Eulogy For Gerald R. Ford According to an ancient tradition, God preserves humanity despite its many transgressions because, at any one period, there exist ten just individuals who redeem mankind, without being aware of their role. Gerald Ford was such a man. Propelled into the presidency by a sequence of unpredictable events, he had an […]
Memorial Remarks for Robert Lloyd Funseth Robert Funseth officially became State Department Spokesman in 1975, after having carried out its responsibilities as Deputy since the year prior. Bob was my fifth Spokesman, but when he began, Larry Eagleburger—the Undersecretary for Administration—predicted that he would be both the last and the very best. History would prove […]
Eulogy for Sir James Goldsmith When my family was about to leave the country of my birth, I called on my grandfather, to whom I was very attached, in the little village where he lived, to say good-bye. He was suffering from cancer, and I knew I would never see him again. My grandfather took […]
Eulogy for Katharine Graham The friendship Nancy and I shared with Kay Graham is one of the legacies of my government service that we cherish most. Unlike so many Washington relationships which end with the exercise of power, it grew in intensity in the decades after I left office. Yet The Washington Post had been […]
Wherever he served, he made a difference. That is the compliment Al Haig, who died on Feb. 20 at age 85, would have most appreciated. Service was his purpose. Courage was his defining characteristic. Patriotism, his impetus. Societies become rich through ingenuity and hard work. But they become great because they produce men and women […]
Remarks At Memorial Service For Rod Hills This town is preoccupied with victories and defeats in political struggles. Yet it is sustained by men and women who remind us that we will be judged by our reconciliations, not our controversies. Rod Hills was one such individual. Utterly decent, matter-of-fact, thoughtful, he incarnated a commitment to […]
Fritz Kraemer was the greatest single influence of my formative years, and his inspiration remained with me even during the last thirty years when he would not speak to me. We met in 1944 in Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. We were both privates in the 84th Infantry Division. I served in G Company of the 335th […]
Eulogy for Senator John McCain Our country has had the good fortune that, at times of national trial, a few great personalities have emerged to remind us of our essential unity and inspire us to fulfill our sustaining values. John McCain was one of those gifts of destiny. I met John for the first time […]
Eulogy for Hans Merkle It is a great honor to be asked to deliver a speech in memory of one of the most remarkable men I have known. It is a daunting task as well. For those in this room who knew Hans Merkle, nothing I can say will be able to reflect his complexity […]
Memorial Remarks for Hans Morgenthau Hans Morgenthau was my teacher. And he was my friend. I must say that at the outset because so many obituaries have stressed his disagreement with policies with which I have become identified. We knew each other for a decade and a half before I entered office. We remained in […]