The Lion at the Gate by Steven Hayward

The Lion at the Gate by Steven Hayward:
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Reagan, at the Brandenburg Gate,
West Berlin, June 12, 1987

Most of his senior aides didn't want him to say it. Indeed, they tried repeatedly to talk him out of it. You'll embarrass your host, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. You''ll anger and provoke Mikhail Gorbachev, with whom you've just started making progress on arms control. You'll whip up false hope among East Germans - for surely the Berlin Wall isn't coming down any time soon. Besides, Germans have grown used to the Wall. The ultimate reason: You'll look na�ve and foolish, Mr. President.