Editing Evil Empire speech (section)

==Background==
Reagan's chief speechwriter at the time, [[Anthony R. Dolan]], coined the phrase "evil empire" for Reagan's use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2003/12/story_of_reagan.html |title='The Battle of the Evil Empire', by Frank Warner, ''The Morning Call,'' Allentown, Pa., March 5, 2000 |publisher=Frankwarner.typepad.com |date=December 4, 2003 |access-date=March 8, 2013}}</ref> Dolan included similar language in a draft for Reagan's June 1982 speech before the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|British House of Commons]] in [[London]], but reviewers flagged and struck the phrasing.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Peterson|2010|p=126}}.</ref> On June 19, 1981, during a meeting with Singapore’s [[Lee Kuan Yew]], Lee referred to the Soviet Union as an “empire which extended across Eurasia.” According to Lee’s memoirs, “Reagan’s ears pricked up at the word ‘empire.’ He told [[Richard Allen]] to use that word more frequently when describing the Soviet domain.”<ref>Lee, Kuan Yew. ‘’From Third World to the First: The Singapore Story, 1965–2000’’. The Straits Times Press, 2014, p. 528</ref> Dolan included the phrase "evil empire" in drafts for Reagan's speech at the [[National Association of Evangelicals]]' 41st annual convention.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Schlesinger|2008|pp=327–328}}.</ref> White House staffers who saw drafts of the speech, including [[David Gergen]], repeatedly struck the "evil empire" portion; the speech eventually reached Reagan with the "evil empire" portion included, staffer critics concluding the event would be minor and unlikely to attract attention.<ref name=":0">{{Harvtxt|Schlesinger|2008|p=328}}.</ref>

When Reagan reviewed and edited the draft himself, he extended the material on domestic matters.<ref name=":0" /> Dolan had included a reference to "abortion on demand" as a "great moral evil"; Reagan cut the line and added a remark asserting that "until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity" its "right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness must be protected".<ref>{{Harvtxt|Schlesinger|2008|pp=328–329}}.</ref> Reagan left the "evil empire" phrase and did not substantially alter the draft's strongly anti-communist tone.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Schlesinger|2008|p=329}}.</ref>