47 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
47 lines
2.7 KiB
Plaintext
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09-May-88 09:09 EDT
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Sb: APn 05/05 0214 Reagan-Space Invaders
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Copyright, 1988. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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By TERENCE HUNT AP White House Correspondent
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Reagan says he wonders what would happen if the
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Earth were invaded by "a power from outer space," and imagines that it would
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unite all nations of the world in a common defense.
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He made the comment Wednesday in Chicago during a question-and-answer
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session after a speech about human rights and the Soviet Union.
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His telling of the story followed one day after the disclosure that Nancy
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Reagan has consulted an astrologer about the president's schedule and travel
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plans. Several members of Congress chided Reagan about the use of astrology and
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a group of scientists complained that it was a discredited practice.
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Reagan, asked what he felt was the most vital factor in international
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relations, spoke of the importance of frankness and about a desire for peaceful
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solutions.
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He went on to say that there had been "about 114 wars" since World War II,
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including conflicts between smaller nations.
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"But I've often wondered, what if all of us in the world discovered that we
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were threatened by an outer -- a power from outer space, from another planet,"
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Reagan said.
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"Wouldn't we all of a sudden find that we didn't have any differences
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between us at all, we were all human beings, citizens of the world, and
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wouldn't we come together to fight that particular threat?" the president
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asked.
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The president found an analogy in the threat of nuclear destruction.
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"In a way, we have something of that kind today, mentioning nuclear power
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again. We now have a weapon that can destroy the world, and why don't we
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recognize that threat more clearly and then come together with one aim in mind,
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how safely, sanely and quickly can we rid the world of this threat to our
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civilization and our existence?"
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The comment drew applause from the audience, a nonpartisan group that
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specializes in foreign policy and national security issues, the National
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Strategy Forum.
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As his next summit with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev approaches,
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Reagan has been emphasizing the need for arms control in particular and for
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cooperation among nations in general.
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In light of his past anti-Soviet rhetoric, he offered startling praise for
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Gorbachev during his speech Wednesday, saying the Soviet leader's reform
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programs are "of tremendous significance."
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"It is my belief that there is hope for further change, hope that in the
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days ahead the Soviets will grant further recognition to the fundamental civil
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and political rights of all," Reagan said.
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