On 20 January 1985, Ronald Reagan took the oath of office for his second term as President of the United States. His inaugural address highlighted both his commitment to the Strategic Defense Initiative and his openness to continued negotiation with the Soviet Union. No one watching could have predicted how swiftly events would move. The second Reagan administration saw a revolution in the relationship between the United States and the U.S.S.R. The USIA played a vital role in managing the public relations aspects of the round of summits and making the most of the new opportunities for international cultural exchange, on one hand, and maintaining the war of words against Soviet disinformation, on the other.

Charles Wick was now well established at the helm of the USIA and soon had the benefit of excellent appointments to the two key supporting positions at the agency. First Marvin Stone, editor of U.S. News and World Report, joined the USIA as deputy director and then a broadcaster from Southern California, Richard W. Carlson, became the VOA director. They brought experience and continuity to posts that had been unstable in the first administration. The agency was now in top condition to deliver its message to the world.