1984 COLD WAR POLITICS - REAGAN SPEAKS WHAT IS REALLY ON HIS MIND BRIEFLY CAUSING THE COLD WAR TO WARM UP

 United States President Ronald Reagan,

On August 11, 1984 while running for re-election, 

 was preparing to make his weekly Saturday radio

 address on National Public Radio. As a sound

 check prior to the address, Reagan made the

 following joke to the radio technicians:              

  My fellow Americans, I am 

 pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We  begin bombing in five 

 minutes.

The joke was a parody of the opening line of that  

 day's speech-

 today I signed legislation that will allow student

 religious groups to begin enjoying a right they've

 too long been denied — the freedom to meet in

 public high schools during nonschool hours, just

 as other student groups are allowed to do.

Contrary to popular misconception, this microphone

gaffe was not broadcast over the air, but rather

leaked later to the general populace. But the Tokyo

newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported in October

 1984 that the Soviet Far East Army was placed

 on a full scale

 alert after word of the statement got out, and that

 the alert was not withdrawn until 12 hours later.

 An unnamed aide to US Representative Michael

 Barnes (D-Md.) confirmed that the Pentagon was

 aware of the alert. There was no report of any

 change in the DEFCON level for the United 

States.

Though this was not the first time Reagan had joked

 prior to giving a speech or address, the Soviet

 official news agency, TASS, condemned the joke,

 declaring that "The USSR condemns this

 unprecedented and hostile attack by the US

 President" and that "this kind of behavior is

 incompatible with the great responsibility borne by

 heads of nuclear states for the destinies of their own

 people and mankind

The quip became the basis for a song titled "Five

 Minutes," as well as "A is for Atom (B is for

Bomb)" by Monte Cazazza's band The Atom

Smashers, both of which began with a clip of the 

recording. Personally i remember living in NYC at

the time and the Anti-Reagan faction went to town

over this plastering huge black and white posters of

Reagan and the words of the gaffe. Along with this

the Blossoming Punk Rock scene on the Lower East

Side used it for song material

The Cold War during Reagans presidency was 

revived and the arms race and Nuclear War fear

was there ,Some of the great movies on Nuclear War

were filmed during this period "Threads" Englands 

dark vision and " The Day After" the U.S. version 

and the new advent of  the MTV music video 

channel had a great variety of Reagan caused 

Nuclear War videos like "World Destruction" 

Afrika Boombata's and Johnny Lydons (ex Sex 

Pistol Singer) Look at Nuclear War. This continued

 until the Berlin Wall came down a few years later. 

Reagan was the last of the great Cold War 

 Presidents who adverted and detered Nuclear 

Confrontation on their watch. 

LISTEN BELOW TO THE ACTUAL CLIP