[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 219 (Thursday, November 12, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 72549-72550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25193]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 219 / Thursday, November 12, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 72549]]


                Proclamation 10117 of November 6, 2020

                
World Freedom Day, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On World Freedom Day, we commemorate the historic fall 
                of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which liberated the people 
                of East Germany from the grip of tyranny. This 
                watershed event marked the triumph of freedom and 
                liberty for hundreds of millions of people who rejected 
                the oppression of Soviet communism and its Marxist-
                Leninist ideology. Today, we celebrate the blessings of 
                freedom in Germany and across the world, and reaffirm 
                our Nation's support for all who wish to be free.

                Following World War II, the Soviet Union built an Iron 
                Curtain between the East and West, isolating the city 
                of West Berlin and shutting off the free flow of goods 
                and people. Determined to prevent the light of liberty 
                from being extinguished, our Nation stood with the 
                United Kingdom and France against the Soviet demand 
                that the West withdraw from Berlin. To defeat this 
                demand for surrender, the United States Air Force and 
                our allies fearlessly airlifted food, fuel, and 
                supplies to the starving people of West Berlin, and 
                together, we were resolved to restore freedom to the 
                German people.

                For almost 30 years, the Berlin Wall symbolized the 
                divide between the free world and communism. On its 
                eastern side, the rights that democratic societies hold 
                dear--the fundamental freedoms of religion, speech, the 
                press, association, and petition--were replaced by 
                forced secularism, oppressive censorship, monolithic 
                propaganda, and inhumane division. Hundreds of brave 
                Germans died attempting to escape this brutal fate, as 
                the Stasi used landmines, armed watchtowers, and barbed 
                wire to intimidate those who dreamed of freedom and to 
                kill and harm those who braved any attempt to escape. 
                Those whose escapes failed, those who facilitated 
                successful or attempted crossings, and those who 
                crossed the Stasi in some other way were tortured, 
                imprisoned, and executed in horrifying violations of 
                human dignity and rights.

                The United States always stood resolutely with the 
                victims and survivors of the evil ideology that 
                controlled East Germany and East Berlin. Our valiant 
                response to Soviet oppression in Germany defined the 
                Cold War, from President John F. Kennedy's declaration, 
                ``Ich bin ein Berliner,'' in 1963 to President Ronald 
                Reagan's momentous call, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down 
                this wall!'' in 1987. Our founding principles of 
                individual, God-given unalienable rights, human 
                dignity, and equality of opportunity were embraced by 
                the millions held in Soviet bondage, and ultimately won 
                the ideological battle of the Cold War. As a result, we 
                are able to celebrate Germany's reunification today, 
                reaffirm our alliance, and recognize German 
                contributions to modern day peace and prosperity.

                This World Freedom Day, we honor all those who fought 
                for freedom, endured injustice, and bravely resisted 
                totalitarianism before the fall of the Berlin Wall. We 
                also reassert our longstanding commitment to combat 
                tyranny, uplift the voices of those held captive by 
                communist regimes, and halt the spread of this brutal 
                ideology at home and around the world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution

[[Page 72550]]

                and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
                November 9, 2020, as World Freedom Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to observe this day with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities, reaffirming our 
                dedication to freedom and democracy.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-25193
Filed 11-10-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P