A Message from Germany [Praise for USA, in today's full-page NYT ad from Germany's leaders]

A note to FR, from summer:

I was reading the Sunday NYT, and almost fell off my chair when I read a full-page ad in today's NYT, signed by a long list of Germans, praising the USA and thanking the USA for all this country has done for Germany. The ad was titled "A Message From Germany."

I then did a google search for news about the ad. Here is what I found, first, in English:

radio.weblog:

Message from Germany: On Saturday, the influential "club" named Atlantikbrücke (Atlantic Bridge) will pay $140,000 to buy a page in the New York Times. Members of this club range from politicans from all parties, newspaper publishers and high-ranking board-members of firms such as Deutsche Bank. The club aims to detail the good relationship between the US and Germany (including thanks for freeing Germany from the Nazis, thanks for the trans-atlantic solidarity of NATO, thanks for support during reunification - you get the idea). Spiegel-Online has more (German).

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Every other news article I found about this ad appeard in German newspapers -- which are translated into English on google, and, often, not translated very well. Nevertheless, here is one of the better translations:

A friendship message at America

German Atlantic bridge publishes a solidarity announcement in the New York Times - numerous politicians and industrielle sign

by Joachim Peter, from Berlin's DIE WELT newspaper [linked in source link]

Friendship is a high property. The Germans know. Released from the National Socialist terror regime Germany looked for the friendship to America and it was granted. Forty years long our country on it built, trusted and itself in security weighed in as uncertain time as that of the cold war. Now however America asks for support for a possible war against of Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein and deplores the missing support of the Germans. A loyalty break?

In each case the German-American relationship suffered heavily. Therefore want the "bridge", Germany old association to promotion the German-American relationship, now hold. The 1952 created association will publish an announcement, which appears on Monday also in the WORLD on Sunday in the "New York Times". "A Message from Germany", is called it on the full-page announcement. The "message from Germany" reads: Appreciation of the German-American relationship, thanks to the USA for the release from the Nazis and thanks for the reunification. The German-American partnership belongs "to the bases to democratic united Germany in uniting Europe", writes the signers - under it also numerous personalities from politics, economics and culture, which do not belong to the "Atlantic bridge". Reference taking to the Iraq crisis continues to be called it: "today, since the world must resist terrorism and spreading of massenvernichtungswaffen, we affirm the solidarity with the United States." The partnership to the USA is "more than only one purpose alliance of politics and economics". It is a "community of the values". And: Americans and Germans are "in the will to defend these" united.

Also Social Democrats occur for the "message from Germany": The former Secretaries of Defense Rudolf Scharping and Hans Apel, the deputy chairman of the foreign committee in the Bundestag Hans Ulrich Klose and Berlin of governing mayors Klaus Wowereit. On the part of the Greens the announcement signed: Parliamentary group boss Katrin Goering Eckardt, the Member of the Bundestag Anna Luehrmann, the former party boss Claudia Roth, the parliamentary undersecretary of state Matthias Berninger and the speaker with regard to foreign policy Ludger Volmer.

In the union the call of the "Atlantiker" old Federal Chancellors Helmut Kohl, Vize-Fraktionschef Friedrich Merz, the Prime Ministers Roland cook, Ole van Beust, followed Georg Milbradt and Bernhard Vogel in the FDP party chief Guido Westerwelle and old Federal President Walter cross-eyed. To the signers also peace Springer and Springer-Vorstandschef Mathias Doepfner and the chairman of the Axel Springer donation Ernst Cramer, furthermore the publisher Hubert Burda, the boss of the German bank, Josef field man, Daimler Chrysler boss Juergen Schrempp, prominent trade unionists belong such as boss of building of industrial unions Hubertus Schmoldt.

"with all opinion differences between governments the German-American friendship in the substance may not be damaged", stresses FDP boss Westerwelle, which belongs to the executive committee of the "Atlantic bridge". The association means it serious. 140 000 dollar costs the side in the "New York Times" - which has executive committee asked that the signers of the explanation pay at least 100 euro, for the remainder wants the association to arise. Together with the chairman, Arend Oetker, the former chairman Walther Leisler Kiep and the treasurer max of being castle wrote down vice-chairman Beate lime tree man at the 11. Februar the members of the "Atlantic bridge". The agreement was so large that one decided itself to lead the inquiry also to non-members further. The result: Altogether approximately 700 personalities were written down, signed about 600 to have the announcement.

Articles appeared on 15 February 2003

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For other German newspaper articles that came up on google about this ad, CLICK HERE.

"Message from Germany"

By Michaela Schießl

The influential club Atlantic Bridge, whose board of directors include Guido Westerwelle, Rudolf Scharping, and "Bild" chief-editor Kai Diekmann, wants to place an ad in the Sunday New York Times. The text titled "Message from Germany" will attest to German-American friendship. Cost: $140,000.

Berlin - The solidarity with the USA announcement by 8 European countries and its resounding impact must have given Beate Lindemann an idea. Why not go public to emphasize trans-Atlantic friendship. For the last 50 years, ultimately, building bridges between the USA, Canada and Europe has been the declared goal of the influential club Atlantic Bridge, for whom Lindemann is the acting chairperson. "Whenever it is necessary to improve understanding, when there is a possibility to build networks, or pressing political questions arise, the Atlantic Bridge is ready to act" can be read in the mission statement of the club with high caliber membership.

The board of directors and supervisory council are speckled with prominent members from politics, media and finance. Rudolf Scharping (SPD) belongs as does Guido Westerwelle (FDP) und Kurt Biedenkopf (CDU), "BILD" chief-editor Kai Diekmann and "Zeit"-co-publisher Josef Joffe, Bank supervisors Martin Kohlhaussen (Commerzbank) and Hilmar Kopper (Deutsche Bank).

Can so much concentrated influence go unused? Should the friends of America stand by idly while the carefully paved 50 year old bridge over the Atlantic collapses? No, decided the board of directors. Together with Chairman Arend Oetker, former Chairman Walther Leisler Kiep and Treasurer Max Warburg, Beate Lindemann wrote to the members and friends of Atlantic Bridge. The contents: In view of the aggravated dissonance in the Atlantic alliance the Atlantic Bridge wants to publish a fundamental statement in the form of a one page advertisement in the Sunday edition of the "New York Times" on February 16. This demonstration of loyalty is expensive: the page costs $140,000. The directors asked, therefore, that each of the document's signatories pay at least 100 Euro. Time to consider: One day maximum. The acceptances had to be back to the directors by February 12, at the latest.

The announcement was formulated so moderately that members and friends of any political persuasion would be spoken to. "A Message from Germany" proclaims the neutral title of the advertisement's layout. Several paragraphs of Thank You America follow: Thank you for the liberation from Nazi-Germany, Thank you for the protection in the cold war, Thank you for the support during re-unification.

The text also remembers the solidarity with and the support for the Americans after September 11 by the Germans and mentions the German role in the securing of peace and the rebuilding of Afghanistan.

In view of the terrorist threat the Atlantic Bridge wants to reinforce bonds to the United States, writes the club, and confronts the suspicion of a German Anti-Americanism: "The German-American Partnership reflects common values. The desire to defend these values binds America and Germany", proclaims the advertisement's text. Further: "For the vast majority of Germans the relationship to the United States remains of great importance. We must not allow the momentary differences of opinion between our governments over the Iraq question to break these bonds. We, the members of the Atlantic Bridge, the oldest German-American friendship organization, which represents the present and future leaders of Germany, will do anything to maintain these ties for future generations".

The club doesn't want to say how many and which of the Trans-Atlantics have signed so far. One must doubt, however, that the more than a thousand signatories necessary to fund the promotion have been found in so short a time. The organization, speaking to that topic: "The Atlantic Bridge will cover the remainder".

"Der Spiegel".."Message From Germany"

Translated by longjack

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