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During the 1960s, future governor and President Ronald Reagan began to assert himself into the political arena.

One of his best known speeches of the era was his 'A Time For Choosing', sometimes also called just 'The Speech', given in support of Senator Barry Goldwater, then running for President against Lyndon B Johnson. Televised nationally on October 27th, 1964, some say it was the beginning of his career as a politician.

During a driving trip to Washington D.C. in August of 2010, I took the opportunity to listen to 'A Time For Choosing'. Its easy to hear something, its another thing entirely to listen. As I listened, I heard facts and figures, names and events and I couldn't help but wonder, "Is that true?" or "Who is that person?" This is what sowed the seeds of curiosity in my mind and led me to this project.

In the process, I stumbled across a lesser known of his speeches, one referred to by the name 'Encroaching Control'. This was given in Phoenix, Arizona to Phoenix's Chamber of Commerce on March 30, 1961. I loved it! I did, however, end up with more new questions than answers to old ones.

A companion piece of sorts to 'Encroaching Control' can be found in the form of an article written the same year by Reagan named 'Losing Freedom by Installments'.

Both are excellent speeches, but the references to people and events are highly dated, despite their relevance to modern history. They say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. This wiki is being put together with the goal of sourcing these two speeches.

Currently Available: I hope to soon begin compiling information on the 1975-1979 Reagan Radio Commentaries.

4/7/2012: Now on Facebook at the following URL:

The Reagan Speech Preservation Society

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External Links

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library

Speeches of Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan (Wikipedia article)

Uncommon Knowledge: The Gipper Then and Now An Analysis of clips from Reagan's speeches from the 1960s