Reagan’s son lobbies for memorial in Berlin
The son of former US President Ronald Reagan has called for a memorial to his father near Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate.
Michael Reagan, the 63-year-old adopted son of the late American leader, said during a visit to the German capital on Monday night that his father’s determination during the Cold War in the 1980s deserved to be recognized with a large statue, bust or even a plaque.
Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004, came to West Berlin in 1987 to demand the communists end the division of the city. Addressing then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in front of the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate, Reagan uttered the now famous phrase: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Reagan said his father’s contributions to the freedom of Germans should be honoured in a prominent place in Berlin, ideally near the Brandenburg Gate. “But the exact location is still an open question that must be determined together with the Berliners,” he said.
He said he was hoping to find German sponsors for the memorial and wanted to have it installed within the next year.
Frank Henkel, the secretary general of Berlin's conservative Christian Democrats, told daily newspaper Die Welt he supported efforts to honour the former US president. "Ronald Reagan undeniably did a lot for Germany," Henkel said. "A memorial plaque on the fence of the new American embassy would be appropriate."
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Michael Reagan, the 63-year-old adopted son of the late American leader, said during a visit to the German capital on Monday night that his father’s determination during the Cold War in the 1980s deserved to be recognized with a large statue, bust or even a plaque.
Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004, came to West Berlin in 1987 to demand the communists end the division of the city. Addressing then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in front of the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate, Reagan uttered the now famous phrase: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Reagan said his father’s contributions to the freedom of Germans should be honoured in a prominent place in Berlin, ideally near the Brandenburg Gate. “But the exact location is still an open question that must be determined together with the Berliners,” he said.
He said he was hoping to find German sponsors for the memorial and wanted to have it installed within the next year.
Frank Henkel, the secretary general of Berlin's conservative Christian Democrats, told daily newspaper Die Welt he supported efforts to honour the former US president. "Ronald Reagan undeniably did a lot for Germany," Henkel said. "A memorial plaque on the fence of the new American embassy would be appropriate."
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