TO GENEVA 157accompanied by advisers. Reagan saw the point of playing the man
rather than the ball, and sought to create a friendly atmosphere. In
front of a roaring fire, they quickly agreed to get their negotiating
teams to negotiate how to halve the stockpiles of strategic nuclear
weaponry.^45 This was a big step forward. Reagan had also commented:
‘If there were agreement that there would be no need for nuclear
missiles, then one might agree that there would also be no need for
defences against them.’^46 Gorbachëv wanted a lot more from the
President and repeated his objections to the Strategic Defense Initia-
tive; he added that the next US President might not share his peaceful
intentions. Progress gave way to stalemate.^47
Next day, Reagan proposed to cut back strategic nuclear weapons
to 6,000 warheads for each side.^48 Gorbachëv assented; but he repeated
his objection to Reagan’s concept of space-based defence.^49 Reagan
retorted: ‘It’s not an offensive system. I’m talking about a shield, not
a spear.’ This served to exasperate Gorbachëv: ‘Why don’t you believe
me when I say that the Soviet Union will never attack?’^50 Gorbachëv
repeated his question before allowing Reagan to reply. He interrupted
for a second time when Reagan began his answer. Eventually Reagan
stated that the assurance of a single Soviet leader would never be
enough for the American people; this was why he was putting his
efforts into ‘sound defense’.^51 Gorbachëv took a grip on himself.
Moving away from the Defense Initiative, he said he was willing to
sign a separate agreement on deep cuts in intermediate-range nuclear
missiles. He admitted to having spoken too heatedly. Moments later
they were again going at it hammer and tongs about weapons in outer
space. Reagan’s patience snapped. Irked by Gorbachëv’s claims about
Soviet sincerity, he pointed to the Krasnoyarsk radar station as an
infringement of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.^52 Gorbachëv
hit back that Reagan’s intransigence about the Defense Initiative was
ruining their opportunity to halve the number of strategic nuclear
weapons.^53
That afternoon they went into plenary session at the Soviet mis-
sion. Reagan read out a statement calling for a fifty per cent reduction
in offensive nuclear arms as well as for cuts in other categories of
weaponry.^54 Gorbachëv readily agreed to this and was pleased about
the resumption of dialogue between the USSR and the US; but he
voiced his disappointment that they had not made greater progress.^55
The Reagans hosted the farewell dinner that evening, and the Presi-
dent struck an encouraging tone: ‘We have started something.’ This