Speech #870104815

They are confident because they have trust in us. in our leadership. in our courage. and in our resolve to yield not an inch of free soil in West Berlin. The only threat to this mutual trust. upon which the collective defense of Europe must be built. comes from those American spokesmen who urge a change in our official policy of firm resistance. The leaders and people of West Germany are deeply disturbed when they hear proposals made in the United States that we close up the avenue of escape for refugees behind the Iron Curtain. that we shut down our operations which are today sending from West Berlin the voice of freedom behind the Iron Curtain. that we abandon West Berlin to the United Nations or to a "free city" status. or that we reduce our troops in West Berlin and send home the families of American servicemen there and in West Germany. Statements of this kind cause a gnawing pain to our West German allies. a nagging doubt that perhaps we do not mean what our Government says and that when the hour of crisis arrives we will sell out on our commitments. Strong statements of President Kennedy have allayed these fears. but I would hope that there would be a moratorium for a while. at least. in this critical hour of history. on statements of retreat from and dissent with our present German policy.