George H.W. Bush: “That's a good question, but not necessarily. But there's no discussion of that, Tom [Thomas Raum, Associated Press].…”

“That's a good question, but not necessarily. But there's no discussion of that, Tom [Thomas Raum, Associated Press]. There's no--with the Soviets. There may be some administration talk about it that has not come to my attention, and there may be some on the Soviet side. I want to think positively and I want to try to keep driving forward. It's in our interest--that's the point I've got to make to the American people--it is in the interest of the United States to continue with improved relations with the Soviets. It's so clear to me, just as I made the point yesterday about China that, though we're disappointed in many things, that I do not believe isolation or setting the clock back is the way you effect change. I believe contact and discussion--there's exceptions to that rule. But for the most part, on a major power like China and certainly a major power like the Soviet Union that has moved towards reform, we want to stay engaged. We want to go there. We want to talk. Want him to come back at some point. I went out of my way to tell him that we weren't playing games. We're not trying to say one thing and mean another, and I hope Mikhail Gorbachev understands this. I think he does. And I say that because Margaret Thatcher had a good conversation with him. Our experts were very well received by him--Ed Hewett and the others on agriculture. These things are not on the surface that much, like our delegation going there, but you note them. I note carefully who receives those people, what kind of reception they get in terms of substance. And Brent has already talked to our returning delegation. And I think that he feels that, given the report that I will receive from them either through him tomorrow or from them directly the next day, that there's reason to be hopeful. So, I'd rather have the glass half full than half empty, and I'd rather think that we can resolve these problems that need to be resolved before we have the meeting. President's Home in Kennebunkport”