Word: bitburg
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...have canceled the wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery and simply given a speech outlining his commitment to American-German amity. The reason he had not done so by week's end apparently stemmed from his concern for Kohl, who would lose face if Reagan backed out of the Bitburg ceremony...
That was made clear on Friday in a personal telephone call to Reagan by Kohl. Indirectly, Reagan raised the possibility of bypassing Bitburg for a less explosive site. Speaking in a somber tone out of keeping with his amiable personality. Kohl advised Reagan that to cancel Bitburg could impair official relations between the two governments and, more important, hurt "the feelings between Germans and Americans." Reagan assured Kohl that he would not buckle under to the pressure at home...
...same reasons. What can I do? I belong to a traumatized generation. And to us, as to you, symbols are important. I am convinced, as you have told us earlier when we spoke, that you were not aware of the presence of SS graves in the Bitburg cemetery. Of course you didn't know. But now we all are aware. May I, Mr. President, if it's possible at all, implore you to do something else ... to find another way, another site. That place, Mr. President, is not your place. Your place is with the victims...
...unassuming Kolmeshöhe cemetery, German and American flags flutter from the tower that overlooks the quaint, newly restored town of Bitburg. The two flags symbolize the friendship that Bitburg's German residents and the 10,600 Americans connected with the U.S. air base there have come to associate with their haven in the Eifel hills near the Luxembourg border. Each year since the cemetery was consecrated in 1959, American and French military officials have joined Germans in a wreath-laying ceremony at Kolmeshöhe. This year Ronald Reagan intends to place a wreath there, and late last week, the cemetery...
...onslaught was waged in large measure by members of the Waffen (Weapons) SS, the combat branch of the Third Reich's elite guard. Forty-seven of those buried at Bitburg were members of the SS, which is clearly marked on many headstones. Most of those 47 SS casualties were between the ages of 17 and 20 when they died, though some were reportedly over...