South Bend, May 14, 1989
The Call for More Freedom
The call for more freedom in the Communist dominium is not becoming silent anymore. At first, it was heard in Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, and in the recent elections in Moscow. And now, it is heard loud and clear in the People’s Republic of China. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of students have taken to the streets. There are mass demonstrations and hunger strikes in Peking. The demonstrators demand more freedom and a say in the Communist regime, which sees itself facing a dilemma.
May 17, 1989
The Tiananmen Square
The mass demonstrations on Peking’s Tiananmen Square have increased today to a million people. The students were joined by workers, peasants as well as people from all walks of life. This is the largest mass demonstration for democracy that has ever taken place. The demonstrators want more basic civil liberties: Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of worship, free democratic elections, and the right to a say in the political decision making.
May 19, 1989
The News Blackout
The mass demonstrations on Tiananmen Square that have been going on for days brought the People’s Republic of China on the verge of anarchy, or close to a counterrevolution, for they have spread now also to Shanghai and other cities. Broad sections of the population sympathize with the students and units of the military refused to take action. The situation has inasmuch intensified as the government has declared a state of emergency, imposed martial law on parts of the capital, and at the same time issued a news blackout for foreign reporters. Up to the last minute, until government agents pulled the plug, CNN broadcast pictures from Peking, which clearly showed that a revolution is in the making.
[On the further development of these events, see entries below of June 4 and 7, 1989.]
South Bend, May 29, 1989
40 Years NATO
NATO celebrates these days its 40th anniversary. After 40 years, one may ask: Has the North Atlantic Defense Alliance proven its worth? Yes, it has beyond all expectations. The Alliance has not only held its ground but has also consolidated internally and expanded externally. It has prevented transgressions of the East against the West and secured peace in Europe. But the time has come to reconsider the relationship of the Alliance with the East and to assume a more flexible position toward the countries of the Warsaw Pact.
On his first official visit to Europe, President Bush went to Brussels to participate in NATO’s 40th anniversary celebration. Today he surprised the representatives of the Alliance gathered in Brussels when he announced that the United States intends to withdraw 20% of its troops from Europe. At the present strength of 320,000 American armed forces stationed in Europe, this would mean a reduction of 64,000. Connected with it is the request from the Soviet Union to follow suit so that the number of conventional armed forces be reduced to 270,000 on both sides of the Iron Curtain. This would provide the prerequisite for defusing the situation in Central Europe.
Addendum
[The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded on April 4, 1949, in Washington. The original 12 signatory countries were: Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. NATO is a collective defense alliance. Article 5 of the Treaty sets forth: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or in North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” The Alliance was from time to time expanded. New members admitted were: 1952 Greece and Turkey; 1955 the Federal Republic of Germany and Spain; and in March 1999 Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. At its 50th anniversary celebration April 23-25, 1999, the representatives of NATO’s 19 member states as well as from countries applying for membership met in Washington. The Alliance has proven to be the most reliable guaranty for security in Europe and in North America.]
[Transl: In a ceremony at the White House on March 29, 2004, 7 countries that were previously under Soviet rule or part of the Warsaw Pact were admitted as new members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Thereby, NATO expanded to 26 member states.]