President Reagan: “Tear down this wall!” 1987
He stands before the Berlin Wall, June 12, a symbol of the Cold War. It divides democratic West Berlin from Soviet-occupied East Berlin. At least eighty people have died trying to escape East Berlin. Reagan, like Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has enjoyed better relations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev over the past year. But Reagan is not afraid of verbally scorching the Communist ideology. “There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace,” Reagan says. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”