"Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about
Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are
primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal
changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes.
Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep.
We want to accomplish three things:
One, we want the Americans to withdraw conventional forces from Europe.
Two, we want them to withdraw nuclear forces from Europe.
Three, we want the Americans to stop proceeding with Strategic Defense Initiative." | by: | Mikhail Gorbachev
(1931- ) General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the last head of state of the USSR (1985-1991) |
Date: | November 1987 |
Source: | speech to the Soviet Politburo, November 1987 |
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