Berlin Wall Called ‘Litmus Test’

WASHINGTON — President Reagan declared the Berlin Wall “a litmus test of East-West relations” today as he held a farewell meeting with West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Reagan, who will leave office Jan. 20, said, “The divided city of Berlin remains a powerful symbol of a divided Europe and a litmus test of East-West relations.” Kohl, responding through a translator at a departure ceremony on the White House lawn, said, “Any kind of worsening in East-West relations will be felt like an earthquake in our country, and of course first of all in Berlin.” Later in the day, Kohl met President-elect George Bush at the vice president’s residence.