Twenty-five years ago this month the Berlin Wall fell, signaling the end of Soviet communist domination in Eastern Europe.
The division of Europe by the Cold War that so defined the second half of the Twentieth Century, holds a special significance for Missouri, because of the speech that Sir Winston Churchill delivered at Westminster College in Fulton on March 5, 1946. At the time, our own native son Harry Truman was President of the United States and Churchill was serving as Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, in between terms as prime minister. To seal the deal, President Truman included a handwritten note at the bottom of the school's invitation to Churchill and committed to delivering the introduction for Churchill if he agreed to speak.
So, on March 5, 1946, the former and future prime minister of the United Kingdom traveled to Fulton, Missouri, to deliver what is formally titled the "Sinews of Peace" address, to an audience that included the President of the United States. Churchill, who had long been concerned about Soviet expansion in post-war Europe, used the opportunity to famously declare "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the continent." Churchill's speech, which forever intertwined Westminster and Fulton with the history of the Cold War, warned of the danger of impending communist expansion and argued for the west to take a tough stance in response to Soviet aggression. Truman had arrived at similar conclusions as Churchill, and, in March 1947, outlined the Truman Doctrine, which sought to contain communism in Europe and from overtaking Greece and Turkey, before a joint session of Congress.
One year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, President Ronald Reagan came to Westminster to dedicate a sculpture made from eight sections of it by Edwina Sandys, a sculptor who happens to be the granddaughter of Winston Churchill. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev came in 1992 and used the opportunity to declare the end of the Cold War.
With all of this history right in our backyard, I thought it was imperative for our country to officially recognize the significance of Westminster and Fulton. That's why, in 2009, I introduced and passed legislation to designate Westminster as the home of America's National Churchill Museum
Though the Cold War thankfully never became hot, the combination of military and economic pressure and tough diplomacy from America brought down the iron curtain that had divided Europe and helped usher in a new era of freedom and liberty across the globe.
While the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, the purpose of Churchill's words still resonates today, that America must not grow complacent and must maintain our moral leadership in the world. Whether 1946, 1989, or 2014, America's vigilance in spreading freedom, liberty, and prosperity represents one of our most important duties.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
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