美国经典演讲14.docx

美国经典演讲14.docx

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美国经典演讲14

1

RonaldReagan

RemarksattheBrandenburgGate

delivered12June1987,WestBerlin

[AUTHENTICITYCERTIFIED:

Textversionbelowtranscribeddirectlyfromaudio.

（2）]

Thankyou.Thankyou,verymuch.

ChancellorKohl,GoverningMayorDiepgen,ladiesandgentlemen:

Twentyfouryearsago,PresidentJohnF.KennedyvisitedBerlin,andspeakingtothepeopleofthiscityandtheworldatthecityhall.Wellsincethentwootherpresidentshavecome,eachinhisturntoBerlin.Andtoday,I,myself,makemysecondvisittoyourcity.

WecometoBerlin,weAmericanPresidents,becauseit'sourdutytospeakinthisplaceoffreedom.ButImustconfess,we’redrawnherebyotherthingsaswell;bythefeelingofhistoryinthiscity--morethan500yearsolderthanourownnation;bythebeautyoftheGrunewaldandtheTiergarten;mostofall,byyourcourageanddetermination.Perhapsthecomposer,PaulLinke,understoodsomethingaboutAmericanPresidents.Yousee,likesomanyPresidentsbeforeme,IcomeheretodaybecausewhereverIgo,whateverIdo:

“IchhabnocheinenKofferinBerlin”[IstillhaveasuitcaseinBerlin.]

OurgatheringtodayisbeingbroadcastthroughoutWesternEuropeandNorthAmerica.IunderstandthatitisbeingseenandheardaswellintheEast.TothoselisteningthroughoutEasternEurope,IextendmywarmestgreetingsandthegoodwilloftheAmericanpeople.TothoselisteninginEastBerlin,aspecialword:

AlthoughIcannotbewithyou,Iaddressmyremarkstoyoujustassurelyastothosestandingherebeforeme.ForIjoinyou,asIjoinyourfellowcountrymenintheWest,inthisfirm,thisunalterablebelief:

EsgibtnureinBerlin.[ThereisonlyoneBerlin.]

Behindmestandsawallthatencirclesthefreesectorsofthiscity,partofavastsystemofbarriersthatdividestheentirecontinentofEurope.FromtheBalticSouth,thosebarrierscutacrossGermanyinagashofbarbedwire,concrete,dogruns,andguardtowers.Farthersouth,theremaybenovisible,noobviouswall.Butthereremainarmedguardsandcheckpointsallthesame--stillarestrictionontherighttotravel,stillaninstrumenttoimposeuponordinarymenandwomenthewillofatotalitarianstate.

Yet,itishereinBerlinwherethewallemergesmostclearly;here,cuttingacrossyourcity,wherethenewsphotoandthetelevisionscreenhaveimprintedthisbrutaldivisionofacontinentuponthemindoftheworld.

StandingbeforetheBrandenburgGate,everymanisaGermanseparatedfromhisfellowmen.

EverymanisaBerliner,forcedtolookuponascar.

PresidentVonWeizsäckerhassaid,"TheGermanquestionisopenaslongastheBrandenburgGateisclosed."Welltoday--todayIsay:

Aslongasthisgateisclosed,aslongasthisscarofawallispermittedtostand,itisnottheGermanquestionalonethatremainsopen,butthequestionoffreedomforallmankind.

Yet,Idonotcomeheretolament.ForIfindinBerlinamessageofhope,evenintheshadowofthiswall,amessageoftriumph.

Inthisseasonofspringin1945,thepeopleofBerlinemergedfromtheirair-raidshelterstofinddevastation.Thousandsofmilesaway,thepeopleoftheUnitedStatesreachedouttohelp.Andin1947SecretaryofState--asyou'vebeentold--GeorgeMarshallannouncedthecreationofwhatwouldbecomeknownastheMarshallPlan.Speakingprecisely40yearsagothismonth,hesaid:

"Ourpolicyisdirectednotagainstanycountryordoctrine,butagainsthunger,poverty,desperation,andchaos."

IntheReichstagafewmomentsago,Isawadisplaycommemoratingthis40thanniversaryoftheMarshallPlan.Iwasstruckbyasign--thesignonaburnt-out,guttedstructurethatwasbeingrebuilt.IunderstandthatBerlinersofmyowngenerationcanrememberseeingsignslikeitdottedthroughoutthewesternsectorsofthecity.Thesignreadsimply:

"TheMarshallPlanishelpingheretostrengthenthefreeworld."Astrong,freeworldintheWest--thatdreambecamereal.Japanrosefromruintobecomeaneconomicgiant.Italy,France,Belgium--virtuallyeverynationinWesternEuropesawpoliticalandeconomicrebirth;theEuropeanCommunitywasfounded.

InWestGermanyandhereinBerlin,theretookplaceaneconomicmiracle,theWirtschaftswunder.Adenauer,Erhard,Reuter,andotherleadersunderstoodthepracticalimportanceofliberty--thatjustastruthcanflourishonlywhenthejournalistisgivenfreedomofspeech,soprosperitycancomeaboutonlywhenthefarmerandbusinessmanenjoyeconomicfreedom.TheGermanleaders--theGermanleadersreducedtariffs,expandedfreetrade,loweredtaxes.From1950to1960alone,thestandardoflivinginWestGermanyandBerlindoubled.

Wherefourdecadesagotherewasrubble,todayinWestBerlinthereisthegreatestindustrialoutputofanycityinGermany:

busyofficeblocks,finehomesandapartments,proudavenues,andthespreadinglawnsofparkland.Whereacity'scultureseemedtohavebeendestroyed,todaytherearetwogreatuniversities,orchestrasandanopera,countlesstheaters,andmuseums.Wheretherewaswant,todaythere'sabundance--food,clothing,automobiles--thewonderfulgoodsoftheKudamm.¹Fromdevastation,fromutterruin,youBerlinershave,infreedom,rebuiltacitythatonceagainranksasoneofthegreatestonearth.NowtheSovietsmayhavehadotherplans.Butmyfriends,therewereafewthingstheSovietsdidn'tcounton:

BerlinerHerz,BerlinerHumor,ja,undBerlinerSchnauze.[Berlinerheart,Berlinerhumor,yes,andaBerlinerSchnauze.²]

Inthe1950s--Inthe1950sKhrushchevpredicted:

"Wewillburyyou."

ButintheWesttoday,weseeafreeworldthathasachievedalevelofprosperityandwell-beingunprecedentedinallhumanhistory.IntheCommunistworld,weseefailure,technologicalbackwardness,decliningstandardsofhealth,evenwantofthemostbasickind--toolittlefood.Eventoday,theSovietUnionstillcannotfeeditself.Afterthesefourdecades,then,therestandsbeforetheentireworldonegreatandinescapableconclusion:

Freedomleadstoprosperity.Freedomreplacestheancienthatredsamongthenationswithcomityandpeace.Freedomisthevictor.

Andnow--nowtheSovietsthemselvesmay,inalimitedway,becomingtounderstandtheimportanceoffreedom.WehearmuchfromMoscowaboutanewpolicyofreformandopenness.Somepoliticalprisonershavebeenreleased.Certainforeignnewsbroadcastsarenolongerbeingjammed.Someeconomicenterpriseshavebeenpermittedtooperatewithgreaterfreedomfromstatecontrol.

ArethesethebeginningsofprofoundchangesintheSovietstate?

OraretheytokengesturesintendedtoraisefalsehopesintheWest,ortostrengthentheSovietsystemwithoutchangingit?

Wewelcomechangeandopenness;forwebelievethatfreedomandsecuritygotogether,thattheadvanceofhumanliberty--theadvanceofhumanlibertycanonlystrengthenthecauseofworldpeace.

ThereisonesigntheSovietscanmakethatwouldbeunmistakable,thatwouldadvancedramaticallythecauseoffreedomandpeace.

GeneralSecretaryGorbachev,ifyouseekpeace,ifyouseekprosperityfortheSovietUnionandEasternEurope,ifyouseekliberalization:

Comeheretothisgate.

Mr.Gorbachev,openthisgate.

Mr.Gorbachev--Mr.Gorbachev,teardownthiswall!

Iunderstandthefearofwarandthepainofdivisionthatafflictthiscontinent,andIpledgetoyoumycountry'seffortstohelpovercometheseburdens.Tobesure,weintheWestmustresistSovietexpansion.So,wemustmaintaindefensesofunassailablestrength.Yetweseekpeace;sowemuststrivetoreducearmsonbothsides.

Beginning10yearsago,theSovietschallengedtheWesternalliancewithagravenewthreat,hundredsofnewandmoredeadlySS-20nuclearmissilescapableofstrikingeverycapitalinEurope.TheWesternalliancerespondedbycommittingitselftoacounter-deployment（unlesstheSovietsagreedtonegotiateabettersolution）--namely,theeliminationofsuchweaponsonbothsides.Formanymonths,theSovietsrefusedtobargaininearnestness.Asthealliance,inturn,preparedtogoforwardwithitscounter-deployment,thereweredifficultdays,daysofprotestslikethoseduringmy1982visittothiscity;andtheSovietslaterwalkedawayfromthetable.

Butthroughitall,theallianceheldfirm.AndIinvitethosewhoprotestedthen--Iinvitethosewhoprotesttoday--tomarkthisfact:

Becauseweremainedstrong,theSovietscamebacktothetable.Becauseweremainedstrong,todaywehavewithinreachthepossibility,notmerelyoflimitingthegrowthofarms,butofeliminating,forthefirsttime,anentireclassofnuclearweaponsfromthefaceoftheearth.

AsIspeak,NATOministersaremeetinginIcelandtoreviewtheprogressofourproposalsforeliminatingtheseweapons.AtthetalksinGeneva,wehavealsoproposeddeepcutsinstrategicoffensiveweapons.AndtheWesternallieshavelikewisemadefar-reachingproposalstoreducethedangerofconventionalwarandtoplaceatotalbanonchemicalweapons.

Whilewepursuethesearmsreductions,IpledgetoyouthatwewillmaintainthecapacitytodeterSovietaggressionatanylevelatwhichitmightoccur.Andincooperationwithmanyofourallies,theUnitedStatesispursuingtheStrategicDefenseInitiative--researchtobasedeterrencenotonthethreatofoffensiveretaliation,butondefensesthattrulydefend;onsystems,inshort,thatwillnottargetpopulations,butshieldthem.BythesemeansweseektoincreasethesafetyofEuropeandalltheworld.Butwemustrememberacrucialfact:

EastandWestdonotmistrusteachotherbecausewearearmed;wearearmedbecausewemistrusteachother.Andourdifferencesarenotabout