated by Mrs. Anne Vaughan in celebration of his visit. The Soviet President  beamed with delight.

Mr. Gorbachev then turned and addressed the audience through his translator of over 30 years. He addressed the premier burning issue of the day right out of the gate. “The world is in crisis. America is good, and will cope with this crisis. I wish you success”.  The audience cheered. He spoke at length about the evolution of his relationship with Ronald Reagan. It began as one of mutual distrust. Upon their first meeting however, he realized that ”This is an ordinary man just like me”.  He wants what is best for his country as do I. With that simple realization, they built a lasting friendship and brought about the end of the cold war.

Gorby fondly recalled how President Reagan loved to tease and tell jokes and knew an endless number of them. He recalls Reagan saying to him one day:

In my country, citizens can gather outside of the White House and shout “Down with Ronald Reagan” Can they do that in your country? Absolutely, Gorbachev recalled. In my country, citizens can gather in Red Square and shout ”Down with Ronald Reagan” too!  

It was obvious he was playing to the crowd, but no one seemed to mind. Gorbachev discussed the conclusions that were reached as they continued their summit. “A nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. It is pointless to continue the arms race and spend billions to achieve superiority.”

Another time he recalled how they had reached enough of an agreement that a joint statement to the press was being prepared. During its preparation the staff realized there was a problem with the wording of the joint statement.

Secretary Schultz had worked himself into a frenzy. One would have thought they were very major disagreements. We realized the issue was simply linguistic – we could always find another word. Mr. Reagan and I separated from the delegation, and it took us only 15 minutes to work out our disagreements. The spirit of Geneva emerged as a result.

Mr. Gorbachev also spoke about the efforts of outspoken detractors who wanted the arms race to continue.

It was a life and death struggle. Margaret Thatcher said she would not survive another Breshnev.  I said the planet will not survive another Breshnev. The Earth would be uninhabitable if even a small part of our weaponry was used. Many of us  worked together and became allies against nuclear weapons. This is why world leaders must have vision. Leadership is something that makes it possible to solve problems that seem impossible to solve. The hawk becomes a dove. 

It became clear that as he spoke of events in the past, he was pointedly drawing parallels to the present:

The decisions we made were good for Democrats and Republicans, communists and capitalists, the left and the right. These are issues of which life itself depends.

Mr. Gorbachev stated the contributions of Ronald Reagan are something that must be recognized, and described Secretary of State Schultz as a man of dialogue, agreement and compromise. He says he recently spoke with Nancy Reagan. She invited him to the Reagan library. He made it a point to state their ages. He is 78 years old, and “She is 10 years older – you can count”. The audience giggled shamefully.

Mr. Gorbachev concluded his address.

Ronald Reagan concluded his career as a man of peace. He showed the world the importance of dialogue, and how we must overcome the stereotypes of the past. Ronald Reagan was a man of rebellion – a rebellion against confrontation. He overcame the past and transcended himself. We must always be persistent, to forge ahead despite the obstacles. Obstacles that are sometimes the people closest to us. My entire presidency was undermined. We have new teams running our countries. Let us hope that they will learn from the useful experiences of the past. We must support our current presidents and work together and cooperate in meeting the challenges of the global world.

An interesting Q&A from the audience followed. The questioners were pre-selected but very poignant.  Here are two of my favorite:

Audience Member: What was your most memorable moment with Ronald Reagan?

Gorbachev: There were many. We had a very evolving relationship. I recall one time, early on, President Reagan was beginning to lecture me. I had to stop him. You are not a teacher and I am not a student, I said. I am not the accused and you are not a prosecutor.  We must cooperate as equals. Mr Reagan said, of course. Yes.

Audience member:  What is your vision of the  world in the next 10 – 20 years?

Gorbachev: A lot will be decided in the near future. What has been happening is not an accident. It is a result of world leaders lagging behind the times. Our problems cannot be solved by one country alone. We can only solve problems if we work together and unite in our efforts. Our entire international economic system is outdated. It cannot sustain a global world. Attempts to outsmart the other side is unacceptable. Competition is healthy, but trying to outsmart the other is deadly. Instead of good business, we see fraud and deception. We need to build a new world order. If we don’t make the commitment for a new world order, we will be in big trouble.  Your major employer, Caterpillar, is suffering in this crisis. They are downsizing, there is less demand for their products. We must work together to solve these problems. I know I gave you a very general answer. If someone says they have a more detailed answer do not believe them.

After the program I was discussing the evenings events with some friends. We were trying to think of what modern day scenario we could possibly compare to the Reagan – Gorbachev years. We all came up blank. Later, it hit me.  If a modern day president was able to eliminate terrorism in the world, that would be an event that would be comparable to the end of the cold war. Which brings me to the question that I would like to put to Mr. Gorbachev if offered the opportunity. Mr. Gorbachev, you were fortunate during the Reagan years that you were dealing with leaders who were firmly rooted in reality. What advice could you offer our current US President who unfortunately must deal with several foreign leaders that are nothing short of wing-nuts? Perhaps THAT is the question we can tackle at next year’s banquet! I’ll e-mail my request into the college to give them plenty of time to prepare!

 

This entry was posted on March 30, 2009 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed Both comments and pings are currently closed.