very recently, but he might, might want to talk about it. >> the berlin wall had separated east and west since august 13, 1961. as the wall came down on november 9, 1989 senate minority leader bob dole republican from kansas, and senate majority leader george mitchell, democrat from maine took to the senate floor to voice their thoughts. >> according to news reports, the east german government just announced the opening of its borders to all of its citizens to include the right to free passage of the berlin wall. it appears that the berlin wall and all it represents are crumbling, even as the communist state which built it crumbles too. with breadth of speed, the people of east germany sought to take their up destiny into their own hands. by the hundreds of thousands shall they have taken to the streets, asking only two things, freedom and opportunity. by the tens of thousands, they have fled their homeland

seeking only two things, freedom and opportunity. decades of communist rule lie in shambles. the government resides one day the communist politburo the next and now we have today's dramatic announcement. the ragtag bag of communists left trying to regain control are fighting a fight they can't win, a fight against their own people. they are running at a pace they can't win. a race against history. the people of east germany and the rapid march of contemporary history has left them with only one reasonable choice, to go down the path of poland and hungary are already taking the path of transition to a whole new system of government in which the people are the masters of the state and not its servants. but are they reasonable men and will they stay on that path? the jury is still out. borders can be closed as well as opened. talk of free elections can turn out to be nothing more than talk. there is a new politburo with

some dead wood removed but seven of the 11 members are holdovers from the old politburo and they are undoubtedly still powerful forces, which will see all the recent developments as abhor represent and will continue to try to push a communist government to crackdown. this is an extraordinary moment in the history of central europe. what happens tomorrow remains as uncertain as what happens next month or next year. poland and hungary as rapidly as they have moved did so only after years of evolution in their political, economic and social systems. east germany is faced with making the same kinds of changes, literally overnight. there is a misstep in east germany now, the results could be cataclysmic. hopefully, the east german mentorses in the kremlin who seem to understand how strong lit flow of -- how strongly flow the tides of freedom hopefully, they will counsel common sense on their east german colleagues. gorbachev, after all, has as much at stake in east germany as

do the communist leaders. we should also be clear but pru dent in our own actions there is no equivocation in our goals. we want freedom for east germany and its people. we want today's announcement to turn out to be the real thing. we want the berlin wall torn down. and all other barriers to the free flow of people removed. and we hope that east germany's communist cleat will read the handwriting on the wall and cooperate in the transition to a new form of government as some of their recent comments suggest. but we should not do anything at this point which might needlessly add fuel to the fire. the issues of the long-term future of east and west germany and central europe are critical issues issues which will be affected by what happens these next days and weeks. issues that we must think about now. but they are not issues for heated rhetoric right now. clearly, german history is at a critical crossroads, profound changes may lie ahead. but us for the moment address

first thing's first. the first thing is seeing that east german people achieve their immediate aspirations. will newly opened borders remain open, even if the tide of departing germans turns into a flood? will there be a real commitment to free elections and a whole new kind of government? that is where our focus should be. that is both the drama and the task of the moment. mr. president, i would ask that my entire statement be made a part of the record. >> without objection, that's the order. >> mr. president. >> distinguished majority leader. >> i come mend the distinguished republican leader for his remarks. and would like now to address the same subject. early on a sunday morning in 195 a, i arrived in west berlin.

i was a young officer in the united states army inn telltelligence service and it was a time of deep imp press for me. just a few days before, i had flown in an airplane for the first time traveling from the united states to frankfurt west germany. just the night before i had made a trip in an overnight sleeper on a train traveling from frankfurt to west berlin. # by far what made the greatest impression on me then was coming face to face the first time with the difference between democracy and totalitarianism.

between freedom and communism. shortly after arriving in west berlin, i went to a large refugee center operated there by the united states army to receive the thousands riverview refugees fleeing communism in east germany poland and czechoslovakia. during my time there that number reached over 3,000 persons a week. those brave east germans czechs, poles all were demonstrating that the appeal democracy was and is universal. in response to that human tide the east german government with

the help of the soviet allies, built the infamous wall. i believe then and believe now that the wall is the most tangible symbol of the failure of communism that exists. is -- for it demonstrated for the world to see in the most stark and barbaric way that the only way the east german government could keep their people within their country was to prevent them from leaving their country. #could keep their people within their country was to prevent them from leaving their country. for nearly 30 years the berlin wall has stood as a symbol of

the failure of communism. many saw that failure occurring over time and now it is said that even communists themselves and even to the east german leaders. today's decision, not an act of democrat democratcy democracy, not an act to ease or placate the west, but an act of survival by the east german government to permit their people to leave represents the symbolic destruction of the berlin wall. it has, in an ironic way, served a useful purpose, because it has reminded on a daily basis every person in this world of the vast difference between democracy and

communism. a system and a society which forces its people to remain cannot ultimately succeed. now that the berlin wall has been symbolically destroyed, all that remains is for it to be physically destroyed. and i strongly urge the east german government and president gorbachev of the soviet union directly to take the final step and to tear that wall down. it is gone in substance. it should be gone in form. the east german people are now demonstrating anew as their parents and in some cases grand

parents did a quarter of a century ago, that the human longing for freedom is universal and can not be ex-sting wishes. and no wall can support a government that does not respond to the needs of its people. mr. president, this is an historic event it can be even more so if the east german government acts to tear the wall down. i urge them to do so. i urge president gorbachev to encourage them to do so. ol then will we know their proposals of today have substance and meaning. mr. president, i yield the floor. #