White House spokesman in Gorbachev insult row

Title

White House spokesman in Gorbachev insult row

Genre

News report; Press conference; Speech

TX Date

22 May 1989

Year of production

1989

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Duration

00:02:55

Description

Nick Peters reports from Washington DC, where French President Francois Mitterrand has caused controversy by publicly rebuking US President, George H. W. Bush’s chief spokesman, Marlin Fitzwater, for insulting the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Fitzwater referred to Gorbachev as a drugstore cowboy (a slang term meaning a person who loafs around drugstores or on street corners, or, alternatively, a person who dresses like a cowboy but has never worked as one) last week when asked about the White House’s response to the latest Soviet offer on arms control. Includes statements by Mitterand’s interpreter (not identified); President Bush.

Contributors

Nick Peters; George H. W. Bush

Keywords

USA; Politics; USSR; International relations; France; Francois Mitterrand; Arms control; Heads of state; Presidents; Mikhail Gorbachev; East West relations; Marlin Fitzwater

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