Reagan Library Gets Ready for Berlin Wall Anniversary

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

The folks who run the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, Calif., have come up with a neat way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. From October 15 to November 9, the library will display a replica where visitors can scrawl their messages of peace just as the East and West Germans did on the original. The Reagan folks have also teamed with the Heritage Foundation for a November 6 conference that's attracted diplomats from the era. That will be followed four days later by a Washington event headlined by Defense Secretary Bob Gates. What's more, the library is building a Cold War exhibit with rare artifacts like the notecards for Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech, the original INF missile treaty, and the flag flown over Checkpoint Charlie.

• Check out our gallery of Whispers political caricatures.
• Want your Whispers first? Check out U.S. News Weekly.