Statement on Richard Holbrooke (December 14, 2010)

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of former Ambassador to Germany, statesman, and great American, Richard Holbrooke.  Ambassador Holbrooke was a diplomat without parallel in U.S. postwar history, whose career spanned nearly fifty years, and who played a pivotal role in crises from Vietnam, to the Balkans, to the current Afghanistan conflict. 

Ambassador Holbrooke's tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, from 1993 to 1994, left a substantial legacy.  His personal engagement with Germany was life-long and continued beyond his time as Ambassador. Ambassador Holbrooke's grandfather received the Iron Cross for his service in the first world war.  His mother, Trudi Kearl, grew up in Hamburg, and fled discrimination by the Nazis with her family to Buenos Aires in 1933, before eventually settling in New York.  Her first trip back to Germany was for her son's presentation of credentials to then President Richard von Weizsäcker.  As Ambassador, Richard Holbrooke played a key role in the early years after reunification to advocate for the eastward expansion of NATO, and for launching a renewed bilateral relationship with a united Germany at the beginning of the post-cold war era. 

Almost as important as Ambassador Holbrooke's accomplishments in crafting foreign policy was his focus on building mutual understanding.  With the departure of the Berlin Brigade, Ambassador Holbrooke had the foresight to understand that we needed another institution in Berlin that could carry forward the special partnership between the United States and Germany.  Along with Henry Kissinger, President von Weizsäcker, and the Hans Arnhold family, Ambassador Holbrooke was a driving force in establishing the American Academy in Berlin, an institution unlike any other in the world.  Since its inception, the Academy has made an inestimable contribution to strengthening cultural, academic, journalistic and diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Germany. 

Richard Holbrooke was, by any measure, a towering figure both publicly and privately.  He was among our country's foremost diplomats of the past half century.  He was smart, tough, always compelling and completely charming. 

To Kati, his children and stepchildren, we offer our thoughts and prayers. To Germans and Americans who care about our vital partnership, I would say that we are closer, and the world is safer because of Richard Holbrooke.

May God bless him.

Philip D. Murphy