The US president who declared the Cold War over with Gorbachev at Malta, yet whose caution nearly let history slip away
At the Malta joint press conference Bush declared: 'We can realise a lasting peace and transform the East-West relationship to one of enduring co-operation. That is the future that Chairman Gorbachev and I began right here in Malta.'
George H. W. Bush went from World War II naval aviator to oil magnate to the 41st president of the United States, bringing to the White House foreign-policy experience unmatched by any predecessor: CIA director, UN ambassador, and de facto ambassador to China. Upon taking office in 1989 he ordered a strategic review of Soviet policy, the so-called 'Bush pause,' that frustrated Gorbachev, but at the Malta summit that December the two leaders jointly confirmed the Cold War's end, and Bush's steady support for German reunification helped anchor the new European order. He built a multinational coalition to expel Iraq from Kuwait in the Gulf War, then lost his 1992 re-election bid after breaking his 'no new taxes' pledge amid a recession.
Career Timeline
- 1924Born in Milton, Massachusetts, into a wealthy political dynasty
- 1942–1945Navy torpedo-bomber pilot; shot down at Chichijima, rescued by submarine
- 1953–1966Built Zapata Offshore oil company; Texas millionaire
- 1967–1971Congressman from Texas; two failed Senate campaigns
- 1971–1977UN Ambassador, RNC chair, envoy to China, CIA Director
- 1981–1989Vice President under Ronald Reagan
- 1989–199341st President: Malta summit ending the Cold War, German reunification, Gulf War
- 2018Died in Houston aged 94
Related historical events
- 1985–1989The New Thinking and the End of the Cold WarUS president, confirmed the Cold War's end with Gorbachev at MaltaConfirmed the Cold War's end with Gorbachev at the December 1989 Malta summit, but refused major economic aid to prevent the Soviet economy's collapse.
- 1991The August Coup and the Collapse of the USSRrecipient of Gorbachev's last callHe received Gorbachev's final phone call as Soviet president, discussing the nuclear transfer and promising continued friendship.