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Cold War Arms Race (2:24)

On March 21, 1960, U.S. Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover discusses the importance of keeping abreast of Soviet technological developments.

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Speeches & Audio (10)

  • Cold War Arms Race
    Cold War Arms Race

    Audio Clip (2:24)

    On March 21, 1960, U.S. Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover discusses the importance of keeping abreast of Soviet technological developments.

    Audio Clip (2:24)
  • Ford's Address at the Helsinki Conference
    Ford's Address at the Helsinki Conference

    Audio Clip (1:54)

    On August 1, 1975, at the Helsinki Accords, a major diplomatic agreement was signed by 35 nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, in an attempt to secure peace between the eastern and western blocs. In a speech delivered at the Finland conference, President Gerald Ford promises to do his part for the good of all nations.

    Audio Clip (1:54)
  • Bush and Gorbachev Declare End of Cold War
    Bush and Gorbachev Declare End of Cold War

    Audio Clip (1:45)

    President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared an end to the Cold War at the Malta Summit on December 3, 1989. At a joint press conference aboard the Soviet passenger liner Maxim Gorky in Marsaxlokk Harbor, President Bush speaks about his hopes for a cooperative U.S.-Soviet relationship.

    Audio Clip (1:45)
  • Bush and Gorbachev Sign the START I Treaty
    Bush and Gorbachev Sign the START I Treaty

    Audio Clip (2:25)

    On July 31, 1991, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was signed in Moscow by U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, committing each superpower to reducing nuclear arms by a third. In a press conference held at the Kremlin, President Bush discusses the economic cooperation implicit in the peace negotiations.

    Audio Clip (2:25)
  • Reagan Addresses British Parliament
    Reagan Addresses British Parliament

    Audio Clip (0:17)

    On June 8, 1982, in the first speech by an American president to a meeting of both houses of the British Parliament, President Ronald Reagan presents his hope for a future that would "leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history."

    Audio Clip (0:17)
  • Truman Announces Germany's Surrender
    Truman Announces Germany's Surrender

    Audio Clip (2:04)

    In a May 8, 1945, radio broadcast, President Harry Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Germany, but reminds Americans that the war wages on in the Far East.

    Audio Clip (2:04)
  • Truman Announces Japan's Surrender
    Truman Announces Japan's Surrender

    Audio Clip (1:57)

    On September 1, 1945, in a radio address to the American people, President Harry Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Japan, formalized aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.

    Audio Clip (1:57)
  • Reagan Announces "Star Wars"
    Reagan Announces "Star Wars"

    Audio Clip (1:39)

    On March 23, 1983, in what later became known as his "Star Wars" speech, President Ronald Reagan announces his plans to develop an anti-missile capability to counter the threat of Soviet ballistic missiles and to make these nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete."

    Audio Clip (1:39)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Reports on Teheran and Cairo Conferences
    Franklin D. Roosevelt Reports on Teheran and Cairo Conferences

    Audio Clip (2:36)

    Following the 1943 Big Four meetings in Teheran and Cairo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers a Christmas Eve broadcast promising the nation that they can look forward to peace, though at a high cost.

    Audio Clip (2:36)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt on American Progress in World War II
    Franklin D. Roosevelt on American Progress in World War II

    Audio Clip (1:00)

    With the United States now entered into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt uses the occasion of Washington’s birthday to broadcast to the nation on February 23, 1942, an outline of America’s progress in the war.

    Audio Clip (1:00)

Videos (1)

  • Cold War
    Cold War

    Video Clip (2:31)

    The Cold War is over, but what it left behind may surprise you.

    Video Clip (2:31)

Read More about Arms Race

Over the past century, the arms race metaphor has assumed a prominent place in public discussion of military affairs.

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