1987.12.06 "The Bottom Line" by Eddie Germano

1987.12.06 “The Bottom Line”
by Eddie Germano (1924 - 2024 )
11 x 15, ink and wash on board
Coppola Collection

A native Bostonian, Germano became a full-time cartoonist in 1948, at age 24, after serving in WWII. Among other positions, he worked as the editorial and sports cartoonist for the Brockton Enterprise from 1963-1990. 

THRUST to TRUST

On the eve of the Washington Summit (December 8–10, 1987), when Reagan and Gorbachev met in Washington to sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

For years, U.S.-Soviet relations had been built around military thrust… arms competition, strategic positioning, and mutual suspicion. By late 1987, the relationship had shifted toward negotiation and confidence-building.

Reagan still famously distrusted Soviet intentions. Gorbachev was pushing glasnost and perestroika but faced skepticism both at home and abroad. Neither man was asking the public for blind trust; rather, they were trying to establish enough mutual confidence to make arms reductions possible.