Dedication of the Ernst Cramer Room

Ernst Cramer, Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

Berlin
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

Welcome to the official dedication ceremony of the Ernst Cramer Conference Center. The room was inaugurated almost a year and a half ago, on July 4, 2008, America’s Independence Day - the day that we chose to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new Embassy. On that day, Mr. Cramer and a group of Airlift veterans met with Chancellor Merkel and President George H. W. Bush. The return of the American Embassy to Pariser Platz was the closing of a circle. It was a circle that extended back to the time when the United States and Germany were enemies at war, through the long Cold War years of division and the process of unification to the place where we stand today as true global partners. Now almost a year and a half later, just one week after Germany and the world celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are using this occasion to once again give voice to the ideals of liberty, freedom, self-determination, and democracy that we share.

Ernst Cramer - like perhaps no other - personifies these ideals and the full circle of the German-American partnership. He came to the old American Embassy here next to the Brandenburg Gate in the summer of 1939 to apply for the visa that very probably saved his life. What he remembers most about his interview at the Embassy was that he was treated “like a human being.” His decision to stay in Germany in 1945 – after returning to the horror of Buchenwald – symbolized his trust in the people of Germany.

Through the stations of his life, Ernst Cramer has always steadfastly refused to accept anything but the best in people. What better message, what better inspiration for our conference center. Mr. Cramer, since the inauguration of the Embassy and “your” room on July 4, 2008, scarcely a day has gone by that a program has not taken place. Your optimism, your respect for the goals of democracy and freedom will live on here and will guide our programs into the future. See video.