Polygraph

President Ronald Reagan lifted the grain embargo on the Soviet Union upon taking office.

Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked

Polygraph verdictMixed
Sources
4 contradict
Said
1 time·
Confidence
70%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026
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521 claimsThe check →

The core event is supported: Reagan lifted the grain embargo on the Soviet Union in spring 1981. However, it was not done upon taking office. He was inaugurated January 20, 1981, and the lifting came in late April 1981, roughly three months later, so the 'upon taking office' timing is contradicted.

A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.

What was said

… But it didn't stop afterwards. There was never any sanctions on the USSR during the so-called Cold War. Yeah, it never made sense to me when I was a kid that the first thing that Reagan did when he got into office was lift the grain embargo on, on the Soviet Union. I'm like, isn't that supposed to be our, isn't that our enemy? What, what, what are we doing? Well, it shows how much, how limited the president's power is. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. The embargo was lifted in April 1981, about three months after Reagan took office, so it was not done upon taking office or as his first action.[1][2][3][4]

Supports. Multiple reliable reports say President Reagan lifted the grain embargo on the Soviet Union, with the announcement made April 24-25, 1981.[2][3][4]

Supports. Reagan's own July 1982 statement says he lifted the embargo in the spring of 1981, consistent with the April 1981 reports.[1]

Context. The embargo had been imposed by President Carter on January 4, 1980, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Reagan's lifting of it fulfilled a campaign pledge.[2][4]

Sources

4 sources: 1 primary, 2 tier 2, 1 not rated

  1. 1Statement on an Extension of the United States-Soviet ...reaganlibrary.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
  2. 2REAGAN ENDS CURBS ON EXPORT OF GRAIN TO THE ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
  3. 3Reagan Ends Ban On Selling Grain To Soviet Unionwashingtonpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, supports
  4. 4President Reagan lifted the 15 -month embargo on grain... - UPI Archivesupi.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports, context

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