Getting to grips with "public diplomacy"

With fond memories Dorothée and I look back on the two eventful and rewarding years in the United Kingdom, from September 1997 to October 1999. We enjoyed those years in London immensely. Everywhere we were extremely well received. Perhaps it was the British sense of history, and the family name recognition helped somewhat. It was an exciting but also challenging experience to represent Germany in the United Kingdom. The Friendship Medal of the Council of the British Jewry and law degree honoris causa of the University of Birmingham with its strong German Department, were for me the among the most gratifying marks of recognition.

The 'Third Way'

A few months before my arrival the Labour Government of Prime Minister Tony Blair had taken office. The country was in a positive, upbeat mood. The charismatic young Prime Minister and his revolutionary agenda for the United Kingdom gave a boost to the country, politically and economically. It was a good time to be in London. The Government pursued a number of unprecedented and revolutionary reforms: devolution in Scotland and Wales, the reform of the House of Lords with the abolition of life peers, proportional representation in voting rights and the incorporation of the European Human Rights Act and the European Social Charter into British law. Over time these changes could have a significant impact on the United Kingdom and a decision to join the Euro may soon follow, overcoming the island mentality and moving the country closer to continental Europe.

After the Social Democrats election victory in Germany in September 1998, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder got along very well with each other. Blair's 'Third Way' appealed to Schröder, and Blair saw a welcome opportunity to put Britain at the centre of Europe and build a British-German-French leadership triangle. Cooperation between the two governments was good, confident and close, and went well beyond the good relations of important partner countries and longstanding allies. This helpedin creating a good and friendly atmosphere and a positive and constructive political working relationship.

While I no doubt benefited in the first placefrom that positive environment, it also meant that large areas of political exchange and co-operation were handled through direct contact between the capitals. The Embassy focused largely on political analysis and public attitudes. Public diplomacy moved centre-stage, in particular for the ambassador.

Improving Germany's image

Germany is reported upon almost daily in the British media. We cannot complain about the level of interest shown, but we sometimes suffer from a distorted, biased approach. Despite manifold political, economic, cultural and social links between the countries and their people, the image of modern Germany is unfortunately still tainted by history and stereotypes.

There seems to be a fundamental imbalance in the relationship. While a large majority of Germans feel they have much in common with the British, the British seem generally less convinced. Their proud national feeling, an unbroken historic perspective and the island geography have left a distinct mark on them.

In many respects the two peoples are quite different. Since my time at the German Consulate in Liverpool in 1968, I was well aware of these differences and I saw it as a part of my mission to make today's Germany better understood by the public and to address these preconceived notions, perceptions and resentments. An aggressive, biased press and the British sense of humour with its tendency to caricature made this all the more challenging. Despite close post-war co-operation and decades of joint membership of the EU and NATO, knowledge of modern Germany seemed to be limited to the time before 1945. In a country with such strong traditional views, public diplomacy will remain a central task for many German ambassadors to come.

Popular topics for discussion werealways the introduction of the common European currency, the euro, and Britain's possible future membership, as well as the development of the EU. "We are too different to belong to the same Europe which Germany has decided to build", wrote William Rees Mogg once in The Times, reflecting the views of the conservative élite and their  fear of  German dominance.

Princess Diana's funeral

On 5 September 1997 my first official day as German Ambassador in London was a memorable day for me. It was the day of the funeral service for Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey. My first official duty was to represent Germany at this sad ceremony. I was overwhelmed by the great style, solemnity and perfection of this state occasion, an experience later repeated on many other similar occasions.

The circumstances in which this attractive princess died had a profound effect on me, but I was also greatly impressed by the overwhelming and very emotional public reaction, a reaction which came as a surprise to many in the British élite, who considered such an open and public display of emotion as decidedly un-British.

The large carpet of flowers laid down by mourners at Kensington Palace and in other places and the seemingly endless flow of mostly young people with flowers over the course of several days to the Palace where Princess Diana had lived left an unforgettable impression on me. Throughout the subsequent two years I followed with keen interest how the Court responded to the public discontent by showing remarkable flexibility in adapting to changing times and public attitudes.

President Herzog's State Visit December 1998

To this day the ceremonial part of diplomatic life in London remains rich with traditional and royal splendour. It starts with the glamorous carriage ride for the presentation of the letters of credence to Her Majesty the Queen. Then there are the receptions and great events at Buckingham Palace, at Parliament and at the Guildhall of the City of London. This was particularly true also for the state visit of the German Federal President Roman Herzog in December 1998, during which my wife and I were privileged to stay at Windsor Castle twice.

Prior to the visit we were invited by the Queen to a private dinner which was also attended by the Prime Minister and his wife and other prominent British guests. We stayed overnight in the elegant suite, which was later occupied during the State Visit by the Federal President Roman Herzog and Mrs. Herzog. We enjoyed every moment in these special surroundings full of treasures of art and of history. The Queen takes great personal care of all her guests and after dinner she took great pleasure showing us around  the rebuilt chapel and the great St. George's Hall which had been destroyed by fire a few years earlier. In the library a display of books of my family was laid out on the wall alongside Italian old master drawings - one of my fields of special interest - taken from the famous Windsor collection.

Later, during the three day State Visit we were again able to stay at Windsor. These were an unforgettable and precious three days, the memory of which I will always cherish. The Queen honoured our President at the splendid state dinner with 162 guests at one long table in the large St. George's hall. Her Majesty spoke with warmth of her several visits to Germany, and throughout the visit her special feelings for our country became very apparent.

Building a youth bridge

Year after year, young Germans flock in great numbers to visit the United Kingdom, whether as tourists or to study or work. Young Britons on the other hand, appear to show no interest in travelling to Germany. They are indifferent towards learning about Germany and the Germans, and their knowledge appears to stop at war stories of the Hitler years. The take up of German language in schools and universities is also very disappointing. This was all very disturbing to me and I often asked myself how we can build a common Europe on such attitudes.

I addressed this question in many of my speeches and interviews and it became a theme of the State Visit of President Herzog to try to reach out to the younger generation. I thought that improving their skills and qualifications might act as a powerful incentive for young people to travel to Germany. We therefore put together an exchange programme for young professionals and students at vocational training schools offering work placements with German and British firms. German companies reacted very positively, since work placements are a common feature of German business life, but British firms required more convincing. President Herzog's state visit also witnessed the launch of the German-British Youth Web Portal, now called the "The-Voyage" (see link below).

Hope in Northern Ireland

My first impression of this country was as a young trainee at the German Consulate in Liverpool in 1968, and having discovered the country from there I made it a point to travel as often as possible to the different parts of the United Kingdom. The beautiful landscapes and the receptions we received always made this a most rewarding experience. The visits were always greatly appreciated by the locals, both official and private, and the audience was always very receptive to informationabout Germany, perhaps even more so than in busy London.

My first visit outside London took me intentionally to Northern Ireland. Ironically it had been during my time in Liverpool in 1968 that the conflict there had begun to turn violent, and I had visited Belfast several times in order to understand the violent currents driving this intractable problem. When I came to London in the autumn of 1997 the situation had transformed: talks between the conflicting parties were underway and I was looking forward to seeing a peaceful solution coming about during my tenure.

We celebrated the Good Friday Agreement with a dinner in honour of the Northern Ireland Minister Mo Mowlam and the later First Minister of Northern Ireland, David Trimble. Nevertheless despite these promising moves the peace process remained dangerously fragile.

On the Eve of the State Visit I and my assistant Michael Ebel had arranged a charity tennis match between Boris Becker and Greg Rusedski for the benefit of young victims of the bomb attack in Omagh in Northern Ireland. We raised over £27,000 and had a very positive response in the province.

All these and other events not mentioned here will all went to make my time in London truly unforgettable.

Enlarge image President Roman Herzog during his state visit in 1998. Here at a banquet held in his honour at the Guildhall with Lord Levene of Portsoken, Lord Mayor of the City of London.