June 11, 1982

Chancellor Schmidt, Herr Genscher, Excellencies who are here on the platform and you ladies and gentlemen:

Nancy and I are grateful for the warmth and the friendship that we have encountered throughout our short visits to Bonn and Berlin.

In Berlin this morning I looked across that tragic wall and saw the grim consequences of freedom denied. But I was deeply inspired by the courage and dedication to liberty which I saw in so many faces on the western side of that city.

The purpose of my trip to Bonn was to consult both with leaders of the German Government and our colleagues from other nations. Both aspects of the visit have been a great success. We didn't seek to avoid the problems facing the West in the coming years. We met them head-on and discovered that, as always, what unites us is much deeper and more meaningful than any differences which might exist.

We leave with renewed optimism about the future of the Western World. We also leave with a very warm feeling about the people of Bonn, Berlin, and the Federal Republic.

Diplomacy is important, but friendship leaves an even more lasting impression. Your friendship for us has been an especially moving experience. Nancy and I are personally very touched by your hospitality. We know, however, that this greeting was meant not only for us but for the entire American people.

These trips, these meetings have been arduous; they have been long; they've been tiring to all of us. But I think they've been successful. And here today is an evidence of why they have to be successful -- because what was at issue and what is at stake in all that we were trying to accomplish in those meetings is visible here in these young people. We must deliver to them a world of opportunity and peace. And with that as a goal and with that as our inspiration, we cannot fail.

German-American friendship is truly one of the lasting foundations of Western cooperation and peace and freedom in the world. And this visit has convinced me that ours is a friendship that cannot be shaken.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Goodby, and until we meet again, Auf wiedersehen.

Note: The President spoke at 3 p.m. at the Cologne/Bonn Airport.

In his opening remarks, the President referred to German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and German Minister of Foreign Affairs Hans-Dietrich Genscher.

 

Date
06/11/1982