Selected Events 2006

October 4, 2006. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was the keynote speaker at a ceremony at the Stuttgart opera house on October 4 commemorating the 60th anniversary of the September 1946 "Speech of Hope" in Stuttgart by then-Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. In that speech, the U.S. had signaled its intent to re-unify Germany (with or without Soviet cooperation) and that U.S. troops would remain in Germany as long as any foreign troops remained in the country. At the October 4 ceremony - attended by Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr., his wife Sue and 1,300 guests - all speakers including Chancelor Merkel (via video message from Berlin), Federal Minister Annette Schavan, Minister President Günther Oettinger and Lord Mayor Wolfgang Schuster underscored the indispensable nature of the German-American partnership. According to Dr. Kissinger, "no other foreign government leader receives more attention and respect in Washington than Chancellor Merkel." Talking about the threat of terrorism, Kissinger also pointed out that "the challenges of present times require a new form of cooperation between Germany and the United States".