SOVIET TREATMENT OF PRESIDENT REAGAN SINCE NOVEMBER 1980

This intelligence assessment, dated February 3, 1984, provides a detailed chronological analysis of how the Soviet Union perceived and publicly treated the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan between November 1980 and early 1984. The document serves as a barometer of Soviet expectations regarding U.S.-Soviet relations, noting that Soviet rhetoric was highly sensitive to the political climate in Washington.

Following Reagan's election in 1980, the Soviet leadership initially adopted a wait-and-see approach, with some media outlets suggesting a potential for improved bilateral relations. However, this optimism was short-lived. By May 1981, Soviet criticism of the administration intensified, though the leadership itself—specifically Brezhnev and later Andropov—often maintained a distinction between criticizing U.S. policy and attacking the President personally. The document highlights that this pattern of restraint was broken following the September 1983 shooting down of a Korean airliner, which triggered the most abusive Soviet rhetoric since the 1960s.

The assessment categorizes Soviet commentary into three distinct tiers: the leadership, well-connected political commentators (such as Arbatov, Bovin, Zagladin, and Shishlin), and routine media. The political commentators are identified as the most sensitive indicators of changing perceptions, often being more unrestrained in their criticism of U.S. policies, particularly regarding arms control, the INF deployments, and U.S. involvement in regional conflicts. The document also includes numerous excerpts from speeches by Soviet officials, including Tikhonov, Brezhnev, Ustinov, and Andropov, to illustrate the hardening of the Soviet stance.

Throughout the period, the Soviet Union consistently accused the U.S. of pursuing a policy of 'position of strength,' engaging in a massive arms race, and attempting to achieve military superiority. The document concludes that by early 1984, the Soviet assessment of the Reagan administration was overwhelmingly negative, viewing it as a source of increased international tension and a threat to global peace, with little expectation for a constructive summit or meaningful diplomatic breakthrough.