I am delighted and honoured to be asked to contribute to this celebration for my old friend Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev.
President Gorbachev is undoubtedly one of the great men of our time. His reforms marked the first significant steps in bringing freedom and democracy to Russia and to the other nations of the former Soviet Union. These measures were undertaken in the face of fierce resistance by hardliners and bureaucrats, which would have daunted lesser men. But he persisted, even when it became clear that others might be the ultimate political beneficiaries of his changes.

Bold and far-reaching reforms at home were matched by a new, and completely un-Soviet, willingness to establish friendly and cooperative relations abroad. I well remember my first meetings with Mr. Gorbachev, before he became President. I was struck then and later by his willingness to engage in open and honest debate, rather than merely rely on the traditional Soviet threats and boycotts. It was clear to me, as it quickly became clear to Ronald Reagan - that other great architect of freedom - that Mikhail Gorbachev was a man with whom we could "do business." And the business which was done resulted in an end to the Cold War, with all the progress that has meant.

But perhaps President Gorbachev's most important achievement is one that is nowadays easily forgotten: it lies in what he did not do. The classic Soviet response to attempts by the captive nations to break free of Moscow's control was to send in the tanks. Mr. Gorbachev chose a different path. He proved that he was a true man of peace when he allowed the peoples of Eastern and Central Europe to go their own way in freedom. For this above all he should be remembered as an example of what one man can achieve to change a system and to benefit the world.