158 THE END OF THE COLD WAR
melted Gorbachëv’s mood somewhat and moved him to say: ‘If now
we have laid the first bricks, we have made a new start – a new phase
has begun.’^56
Reagan returned to Washington delighted with how things had
gone. He had made arrangements to address a joint session of the
American Congress on 21 November 1985. He reported on how he
and Gorbachëv had talked for fifteen hours – in five of them they had
been on their own, except for interpreters. He emphasized the prog-
ress made during the fireside chat: ‘I had called for a fresh start – and
we made that start. I can’t claim we had a meeting of minds on such
fundamentals as ideology or national purpose – but we understand
each other better. That’s key to peace. I gained a better perspective, I
feel he did, too. It was a constructive meeting.’^57 He hailed the agree-
ment to move towards a halving of offensive nuclear weapons and to
the complete elimination of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.^58
Senators and congressmen of both parties applauded his efforts. The
reaction was the same in the press and on TV. The New York Times
called it ‘not a bad two days’ work’ and endorsed ‘the spirit of Geneva’;
and their conservative columnist William Safire wrote in congratula-
tion: ‘Mr Reagan took a long draught of heady wine and then wisely
turned down an empty glass.’^59 Reagan savoured the shedding of his
reputation as a warmonger.^60
He took equal pleasure in the response of West European public
opinion, which had begun with low expectations of him and was now
supportive. The main sticking point was the undiminished disquiet
in Europe’s capitals about the Strategic Defense Initiative.^61 But the
re action to the summit around the entire world was immensely to
the American advantage.^62 Even Pravda printed Reagan’s speech to the
Congress. There was also television coverage of the American and
Soviet leaders standing together in Geneva. The American administra-
tion was delighted: ‘The Soviet people saw on their own media for the
first time in a long while a smiling, responsible American President
rather than a cartoon ogre.’^63 Of course, as an American political con-
servative, he had to remember the sensitivities of his followers. He
confided to his friend George Murphy, the former song-and-dance
man who had preceded him as president of the Screen Actors Guild:
‘Seriously, it was worthwhile but it would be foolish to believe the
leopard will change its spots. He is a firm believer (so is she), and
he believes in the propaganda they peddle about us. At the same time
he is practical and knows that his economy is a basket case. I think our