The Wayback Machine: Reagan and Andropov

Among the old coverage that's being hauled out in the wake of Dutch's demise is this Time story explaining why Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov (!) were picked as Men of the Year in 1983. The kicker includes this diplomatic bon mot from Henry Kissinger, who's been in the news lately for other historical banter:

Both leaders must realize the overriding truth of superpower relations: Since they cannot make war without destroying themselves and most of the rest of the world, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. are, in Henry Kissinger's phrase, "doomed to co-exist." To TIME's Men of the Year, the point can be put more personally: whatever else they do, Reagan and Andropov will be judged by history primarily on how each deals with the other's country--and with the other as a man.

It seems safe to say that history has given generally higher marks to Reagan than Andropov. Whole Time story here.

As a bonus, here's snippets from Time's essay about Reagan after they named him Man of the Year for 1980. Written by Roger Rosenblatt, it exhibits many of the tropes that defined coverage of Reagan in the mainstream media--an easy confusion of movies with reality; the delegation of real decision-making to subordinates; borderline stupidity, a dreamy nostalgia, etc., etc. etc.:

The trouble, however, since we are watching our lives and not a movie, is that in reality a detached presidency puts decisions in the hands of everyone else….[R]elying so totally on advisers is a dangerous game. The prospect grows considerably more troublesome when it comes to making major decisions….

The [domestic and foreign problems he faces] are not the kinds of problems to be handled by subordinates. They require determination but also sophistication. THey are to be handled by a President who studies, considers and knows what he wants.

In the broadest terms Reagan does know what he wants out of the next four years. But as those terms address specifics, that broad vision may prove inept….Reagan lives in the past….Helen Lawton, a current resident of [Reagan's hometown of] Dixon, Ill., and a loyal Reaganite, observed of her man: "Right now, in some ways, I think he'd love to go back to the good old days. In those days he didn't even realize he was poor because so many others were poor to. He wants the good life, not in terms of material things, but so that kids can have good times and strong family relationships. Yes, I think he would like to go back to how it used to be, but it's going to be difficult." That puts it mildly.

Whole thing here.