Inside The Brink of War: Reagan, Gorbachev, and the Summit That Changed History

Thank you.

By 1986, the Cold War was in its fourth decade.

Both the United States and the Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at each other and were competing for leadership of the whole world.

The American president, Ronald Reagan, was a staunch anti-communist who was building up America's military strength against the Soviets.

But he also had a vision for ending the threat of nuclear weapons, a threat that many feared could destroy all of civilization.

My Cold War series from a few years ago featured stories about how multiple presidents had to walk a tightrope during the Cold War of confronting and containing the Soviet Union while also preventing nuclear war from breaking out.

Well, when a young leader took over in the Soviet Union named Mikhail Gorbachev, President Reagan sensed an opportunity.

Perhaps Gorbachev could be the Soviet leader that he could work with.

In 1986, he met with Gorbachev at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, with the hope of ending the threat of nuclear weapons.

My guest today has just written and directed a movie about this fascinating moment in history.

His name is Michael Russell Gunn, and the movie is titled The Brink of War.

It stars Jeff Daniels as Ronald Reagan, Jared Harris as Mikhail Gorbachev, and J.K. Simmons as George Shultz.

So it looks amazing.

I recommend everyone to go and watch it.

So, Michael, thanks for being on our show.