A meticulously researched and penetrating analysis of the Cold War, and the man who ended it. Peter Schweizer delves into the origins of Ronald Reagan's vision of America, and documents his consistent, aggressive belief in confronting the Soviet Union diplomatically, economically, and militarily.

Ronald Reagan is often dismissed as an "amiable dunce," a genial actor who simply mouthed whatever slogans his right-wing puppet masters put in front of him. Reagan's War brilliantly overturns this myth. Drawing on private diaries dating from Reagan's days as an actor and extending through his presidency, Peter Schweizer, a well-known historian of the Cold War, shows that Reagan's fervent anticommunism marked every era of his life and was the driving force behind his policies as president.

Schweizer explores Reagan's involvement with anticommunist liberals in Hollywood and his role as a secret informer for the FBI. Reagan's outspoken criticism of détente in the late 1960s and his forceful advocacy for the overthrow of the USSR drew the attention of Soviet officials, who began a KGB file on him when he was still governor of California. By the time he was elected president, they viewed him as a serious threat to their interests. Reagan's War shows just how right they were, presenting compelling evidence that Reagan personally mapped out and directed a campaign to bankrupt the Soviet Union and wage an economic and political war against Moscow.

In telling the story of Reagan's ultimate triumph, Schweizer also brings to light dozens of previously unknown facts about the Cold War, based on secret documents obtained from archives in Russia, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the United States. Among his many startling revelations are Kissinger's private deals with Soviet leaders that protected his own political viability while allowing the Soviets to pursue their goals within their own sphere...

Reagan's War is the story of Ronald Reagan's personal and political journey as an anticommunist, from his early days as an actor to his years in the White House. Challenging popular misconceptions of Reagan as an empty suit who played only a passive role in the demise of the Soviet Union, Peter Schweizer details Reagan's decades-long battle against communism.

Bringing to light previously secret information obtained from archives in the United States, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Russia -- including Reagan's KGB file -- Schweizer offers a compelling case that Reagan personally mapped out and directed his war against communism, often disagreeing with experts and advisers. An essential book for understanding the Cold War, Reagan's War should be read by open-minded readers across the political spectrum.

"A rousing and compelling case that Reagan's personal and political odyssey... was central to bringing down the 'evil empire.' "
   LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"On the big picture, Schweizer is correct: Reagan had it right."
   NEWSWEEK

"Masterful... After Schweizer, even inveterate Reagan-haters will have to abandon the picture of an amiable dunce drifting passively while a handful of advisers set the agenda."
   FOREIGN AFFAIRS