The twin anniversaries this past week of D-Day and the Tiananmen Square massacre were a reminder of the power of speaking clearly to both friends and enemies, and to know the difference between them.

Ronald Reagan, now considered a relatively young man when he served as president, celebrated his 70th and 75th birthdays while in office. His standard quip was that he was celebrating “anniversaries of his 39th birthday” to hide his age. This past week marked the 40th anniversary of one of the rhetorical high points of the Reagan presidency, his address at Pointe du Hoc, on the beaches of Normandy, for the 40th anniversary of D-Day in 1984.