Ronald Reagan on Nuclear Weapons

Ronald Reagan maintained a fundamental and enduring goal of achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, an objective he pursued as a personal mission throughout his presidency. His position was rooted in the belief that a nuclear war could never be won and should consequently never be fought, viewing these weapons as "totally irrational, totally inhumane." This anti-nuclearism informed his overall Cold War strategy, which prioritized aggressive competition with the Soviet Union as a means to compel deep, verifiable arms reductions. He believed that while deterrence was necessary in the short term, relying on mutual vulnerability was morally backward and dangerous. This desire for abolition was evident as early as 1945, and he famously stated in 1985 that the goal was "total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth."

His approach to achieving this goal involved pursuing major arms reductions alongside a significant military buildup, notably launching the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to render ballistic missiles "impotent and obsolete," which he saw as a potential catalyst for abolition. While his administration accelerated modernization plans, it also engaged in negotiations that led to landmark agreements, such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. His partnership with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, especially during the Reykjavik Summit, brought the two leaders close to an agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons, with the primary hurdle being Reagan’s insistence on continuing SDI research. Although the final goal of total elimination was not reached during his tenure, his determination shaped a transformative period in arms control.