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
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
gaffe was not broadcast over the air, but rather
leaked later to the general populace. But the Tokyo
newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported in October
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the alert was not withdrawn until 12 hours later.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
LISTEN BELOW TO THE ACTUAL CLIP