Debate 1984, Presidential #2; Ronald Reagan And Walter Mondale

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and this and other public television stations. This is PBS the Public Broadcasting Service. Tonight a special edition of the MacNeil Lehrer News Hour on the presidential debates of 1984 from Kansas City Missouri.

Good evening and welcome to this special edition of The News Hour. Judy Woodruff and I are here tonight with a simple and straightforward mission. The broadcast the 90 minutes of give and take between musters Mondale and Reagan over foreign policy. And then on many stations to come back afterward for 30 minutes or so and analyze it Judy. Everyone including the reporters who will be asking questions is gathered in the hall where the debate is being held. Waiting for the candidates themselves to come out on stage. Once they do the president of the League of Women Voters which is sponsoring these debates Dorothy writings will say welcome and then turn the stage over to the moderator. Longtime newsman Edwin Newman. This is the second and last debate between President Reagan and former Vice President Mondale as Jim mentioned the subject tonight is all foreign policy. You're looking at the stage there at Kansas City's municipal auditorium. Here are the candidates.

Pretty neat. Pretty. In the middle of the auditorium in Kansas City. I'm Dorothy routings the president of the League of Women Voters. The sponsor of this final presidential debate of the 1984 campaign between Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Walter Mondale. Our panelists for tonight's debate on defense and foreign policy issues our Georgie and Guy are syndicated columnist for Universal Press Syndicate Marvan Kal chief diplomatic correspondent for NBC News Morton Kondracke executive editor of The New Republic magazine and Henry tru it diplomatic correspondent for The Baltimore Sun.

Edwin Newman formerly of NBC News and now a syndicated columnist for King Features is our moderator of earthly writings Thank you. A brief word about our procedure tonight. The first question will go to Mr. Mondale he'll have two and a half minutes to reply. Then the panel member who put the question will ask a follow up the answer to that will be limited to one minute. After that the same question will be put to President Reagan again there will be a follow up. And then each man will have one minute for rebuttal. The second question will go to President Reagan first. After that the alternating will continue at the end there will be four minutes summations with President Reagan going last. We have asked the questioners to be brief. Let's begin with this guy or your question to Mr. Mondale. It's Monday two related questions on the crucial issue of Central America. You and the Democratic Party have said that the only policy toward the horrendous

civil wars in Central America should be the economic development and negotiations with perhaps a quarantine of Marxist Nicaragua. Do you believe that these answers would in any way solve the bitter conflicts there. Do you really believe that there is no need to resort to force at all. Are not these solutions to Central Americans gnawing problems simply again too weak and too late. I believe that the question oversimplifies the difficulty of what we must do in Central America. Our objectives ought to be to strengthen the democracies to stop communist and other extremist influences and stabilize the community. And that in that area to do that we need a three pronged attack. One is military assistance to our friends who are being. Pressured. Secondly a strong and sophisticated economic aid program and human rights

program that offers a better life and a sharper alternative to the alternative offered by the totalitarians who oppose us. And finally a strong diplomatic effort that pursues the possibilities of peace in the area. That's one of the big disagreements that we have with the president that they have not pursued the diplomatic opportunities either within El Salvador or as between the countries and have lost time during which we might have been able to achieve peace. This brings up the whole question of what presidential leadership is all about. I think the lesson in Central America. This recent embarrassment in Nicaragua where we are giving instructions for hired assassins hired criminals and the rest. All of this has strengthened our opponents. A President must not only assure that we're tough but we must also be

wise and smart in the exercise of that power. We saw the same thing in Lebanon where we spent a good deal of America's assets because the leadership of this government did not pursue wise policies. We have been humiliated and our opponents are stronger. The bottom of national strength is that the president must be and he must lead. When a president doesn't know that submarine missiles are recallable says that 70 percent of our strategic forces are conventional discovers three years into his administration that our arms control a group efforts have failed because he didn't know that most Soviet missiles run land. These are things a president must know to command. The president is called the commander in chief. He's called that because he's supposed to be in charge of the facts and run our government and strengthen our nation. That's Monday if I can run the question just a little bit. Since World War

2 every conflict that we as Americans have been involved with has been non conventional or irregular terms and yet we keep fighting in conventional or traditional term military terms. Central American wars are very much in the same pattern as China as Lebanon as Iran is Cuba in the early days. Do you see any. Possibility that we are going to realize the change in warfare in our time or react to it in those terms we absolutely MUST which is why I have responded to your first question the way I did. It's more it's much more complex. You must understand the region you must understand the politics of the area. You must provide a strong alternative and you must show strength and all of the same time. That's why I object to the covert action in Nicaragua. That's a classic example of a strategy that's embarrassed us strengthen our opposition and undermine the moral authority of our people and our country in the

region. Strength requires knowledge. We've seen in the Nicaraguan example a policy that has actually hurt us strengthen our opposition and undermine the moral authority of our country in that region. Mr. President in the last few months it has seemed more and more that your policies in Central America were beginning to work. It just at this moment we are confronted with the extraordinary story of a CIA guerrilla manual for the anti Sandinista Contras whom we are backing which advocates not only assassinations of Sandinistas but the hiring of criminals to assassinate the guerrillas we are supporting in order to create martyrs. Is this not in effect our own state supported terrorism. No but I'm glad you asked that question because I know it's on many people's minds. I have ordered an investigation. I know that CIA is already going forward with one. We have a gentleman down in Nicaragua who is on contract to the CIA

advising supposedly on military tactics the Contras and he drew up this manual. It was turned over to the agency head in of the CIA in Nicaragua to be printed and a number of pages were excised by that agency. Had there the man in charge and he sent it on up here to CIA worth more pages were excised before it was printed. But some way or other there were 12 of the original copies that got out down there and were not submitted for this printing process by the CIA. Now those are the details as we have them and as soon as we have an investigation and find out where any blame lies for the few that did not get excised or changed we certainly are going to do something about that. We'll take the proper action at the proper time. I was very interested to hear about Central America and our process down there and I thought for a moment that

instead of a debate I was going to find Mr. Mondale in complete agreement with what we're doing because the plan that he has outlined is the one we've been following for quite some time including diplomatic processes throughout Central America and working closely with the Contador group. So I can only tell you about the the manual that we are not in the habit of. Assigning guilt before there has been proper evidence produced and proof of that guilt. But if guilt is established Whoever is guilty we will treat with that situation them and they will be removed. Oh Mr. President you were implying then that the CIA in Nicaragua is directing the Contras there. I'd also like to ask whether having the CIA investigate its own manual in such a sensitive area is not sort of like sending the fox into the chicken coop a second time.

I'm afraid I misspoke when I said a CIA hit in Nicaragua there's not someone there directing all of this activity. There are as you know she I meant a man stationed in other countries in the world and certainly in Central America and so it was a man down there in that area that this was delivered to and he recognized that you know what was in that manual was in direct contravention of my own executive order in December of 1990 that we would have nothing to do with regard to political assassinations. Mr. Mondale your rebuttal. What is a president charged with doing when he takes his oath of office. He raises his right hand and takes an oath of oath of office to take care to faithfully execute the laws of the land. The president can't know everything but a president has to know those things that are essential to his leadership and the enforcement of our laws. This man you know several

thousands of which were produced was distributed ordering political assassinations hired criminals and other forms of terrorism. Some of it was excised but the part dealing with political terrorism was continued. How can this happen. How can something this serious occur in the ministration and have a president the United States in a situation like this say he didn't know a president must know these things. I don't know which is worse not knowing or knowing and not stopping it. And what about the mining of the harbors in Nicaragua which violated international law. This has hurt this country and a president supposed to command. Mr. President your rebuttal. Yes I have so many things there to respond to I'm going to pick out something you said earlier. You have been all over the country repeating something that I will admit the press has also been repeating that I believe that nuclear missiles could be fired and then called back. I never ever conceived of such a thing. I never said any such thing. In a

discussion of our strategic arms negotiations I said that submarines carrying missiles and airplanes carrying missiles were more conventional type weapons not as destabilizing as the land based missiles and that they were also weapons that or carriers that if they were sent out and there was a change you could call them back before they had launched their missiles. But I hope that from here on you will no longer be saying that particular thing which is absolutely false how anyone could think that any sane person would believe you could call back a nuclear missile I think is as ridiculous as that as the whole concept has been so. Thank you for giving me a chance to straighten the record I'm sure that you appreciate that. Mr. Cowan. Mr.. Mr. Kalb your question to President Reagan was president. You have often described the Soviet Union as a powerful evil empire intent on world domination but this year you have said and I quote If they want to keep their mickey

mouse system that's OK with me. Which is it Mr. President. Do you want to contain them within their present borders and perhaps try to re-establish detente. Well what goes for detente. What do you really want to roll back their empire. I have said a number of occasions exactly what I believe about the Soviet Union. I retract nothing that I have said. I believe that many of the things they have done are evil in any concept of morality that we have. But I also recognize that as the two great superpowers in the world we have to live with each other. And I told Mr. Gromyko we don't like their system they don't like ours and we're not going to change their system. And they sure better not try to change us. But the tween us we can either destroy the world. Or we can save it. And I suggested that certainly it was to their common interest along with ours to avoid a conflict and to attempt to save the world and remove the nuclear weapons. And I think that

perhaps we established a little better understanding. I think that in dealing with the Soviet Union one has to be realistic. I know that Mr. Mondale in the past has made statements as if they were just people like ourselves and if we were kind and good and did something nice they would respond accordingly. And the result was unilateral disarmament. We canceled the B-1 under the previous administration. What did we get for it. Nothing. The Soviet Union has been engaged in the biggest military buildup in the history of man. At the same time that we tried the policy of unilateral disarmament of weakness if you will. And now we are putting up a defense of our own. And I made it very plain to them. We seek no superiority. We simply are going to provide a deterrent. So that would be too costly for them if they are nursing any ideas of aggression against us. Now they claim they're not. And I made it plain to them. We're not. But. This

There's been no change in my attitude at all. I just thought when I came into office it was time that there was some realistic talk to end about the Soviet Union and we did get their attention. Mr. President perhaps the other side of the coin a related question sir. Since World War 2 the vital interests of the United States have always been defined by treaty commitments and by presidential proclamations aside from what is obvious such as for example which countries which regions in the world do you regard as vital national interests of this country. Meaning that you would send American troops to fight there if they were in danger. And now you've added a hypothetical there at the end. KALB about that where we would send troops in to fight. I am not going to make the decision as to what the tactics could be. But obviously there are a number of areas in the world that are of importance to us one is the Middle East and that is of interest to the whole Western world in the

industrialized nations because of the great supply of energy on which so many depend there. The our neighbors here in America are vital to us. We're working right now and trying to be of help in southern Africa. With regard to the independence of Namibia and the removal of the Cuban surrogates the thousands of them from Angola. So I can say there are a great many interests. I believe that we have a great interest in the Pacific basin. That is where I think the future of the world lies. But I am not going to pick out one and in advance hypothetically say oh yes we would send troops there. I don't want to hear it Mr. President for your time was up. Mr. Mondale you have described the Soviet leaders as and I'm quoting cynical ruthless and dangerous suggesting an almost total lack of trust in them. In that case what makes you think that the annual summit meetings with them that you have proposed

will result in agreements that would satisfy the interests of this country because the only type of agreements to reach with the Soviet Union are the types that are specifically defined so we know exactly what they must do. Subject to full verification which means we know every day whether they're living up to it and follow ups wherever we find suggestions that they're violating it. And the strongest possible terms. I have no illusions about the Soviet Union leadership or the nature of that state. They are a tough and a ruthless adversary and we must be prepared to meet that challenge. And I would. Where I part with the president is that despite all of those differences we must as past presidents before this one have done meet on the common ground of survival. And that's where the president has opposed practically every arms control agreement by every president of both political parties since the bomb went off. He now completes this term

with no progress toward arms control at all but with a very dangerous arms race underway. Instead there are now over 2000 more warheads pointed at us today than there were when he was sworn in. And that does not strengthen us. We must be very very realistic in the nature of that leadership. But we must grind away and talk to find ways to reducing these differences particularly where arms races are concerned and other dangerous exercises of Soviet power. There will be no unilateral disarmament under my administration. I will keep this nation strong. I understand exactly what the Soviets are up to. But that too is a part of national strength to do that a president that's know what is essential to command and to leadership and to strength. And that's where the president's failure to master in my opinion the essential elements of arms

control has cost us dearly for years three years into this administration he said he just discovered that most Soviet missiles are on land and that's why his proposal didn't work. I invite the American people tomorrow because I believe the statement quoting President Reagan he said exactly what I said he said. He said that these missiles were less dangerous than ballistic missiles because you could fire them and you could recall them if you decided there had been a miscalculation. I'm sorry I was in a must know those things. Related question the steel used in Europe. Do you accept the conventional diplomatic wisdom that Eastern Europe is a Soviet sphere of influence and if you do. What could a Mondale administration realistically do to help the people of Eastern Europe achieve the human rights that were guaranteed to them as a result of the Helsinki Accords. I think the essential strategy of the United States ought not accept any Soviet control over Eastern Europe. We ought to deal with each of these countries

separately. We ought to pursue strategies with each of them economic and the rest that help them pull away from their dependence upon the Soviet Union with the Soviet Union has acted irresponsibly as they have in many of those countries especially recently in Poland. I believe we ought to insist that Western credits extended to the Soviet Union bear the market rate. Make the Soviets pay for their irresponsibility. That is a very important objective to make certain that we continue to look forward to it to progress toward greater independence by these nations and work with each of them separately. Mr. President your rebuttal. Yes I'm not going to continue trying to respond to these repeat repetitions of the falsehoods that have already been stated here. But with regard to whether Mr. Mondale would be strong as he said he would be. I know that he has a commercial out where he is appearing on the deck of the Nimitz and watching the F-14 take off. And that's an image of strength except that if he had had his way when the Nimitz was being planned he would have been deep in the water out there

because there wouldn't have been any Nimitz to stand on he was against it. He was against the F-14 fighter he was against the M-1 tank he was against the B-1 bomber he wanted to cut the salary of the all of the military he wanted to bring home half of the American forces in Europe and he has a record of weakness with regard to our national defense that is second to none. Indeed he was on that side virtually throughout all his years in the Senate and he opposed even the president Carter when toward the end of his term President Carter wanted to increase the defense budget. Mr. Mondale your rebuttal. Mr President I accept your commitment to peace but I want you to accept my commitment to a strong national defense. I propose a budget. What holds you logic. Thank you to increase our nation's strength by by in real terms by double that of the Soviet Union. I'll tell you where we disagree. It is true. Over

10 years ago I voted to delay production of the F-14 I'll tell you why the plane wasn't flying supposed to the way it was supposed to be. It was a waste of money. Your definition of national strength is to throw money at the Defense Department. My definition of national strength is to make certain that a dollar spent buys us a dollar's worth of defense. There's a big difference between the two of us a president must manage that budget. I will keep a strong but you'll not do that unless you command that budget and make certain we get the strength that we need and you pay $500 for a $5 hammer. You're not buying strings. I want to ask the audience not to applaud. All it does is take up time that we would like to devote to the debate. Mr. KONDRACKE A question to Mr. Mondale. Mr. Mondale in an address earlier this year you said that before this country resorts to military force and I'm quoting American interests should be sharply defined publicly supported congressionally sanctioned militarily feasible internationally

defensible open to independent scrutiny and alert to regional history now aren't you setting up such a gauntlet of tests here that adversaries could easily suspect that as president you would never use force to protect American interests. You know I Matter fact I believe every one of those standards is essential to the exercise of power by this country and we can see that in both Lebanon and in Central America in Lebanon. This president exercised American power All right. But the management of it was such that our Marines were killed. We had to leave in humiliation. The Soviet Union became stronger. Terrorists became emboldened and it was because they did not think through how power should be exercised did not have the American public with them on a planet work that we ended up the way we did. Similarly in Central America what we're doing in Nicaragua with this covert war which the Congress including many Republicans have tried to stop is

finally end up with the public definition of marriage of American power that hurts us where we get associated with political assassins and the rest. We have to decline for the first time in modern history jurisdiction of the World Court because they'll find us guilty of illegal actions and our enemies are strengthened from all of this. We need to be strong. We need to be prepared to use that strength. But we must understand that we are a democracy. We are a government by the people. And when we move it should be for very severe and extreme reasons that serve our national interest and end up with a stronger country behind us. It is only in that way that we can persevered. You've been quoted as saying that you might quarantine Nicaragua. I'd like to know what that means. Would you stop Soviet ships as President Kennedy did in 1962 and wouldn't that be more dangerous than President Reagan's covert war.

What I'm referring to there is the mutual self-defense provisions that exist in the Inter-American treaty the so-called real pact that permits the nations are friends in that region to combine to take steps diplomatic and otherwise to prevent Nicaragua. When she acts irresponsibly in asserting power in other parts outside of our border to take those steps whatever they might be to stop it. The Nicaraguans must know that it is the policy of our government that those people that that leadership must stay behind the boundaries of their nation not interfere in other nations and by working with all of the nations in the region. Unlike the policies of this administration unlike the president said they have not supported the goshi actions in that region. We will be much stronger because will have the moral authority that goes with those efforts. President Reagan you introduced US forces into Lebanon as neutral

peacekeepers but then you made them combatants on the side of the Lebanese government. Eventually you were forced to withdraw them under fire. And now Syria a Soviet ally is dominant in the country. Doesn't Lebanon represent a major failure on the part of your administration and raise serious questions about your capacity as a foreign policy strategist and as commander in chief. No Morton I don't agree to all of those things. First of all when we and our allies the Italians the French and the United Kingdom went into Lebanon we went in there at the request of what was left of the Lebanese government to be a stabilizing force while they tried to extend the government but the first part me the first time we went in we went in at their request because the war was going on right in Beirut between Israel and the PLO terrorist. Israel could not be blamed for that. Those terrorists had been violating their northern border consistently and Israel chased them all the way to there. Then we went in with a multinational force to help remove and did

remove more than 13000 of those terrorists from Lebanon. We departed and then the government of Lebanon asked us back in as a stabilizing force while they established a government and sought to get the foreign forces all the way out of Lebanon and that they could then take care of their own borders. And we were succeeding we were there for the better part of a year. Our position happened to be at the airport or there were occasional snipings and sometimes some artillery fire but we did not engage in conflict. That was out of line with our mission. I will never send troops anywhere on a mission of that kind without telling them that if somebody shoots at them they can darn well shoot back. And this is what we did. We never initiated any kind of action we defended ourselves there but we were succeeding to the point that the Lebanese government had been organized if you will remember there were meetings in Geneva in which they began to meet with the hostile factional forces and try to put together some kind of a peace plan.

We were succeeding and that was why the terrorist attacks began. There are forces there and that includes Syria in my mind who don't want us to succeed who don't want that kind of a peace with a dominant 11 dominant over its own territory. And so the terrorist acts began and led to the one great tragedy when they were killed in that suicide bombing of the building. Then the UN multilateral lateral force withdrew for only one reason we withdrew because we were no longer able to carry out the mission for which we had been sent in. But we went in in the interest of peace and to keep Israel and Syria from getting into the sixth war between them. And I have no apologies for our going on a peace mission. Mr. President four years ago you criticized President Carter for ignoring ample warnings that our diplomats in Iran might be taken hostage. Haven't you done exactly the same thing in Lebanon not once but three times with three hundred Americans not hostages but

dead and you vowed swift retaliation against terrorists but doesn't our lack of response suggest that you're just bluffing. MARTIN No I think there's a great difference between the government of Iran threatening our diplomatic personnel. And there is a government that you can see and can put your hand on in the terrorist situation. There are terrorist factions all over in that in a recent 30 day period. Thirty seven terrorist acts in 20 countries have been committed. The most recent has been the one in Brighton in dealing with terrorist yes. We want to retaliate but only if we can put our finger on the people responsible and not. Endangered the lives of innocent civilians there in the various communities in the city of Beirut where these terrorists are operating. I have just signed legislation to add to our ability to deal along with our allies with this terrorist problem and it's going to take all the nations together just as when we banded

together we pretty much resolved the whole problem of hijacked sky jacking said some time ago. Well the red light went on. I could have gone on forever. Mr. Mondale your rebuttal. Groucho Marx said Who do you believe me or your own eyes. And what we have in Lebanon is something that the American people have seen. The Joint Chiefs urged the president not to put our troops in that barracks because there are undefensible. They urged they went to him five days before they were killed and said please take them out of there. Secretary of State admitted that this morning he did not do so. The report following the explosion the barracks disclosed that we had not taken any of the steps that we should have taken. That was the second time then the embassy was blown up a few weeks ago. And once again none of the steps that should have been taken were taken and we were warned five days before that explosives were on their way and they weren't taken. The

terrorists have won each time. The president told the terrorists he was going to retaliate. He didn't. They called their bluff. And the bottom line is the United States left and our enemies are strong. Mr. President your bottle. Yes. First of all Mr. Mondale should know that the president of the United States did not order the Marines into that barracks. That was a command decision made by the commanders on the spot and based with what they thought was best for the men there. And that is one of the other things that you've just said about the terrorist. I'm tempted to ask you what you would do. These are unidentified people. And after the bomb goes off. They're blown to bits because they are suicidal individuals who think that they're going to go to paradise if they perpetrate such an act and lose their life in doing it. We are going to as I

say we're busy trying to find the centers where these operations stem from and retaliation will be taken. But we are not going to simply kill some people to say oh look we got even we want to know when we retaliate that we're retaliating with those who are responsible for the terrorist acts and terrorist acts are such that our own United States Capitol in Washington has been bombed twice. Mr. Treuer your question to President Reagan which President I want to raise an issue that I think you're going to lurking out there for two or three weeks and cast it specifically in national security turnt. You already are the oldest president in history and some of your staff say you were tired after your most recent encounter with Mr. Mr. Mondale. I recall yet that President Kennedy had to go for days on end with very little sleep during the Cuban Missile Crisis Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances.

Not at all. Mr. Treuer tonight and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. Of Shebaa. But. I still have time I might add Mr. Drewitt I might add to that. It was Seneca or it was Cicero I don't know which. That said if it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young there would be no St.. But I'd like to head for the fence and try to catch that one before it goes over but I bet I'll go on to another question. Mr. Mondale I've already disagreed about what you had to say about recalling submarine launched missiles there's another similar issue out there that relates to your. It is said at least that you were unaware that the Soviet retaliatory

power was based on land based missiles first is that correct Secondly if it is correct Have you informed yourself in the meantime and third is it even necessary for the president to be so intimately involved in strategic details. Yes this had to do with our disarmament talks and the whole controversy about land missiles came up because we thought that strategic nuclear weapons the most destabilizing of the land based you put your thumb on a button and somebody blows up 20 minutes later. So we thought that it would be simpler to negotiate first with those and then we made it plain a second phase take up the submarine launch the air the airborne missiles the Soviet Union. To our surprise and not just mine made it plain when we brought this up that they place they thought a greater reliance on the land based missiles and therefore they wanted to take up all three and we agreed we said all right if that's what you want to do. But it was a surprise to us because they outnumbered a 64 to 36 in submarines and 20 percent more bombers capable of carrying nuclear missiles than we had. So why

should we believe that they had placed that much more reliance on land based. But even after we gave in and said All right let's discuss it all. They walked away from the table. We didn't. Mr. Mondale I'm going to hang in there. Should the presidents age and stamina be an issue in the political campaign. You know and I have not made it an issue. Nor should it be what's at issue here is the president's application of his authority to understand what a president must know to lead this nation secure our defense and make the decisions and the judgments that are necessary. A minute ago the president quoted Cicero I believe. I want to quote somebody a little closer to home. Harry Truman he said The Buck Stops Here. We just heard the president's answer for the problems at the barracks in Lebanon were two hundred forty one Marines were killed. What happened. First the Joint Chiefs of Staff

which the president said don't put those troops there. They did it. And then five days before the troops were killed they went back to the president through the secretary defense and said Please Mr. President take those troops out of there because we can't defend them. They didn't do it and we know what's right. What happened after that. Once again our embassy was exploded. This is the fourth time this has happened. And identical attack in the same region despite warnings even public warnings from the terrorist who's in charge who's handling this matter. That's my main point. Now an arms control we're completing four years. This is the first administration since the bomb went off that made no progress. We have an arms race underway. Instead a president. Has to lead his government or it won't be done. Different people with different views. Fight with each other for three and a half years.

This administration avoided arms control resisted tabling arms control proposals that had any hope of agreeing rebuked or negotiator in 1981 when he came close to an agreement at least in principle on medium range weapons. And we have this arms race underway and a recent book that just came out by the perhaps the nation's most respected author in this field Strobe Talbott called Deadly gambit concludes that this president has failed to master the essential details needed to command and lead us both in terms of security in terms of arms control. That's why they call the president commander in chief. Good intentions I grant but it takes more than that. You must be tough and smart. This question of leadership keeps arising in different forms in this discussion already and the president Mr. Mondale has called you whining and vacillating among the more charitable phrases week I believe it is it is a question of

leadership and he has made the point that you have not repudiated some of the semi diplomatic activity of the Reverend Jackson particularly in Central America. Do you did you approve of his diplomatic activity and are you prepared to repeat repudiating that. I read his statement the other day. I don't admire Fidel Castro at all. And I have said that Che Guevara was a contemptible figure in civilization's history. I know the Cuban state as a police state and all my life I've worked in a way that demonstrates that. But Jesse Jackson is an independent person. I don't control him. And. Let's talk about people we do control in the last debate the vice president United States said that. I said the Marines had died shamefully and died in shame in Lebanon. I demanded an apology from Vice President Bush because I had it stead honored these young men grieve for their families. And I think they were wonderful

Americans that honored us all. What does the president have to say about taking responsibility for a vice president who won't apologize for something like that. Mr. President your rebuttal. Yes I know to come as a surprise to Mr. Mondale but I am in charge. And as a matter of fact we haven't avoided arms control talks with the Soviet Union very early in my administration I proposed and I think something that had never been proposed by any previous administration I proposed a total elimination of intermediate range missiles where the Soviets had better than a ton and still have better than a tend to want to vantage over the allies in Europe when they protested that and suggested a smaller number perhaps I went along with that the so-called negotiation that you said I walked out on was the so-called walk in the wood between one of our representatives and one of the Soviet Union. And it wasn't me that turned it down the Soviet Union disavowed it.

Mr. Mondale you're about. There are two distinguished authors in arms control in this country there are many others but two that I want to cite tonight. One is Strobe Talbott in his classic book Deadly gambit The other is John Newhouse who's one of the most distinguished arms control specialists in our country both said. That this administration turned down the walk and the group Woods agreement first and that would have been a perfect agreement from the standpoint of the United States and Europe and our security. When Mr. Nitsa a good negotiator returned he was rebuked and his boss was fired. This is the kind of leadership that we've had in this administration in the most deadly issue of our time. Now we have a runaway arms race. All they've got to show for four years and U.S.-Soviet relations is one meeting and the last weeks of an administration and nothing before they're tough negotiators. But all previous presidents have made progress. This one has not.

This guy are you a question to Mr. Mondale. Mr. Mondale. Many analysts are now saying that actually our number one foreign policy problem today is one that remains almost totally unrecognized massive illegal immigration from economically collapsing countries. They are saying that it is the only real territorial threat to the American nation state. You yourself said in the 1970s that we had a quote hemorrhage on our borders unquote. Yet today you have backed off any immigration reform such as the balanced and highly crafted Simpson-Mazzoli bill. Why what would you do instead today if anything. This is a very serious problem in our country and it has to be dealt with. I object to that part of the Simpson-Mazzoli bill which I think is very unfair and would prove to be so. That is the part that requires employers to determine the citizenship of an employee before they are hired. I am convinced that the

result of this would be that people who are Spanish people who have different languages or speak with an accent would find it difficult to be employed. I think that's wrong. We've never had citizenship tests in our country before and I don't think we should have a citizenship card today that is counterproductive. I do support the other aspects of the Simpson-Mazzoli bill that strengthen enforcement at the border strengthen other ways of dealing with undocumented workers in this in this difficult area and dealing with the problem of saddling people who have lived here for many many years and do not have an established status. I have further strongly recommend that this administration do something that is not done and that is to strengthen enforcement at the border strengthen the officials in this government that deal with undocumented workers and to do so in a way that's responsible and within the Constitution of the United States. We need an

answer to this problem but it must be an American answer. It is consistent with justice and due process. Everyone in this room practically here tonight is an immigrant. We came here loving this nation serving it and it is serving all of our most bountiful dreams. And one of those dreams is justice and we need a measure. And I will support a measure that brings about those objectives but a voice that one aspect that I think is very serious the second part. Is to maintain and improve relations with our friends to the south. We cannot solve this problem all on our own. And that's why the failure of this administration to deal ineffective in good faith way with Mexico with Costa Rica with the other nations in trying to find a peaceful settlement to the dispute in Central America has undermined our capacity to effectively deal diplomatic in this diplomatically in this area as well.

Serve people as well-balanced and just as Father theater has burg and Notre Dame who head of the Select Commission on Immigration have pointed out repeatedly that there will be no immigration reform without employer sanctions because it would be an unbalanced bill and there would be simply no way to reinforce it. However putting that aside for the moment your critics have also said repeatedly that you have not gone along with the bill or with any immigration reform because of the Hispanic groups or Hispanic leadership groups who actually do not represent what the Hispanic Americans want because polls show that they overwhelmingly want some kind of immigration reform. Can you say or how can you justify your position on this and how do you respond to the criticism that this is another or that this is an example of your flip flopping and giving in to special interest groups at the expense of the American

nation. I think you're right that the polls show that the majority of Hispanics want that bill. So I'm not doing it for political reasons. I'm doing it because all my life I've fought for a system of justice in this country. A system in which every American has a chance to achieve the fullness of life without discrimination. This bill imposes upon employers the responsibility of determining whether somebody applies for a job is an American or not. And just in Evidently there are going to be reluctant to hire Hispanics or people with a different accent. If I were dealing with politics here the polls show the American people want this. I am for reform in this area for tough enforcement at the border and for many other aspects of the Simpson Mazzoli bill. But all my life I've fought for a fair nation. And despite the politics of it I stand where I stand. And I think I'm right. And before this fight is over we're going to come up with a better bill a more effective bill does

not undermine the liberties of our people. Mr. President you too have said that our borders are out of control yet this fall you allowed the Simpson-Mazzoli bill which would at least have minimally protected our borders and the rights of citizenship because of a relatively unimportant issue of reimbursed burst into the states for legalized aliens. Given that may I ask what priority can we expect you to give this forgotten national security element. How sincere are you in your efforts to control in effect the nation state that is the United States. And we believe me supported the Simpson-Mazzoli bill strongly and the bill that came out of the Senate. However there were things added in the House side that we felt. Made it less of a good deal as a matter of fact made it a bad bill and in conference we stayed with them in conference all the way to where even Senator Simpson did not want the bill in the manner in which it would

come out of the conference committee. There were a number of things in there that weakened that bill I can't go into detail about them here. But it is true our borders are out of control. It is also true that this has been a situation in our borders back through a number of administrations. And I supported this bill. I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and who have lived here even though some time back there they may have entered illegally. With regard to the employer sanctions this we must have that. Not only to ensure that we can identify the illegal aliens but also keep protesting about what it would do to employers there as another employer that we shouldn't be so concerned about. And these are employers down through the years who have encouraged the illegal entry into this country because they then hire these individuals and hire them at starvation wages and with none of the benefits that

we think are normal and natural for workers in our country and the individuals can't complain because of their illegal status. We don't think that those people should be allowed to continue operating free. And this was why the provisions that we had with regard to sanctions and so forth. And I'm going to do everything I can and all of us in the administration are to join in again when Congress is back at it to get an immigration bill that will give us once again control of our borders. And with regard to friendship below the border and with the countries down there. Yes. No administration that I know has established the relationship that we have with our Latin friends. But as long as they have an economy that relieves so many people in dire poverty and unemployment they are going to seek that employment across our borders and we work with those other countries. Mr. President the experts also say that the situation today

is terribly different quantitatively qualitatively different from what it has been in the past because of the gigantic population growth. For instance Mexico's population will go from about 60 million today to one hundred twenty million at the turn of the century. Many of these people will be coming into the United States not as citizens but as illegal workers. You have repeatedly said recently that you believe that Armageddon the destruction of the world may be imminent in our times. Do you ever feel that we are in for an Armageddon situation a time of anarchy regarding the population explosion in the world. No as a matter of fact the population explosion. And if you look at the actual figures has been vastly exaggerated over exaggerated as a matter of fact. There are some pretty scientific and solid figures about how much space there still is in the world and how many more people and we can have it's almost like going back to the mall again. Theory when even then they were saying that

everyone would starve. With the limited population they had then but the problem of population growth is one here with regard to our immigration and we have been the safety valve whether we want to do or not with the illegal entry here in Mexico where their population is increasing and they don't have an economy that can absorb them and provide the jobs. And this is what we're trying to work out not only to protect our own borders but to have some kind of fairness and recognition of that problem. Mr. Mondale your rebuttal. One of the biggest problems today is that the countries to our south are so desperately poor that the people who will almost lose their lives if they don't come north come north despite all the risks. And if we're going to find a permanent fundamental answer to this it goes to American economic and trade

policies that permit these nations to have a chance to get on their own two feet and to get prosperity so that they can have jobs for themselves and their people. And that's why this enormous national debt engineered by this administration is harming these countries in fueling this immigration. These high interest rates real rates that have doubled under this administration have had the same effect on Mexico and so on. And the cost of repaying those debts is so enormous that it results in massive unemployment hardship and heartache. And that drives our friends to the north to the south up and to our region. And we need to end those deficits as well. Mr. President your rebuttal in my rebuttal is I've heard the national debt blame for a lot of things but not for illegal immigration across our border and it has nothing to do with it. But with regard to these high interest rates to at least give us the recognition of the fact that when you left office Mr. Mondale there were 21

and a half the prime rate. It's now 12 a quarter and I predict it will be coming down a little more shortly. So we're trying to undo some of the things that your administration did just to kill. You. No applause please must be a question to President Reagan. Mr. President I'd like to pick up this Armageddon thing you've been quoted as saying that you do believe deep down that we are heading for some kind of biblical Armageddon. Your Pentagon and your secretary of defense have plans for the United States to fight and prevail in a nuclear war. Do you feel that we are now heading perhaps for some kind of nuclear Armageddon. And do you feel that this country and the world could survive that kind of calamity. I think what has been hailed as something I'm supposedly as president discussing this principle is the retort of just some philosophical discussions

with people who are interested in the same things. And that is the prophecy down through the years the biblical prophecies of what would portend the coming of Armageddon and so forth. And the fact that a number of theologians for the last decade or more. Have believed that this was true that the prophecies are coming together that portend that. But no one knows whether Armageddon those prophecies mean that Armageddon is a thousand years away or day after tomorrow. So I have never seriously warned and said we must plan according to Armageddon. Now with regard to having to say whether we would try to survive in the event of a nuclear war of course we would. But let me also point out that to several parliaments around the world in Europe and in Asia. I have made a statement and to each one of them and I'll repeat it here. A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. And that

is why we are maintaining a deterrent and trying to achieve a deterrent capacity where no one would believe that they could start such a war and escape with limited damage. But the deterrent. And that's what it is for. It's also what led me to propose what is now being called the Star Wars concept. But propose that we research to see if there isn't a defensive weapon that could defend against incoming missiles. And if such a defense could be found Wouldn't it be far more humanitarian to say that now we can defend against a nuclear war by destroying missiles instead of slaughtering millions of people. Mr. President when you made that proposal the so-called Star Wars proposal you said if I'm not mistaken that you would share those very super sophisticated technology with the Soviet Union. After all of the distrust

over the years that you have expressed towards the Soviet Union do you really expect anyone to take seriously that offer that you would share the best of America's technology in this weapons area with our principal adversary. Why not. What if we did. And I hope we can we're still researching. What if we come up with a weapon that renders those missiles obsolete. There has never been a weapon invented in the history of man that has not led to a defensive counter weapon. But suppose we came up with that. Now some people have said that would make a war imminent because they would think that we could know which of launch a first strike because we could defend against the enemy. But why not do what I have offered to do and ask the Soviet Union to do. Say look here's what we can do. We'll even give it to you now will you sit down with us and once and for all get rid all of us of these nuclear

weapons and free mankind from that threat. I think that would be the greatest use of a defensive weapon. You've been very sharply critical of the president's strategic defense initiative and yet what is wrong with a major effort by this country to try to use its best technology to knock out as many incoming nuclear warheads as possible. First of all let me sharply disagree with the president on sharing the most advanced and most dangerous the most important technology in America with the Soviet Union. We have had for many years understandably a system of restraints on high technology because the Soviets are behind us. And any research or development along the Star Wars schemes wouldn't evidently involve our most advanced computers the most advanced engineering and the thought that we would share this with the Soviet Union is in my opinion a total nonstarter. I would not let the Soviet Union get their hands on it at all. And what's wrong

with Star Wars. There's nothing wrong with the theory of it. If we could develop a principle. That would say both sides could fire all their missiles and no one would get hurt. I suppose it's a good idea but the fact of it is we're so far away from research that even comes close to that that the director of engineering research in the Defense Department said to get there we would have to solve eight problems each of which are more difficult than the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project. It would cost something like a trillion dollars to tast and deploy weapons. The second thing is this all assumes that the Soviets would respond in kind and they always do. We don't get behind. They won't get behind and that's been the tragic story of the arms race. We have more at stake in space satellites than they do. If we could stop right now the testing and the deployment of the space weapons and the president's proposals go player beyond

research if it was just research we wouldn't have any argument because maybe someday somebody will think of something. But to commit this nation to a build up of anti-satellite and space weapons at this time in their crude state would bring about an arms race that's very dangerous indeed. One final point. The most dangerous aspect of this.