Turmoil And Triumph: The George Shultz Years: Swords Into Plowshares

This three-part series chronicles the career and contributions of Secretary of State George Shultz, the key shaper of foreign policy in President Ronald Reagan’s administration.

In this episode, Shultz is in the midst of preparations for the summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, when news breaks that the United States was indeed trading arms for the Nicaraguan Contras to secure the release of the Iran hostages, and Newsweek reveals that the CIA is mining the harbor in Managua.

The Reykjavik summit leads to the most significant nuclear arms reduction pact of the Cold War and is the pinnacle of Shultz' career in government service. In January 1989, Shultz leaves the State Department. He returns to the world of ideas as a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and continues to travel the world as a passionate advocate for nuclear disarmament.

Watch more video highlights from this series online.