In the midst of his speech, Pierce Bush is overwhelmed by the memory of his grandfather, former US President George HW Bush. His voice breaks as he tells of his aunt Doro, how she was once delighted that “a kind and decent person” would become President of the United States.
At first it was not easy for him to finish his speech. This Wednesday afternoon, together with US Ambassador Amy Gutmann, he unveiled his grandfather’s statue at Clayallee 170 – directly in front of the US Consulate. And he told how he was there when his grandfather became an honorary citizen of Berlin. So he asked him: what makes this city so special for you?
The grandfather replied that what was achieved here was one of the greatest successes of his presidency. For him, Berlin was the epicenter of the peaceful reunification of Europe. Hardly anyone knows better than Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick, who was the chief negotiator at the time, that it was thanks to George HW Bush’s circumspection that German reunification ultimately paved the way for a free and united Europe against much resistance.
He brings the drama of those days back to life on the occasion of the unveiling. “You never knew when the window would close,” he says in the suddenly warm May sun of that afternoon. “There were so many imponderables.” And he emphasizes once again what a miracle it was to achieve German unity in just ten months. “When you think about what you can do in ten months today, it’s quite amazing!”
Zoellick can also remember the moment when the crucial friendship with then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl began. Bush had to wait with him in the car in the underground garage until a demonstration outside had passed. He took it as a good sign that there really was freedom of speech in Germany.
When he thinks back to the fall of the Wall, grandson Pierce Bush is convinced: “My grandfather knew intuitively that this was a German moment.” US Ambassador Amy Gutmann also paid tribute to the former President – as a “real war hero”, who was modest and courageous been able to appreciate the miracle of peace better than others.
My grandfather knew intuitively that this was a German moment.
Pierce Bush
Back then, Bush acted quietly and carefully behind the scenes. The fact that Truman Plaza, which commemorates Harry S. Truman, who was President at the end of World War II, is located on the other side of busy Clayallee, closes a historical circle for Gutmann, since Bush was President at the end of the Cold War.
She wishes the statue would also be a daily reminder of what is at stake in the illegal war of aggression against Ukraine: “President George HW Bush stood for democracy. He stood for self-determination, individual freedom and the rule of law,” she says. “During this time as we collectively support Ukraine against Russia’s brutal and unlawful aggression, he continues to inspire us to stand up for our self-determination, freedom, rule of law and a united and free Europe.”
With a confident, friendly facial expression
The CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, Max Angerholzer, expresses the hope that the statue will give a new generation of Germans an opportunity to reflect on the great legacy of the former president, who helped to resolve conflicts peacefully through diplomacy and friendship have. The statue is a gift from the Foundation to the Embassy.
The statue is by US artist Chas Fagan
Pierce Bush reads a letter from his uncle George W. Bush, who is also a former US President. He writes that his dad worked hard for a peaceful transition to a reunited Europe. The statue by US artist Chas Fagan then has to be used for many a selfie, but it also receives a lot of praise. It is large and shows the 41st President of the USA, who died in 2018 at the age of 94, with a confident, friendly facial expression.
“We were very close,” says Pierce Bush at the side of his wife Sarabeth at the end of the event, when champagne and cola are being served in the background and souvenirs such as T-shirts and baseball caps are being offered. After the presidency, the grandfather moved to Houston and family was extremely important to him.
And he goes back to the moment when he was allowed to accompany his grandfather to Berlin City Hall, where he received Berlin honorary citizenship. “I wore the same tie then as I do now,” he says, laughing. As soon as the two-year-old daughter is old enough to understand something of the story, he wants to come back and show her the city that owes so much to his grandfather’s care.
