Leo Baeck Institute Annual Dinner
Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. 

New York, November 14, 2007 

As prepared for delivery.

It is a great pleasure for my wife Sue and me to attend the annual Leo Baeck Institute dinner here in New York.  Thank you, Carol, for giving me the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the U.S. Government and our mission in Germany. 

First of all I want to commend the Institute for its work in highlighting the importance of religious tolerance and dialogue.  Your great efforts to preserve the historical records which permits us to learn from the past are invaluable.   In that same spirit, Sue and I with the great support of all the members of our mission spend a great deal of time and effort on issues of tolerance and understanding.

We proudly support the reestablishment of the Jewish Community throughout Germany which is going on continuously and successfully.  It is an honor to be part of this positive chapter of living history being carried out on our watch. 

In the same spirit, our mission, very much under the leadership of Sue, has been very successful in a major engagement with the Muslim community of Germany.  The results have been astonishing.  When people reach out to each other with respect for each other’s humanity, good things happen.   Moderate people of good will find lots of common ground.  I think Leo Baeck would agree. 

An Ambassador’s job is the bilateral relationship between the United States and in this case Germany.   When we arrived in Germany almost 2 ½ years ago, the relationship between the Governments of our two nations was, perhaps the best word is challenging.   However, there were some people already working hard to rebuild our bridges.  I want to specifically mention my good friend Ambassador Klaus Scharioth.  We met together on almost my first day of work -- a seasoned diplomat and a diplomatic new boy.  Klaus said “let’s use our capabilities on both sides to get this partnership rebuilt.” 

Today I think even the harshest critic would agree the transatlantic partnership between Germany and the United States is working like never before.   Just last weekend in Crawford, Texas I watched once more as Chancellor Merkel and President Bush together tackled world problems. 
 
Klaus, thank you!  I am glad you are now right here in America working harder than ever. 

Almost the second thing I did after arriving in Berlin was to go to the Springer publishing company to meet with Mathias Doepfner and Ernst Cramer.  Why?  Because they had been identified by my people as two Germans whose vision saw clearly that the world’s serious problems could not be tackled unless Germany and the United States work together.  They have been and are true friends of America.  
 

It is a great privilege to be here this evening to honor the work of Dr. Mathias Doepfner.

Axel Springer was the first person to receive this award and, of course, Ernst Cramer also was an awardee.  One might ask, is Mathias just the next in line.  I think you will hear tonight the answer is a resounding no.  He is receiving the award exactly because he has already achieved so much by leading with the same basic values as his predecessors.  And considering his age he will be contributing much to our lives for many years to come. 

As a person who spent 43 years in the business world it is easy for me to see that Mathias is an outstanding business leader.  You need only a few minutes to see how quickly and decisively his mind works.  Of course the record shows how greatly the Axel Springer Group has prospered under him.  Let me also mention the accurate fact-based balanced reporting on America by Axel Springer news outlets.  This helps us do our job.  We appreciate it.

The Springer organization is also well known for its support of the principles of dialogue and tolerance.  I can think of no greater contribution to the benefit of our civil society. Lastly, Springer under Dr. Doepfner’s leadership has been an outstanding supporter of charitable and community efforts of all sorts.  The U.S. Mission is particularly fortunate to receive financial support for our very successful “Windows on America” program which sends immigrant teenagers, primarily Muslims, to the United States for 2 weeks.  Springer was almost the first to step forward in this public-private partnership. 

I could go on, but I turned to a very wise man for his comments about Mathias.  I talked to Ernst Cramer.  He said that, under Dr. Doepfner, the company reverted to the valued basic principles of Axel Springer.  He believes in strong ties with Israel.  But also after 9/11 2001, at Mathias’ behest, a fifth doctrine was added to Axel Springer’s four basic principles.  It reads “to support the Transatlantic Alliance and maintain solidarity in the common values of free nations with the United States of America.” 

Is there any wonder in your minds why I, the American Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, am here tonight to say, “Congratulations and thank you to Dr. Mathias Doepfner?”