November 19

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address, 1863
American Revolution
Congress pleads for soldiers, 1776
Automotive
Chevy Cavalier heads to Japan, 1993
Civil War
President Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address, 1863
Cold War
Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting, 1985
Crime
Patty Hearst out on bail, 1976
Disaster
Thousands perish in St. Petersburg flood, 1824
General Interest
Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad, 1942
Pele scores 1,000th goal, 1969
Sadat visits Israel, 1977
Hollywood
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest debuts, 1975
Literary
Poet and critic Allen Tate is born, 1899
Music
An arrest warrant is issued for Michael Jackson, 2003
Old West
Shane author Jack Schaefer is born, 1907
Presidential
James A. Garfield is born, 1831
Sports
Notre Dame and MSU play to a classic tie, 1966
Vietnam War
Chaplain Charles Watters receives Medal of Honor, 1967
Cambodians appeal for help, 1971
World War I
British pilot makes heroic rescue , 1915
World War II
Hitler urges Spain to grab Gibraltar, 1940

Cold War

Nov 19, 1985:

Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting

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For the first time in eight years, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference. Meeting in Geneva, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev produced no earth-shattering agreements. However, the meeting boded well for the future, as the two men engaged in long, personal talks and seemed to develop a sincere and close relationship.
The meeting came as somewhat of a surprise to some in the United States, considering Reagan's often incendiary rhetoric concerning communism and the Soviet Union, but it was in keeping with the president's often stated desire to bring the nuclear arms race under control. For Gorbachev, the meeting was another clear signal of his desire to obtain better relations with the United States so that he could better pursue his domestic reforms.
Little of substance was accomplished. Six agreements were reached, ranging from cultural and scientific exchanges to environmental issues. Both Reagan and Gorbachev, however, expressed satisfaction with the summit, which ended on November 21. The next summit was held in October 1986 in Reykjavik and ended somewhat disastrously, with Reagan's commitment to the Strategic Defense Initiative (the so-called "Star Wars" missile defense system) providing a major obstacle to progress on arms control talks. However, by the time of their third summit in Washington, D.C. in 1987, both sides made concessions in order to achieve agreement on a wide range of arms control issues.

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This Week in History, Nov 19 - Nov 25

Nov 19, 1985
Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting
Nov 20, 1948
American consul in China held "hostage" by communists
Nov 21, 1975
Congressional report charges U.S. involvement in assassination plots
Nov 22, 1963
Kennedy assassinated
Nov 23, 1981
Reagan gives CIA authority to establish the Contras
Nov 24, 1947
"Hollywood 10" cited for contempt of Congress
Nov 25, 1947
London Council of Foreign Ministers meeting begins

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