On his way to Germany next week to find a suitable place for a monument commemorating his father Ronald Reagan's demand for Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, Michael Reagan will host a gathering recalling his father's historic words spoken on June 12, 1987.
The gathering will take place in Berlin on June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the historic Cafe Einstein, a journalists' hang-out.
Mike Reagan, talk-show host, syndicated columnist, and Newsmax pundit will be in Berlin on behalf of the Reagan Legacy Foundation, which seeks to advance the causes his father Ronald Reagan held dear, and also to memorialize the accomplishments of his father's presidency.
On June 12, 1987, at ceremonies commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Marshall Plan, President Reagan delivered a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of Berlin and a central crossing point between West and East. The speech was audible on the east side of the Berlin Wall and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was present at the podium with the president.
During his speech, Reagan uttered his demand “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
The speech electrified Berliners and was internationally hailed as the moment that epitomized the beginning of the reunification of Berlin. Just over two years after the speech, the wall did come down; the brutal East German Communist government came down with it, and the Brandenburg Gate was opened.
While the Berlin Senate has placed a simple plaque reciting the entire history of the Brandenburg Gate near the place where he gave his famous speech (the plaque includes a few words about President Reagan’s part) there is no truly fitting memorial in Berlin to his legacy, as there is for President John F. Kennedy, whose support for Berlin after the Wall was erected in 1961 is recalled in various places in the city, and at the Free University of Berlin, where an Institute is named for him.
Among the charitable activities the Foundation engages in is funding scholarships for worthy sailors aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. The Foundation is also focused and active in support of adoption, and its purposes include support for Alzheimer’s research and educational institutions such as Eureka College, where President Reagan received his degree.
Michael Reagan's show is carried on over 200 stations in the U.S. as well as on XM and Sirius Satellite radio. His column appears weekly on Newsmax.com.
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