Presentation of the Fall Fellows at the American Academy

September 15, 2009

Berlin
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

As prepared for delivery.

Sehr verehrter Herr Fischer,
sehr verehrter Herr Smith,
meine sehr verehrten Damen und Herren,
Freunde und Fellows der American Academy,

es ist mir eine Freude und Ehre, heute Abend bei Ihnen zu sein. Ich möchte diese Gelegenheit nutzen, um den Mitarbeitern und Freunden der American Academy für ihren Einsatz für die deutsch-amerikanischen Beziehungen zu danken.

Dick Holbrooke, one of my predecessors in this job and a good friend of mine, was one of the founders of the American Academy. I know that both he and co-founder Henry Kissinger are very proud of what you accomplished.

If you look back at the last 15 years - and at the work of the researchers, journalists, professors, playwrights, authors, artists, film-makers, who have come to Berlin, to this historic house on the Wannsee, as fellows of the Academy - the mission of the American Academy has indeed been accomplished. And a word of warning to the incoming fellows: you have some very large shoes to fill. Over the past 15 years, this illustrious house has been the focal point of lively and intense dialogue on subjects ranging from international security to the economy to the environment, new technology, art and literature.

When Dick Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger, Richard von Weizsäcker, Fritz Stern, Otto Graf Lambsdorff and others conceived the idea of the American Academy, it was part of a feeling that culture, in its broadest sense, was one of the pillars of the German-American relationship. I arrived in Frankfurt just about the time when plans for the American Academy were unfolding. I remember in one speech a quote from Jean Monnet, the grand man behind the grand dream to create a united Europe. Monnet said, "If I had the chance to begin again, I would start with culture."

That is as true today as it was in the difficult years following World War II. In fact, in today's fast changing world - full of new challenges and opportunities - our common strategic interests make cooperation even more necessary. Our common political values, tried and true over the last sixty years, make cooperation possible. But in the end both are insufficient. It is the fact that each of us brings something special to the relationship - from which the other can learn and profit - which makes the German-American partnership so rewarding. It is that kind of magic - the magic of a 21st century partnership - that we need to emphasize.

Tammy and I are ready to do our part in helping take this essential alliance forward, in some cases in new ways. We agree about the underlying importance of culture, popular as well as youth culture, political culture, sports, that lead to dialogue. And so do sports -from World Cup football to the role sports play in our day-to-day lives. As avid football fans, we can tell you many reasons why sports are important.

We look forward to working with the staff and board of the American Academy. In particular, we look forward to meeting and hearing from the Fellows of 2009, as the year goes by. I encourage you to take every advantage of your residency here in this beautiful and historic setting in Wannsee, but also to get out and get involved in German civic and intellectual life. It will be to your benefit, to be sure, but I am convinced that it will also be to the lasting benefit of our two great countries. So welcome to Berlin.

Ebenso möchten ich mir bei Ihnen für den herzlichen Empfang bedanken.