speeches by amb. coats

Ms. Mathews, the exhibit is a masterpiece. Taken together, the images do indeed "tell us things about our time and place that we did not know we knew." We congratulate the Meridian International Foundation and thank you and the artists for sharing these precious works with the world.

Boeing and ABB were important sponsors in this project. Dr. Teltschik, Herr Jucker, we thank you for your support.

Dr. Voigt, I would like to thank the German government and the German people for their support and involvement over the last two years. It has not been an easy time but the United States and Germany have long stood together to promote freedom and democracy, and I am confident we will continue to do so in the future.

In a few days, we will mark the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. September 11, 2003 will be a day of remembrance. Americans, and people around the world, will remember where they were and what they were doing when they first learned of the horror and the tragedy that were unfolding in New York City, in Washington DC and in a field in Pennsylvania.

My wife, Marsha, and I first heard the terrible and tragic news at the Residence. We had arrived in Berlin just a few days earlier and were hosting our first official lunch. Like people around the world, we first turned on the television, and watched in shock and horror the images that now remain seared in our memories. Shortly thereafter we learned of the attacks on the Pentagon, at the very place where our son-in-law was working with the Army staff. After several failed attempts to reach him, we found out that he was safe but sadly learned later that he had lost a number of close friends and colleagues.
After the initial shock, I proceeded immediately to the Embassy. There were obviously some very immediate concerns about the security of the Embassy and our Consulates and the American presence elsewhere in Germany. As the evening approached, I looked outside my office window and saw people gathering outside the Embassy -- lighting candles, laying flowers -- the beginning of an extraordinary expression of sympathy on the part of the German people that we will never forget.

The memories of that day will not fade nor will those images of September 11, which have become a part of both our national and a global consciousness. The images of September 11 inspired in President Bush's words, "a deeper appreciation of the things that matter most in our lives – our faith, our love for family and friends, and our freedom." The attacks drew Americans closer as a people. They also drew America closer to people of goodwill across the globe. The outpouring of friendship and support from nations around the world in the wake of that sad and terrible day was a recognition that these are the values that matter not just to Americans, but to people everywhere.

The pictures in this exhibit document these values -- and the feelings and emotions that touched the lives of people around the world. Some of the paintings recapture the numbness and the sorrow of September 11. And some of the paintings simply capture portraits of America that could have been drawn at any time: portraits of Americans at rest, at work, at play. These images awaken another kind of sadness and sorrow because they capture both the hope and strength that is America as well as a very new sense of vulnerability.

Listen to what Nhat Tran, a Vietnamese-American artist from my home state of Indiana, wrote about her painting "Points of Light, Points of Might." "Disasters enkindle our candles; we bring them to our windowsill for all to see. True might enlightens, true light empowers."

The time of trial ushered in by September 11th is not yet over, but when the last chapter is written, history will have much of lasting significance to record. Clearly we face a new challenge that we were not expecting as we entered the 21st century.

Here at the AlliiertenMuseum, we are particularly reminded of the spirit with which we fought the tyranny and evils of the past and addressed the challenges of the 20th century. These memories, too, remain engrained in our hearts. The challenges we faced then united us in common cause, and that united commitment brought victory over tyranny and freedom to countless millions. In that spirit, we must now resolve to join efforts in addressing this new challenge.

Thank you. Vielen Dank.