Peterson (history, Culver Academies) examines President Reagan's approach to arms control from 1981 to 1987, showing how Reagan tried to combat the nuclear freeze and Western European peace movements' popularity. According to the author, "evidence shows that while the nuclear freeze and Western European peace movements often made Reagan aware of the shortcomings of his administration's approach to arms control, they never fundamentally altered his conception of arms control or fully explain why he ultimately decided to embrace summit diplomacy and curb his brusque anti-Soviet rhetoric." Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)