Reagan would make one misstep in his presidency that would derail peace and accelerate suspicions between the two great military powers.

He would provide legitimacy to a technology he believed would end nuclear proliferation. If the USA actually had a technology that would make nuclear war mute, it would bring about a nuclear free world. 

That technology was Star Wars. It would later be used to advance intimidation of Russia and cause regret of decades of building trust.

March 23, 1983

My fellow Americans, (click here) thank you for sharing your time with me tonight. The subject I want to discuss with you, peace and national security, is both timely and important - timely because I have reached a decision which offers a new hope for our children in the 21st century - a decision I will tell you about in a few minutes - and important because there is a very big decision that you must make for yourselves. This subject involves the most basic duty that any President and any people share - the duty to protect and strengthen the peace.

At the beginning of this year, I submitted to the Congress a defense budget which reflects my best judgment, and the best understanding of the experts and specialists who advise me, about what we and our allies must do to protect our people in the years ahead....