Reagan, Gorbachev to Swap Greetings
President Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev are expected to exchange televised greetings on New Year’s Day for the third time, the White House announced Tuesday.
Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Reagan taped his message last week, and Gorbachev is expected to submit a taped message to U.S. networks for their consideration soon.
The exchanges began in 1986, a few months after Reagan and Gorbachev held their first summit meeting in Geneva.
The Soviets declined to take part in 1987, saying U.S.-Soviet relations were not good enough to justify such an exchange. Reagan broadcast a radio message over the Voice of America, but it was jammed in the Soviet Union. The exchange was resumed for 1988.
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