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00:00History is not an exact science. It is never set in stone.
00:16As time passes, knowledge of the past is refined and evolves.
00:21But by definition, existing ideas have thick skins and are hard to shift.
00:34To understand the realities of the world, you sometimes have to shake them up and decipher
00:55the facts by looking at them another way.
00:59Osterity has left us an image of Ronald Reagan as an incompetent president.
01:25And yet...
01:29November 13, 1979. The United States is feeling down. Its golden age is gone.
01:50That day, a former actor making his comeback is preparing to rekindle the flame that is so lacking.
01:57Ladies and gentlemen, Ronald Reagan.
02:05Good evening. I'm here tonight to announce my intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
02:12I cannot and will not stand by and see this great country destroy itself.
02:20In a country haunted by decline, his determination hit the mark.
02:23He's not a great ideologue, nor is he an intellectual, but he has an instinctive understanding of where the heart of America beats.
02:33For our country's future, I pledge you my every effort. I ask for your prayers and your support.
02:39I believe that together we can keep this rendezvous with destiny.
02:46The moment he announces his candidacy, the press shows its contempt. A clown playing in the big league? This can't be serious.
03:01Thank you very much.
03:15He is old, outdated, and has big shortcomings. His eight years as governor of California do not count.
03:26Just fine. Just fine.
03:27With no international experience, he does not have the stature of a head of state.
03:31But in this electoral year, patriotism is in vogue, and Reagan meets the brief with style.
03:42Meeting after meeting, his fiery speeches have the knack of galvanizing the crowds.
03:48We're Americans. And yes, we want to bring the blessings of peace and progress and freedom to others.
03:55Whenever he appears, there's a bond between him and the public that is the hallmark of the most gifted politicians.
04:10With this slogan that has gone down in history, he convinces Americans that a new golden age is possible.
04:16Let us pledge to each other, with this great lady looking on, that we can, and so help us God, we will make America great again.
04:31Recovering growth and restoring pride, the champion of American honor believes this with all his might.
04:38From his youth, he's always had the motto, life is one grand sweet song. So start the music.
04:51Back then, defeat in Vietnam still weighs heavily on people's minds.
04:56The Watergate scandal left a sour taste in the mouth.
05:00And the Soviet enemies seemed stronger and more formidable than ever.
05:03A few months earlier, the Red Army had invaded Afghanistan, and the United States had been unable to prevent it.
05:17In Iran, Islamists had dethroned the Shah, Washington's unconditional ally in the region.
05:24Recently, the U.S. Embassy in Tehran had been stormed, and its staff held hostage.
05:30The attempt to free them had ended in disaster.
05:35America is in decline, but Reagan is determined to restore its supremacy at any price.
05:45It is absolutely essential that we increase our spending for national defense if we are to preserve the peace.
05:52To his political opponents, his ambitions are smoke and mirrors.
06:02Some condemn his simplistic ideas. Others charge him with amateurism.
06:09As for the voters, they need something tangible.
06:13The people, not the press!
06:16What you gotta do, Brian!
06:18If you will listen for a minute, what I'm trying to tell you is, I can't do a damn thing for you if I don't get elected!
06:25At that time, the largest economic power in the world is a weakened giant.
06:30Consumed by inflation and unemployment, devoured by competition from Japan and Germany, gloom had given way to disillusionment.
06:44In a United States mired in crisis, Reagan seems like a savior.
06:48Won over by the theses of the Chicago School, a movement that opposes state intervention in the economy, the candidate hammers home its credo.
07:00My own plan is based on a combination of fiscal responsibility.
07:05It means cutting out fat and extravagance that are built into the federal government.
07:12There is enough fat in that government today that if you rendered it and made soap, you could wash the world.
07:19A statement combined with a promise that appeals to voters.
07:25We must halt this fiscal self-destruction and restore sanity to our economic system.
07:29I've long advocated a 30% reduction in income tax rates over a period of three years.
07:41In other words, rather than announcing sacrifices, Reagan does not ask the people for any effort at all.
07:48Thank you.
07:50An approach rejected by most of the country's elite, including within his own camp.
07:54George Bush, his closest competitor for the Republican primary, is condescending.
08:04He goes so far as to describe Reagan's program as voodoo magic.
08:09But Reagan serves him a crushing defeat.
08:13On July 17, 1980, he wins his party's nomination.
08:19He makes the strategically sound choice of nominating the loser of the day as his running mate,
08:23and rallies all wings of the party behind him.
08:30Reagan had turned the page.
08:32The uncompromising sheriff's style settling of scores for which he is so famous are part of the past.
08:38You wanted a law and order in this town. You've got it.
08:41I'll shoot the first man who starts for those steps.
08:44Come on!
08:45It must be said that before entering politics, Reagan had a long acting career behind him.
08:58Over the course of 60 films, he's played everything from gunslinger to preacher.
09:03He has the ability to come across as natural when giving a speech he's given a thousand times.
09:10And when he pretends to ad lib, he's using all the tricks of a trade that he knows inside out.
09:16I'll confess that I've been a little afraid to suggest what I'm going to suggest.
09:23I'm more afraid not to.
09:29Can we begin our crusade?
09:33Join together in a moment of silent prayer.
09:38God bless America.
09:43God bless America.
09:50Thus, through an inimitable mix of messianism, patriotic communion, and humility,
09:56the former Hollywood actor sets off to conquer the White House.
10:06All that remains is to discredit his Democratic opponent, President Jimmy Carter,
10:10with one of his best jokes that he dusts off for any occasion.
10:15Jimmy Carter's administration tells us we're only in a recession, not a depression.
10:21If it's a definition he wants, I'll give him one.
10:25A recession is when your neighbor loses his job.
10:30A depression is when you lose yours.
10:33And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.
10:44But making his supporters laugh is not enough to win a presidential election.
10:53And as the final round draws near, his advisers are full of doubt.
10:57The televised debate pitting him against the incumbent president puts them in a cold sweat.
11:03Their protege confuses Afghanistan with Pakistan.
11:07He does not even know the names of foreign heads of state,
11:10and he has not fully mastered any of the subjects to be addressed.
11:13But Reagan knows how to put on a good front.
11:17Relaxed and smiling, he is the master of the screen.
11:20I was a Democrat. I said many foolish things back in those days.
11:27Standing opposite, Jimmy Carter, who is on edge due to the high stakes, seems dull and laborious.
11:34Governor Reagan's proposal is one of the most highly inflationary ideas that ever has been presented to the American public.
11:42Why is it inflationary to let the people keep more of their money and spend it the way they'd like?
11:47And it isn't inflationary to let him take that money and spend it the way he wants.
11:53In concluding, Reagan deals the decisive blow.
11:57In just a few words, he wipes out his rival's record.
12:00Next Tuesday, all of you will go to the polls.
12:04We'll stand there in the polling place and make a decision.
12:06I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you would ask yourself,
12:13are you better off than you were four years ago?
12:18Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?
12:23Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?
12:27Then I could suggest another choice that you have.
12:32The Republican challenger coast to coast.
12:36Blue for Ronald Reagan, red for Jimmy Carter.
12:39It is also a major victory for a conservative thought in America.
12:45Reagan, who had been given no chance of winning, romps home with a resounding victory.
12:50It is a tsunami.
12:55On January 21st, 1981, a man looking every inch of conqueror is poised to become the 40th President of the United States.
13:03He is nearly 70 years old and has an unshakable faith in the future of his country.
13:08His victory is one of hope.
13:11No one imagines at the time that America is on the verge of a revolution.
13:15But I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.
13:28He sets the tone in his inauguration speech.
13:31In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem.
13:38Government is the problem.
13:40No offense to Democrats, the hours of the welfare state are numbered.
13:46Giving way to reforms to reduce the role of the state to the free market,
13:53unfettered capitalism enters the United States with a bang.
13:57Now take a deep breath and hold it.
14:02I'll try not to hurt too much.
14:03Soon, however, a shadow appears. And it is no trivial matter.
14:13In the White House, perplexity sets in.
14:17Morning meetings start late.
14:21Because Reagan needs eight to nine hours of sleep, never less.
14:24At 8.10am, the President walks down a 7.30 meeting of President Reagan's senior staff.
14:33On the table are grapefruit, coffee and coconut doughnuts.
14:37Once he has dealt with the business of the day, he grants himself a two to four hour siesta.
14:41On Wednesday afternoons, he takes a break and there's no question of taking files with him when he joins his wife Nancy in her private apartments.
14:54Worse still, if Reagan turns out to be lazy, his team is shocked to discover that he has no idea about his responsibilities.
15:01He finds briefings tedious and complex ideas bore him.
15:07In his diary, he writes,
15:10I think that they are giving me more information than I really need.
15:14My brain cannot store so much.
15:16I'm tired of having to study like a schoolboy.
15:19The White House communications officers ensure he is shown as being active, running between meetings, files in hand, always in conversation, like a real team leader.
15:32Good morning, all. Everyone looks very bright and happy.
15:36Since the agenda is mainly concerned with the economic program, though, try not to smile too much.
15:45But his deficiencies are not slow in rising to the fore.
15:52Now, Mr. President, I would like to say that I am not one to shrink from a tough task.
15:57But I must also say, and I think every cabinet member here will agree with me,
16:02that the goals that you gave us are extraordinarily difficult to reconcile.
16:08His economic advisor, David Stockman, says,
16:10The new president would just nod and smile.
16:16Sometimes, he said, there's a great task ahead without finishing his sentence.
16:22He never gave instructions, and he never asked questions.
16:26Dave, thank you very much. And I might say a thank you to all of you.
16:31I think this is just wonderful. Anything further to add? Any comments?
16:35For him, his role is to set forth a line, foster a vision, and give out sweets.
16:51Confused, visibly out of his depth, some images from a report leave people wondering about his credibility.
16:56Listen, could you set up a meeting with Congressman Stenholm, Charlie Stenholm, about, and the group of Democrats that he represents on the, well, so that we can get together and talk to them about the whole economic program and all?
17:18It is true that when left to his own devices, the president makes more and more gaffes.
17:27Talking to reporters, he comes out with confusing counterfactual statements.
17:32One day, he claims that the main cause of pollution is carbon dioxide released by plants.
17:37Another day, that a missile in flight can be recalled.
17:41Or that the United States has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia.
17:44The satirical TV shows are having a great time.
17:51What is the difference between being an actor and being the president?
17:55Well, one goes in front of a camera and wears a lot of makeup and reads lines that others have written for him and pretends to be somebody he's not.
18:07The other one makes movies.
18:09But the Americans themselves do not hold this against him.
18:19Determined to regain their national pride, they are willing to put all logic to one side.
18:24And nothing or no one could make them change their minds.
18:27After all, their Ronnie maybe gets a bit mixed up, but he seems like one of them.
18:33And as for those who still doubt his abilities, Providence eventually wins them over.
18:38On March 30th, 1981, Reagan is the victim of an assassination attempt.
18:54An unstable person longing for fame shoots him.
19:05The bullet lodged close to his heart.
19:11Seventeen years after the Kennedy assassination, the United States holds its breath.
19:16I can confirm that the president has been shot once, is in stable condition, he is conscious.
19:29So the president is in the recovery room and he's awake.
19:32Against all odds, Reagan miraculously escapes with his life and makes a quick recovery.
19:44Like a superhero who escaped certain death, he now seems untouchable.
19:51And what is more, he has not lost his trademark sense of humor.
19:54Good evening. Quote, I walked in here and I am going to walk out.
19:59With those words, the doors of George Washington University Hospital opened
20:03and President Reagan began his trip home to the White House.
20:07Getting time to turn for home. Yes, sir.
20:10His forced convalescence is a big bonus.
20:13To manage his repeated gaffes, his workload is reduced to the minimum.
20:17Mary!
20:18Mary!
20:21No more impromptu interviews or walkabouts.
20:24This is the act of guilt. How are you doing?
20:26And since the president is unable to improvise, all his appearances would henceforth be scripted.
20:32Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!
20:40It's showtime.
20:42From now on, Reagan will simply act the part of the president.
20:45While his administration takes the reins of the country.
20:51April 28th, 1981 is the date of his great Congress comeback.
20:56His first full-scale test.
21:02Reagan does his thing.
21:04First, emotion.
21:06The warmth of your words, the expression of friendship, and yes, love,
21:11meant more to us than you can ever know.
21:14You have given us a memory that we'll treasure forever.
21:18Next, comedy.
21:20As a matter of fact, as evidence of that, I have a letter with me.
21:23A letter came from Peter Sweeney.
21:27He's in the second grade in the Riverside School in Rockville Center.
21:30And he said, I hope you get well quick, or you might have to make a speech in your pajamas.
21:35The actor is certainly back.
21:39But neither has the head of state forgotten any of his convictions.
21:45That same day, between two cleverly orchestrated quips, he reminds his audience that his economic recovery plan is still on the scene.
21:53The time has come to get serious.
21:57I think you've shown that you know the one sure way to continue the inflationary spiral is to fall back into the predictable patterns of old economic practices.
22:07Isn't it time that we tried something new?
22:10Reagan wastes no time in implementing the program promised.
22:20The president of disruption makes a clean sweep of the past.
22:24There now begins the dismantling of provisions regulating economic activity.
22:30To boost competitiveness, dozens of laws are taken off the statute book.
22:33Thus it is that supervisory standards for new drugs are abolished, along with the requirement for daily inspections in slaughterhouses, and limits on workers' contact with carcinogens.
22:46These are followed by measures to reduce the size of the state.
22:5220,000 civil service posts are cut, and the refractory had better watch their step, starting with the unions.
22:59In August 1981, when air traffic controllers go on strike, the president is brief and to the point.
23:08I must tell those who fail to report for duty this morning, they are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.
23:24The air traffic controllers hold fast, and 11,000 of them are immediately fired.
23:29Military personnel replace them at short notice.
23:33The firmness shown by Reagan gives him new stature.
23:39The young president of yesterday proves a tough liquidator.
23:44His method? Cut social programs.
23:47As he sees it, they encourage idleness.
23:50If you reduce state intervention, you inevitably push citizens to take responsibility.
23:55Overnight, the poorest have their benefits reduced to the minimum.
24:00Food aid, family allowances, social security and disability pensions are all cut to the bone.
24:09In the richest country in the world, entire families find themselves penniless, come the second half of the month.
24:15They are condemned to soup kitchens or charity.
24:21Meanwhile, the president is fulfilling his campaign promise.
24:25He brings in dramatic tax cuts.
24:28The primary beneficiaries are high earners and major corporations.
24:31Congratulations.
24:37Thank you, sir.
24:39Attention!
24:41Apart from economic reforms, Reagan's other obsession, which he has cultivated for decades, is his opposition to communism.
24:47Ladies and gentlemen, I talk as Ronald Reagan, American citizen, to you, American citizen.
25:00Communism is designed to control human beings through coercion.
25:04Communism has been a singularly successful tyranny so far, as it has engulfed more than a third of mankind.
25:10They constitute the true fallout, the moral fallout, against which free men must forever give battle, if our freedom and its manifold blessings are to endure.
25:22After 25 years of relative peace, the U.S. president relaunches the Cold War.
25:27His program regarding the Soviets is summed up in one sentence.
25:34We win, they lose.
25:36Over time, his verbal arsenal becomes charged with aggression.
25:40The only morality they recognize is what will further their cause, meaning they reserve under themselves the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat, in order to attain that.
25:53And that is moral, not immoral.
25:57They are the focus of evil in the modern world.
26:02In July 1981, for his first major overseas trip to the G7 in Ottawa, he lashes out at the French president, guilty of having appointed communist ministers to his government.
26:15Mitterrand swallows the meddling with a smile, but Reagan has no intention of stopping there.
26:23To satisfy his anti-communism, he commits to a staggering increase in the defense budget.
26:33The military-industrial complex is spoiled, protected, encouraged.
26:39Hundreds of new ships, including two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and thousands of missiles pour out of the factories.
26:46Every Pentagon program that Reagan's predecessors had vetoed is given a green light, including stealth bombers.
26:55Nothing is too good to show the Soviets that the United States has regained its muscle and knows how to use it if necessary.
27:03To those who say we can't cut spending, lower taxes, and, yes, rebuild the defenses we need in this dangerous world, I have a six-word answer.
27:15Yes, we can, and yes, we must.
27:17The CIA gets a blank check to fund anti-communist organizations all over the world.
27:26Soldiers are armed and trained to fight against Nicaraguan revolutionaries.
27:31The Afghans receive $600 million to fight the Russian occupation.
27:36Thank you very much. Thank you.
27:38Thank you.
27:40Reagan's anti-Soviet policy is costed in the billions.
27:44The budget deficit becomes an abyss.
27:49In October 1981, less than a year after the presidential election, the United States is hit by an unprecedented recession.
27:57The soaring greenback hits exports hard.
28:01Rather than the president, it is the strong dollar policy imposed by the Federal Bank that is the cause.
28:06But Reagan will deny the extent of the damage for months.
28:14Unemployment reaches levels never seen since the Great Depression.
28:18The automobile and steel industries are in tatters.
28:25Pragmatic, the president decides to provide bailouts.
28:29But this is far from the last contradiction.
28:31After lowering taxes, he imposes new ones.
28:35The biggest tax hike in the history of the United States.
28:40This time, it is the middle classes, those whom the White House calls truck-driving rednecks, who bear the brunt.
28:47The very heart of the Reagan electorate.
28:49For them, the following year is a disaster.
28:55Impoverishment runs rampant, and those campaign promises seem nothing but a fantasy.
29:01Then, one day, a miracle occurs.
29:07The Fed's tight monetary policy eventually bears fruit.
29:14It starts as a ripple.
29:17But all economic indicators very quickly turn green.
29:20The recovery that Reagan had dangled for so long finally arrives.
29:28From early 1983, economic activity is off again at breakneck speed, as is consumption, too.
29:35Growth is so strong that four million jobs are created in no time.
29:39Americans feel like they are sprouting wings.
29:43They celebrate the entrepreneurs, managers, and decision-makers who are making this wealth reign when hope had been lost.
29:51A newcomer enters the business world.
29:54A certain Donald Trump, crowned manager of the year.
29:58Soon, from London to Tokyo, from Ottawa to Paris, the conservative right of the planet takes inspiration from this shock therapy to revive their economies.
30:15Mulroney in Canada and Nakasone in Japan rush to follow in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
30:22The two apostles of this new, all-conquering and aggressive doctrine.
30:28And so it is that economic liberalism is exported, marking the beginning of a profound change in the world economic system.
30:38It is the time of the traders, of performance worship, and of cash is king.
30:46The stock market and financial markets take full advantage of the upturn.
30:50In the United States, people discover a passion for stock indexes.
30:53America becomes a gigantic casino where everyone speculates on the health of listed companies.
31:00And if the middle classes are doing well, then the most privileged are building colossal fortunes.
31:05They are billionaires, traveling by private jet and extolling the virtues of greed.
31:14Just like J.R. Ewing in the Dallas TV show, whose ruthless world haunts screens worldwide.
31:20But this brazen economic success does nothing to make Reagan forget his hostility towards the old enemy.
31:32It is such an obsession that it arises without warning.
31:35Oh, somebody want a voice check?
31:39All right, my fellow Americans.
31:41I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever.
31:46We begin bombing in five minutes.
31:48We begin bombing in five minutes.
31:50No.
31:52An accidentally recorded inappropriate remark worthy of the best bloopers.
31:57Except that, when it came to being anti-Soviet, Reagan could not be more serious.
32:01He fears a nuclear attack by the evil empire,
32:05and so he decides to militarize space.
32:07To arm satellites with laser beams to annihilate enemy missiles.
32:11Para isso, Regan forgets his legendary laziness and steps up to the plate.
32:18He spends hours trying to persuade the Pentagon to join his project.
32:24The Pentagon is not sure.
32:27Not only is it a money pit,
32:29but it is practically science fiction in technical terms.
32:33But Regan persists,
32:35and to take everyone by surprise,
32:37he uses his lethal weapon, television.
32:41The subject I want to discuss with you, peace and national security,
32:45is both timely and important.
32:47Timely because I've reached a decision
32:49which offers a new hope for our children in the 21st century.
32:53Stunned Americans hear his plan.
32:56To transform the United States into an impregnable fortress.
33:00I know this is a formidable technical task.
33:03One that may not be accomplished before the end of this century.
33:11Long accused of viewing the world in black and white,
33:15Regan is riding the Zeitgeist.
33:17Using the cult Star Wars line,
33:22Episode 3 is already on the billboards,
33:25he says to his critics,
33:27The Force is with us.
33:33Behind this crazy looking project hides a great intuition.
33:37In challenging the Russians to engage in a ruinous Star Wars,
33:41Regan is betting that the financially hard pressed Soviet Union
33:45will not be able to follow suit.
33:47But the President does not wait for this colossal project
33:51to become a reality to show his determination.
33:57On October 15, 1983,
33:59he launches Operation Urgent Fury,
34:01the biggest U.S. military deployment since the Vietnam War.
34:13Its target, the small Caribbean island of Grenada,
34:15that has fallen to a pro-Castro Junta.
34:20The operation is presented as the destruction
34:22of a nerve center of the world revolution
34:24that is to be nipped in the bud.
34:28In three days,
34:29some 6,000 highly trained Marines
34:31wipe out the 1,500 fighters of the opposing forces.
34:39Pumped up by its troops' victory,
34:41the United States rejoices.
34:48The old cowboy is back in the saddle with a vengeance.
34:50He has fulfilled his pledges
34:52and is in the running for a new term.
34:59On May 21, 1984,
35:01a commercial appears for the first time on the small screen.
35:04It's morning again in America.
35:09Today, more men and women will go to work than ever before
35:12in our country's history.
35:14With interest rates at about half the record highs of 1980,
35:19nearly 2,000 families today will buy new homes.
35:21That says it all.
35:25What they cleverly hide behind this apparent success
35:28is that America is deeply in debt.
35:32After four years of Reaganomics,
35:34it is living on credit.
35:36Its economy is on life support.
35:38But Reagan will criss-cross the country
35:40as though this reality does not exist.
35:43It is too disturbing.
35:44He prefers to speak to Americans' hearts.
35:48And when it comes to speaking to the heart,
35:50he is unrivaled.
35:52Thank you. God bless you.
35:53And God bless America.
35:59Then, like an actor who never tires of his best speeches,
36:02he hammers the point home at every appearance.
36:04America is coming back and is more confident than ever
36:09about the future.
36:13And America applauds.
36:23Impressed by his performance,
36:25even the leader of the opposition acknowledges
36:28his ideological approach is superficial.
36:31And yet this guy pulls it off.
36:32I'm appalled by his lack of depth.
36:35But his talent leaves me open-mouthed.
36:38I've never seen anything like it.
36:42That summer's Olympic Games give Reagan a crowning moment.
36:47I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles.
36:51I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles.
36:52I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles.
36:53I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles.
36:54I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles.
36:59Boycotted by the USSR and all the Eastern Bloc countries,
37:04the Americans, playing at home with no serious competition,
37:07bag a huge medal tally.
37:09Like athlete Carl Lewis or gymnast Mary Lou Retton.
37:12Patriotic euphoria is at its peak.
37:17Americans have regained their former spirits.
37:21Bet won.
37:27However, a few days before the election,
37:29the president's incursion into a fast-food restaurant leads to taunts.
37:33You pay up there, Mr. President.
37:35You pay up there.
37:37You mean there's a free lunch?
37:39Reagan never masters the rituals of command.
37:42But that does not matter to the American people.
37:45Despite his gaffes, he remains cheerful and spontaneous,
37:49and the magic works.
37:55What is more, at the age of 73, he has not lost his bite.
37:58During the traditional debate,
38:01he puts his young challenger, Walter Mondale, onto the ropes.
38:05I will not make age an issue of this campaign.
38:09I am not going to exploit, for political purposes,
38:13my opponent's youth and inexperience.
38:24Mondale's running mate, Geraldine Ferraro, says,
38:26The public does not agree with Reagan on the budget,
38:30does not agree on his policies,
38:32does not agree on the environment,
38:34does not agree on the nuclear issue.
38:36But ask them about Reagan, and they'll say, he's great.
38:43On November 6, 1984, he is re-elected by a landslide.
38:47This time, he wins 49 of the 50 states, nearly a grand slam.
38:52He's the only president, apart from Roosevelt, to have won by such a margin.
38:58Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
39:01Thank you!
39:03Four more years! Four more years!
39:05Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
39:13Thank you!
39:15Four more years! Four more years!
39:17I'm going to do it just one more time.
39:19You ain't seen nothing yet!
39:20However, Reagan takes on his second term with no ideas and no program.
39:31And his tendency to be lazy takes over once again.
39:35Especially as he's getting older.
39:38He's becoming increasingly deaf,
39:40increasingly slow,
39:42and increasingly absent.
39:44Yet even diminished, the U.S. President is not prepared to play a bit part.
39:51Quite the contrary.
39:54He has four years left to complete his work.
39:57But how?
39:59The astrologer that the First Lady has been regularly consulting
40:04ever since the failed assassination attempt has no answer.
40:06When suddenly, Mikhail Gorbachev is propelled to the head of the Kremlin.
40:18In 1985, the Soviet Union is exhausted.
40:22Bled dry by military spending.
40:25The black market is the only way for people to get by.
40:31So Gorbachev has to reform his country to save what can still be saved.
40:36He has to put a stop to the arms race,
40:39in order to allocate the budget to the sectors of the economy that are in trouble.
40:46Two weeks after taking office,
40:48he writes to the American president asking for a meeting.
40:52In the White House, the presidential advisers are wary.
40:56But an enthusiastic Reagan is quick to accept.
40:59In his diary he writes,
41:01I have been waiting for this moment for more than five years.
41:04There remains one essential detail,
41:07to decide on the most auspicious date.
41:09His wife's astrologer is called in to help.
41:18On November 19, 1985, with a favorable alignment of the planets,
41:23the historic meeting between the two giants takes place.
41:25It is cold in Geneva.
41:31Gorbachev arrives bundled up in his overcoat.
41:36And Reagan, looking dashing in his jacket, rushes to greet him and launches his charm offensive.
41:42The summit between the two most powerful men on earth is also a communications war.
41:50And no one on earth can eclipse Reagan when it comes to attracting the light.
41:55The image of the American braving the cold against the wrapped up Russian flies around the world.
42:00A private face-to-face meeting is planned for a few minutes between the two leaders for them to get to know one another.
42:13This lasts over an hour.
42:16Nobody thought that Reagan could put on such a performance.
42:19The arms issue becomes the immediate focus of the discussion.
42:26Gorby wants reductions.
42:28Reagan cunningly does not say no, but reserves his response.
42:31Mr. President, you think you are going to meet again, Mr. Gorbachev?
42:41Don't be in a hurry. Don't rush things and try to learn everything in advance.
42:52In the end, the summit concludes with little progress.
42:55But back in Washington, Reagan solemnly announces that a star has been illuminated in the night of the Cold War.
43:04Like a pioneer setting foot in an unknown land, he says...
43:08As our forefathers who voyaged to America, we traveled to Geneva with peace as our goal and freedom as our guide.
43:16And now, here we are gathered together on the edge of an unknown future.
43:19But, like our forefathers, really not so much afraid, but full of hope and trusting in God as ever.
43:30Thank you for allowing me to talk to you this evening, and God bless you all.
43:36Nicely played.
43:37In the summer of 1986, his popularity reached its zenith, up to a record-breaking 82% among young people.
43:55The poker game with Gorbachev resumes.
43:58Reagan knows perfectly well that the USSR is in trouble and that he holds all the cards to finish him off.
44:04The Russian arrives in Reykjavik, Iceland with an unprecedented proposal.
44:19Halving both countries' nuclear arsenals.
44:23Eliminating intermediate-range missiles and banning atomic tests.
44:28In short, ending 40 years of Cold War.
44:38But Gorbachev also requires the U.S. to abandon its Star Wars program.
44:44Reagan refuses.
44:46It would be out of the question to abandon a weapon that is already forcing the Russians to their knees.
44:51In an outburst of bad humor worthy of the stage, he leaves, slamming the door.
44:59This is a masterful bluff that piles on the agony for the Soviet Union.
45:06Then comes the affair that knocks him off his pedestal.
45:09Nicaragua continues to insist tonight that a cargo plane shot down in that country was on a CIA mission.
45:19On October 6, 1986, a cargo plane crashes in Nicaragua.
45:24On board, there are many tons of weapons being flown to opponents of the Sandinista regime.
45:29And a former CIA agent.
45:31Nicaraguan officials charge that Hassan Fous is an American military advisor working in El Salvador.
45:37The Reagan administration denied any connection to the downed aircraft.
45:42After weeks of uncertainty, a commission of inquiry confirms the involvement of the United States.
45:47Tainted by the scandal, Reagan gives assurances that he has no knowledge of it.
45:51However, everything shows that he is lying.
45:56Not only has he been waging a clandestine guerrilla war behind the back of Congress,
46:01but the whole thing has been financed by a sale of weapons to the Iranian regime,
46:06which is still under international embargo.
46:12Cornered by the evidence, Reagan has no choice but to acknowledge his guilt.
46:16I understand this decision is deeply controversial and that some profoundly disagree with what was done.
46:23A confession that is not enough to silence the press.
46:30How can you justify this duplicity?
46:33I don't think it was duplicity.
46:35How would you assess the credibility of your own administration?
46:39Mr. President, you have stated flatly that you did not trade weapons for hostages.
46:43The only thing I know about major shipments of arms, as I've said, everything that we sold them,
46:49could be put in one cargo plane and there would be plenty of room left over.
46:54A lot of American people just simply don't believe you.
46:57Can you repair it? What does it mean for the rest of your presidency?
47:01His fall on the polls is staggering.
47:04Members of Congress consider his impeachment, but there are not enough of them.
47:09Others see no need to bring on a crisis.
47:14Given his age, he is finished politically.
47:25But just like in the movies, political heroes never die.
47:29And Reagan will rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
47:32On June 12, 1987, he returns to the limelight with a memorable speech at the Berlin Wall.
47:41General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe,
47:51if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate.
47:55Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate.
48:05Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.
48:08The Soviet Union is dying on its feet and Gorbachev is prepared to make any concessions.
48:26On December 8, 1987, Americans and Soviets endorsed the disarmament policy.
48:37Despite the seriousness of the business, Reagan, true to himself, cannot help making a joke.
48:45He even goes so far as to inflict one of his favorite anti-communist jokes on his counterpart.
48:49He casually says,
48:52There are four things wrong with Russian agriculture.
48:56Spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
49:00In a hurry to finish, Gorbachev plays the game and affects an embarrassed laugh.
49:05Reagan then tries to convince him of the existence of God.
49:08For the first time in history, both sides commit not only to limiting new weapons, but to destroying part of their arsenals.
49:31The duel between the two superpowers comes to an end without a shock being fired, and with it, four decades of Cold War.
49:46Praised by the press, Reagan becomes the architect of a diplomatic success that restores his country's image.
50:02A glory that leaves Gorbachev in the shadows, no laurel wreaths for him.
50:07A year later, the old president leaves the White House with a feeling of having accomplished his mission.
50:21We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.
50:27All in all, not bad. Not bad at all.
50:37And yet, Reagan's image as an incompetent president persists to this day.
50:52His record undoubtedly contains many failures.
50:56The giant hole in public finances,
50:59the concentration of wealth into the hands of a few,
51:01and the financialization of the economy are the lasting consequences of his years as Head of the United States.
51:09For better or for worse, he remains a source of inspiration,
51:14a role model whose legacy lives on.
51:17In the movies, no one would doubt that he was a B-lister.
51:21But as Head of the United States, he was able to turn his presidency into a blockbuster.
51:31He's the one who seems to be able to change from the United States.
51:35He's the one who feels as a beautiful master of the United States.
51:38He was able to change his life.
51:40The only one who is a human being.
51:43We can change his life.
51:46He used as a human being.
51:49He used to be a human being.
51:51The only one who has been to love him.
51:54The only one who is a human being,
51:56Amém.
52:26Amém.
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