May 18, 1964 - President Johnson declared today that “there can be no real and lasting peace in Europe or, indeed, in the rest of the world” until Germany was united.
In a toast to Mayor Willy Brandt of West Berlin, Johnson said Berlin was a symbol of hope, not only for a unified Germany but for the cause of freedom everywhere.
The Mayor accepted the toast with warm thanks during a White House luncheon, which was also attended by Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.
Brandt lauded Johnson’s visit to Berlin as Vice President in August 1961 — six days after the Communist wall went up — as an event that “brought back the reassurance that helped us to overcome perhaps the most difficult period in our postwar life.”
Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s