NEW YORK, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer Chairman Dr. Manfred Schneider has
been honored by the Atlantik-Brucke e.V. and the Armonk Institute for his
"outstanding contribution in fostering German-American relationships." He
received the annual Vernon A. Walters Award at a dinner in New York Tuesday
evening, from Dr. Arend Oetker, vice chairman of the Atlantik-Brucke. The
dinner was attended by leading representatives of U.S. and German politics and
business.
Vernon A. Walters, born in 1917, General and Diplomat, was sent as
ambassador to Germany by President George Bush in 1989. He actively supported
Germany's way to reunification and handled critical issues and controversies
with calmness and certainty, thus playing a key role in strengthening U.S.-
German relationships.
In his acceptance speech, Schneider sketched the image of a country in re-
orientation. In Germany, "the time for `Gemuetlichkeit' is over," he said with
regard to the self-satisfaction of many Germans after the so-called
"Wirtschaftswunder." As Germany is redefining itself, Schneider sees "a new
demand among today's young management generation: the demand for opportunity,
the demand for challenge, the demand for change."
Germany is also redefining its alignment towards history, Schneider said.
"The numbness of those who saw, those who suffered, is giving way to
compassion, just as guilt slowly matures into a more comprehensive sense of
responsibility." The efforts to bring relief to those who were exploited as
forced laborers under the NS regime were a practiced commitment to moral
responsibility, he said.
In this context, Schneider underlined the significance of the two host
organizations. "The Atlantik Brucke and the Armonk Institute confront us with
today's reality instead of using the past as a shield -- or a weapon. They
encourage us to review our position, thereby opening the door to mutual
understanding and appreciation.
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better
understanding of ourselves," Schneider said.
In quoting psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, Schneider stressed the
importance of tolerance and the need for diversity in German-American
relationships, adding that "any development, any progress is based not on
sameness, but on difference. Difference which is treated with respect -- and
maybe even appreciated as an asset."
The Atlantik-Brucke was founded by individuals from Hamburg, Germany, in
1952 to normalize and foster relationships between Germany and the U.S. after
the Second World War. The Armonk Institute, New York, was founded in 1989 as
a non-profit organization by Theodore Ellenoff, a past President of the
American Jewish Committee. The Institute believes that the American
perception of Germany is too closely and exclusively locked into the time of
the Holocaust and is dedicated to help overcome historic stereotypes.
Bayer Group is a $29 billion international life sciences, polymers and
specialty chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer's U.S.
subsidiary, Bayer Corporation, is headquartered in Pittsburgh. Bayer
Corporation is a research-based company with major businesses in health care
and life sciences and chemicals. The company had 1999 sales of $8.9 billion
and employs approximately 22,200 people.
The full text of Dr. Schneider's speech, as prepared for delivery, can be
found at http://www.bayerus.com/schneider-speech.
SOURCE Bayer Corporation
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