June 12, 1987 — in history
President Reagan demands a demolition
Speaking at the 750th anniversary of Berlin’s founding, US President Ronald Reagan makes his case for ending the arms race, then directly challenges the Soviet premier with a phrase that will prove prophetic as the Cold War draws to a close: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

“Tear down this wall”, also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987. Reagan called for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open the Berlin Wall, which had separated West and East Berlin since 1961. The name is derived from a key line in the middle of the speech: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”