Swiss diplomats tell – When Gorbachev met Reagan in Geneva for the historic summit
When Gorbachev met Reagan in Geneva for the historic summit
The then Soviet President made a big appearance in Switzerland when he negotiated nuclear disarmament with US President Ronald Reagan in 1985 – eyewitnesses remember.
After six years of radio silence between Moscow and Washington – in November 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan met in Geneva for several days of negotiations. In retrospect, the summit meeting is seen as a turning point in the Cold War andand the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Reagan needed rest
Saturday November 16, 1985 at 10 p.m. at Geneva Airport–Cointrin. The weather was nasty, the thermometer was minus 15 degrees. Everyone knew that it would be difficult with warm handshakes and welcoming speeches outdoors. Federal President Kurt Furgler showed nothing. As the host of the Russo-American Summit, he patiently awaits the arrival of his first guests: Nancy and Ronald Reagan. the ssoviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raissa should arrive two days later.
At 10:22 p.m. Air Force One deployed on the provincial railway. Kurt Furgler and his entourage observed the landing maneuver of one 30 square meters high, impressive reception podium. According to the protocol, the Boeing 707 vor roll the podium.
“When the plane door opened and Reagan appeared, my spontaneous reaction was: This summit is unlikely to end well!”
Edgar Fasel, Kurt Furgler’s personal assistant, is also on the podium. fiber recalls: «As yourself die aircraftur opened and Reagan shows upe, was my spontaneous reaction: This summit will hardly have a happy ending! Reagan looks old. He was trembling even though he was wrapped in a thick fur coat. The West seemed poorly represented»like that.
An aperitif was set up inside the airport in honor of the 74-year-old President. But a US ambassador means the reception must take place without Reagan. This one needs rest. He wants to sleep. To the annoyance of hundreds of journalists, the Reagans were taken directly to a private residence, a villa on the shore of Lake Geneva, instead of to the aperitif.
Gorbachev’s modesty
first am November 18 at 11:44 also met 54-year-old Gorbachev mIt wife in Geneva a, in a tupolew the national airline Aeroflot. Furgler received him too with entourage. Raissa and Mikhail Gorbachev did not want a posh private residence by the lake, but decided to live in the Soviet-Russian UN mission at nightGin.
“Nobody realized then that the Geneva summit would go down in history as a historic meeting.”
Edgar Fasel says: «The summit was the greatest moment of my professional life.» Raymond Loretan, also a contemporary witness, besounds however: «Nobody realized at the time that the Geneva Summit would go down in history as a historic meeting and an important step towards the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wallwould.»
Loretanwho later became a diplomat attended the summit as personal secretary to Edouard Brunner, State Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Expectations for the meeting were high, but tensions between the heads of state seemed even greater. To different ticked i.eie Behavior. They mistrusted each other too much.
“Create mistrust from the world”
As a host War Kurt Furgler too required. He had to do everything to get the men to get closer. He should be generous, offer all the comfort talk to his guests importantly and put them in a good mood – but he was allowed to do all that nnot seem intrusive. From the direct Conversations between Americans and Russians he had to himself StrightIk herwithstand. Employees successfully talked Furgler out of his desire to receive Gorbachev and Reagan in the Federal Palace in Bern.
As so often in diplomacy, symbolism played a central role. Furgler moved into the villa «The repository»who die him Geneva bankersProvided by the Pictet family. There, on the afternoon of November 18, he first recommended the American and later the American soviet leader. The Swiss Diplomatic Documents Research Center (Dodis) has the minutes of the meeting. recently made accessible.
«We are proud to have you in Switzerland», welcomed Furgler Reagan at his borrowed property. He had assured him of the same two days earlier at the airport. Now Reagan paid tribute to the sister republic again and said: Switzerland shares with the USA «The same philosophy, utilizing ideals of freedom and peace, individual liberty and free trade».
Reagan looked at the summit with confidence. He came to Geneva, um «to eliminate distrust in the world», he confirmed before Furgler and reminded that with nine previous ssoviet-American meetings always about generalities had spokenthat in Geneva, however, the planned disarmament will be discussed specifically.
“It was rehearsed as if it were about a theatrical performance.”
Raymond Loretan sat at Reagan’s reception at “Le Reposoir” mItim space. I am word log he dives as translator on. Today Loretan says: «Furgler was sovereign. The summit was his crowning glory as a politician.”
A few days earlier, in his office in Bern, the Federal President had looked very different. Kurt Furgler prepared in the presence of Loretan, Fasel and State Secretary Brunner auf benope meeting with Reagan and filed hisright Speech. The Federal President was tense, he was shaking, Loretan recalls. He practiced his speeches word for word. Every sentence melody, every intonation was discussed. «Es was rehearsed as if it for a theatrical performance»like Loreta.
All of the responsibility lay with Furgler, says Edgar Fasel. «There was little support from Foreign Minister Pierre Aubert. Aubert could hardly express himself in English», so Fasel. The foreign minister only played a minor role at the summit.
Furgler reminded of Lenin
But Furgler came up trumps. The St. Gallen even speaks Russian. At the reception of Gorbachev said eright: «In fact that Sie our country for the summit, we see evidence of your confidence in neutral Switzerland.» He recalled that Lenin between 1914 and 1917 Geneva had lived.
The always strong and somewhat grouchy Gorbachev opens up. Ere assured Furgler: «We are happy to have come to Geneva. Your extraordinary city has offered its hospitality to the protectors of civilization, progress, peace and freedom many times during the winter evening.»
“The two heads of state suddenly had sympathies for each other.”
Was between Gorbachev in the following two days and Reagan happened, more precisely Raymond Loretan like this: «The summit got its own momentum. The two heads of state suddenly had sympathies for each other that they had not had before. They responded to each other, tackled problems, the ice was broken.» The hosts are happy.
The summit of 1985 showed: What such a meeting (or not) only becomes clear many years later.
This article was first published on June 9th, 2021 ahead of the Geneva summit between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. On the occasion of the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, we bring the text again in a slightly revised version.
Found a mistake?Report now.