US Presidency
1988

Our recently signed INF treaty is historic, because it reduces nuclear arms and establishes the most stringent verification regime in arms control history, including several forms of short-notice, on-site inspection. I submitted the treaty today, and I urge the Senate to give its advice and consent to ratification of this landmark agreement. very much. In addition to the INF treaty, we're within reach of an even more significant START agreement that will reduce in 1881. and Soviet long range missile, or strategic arsenals by half. But let me be clear. Our approach is not to seek agreement for agreement's sake but to settle only for agreements that truly enhance our national security and that of our allies. We will never put our security at risk, or that of our allies just to reach an agreement with the Soviets. No agreement is better than a bad agreement. As I mentioned earlier, our efforts are to give future generations what we never had, a future free of nuclear terror. Reduction of strategic offensive arms is one step, SDI another.