'Three Days in Moscow'
Bret Baier takes a look into the end of the Cold War and President Reagan's role in collapsing the Soviet Union.
"It's an epic story with an unlikely hero," noted Fox News host and author Bret Baier, when reporting on the events featured in Fox Nation's ‘Three Days in Moscow.'
"Or so it once seemed."
On May 29, 1988, Ronald Regan traveled to Moscow for what would be a 3-day event that brought significant changes to U.S.-Russian relations. When he first arrived, word that the American president had come out to meet them [Russians], unannounced, instantly spread. Thousands surged onto the streets, and the 77-year-old Reagan actually climbed on a vegetable cart to address the crowd.
It was the first time an American president had given an address about human rights on Russian soil.
"What that scene in the Arbat turned out to be was the dramatic opening act in a clash of images, words, and ideas that signaled to the world that the Cold War was all but won," said Baier, who authored the highly-rated book of the same name as the special.
'THREE DAYS IN MOSCOW: RONALD REAGAN AND THE FALL OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE' BY BRET BAIER
For decades, American presidents tried to bring the Soviet Union to the table with little success. Ronald Reagan finally made headway. Why did Reagan, an avowed anti-Communist, choose to pursue negotiations with the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev? Few presidents had been as scathing in their rhetoric as Reagan, who had referred to the Soviet Union as "the evil empire," and predicted it would be relegated to the "ash heap of history." But Reagan saw an opening with Gorbachev, a refreshingly moderate leader who was genuinely committed to a reduction in the nuclear threat.
Despite their ideological differences, Reagan and Gorbachev were partners in the most important work of their era. Their relationship set the stage for friendlier relations in the decades to come.
33 years after the Moscow Summit ended on June 3, 1988, the relationship between two of the world's superpowers is challenging at best. Explore the history of U.S.-Russia relations on Fox Nation.
Fox News' Bret Baier contributed to this report.
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