Tom Reed: Reagan’s Cold Warrior

While in his early 30s, Tom Reed joined Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor in 1966. To Reed, Reagan was the one politician who could end the Cold War with the Soviet Union. When Reagan became president, Reed helped advise him on national security policy. For him the fall of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a decades-long journey.

He was interviewed in Los Angeles by Lou Cannon, who has written an exhaustive biography of Reagan as both governor and president.

For more information, please read the biographies by Lou Cannon: “Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power” and “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.”

The transcript and video were edited for organizational clarity and continuity.

This project was made possible by a grant from the California State Library.