 to exchange views with the governments of these countries that it also provided you an opportunity to participate in two international summit conferences. And these occasions again demonstrated the great importance, but also the great strength inherent in European American cooperation. Mr. President, your visit has deeply moved us. And I think I'm speaking on behalf of many millions of Germans here in Bonn, in the hell of the Federal Republic of Germany, in Berlin, but also in the United States. In the GDR when I say we were delighted at your visit and we thank you for this visit. And I'm certain that Mrs. Reagan and you, Mr. President, have felt that you have been visiting with good friends, with friends who are always aware of the fact that their country and they themselves owe a debt of gratitude to the American nation yesterday and today. I have been favoring this visit in Germany and in Europe for a long time because I felt certain that a direct and immediate contact with the people of the countries on this side of the Atlantic, Mr. President, not only with the political leaders and the members of parliament, but also with the people, the populations of these countries was very important. Chancellor Schmidt, again, your excellencies here in the platform and you ladies and gentlemen, Nancy and I are grateful for the warmth and the friendship that we have encountered throughout our short visits to Bonn and Berlin. In Berlin this morning I looked across that tragic wall and saw the grim consequences of freedom denied, but I was deeply inspired by the courage and dedication to liberty which I saw in so many faces on the western side of that city. The purpose of my trip to Bonn was to consult both with leaders of the German government and our colleagues from other nations. Both aspects of the visit have been a great success. We didn't seek to avoid the problems facing the West in the coming years. We met them head on and discovered that as always what unites us is much deeper and more meaningful than any differences which might exist. We leave with renewed optimism about the future of the western world. We also leave with a very warm feeling about the people of Bonn, Berlin and the Federal Republic. Diplomacy is important, but friendship leaves an even more lasting impression. Your friendship for us has been an especially moving experience. Nancy and I are personally very touched by your hospitality. We know, however, that this greeting was met not only for us, but for the entire American people. These trips, these meetings have been arduous. They have been long. They've been tiring to all of us, but I think they've been successful. And here today is an evidence of why they have to be successful. Because what was at issue and what is at stake in all that we were trying to accomplish in those meetings is visible here in these young people. We must deliver to them a world of opportunity and peace. And with that as a goal and with that as our inspiration, we cannot fail. German-American friendship is truly one of the lasting foundations of western cooperation and peace and freedom in the world. And this visit has convinced me that ours is a friendship that cannot be shaken. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Goodbye, and until we meet again, auf Wiedersehen. Herr Bundeskanzler, Herr Minister, Excellenzen, meine Damen und Herren, Nancy und ich sind sehr dankbar für die Herzlichkeit und die Freundschaft, die uns bei unseren kurzen Besuchen in Bonn wie auch in Berlin entgegengebracht worden sind. Ich habe über jene tragische Mauer geblickt und die grümmen Konsequenzen gesehen, die sich ergeben, wenn die Freiheit verweigert wird. Aber ich bin von dem Mut und von der Hingabe an die Freiheit, die ich in so vielen Gesichtern auf der westlichen Seite Berlins gesehen habe, sehr inspiriert. Der Zweck meines Besuches nach Bonn war mich mit führenden Persönlichkeiten in der Bundesregierung und mit meinen Kollegen aus anderen Nationen zu beraten. Beide Aspekte dieses Besuchs waren ein großer Erfolg. Wir haben die Probleme, denen der Westen in den kommenden Jahren gegenübersteht, angepackt und sind ihnen nicht ausgewichen. Wir haben sie tatkräftig angepackt und festgestellt, dass wie immer das, was uns vereint, viel tiefer gegründet ist und viel bedeutsamer ist als Differenzen, die existieren mögen.