Tyrus W. Cobb: Two vivid memories of the Berlin Wall

Construction on the Berlin Wall began 50 years ago this week, a monument to the cruelty toward their own populations by the Communist governments of East Germany and the USSR. The Wall finally came down 22 years ago, ending a division of the German people that brought horror, family separation and political confrontations for a quarter century. I have two vivid memories of that Wall - one depressing: the murder of Peter Fechter; the other uplifting: Reagan's 1987 speech demanding that Mr. Gorbachev "Tear down this wall."

First, back to August 1962, when two college and fraternity classmates - Joe Eberle and Jon Madsen - and I were in Europe for a vagabond trip post-college. On Aug. 21, we had gotten to Berlin and drove into the Eastern sector through Checkpoint Charlie. After the checkpoint we heard gunfire about 100 yards away. On our way back, we went through the scene where three East German young men had made a dash for freedom, attempting to jump over the Wall. One was killed instantly, another got over the Wall to safety. A third, Peter Fechter, was shot and lay bleeding to death on the East German side. He cried for help, but no one - West German police, American soldiers, or us - ran to assist him. Indeed, we were told not to try since he was on the other side of the barrier, and anyone attempting to help him would likely be shot by the Vopos.

That moment haunted me to this day, and probably helped form many of my strong anti-communist views. And, while Fechter died after bleeding to death for an hour, his memory is permanently enshrined in the West as a symbol of defiance and the quest for freedom.

Second, another remembrance. It was the spring of 1987 and at the White House we were enmeshed in planning for President Reagan's June trip to Europe. The centerpiece of that swing was the Economic Summit to be held in Venice (where Suellen and I were married), a state visit to Italy, and an important meeting with Pope John Paul at the Vatican. The Economic Summit, the Italian visit (hampered by yet another collapse of the Italian government!), and the Papal meeting occupied most of my time. Somewhere along the way, responding to an appeal from Chancellor Helmut Kohl to come to Berlin to celebrate the city's 750th anniversary, a brief three-hour visit to Berlin was tacked on.

The President was to make a speech, and the advance team persuaded their very worried German counterparts to allow Reagan to make his address in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Quite a setting and one that demanded at least one or two memorable lines. The American speechwriter, Peter Robinson, aided by senior White House staff, fixated on recommending that the President call for Gorbachev (and not the East German leadership) to "Tear down this wall." As with any speech, internal feuding broke out between the politically oriented speechwriters and the more cautious State Department and National Security Council staff - who were worried that what progress that had been achieved in East-West relations, with General Secretary Gorbachev personally, and between the two German governments, would go down the drain if the president were to utter some impolitic phrase.

The dispute over the key "four words" carried on until the final minutes, with State and NSC pleading to take the phrase out. Several times leading up to the trip, and on the day of the speech, the president was asked to reconsider the wisdom of making that demand. Each time he nodded, turned his head, thought for a moment, then said, "Keep it in."

Two years later the Wall indeed did come down. Shortly thereafter the two Germanys were reunited, and the new German nation joined the NATO Alliance. Thanks to Reagan for uttering the words that sped that dramatic change. And let us not forget those like Peter Fechter who lost their lives trying to escape to freedom.

• Tyrus W. Cobb is former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.