Skip to main content

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Who we are
    • Programs
      • Alliance for Securing Democracy
      • Asia Program
      • Balkan Trust for Democracy
      • Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
      • Congressional Affairs
      • Europe Program
      • Fund for Belarus Democracy
      • Future of Geopolitics
      • GMF Cities
      • GMF Digital
      • Leadership Programs
      • Mediterranean Program
      • Security and Defense
    • Offices
      • Ankara
      • Belgrade
      • Berlin
      • Brussels
      • Bucharest
      • Paris
      • Warsaw
      • Washington, DC
    • About Us
    • Marshall Plan
    • Our Partners
  • Experts
  • Events
    Jan
    27
    Upcoming Event

    On 5G, is Germany Selling Out Europe to China?

    January 27, 2021 | 11:00AM to 11:30AM EST
    • Major Conferences & Forums
      GMF brings together hundreds of policymakers, elected officials, academics, and business leaders from around the world to discuss topics from energy to migration, economics to security, urban growth to diplomacy.
    All Events →
  • Our Work
    • Topics
      • America
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Cities and Regions
      • Security
      • Trade and Economies
      • All Topics
    • Research
      • Publications
      • Transatlantic Takes
    • Perspectives
      • Audio
      • Video
      • Blog post
      • In The News
  • Stay Informed

Photo Credit: 360b / Shutterstock

Blog post

GMF’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus Attends Chancellor Merkel’s Harvard Commencement Address

June 4, 2019

GMF Editorial Staff

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s commencement address at Harvard University drew attention on both sides of the Atlantic as a statement of shared purpose between the United States and Europe. Her remarks came 72 years after Secretary of State George Marshall introduced the idea for an initiative to help Europe recover in the aftermath of the Second World War: the Marshall Plan. One of Chancellor Merkel’s predecessors, Willy Brandt, also announced the foundation of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) as a memorial to the Marshall Plan in 1972 with a speech at Harvard.

GMF’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus Guido Goldman attended the commencement, which also marked his 60th class reunion. At the Marshall’s Spread luncheon in Harvard’s Widener library, Chancellor Merkel spoke warmly about GMF. “I went over to her afterwards to thank her,” says Goldman. “She responded with a big smile, saying ‘Ich habe von mein Herzen gesprochen. [I spoke from the heart].’”

Of the commencement address, Goldman says, “The Chancellor made an outstanding speech, perfectly attuned to a young, graduating audience.” GMF Transatlantic Fellow Peter Sparding provided background on Twitter on the relevant history and political context for Chancellor Merkel’s commencement address.

As chancellor Merkel arrives in Boston to deliver the 2019 commencement address at Harvard tomorrow, a thread on the difficult state of German-American relations. Harvard has a special meaning for this relationship: https://t.co/8rfAs0Q8KU

— Peter Sparding (@PSparding) May 29, 2019

Click to read the full thread »

The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of the author alone.

Explore: Policy

Europe
Understanding America
Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

Our Organization

  • About GMF
  • Career Opportunities
  • Our Partners
  • Press Room
  • Support Our Work
  • Core Values

Our Work

  • Leadership
  • Policy
  • Civil Society
  • Research & Analysis

Our Experts

  • Find an Expert

Follow

  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Diversity Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits

Stay Informed

Don’t miss out on the latest from GMF. Sign up to receive emailed newsletters, announcements, and event notifications.

Subscribe