Remarks on Receiving Statue Presented by Ambassador Krekeler on Behalf of the German People.
Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Carmichael, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is indeed a great privilege to speak for the American people in accepting from the German people this product of a German artist and a gift of that entire nation.
We know that twice in our generation our two countries have been at war. What this gift symbolizes in a revolution of thinking--in the erasing of old enmities and a desire to cooperate among ourselves for the peaceful advancement of all nations is going to be meaningful as long as this statue, this work of art, endures.
I think, for myself, I have a particular additional item of satisfaction in that I was, after all, the commander of the great forces from the West that swept over Germany in the most recent war. The fact that I am now privileged as the representative of our country to accept this, with feelings and mutual expressions of peaceful intent and purpose, is something that is very dear to me at this moment.
I hope, Mr. Ambassador, that you will express to President Heuss, and through him to all the people of Germany, the very great satisfaction we shall take in this, not only for its own sake as a great work of art, but because of what it symbolizes in the efforts that both nations and both peoples are now making to do our best to make this a peaceful world.
Thank you very much.
Note: The President spoke at the Natural History Building of the Smithsonian Institution, following the presentation by the German Ambassador of a bronze statue, "Laboring Youth." The President's opening words "Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Carmichael" referred to Dr. Heinz L. Krekeler, Ambassador from Germany, and Leonard Carmichael,
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
The following letter from President Heuss, dated December 10, 1954, was read during the ceremonies by Ambassador Krekeler:
Mr. President:
During the years of Germany's deepest despair countless men and women in countries both near and far sent us gifts expressing their warmth of heart. These acts of humanity saved the lives of many Germans. Men and women, broken and exhausted, drew from them renewed courage to face life.
Among the nations who have helped in great-hearted fashion to mitigate the suffering in Germany, the United States of America occupies the foremost position. Numerous societies and organizations in your country have placed themselves in the service of brotherly love in a truly imposing effort that stands forth unrivalled in our time. Over and above this, innumerable American citizens have untiringly lent their aid by privately sending charitable gifts of every kind. Even today this flow of gifts from the United States has not spent itself and helps countless suffering human beings in Germany, especially refugees and expellees who are still obliged to live in camps, to preserve their faith in a better future.
The German people cannot repay the debt of gratitude which accumulated during their years of anguish, but they can acknowledge it and attempt to make it manifest. This is to be done by means of art works created by our people and in many cases by men and women who themselves live in hard-pressed circumstances. All of my countrymen have gladly contributed to making these art works available in order that they may serve as symbols of their gratitude. Through these monuments we hope to find our way to the unknown benefactors in your country, so that each and every one of them will know that we have not forgotten his great-hearted act.
I ask your Excellency to accept this sculpture of a kneeling man by the sculptor Hermann Blumenthal as a modest token of the heartfelt gratitude which we bear to the people of the United States of America.
It is with pleasure, Mr. President, that I avail myself of this opportunity to assure you of my highest esteem.
THEODOR HEUSS
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Remarks on Receiving Statue Presented by Ambassador Krekeler on Behalf of the German People. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/233620
