Michael Reagan, the eldest son of the late President and former California Governor, will announce tonight in Berlin, Germany the launch of a project to build a significant memorial in Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate to his father’s call at that location in 1987 for Soviet President Gorbachev to "open this Gate," and "tear down this Wall." Within 18 months of President Reagan’s speech, the Wall came down, and not only did Germany reunify as a noncommunist Western ally, the Soviet empire fell to pieces just a few years later as well.
I am here in Berlin with Michael assisting in the project, which has been timed to coincide with week-long activities commemorating the 60th annniversary of the "Berlin Airlift," and the opening of a new U.S. Embassy building near the Brandenburg Gate on July 4.
John F. Kennedy is well remembered in Berlin for his famous and inspirational "I am a Berliner" speech during the height of the Cold War. Kennedy has a city square ("John-F.-Kennedy-Platz") named for him here, and his name appears on two other educational institution buildings. But in a
City steeped in history, President Reagan has not yet received the same recognition. Michael Reagan plans to work with the Berlin Senate, German government officials, and gain support of citizens in Germany and America, to establish similar recognition for his father’s contribution to Berlin’s, and world, freedom.
Michael will make his announcement in a few hours to a packed crowd of German press and Embassy officials at the historic Cafe Einstein.
I will be here through the July 4th celebration and look forward to a few more posts from this vantage point.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am
Jim:
I hope you find some statuary and monuments honoring Konrad Adenauer,
the Ronald Reagan of Germany.
At age 68, Adenauer became Chancellor of West Germany in 1948,
when the country was best known for mounds of smoking rubble.
By the time he retired at age 81 (!) in 1961, Adenauer had orchestrated
the “German Miracle”…full economic recovery, and the acceptance of
West Germany back into the world community.
He also preserved Democracy and stared down Joe Stalin and his East
German puppets.
There’s a modern lesson there for us today, as we examine the prospects
for Senator John McCain, a relative youngster at 71. President Reagan,
of course, served from age 69 to 77.
In Germany, Konrad Adenauer was nicknamed ‘ Der Alt ‘, which roughly
translates as the ‘ Old One’ . Adenauer exemplified the wisdom which
age can sometimes bring.