Ronal Reagan was a die-hard anti-communist, a president who had branded the Soviet Union as ruthless and immoral and presided over the most significant peacetime military buildup in U.S. history. His opponents portrayed him as a warmonger, and his speech in March 1983 to an evangelical audience in Florida in which he branded the Soviet Union an "evil empire" set off a firestorm in Moscow.

Nancy criticised her husband for having used such an intemperate word because she knew that the world had become too small for the two superpowers not to be on speaking terms. Of all the things that Nancy wanted to see her husband achieve as president, ending the Cold War, she believed, could stand as the accomplishment that secured his legacy as a giant among U.S. presidents.

Nancy worked for years in the background to influence her husband and his conservative anti-communist cabinet to form a working relationship with the Soviets. The path was long but ultimately led to the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 1987, which marked a significant step towards the end of the Cold War.

Ronald and Nancy weren't in the White House anymore when the "iron wall" went down on the 9th of November 1989, and many factors contributed to the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, it is clear that Nancy Reagan played a significant role in shaping the foreign policy of the Reagan presidency, and her efforts to encourage her husband to seek peace with the Soviet Union were an essential aspect of that.