A World Transformed by George Bush & Brent Scowcroft

Author:George Bush & Brent Scowcroft [Bush, George]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-80659-8
Publisher: Vintage Books A Division Of Random House, Inc.
Published: 2011-09-20T16:00:00+00:00

*See Chapter 9.

*See Chapter 9, this page.

*Yeltsin was indeed elected on May 29, as Gorbachev was on his way to Canada and the United States.

CHAPTER 12

Summit and Solutions

GEORGE BUSH

May 31 was a bright, hot day, and the arrival ceremony for Gorbachev was spectacular, set against the backdrop of the Washington Monument. The colorful ceremonial Revolutionary War uniforms of the Old Guard from Fort Myer stood out against the new green grass and leaves. A military band played and honor guards from each of the services dipped their flags as Gorbachev and I reviewed them, always a moving experience for me.

Gorbachev looked well and seemed confident as he greeted me with a smile and a strong handshake, not at all tired. He was a bit tense at first, and spoke very softly. He relaxed once we got to the Oval Office, and was almost jovial as we sat down on the white armchairs near the fireplace, under the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington.

Our talk that morning was largely philosophical, the kind each of us had hoped to have at Malta. Gorbachev spoke of the need to free ourselves from old suspicions. We were at a watershed in history, he said. “You may or may not agree, but the confrontation we got into after World War II wasted our time and energy, while others—the former vanquished—were moving ahead.” The world was changing in dramatic ways. The United States, despite its power, could not lead the world by itself and playing “cards” (such as China) against each other was not the way to go. There was a “regrouping” in the world, and US-Soviet relations were vital in this process. “The question is, can we cooperate?” he asked.

I listened carefully to his long and frank survey of the situation before us, writing notes to myself on each point. “There is significant change in US attitudes toward the Soviet Union, although there is an emerging suspicion,” I replied, keeping in mind developments in Lithuania. I added that many Americans were probably not sufficiently sensitive, for example, to Soviet losses in World War II. “As we wrestle with arms control, not only have I become more sensitive to that issue, but all my people have as well,” I continued. “I wanted to get that comment on the table before we get, inevitably, to Germany … We do not want winners and losers.” Although the Soviets had problems, I wanted him to understand that as long as I was in office there would be no attempt to downgrade the position the Soviet Union rightly occupied. “You must believe my sincerity on this point as we get into detailed issues.

“You gave me that map at Malta with the blue flags,” I continued. “I asked the CIA to see how accurate your intelligence was. They gave you high marks … I told Brent that we have to convince you that these flags don’t mean we are trying to surround you, to encircle the Soviet Union. Some of it we can do by words; some must be by actions.

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