Foreword The first half of 1983 was an exciting time for America Recession gave way to recovery as inflation and interest rates continued their decline, real wages rose, nearly 2 m...lion people found jobs, and all Americans experienced new hope. We moved excellence in education to the top of the national agenda Parents, teachers, school ad ministrators, State and local officials, and students themselves responded with new efforts to raise academic standards, stress the educational basics, and get violence and drug abuse out of our schools while putting good order in. In domestic legislation, we accomplished a landmark reform of social security Together with the Congress, we enacted a law to restore the integrity of the social security system and enable the Federal Government to keep faith with the millions of Americans entitled to benefits In foreign affairs the United States hosted the 1983 Summit of Industrialized Nations in historie Williamsburg, Virginia We joined leaders from Western Europe, Canada and Japan in discussing issues that will directly affect the history of mankind We did so in an atmosphere of friendship and trust, and we left. Williamsburg with renewed confidence in the strength and freedom of the Western alliance and with renewed determination to labor for peace on Earth under God The first 6 months of 1983 were a time of national renewal, a time when America began to heal the wounds of the past and once again look to the future with conf dence and courage. The following pages tell the story of these months in detail I urge the reader to view them as a short but crucial chapter in the history of our great republic Ronald Reagan |