MEMORIES OF PRESIDENT REAGAN - "MR GORBECHEV, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL"

One of the crowning moments in the Presidency of Ronald Reagan took place on a bright day in Berlin, Germany when the President stood in front of the Berlin Wall and demanded that Chairman Mikhail Gorbechev the Leader of the Soviet Union, "tear down, " the Berlin Wall allowing freedom to thrive in the oppressed Eastern Block countries of Europe. Following WWII partly because of weak agreeements made between the Allied Powers for the rebuilding of Europe after the war and partly because of Soviet aggression that was engineered by Josef Stalin the Soviet leader at the time the United States found herself in what was called, "The Cold War." A war of words and positioning that kept the world on the brink of possible nuclear destruction as the worlds two super powers played a cat and mouse game. The United States tried to coral communist expansionism while the Soviet Union was on the move taking countries as part of an ever expanding Soviet Empire. Several attempts were made by President's from Eisenhower to Carter through treaties and agreements to counter Soviet aggression but most failed or at best prevented further escalation. President Reagan had long been an outspoken opponent to communism well before he entered office. Upon becoming President he called a spade a spade and in his first State of the Union address shortly after becoming President called the Soviet Union, "the Evil Empire, " and made it United States policy to end the Cold War and the threat of communism and nuclear destruction. His plan basically consisted of tremendously building our military capability knowing that the Soviets would be forced to compete. The difference being that because of their oppressed economic situation it would eventually force the Soviets to the bargaining table and ultimately end the Evil Empire. In 1986 President Reagan met with Chairman Gorbechev in Reykjavik, Iceland and when Gorbechev tried to strong arm Reagan as previous Soviet leaders had with other President's, Reagan actually walked out on him and refused to budge. Goebechev realized eventually that Reagan was a force to recon with and through many other meetings and continued buildup, what President Reagan believed would happen did. In 1989 during the summer after he left office the Soviet Union fell and the Berlin Wall came down. I realize that this description is a quick and very brief overview of events that changed the world but the point is that through his strength both in character and in the inherent fact that all men wish to be free and the belief that the United States was/is the last best hope for freedom, President Reagan was proven right despite his critics and tremendous out cry against his ideal. Communism as a force on earth ended and The Soviet Union was re-born as Russia and the world changed for the better thanks to Ronald Reagan.

Ken Taylor