100篇美国经典英文演讲稿Word下载.docx
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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.
PresidentVonWeizsä
ckerhassaid,"
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.¹
Fromdevastation,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.And