Reagan Urges Soviets to Tear Down Berlin Wall as Anniversary Nears
President Reagan marked the forthcoming 26th anniversary of the Berlin Wall on Saturday by calling on the Soviet Union to tear down the barrier, allow free elections in Eastern Europe, free political prisoners and end “imperialism” from Afghanistan to Nicaragua.
In his weekly radio address from Camp David, Md., Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, although not by name, to live up to his promise of glasnost , or openness.
“Does it mean genuine openness to speak, to write, to travel, even to buy and sell, or is it more of a publicity show?” Reagan asked rhetorically.
“As I said in (a visit to West) Berlin in June, the way for the Soviets to demonstrate their dedication to true openness is to tear down the wall,” he said. “That’s not all they could do. At the end of World War II the Soviets promised free elections in Eastern Europe. Openness should mean fulfilling that promise.”
Construction of the wall was begun on Aug. 13, 1961, by East German troops to prevent a flood of escapes. It quickly rose from a barbed wire barrier to a 12-foot-high concrete wall.
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