Message From Mrs. Ronald Reagan on Behalf of the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and The Heritage Foundation are co-hosting an historic conference at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on November 6, 2009 in Simi Valley, California. The conference not only looks back at President Reagan's leadership and contributions that helped lead to the end of the Cold War, but looks forward and focuses on how the freedom, democracy and economic opportunity Ronald Reagan helped bring to the countries of Eastern Europe can be preserved and promoted in today's global geopolitical and economic environment.

In recognition of this event, former first lady Mrs. Ronald Reagan released the following message:

I am delighted to welcome you to the Reagan Library for this conference
celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and I want
to give special thanks to The Heritage Foundation for helping us to make
this day possible.

Ronnie and I had always been disturbed by the terrible truth that the
Berlin Wall stood not to keep people out, but to keep people in. It was a
wall that restrained people with military force, keeping them from their
loved ones and holding them in constant fear. My husband predicted that the
wall would fall and that Communism would "end up on the ash heap of
history," and he was right. In the end, the values and beliefs
of the United States, Great Britain and other free countries of the world
won out -- and Communism collapsed under its own weight.

My husband would be so proud of what we are doing here today. He would be
pleased and grateful for the participation of our panelists -- diplomats,
scholars, world leaders, members of his administration and some old
friends, too. But I think he would be especially gratified to know we have
leaders from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland and Georgia here with us.
The plight of the captive nations weighed heavily on Ronnie -- he often
spoke of the terrible suffering they endured and their struggle to be free.
He insisted their fight was our fight, their dream was our dream. He would
be delighted to know they are represented here at our conference.

Although he rarely took credit for any of his accomplishments, my husband
was very proud of his efforts to end the Cold War, and I know if he could,
he would tell us it was the power of freedom that deserved the credit.
Ronnie would be the first to tell us, however, that our work is not
finished. This is why conferences and discussions such as this one are so
important, to help us look at how the lessons of the Cold War can be
carried forward to advance democracy throughout the world today and into
the future. Thank you all for being a part of this important endeavor.