and composition of the defense buildup President Reagan had launched, our defensive capabilities were improving, and morale in the armed services was rising. From a military standpoint, the United States was back in business. From the standpoint of diplomacy, that renewed capability was important. Power and diplomacy work together. Political pressures in Washington tend to push toward one extreme or the other; operating both at the same time would require great care and skill.

Most important, I was convinced that the West was winning the ideological battle. Communism had failed: as an economic model, it simply didn’t work, as demonstrated in the dramatic contrast between West Germany and East Germany, North Korea and South Korea, and through other comparisons between thriving market-based economies and foundering command-and-control economies. As awork closely with the White House and for the president. My way would be supportive and collaborative.

Getting Started at State

I then went to work. Ready and waiting for me was what the security agents who now led me everywhere called the secure package: a Cadillac limousine—heavy and creaky with armor plate—driven by a young agent, with another riding shotgun beside him, and a follow car, a high-chassised Chevy Blazer carrying four agents and a small arsenal. They kept a constant radio chatter going between the two vehicles and with our destination, the Department of State.

Larry Eagleburger, the under secretary of state for political affairs, was waiting for me in my office. A voluminous, white, long-sleeved turtleneck inadequately disguised his bulk but apparently kept him comfortable in the cold,