i do have three very special

announced events. first, during this anniversary year, the mission will be renaming its executive conference room after madeleine albright, our 64th secretary of state.

many of you knew her. i you did. and the first woman to ever, ever serve in that role in the united states. now, as many of you know, secretary played a crucial role in advocating for nato enlargement, leading to the inclusion of several central and eastern european countries. she also nato's involvement, conflict resolution and peacekeeping peacekeeping efforts, particularly during the balkan wars of the 1990s. albright's diplomatic finesse and strategic vision strengthen nato's role as a cornerstone of transatlantic security cooperation, and it is so fitting that we honor her tonight, particularly with so many of my u.s. colleagues here that had a very close and special relationship with secretary albright, including blinken and former jim o'brien, jamie rubin and susie george, among others. second, i'd like to draw your

attention to a very unique that we've borrowed from the nato archives, and this one might surprise you a little bit. nato's first cookbook. yes, that's right. cookbook. you heard me correctly titled the best of taste, published. in 1957 by the supreme allied commander atlantic wives club. the book highlights recipes representing 15 allies that we had at the time. now dwight dies in power the first sack year, and by that time of the united states submitted his favorite recipe, old fashioned beef stew. now, in that spirit, prepared a wonderful menu you tonight. but it does not include beef stew. so rest assured. but what we did do tonight with the menu is, we have created an array of very distinct dishes

featuring the specialties and the special food of each of nato's 12 founding members. you'll see trays passing tonight with flags on them. do which country that dish is from finally and this is what really most excited about, i'd like to introduce our special guest of honor beyond the two gentlemen sitting to my left and right, standing to my left right. our special guest of honor this evening, harry truman himself immortalized in bronze for his namesake home in commemoration of nato's fifth anniversary. the foot statue created by missouri, tom corbin, is a very generous gift from the truman institute. and i'd like to thank our guests from the institute here tonight. and also recognize clifton truman. daniel president truman's eldest

grandson grandson. after tonight's event, president truman will be displayed permanently under the pergola in the garden behind us for residents and visitors to truman hall to admire for generations to come. clifton, will you please do the honors and unveil our guest of honor? all. and now, without further ado, it is my and honor to introduce secretary of state tony blinken to share a few words with us on this very special occasion. thank you so thank you very much. thank you friends very hard act

to follow, but it's so wonderful to see. and we're looking forward to president truman's permanent placement shortly after this evening. so first, welcome and julie, thank you so much for welcoming us to your very humble home. i know you've been complaining for a long time that there's just not lot of elbow room here. and we can all see what you mean by. julie. arrived just months before putin, his full scale invasion of ukraine. the fact that the alliance has not only weathered this crisis but emerged bigger, stronger more united than ever is in no small part because of ambassador smith's leadership, there is no one i would rather have. and more important, the president would rather have representing the united states in this place at this time than

julie smith, thank you. similarly, i think all of my colleagues united and believing this for the united states, for all of the members of nato, none of us could have hoped for a greater champion for this alliance than jens stoltenberg. no one could have done a better holding us together when others were trying to divide us. no one could have done a better job really carrying the alliance forward. and jens, we've all said it in different ways at times, but it always bears. we're so grateful for your leadership. thank. i also want thank all of the permanent representatives from

the alliance countries for the work that you're doing every single day with your teams to really move forward with the work of the alliance. none of this happens by itself. none of this is automatic. it's because of the day in, day out work that you're doing to lead our alliance forward. now, i am really pleased that we're here when we're renaming the conference room at the u.s. mission to nato for secretary albright. she was, as for so many of us, a real mentor as well as a friend, supporter, an incredible counselor i think we all miss her, every single day. but we're also animated by her her spirit, her determination. and in many ways animated by her vision of what the united can be, should be as well as what this alliance can be and should

be. this would be her kind of night. she she loved nato and she made a huge contribution. it almost exactly 25 years ago across the atlantic at the truman library in missouri madeline, formally welcomed czech republic and hungary, the alliance. and she quoted an old central european expression to mark the moment, hallelujah, that through the alliance tonight, members today, of course, were 32 at the time madeleine and her counterparts were also looking forward to another washington summit that was the one marking the 50th anniversary of our alliance. she reminded the audience that day. nato's strength depends on its unity, and she warned, and i quote her we know that when the democracies of europe and america are divided, crevices are created through which forces of evil and forces of aggression may emerge. but that when we stand together

there is no on earth more powerful than our solidarity on behalf freedom. madeline understood this because she lived it personally as a small child. her family had been driven from their home not once but twice first by the nazis, then by the communists, before finding refuge in the united kingdom, and then in united states. someone else understood this profoundly. harry truman. he understood on a personal what can happen when we allow forces of evil, the forces of aggression to spread. when the united states entered world war one, he, the u.s. national guard and, he was put in command of an artillery unit that saw brutal combat in france. he later wrote this i know the strain, the mud, the misery of the soldier in the and i know to his and i can add today her

courage that experience left truman along with generations of men and women who survived the two world wars, determined that history would not repeat itself. harry truman that the best way maybe the only way to ensure that was to bind america's fate to that of other nations who shared values for all to commit to defending one another's territory, as if it their own. now those of us here today, in some ways may take that for granted. now, after 75 years, but this was a radical belief in its time, and it was also an untested one. and in ways, it's also easy to assume that nato's success was somehow preordained. it wasn't. it required that the 12 founding members of the alliance and then those who came after not only to build the foundations of peace, but then to keep it adapting

those as new challenges emerged, challenges that the founders of nato couldn't possibly foresee. and for three quarters of a century, that's exactly what our alliance has done. that's how nato helped prevent the iron curtain from enveloping the free nations of western europe. how it helped avert war with the soviet union and helped newly independent nations walk the path to democracy. for those achievements and so many others, we are indebted to the millions of soldiers, sailors, aviators whose courage and willingness to put their lives on the line have given weight to our sacred commitment to defend one another. we're also indebted to all the leaders and diplomats who shaped the alliance over these 75 years, not just those were present at the creation, but also those present. nato's many recreations over subsequent decades their collective service has given generations of people on both

sides of the ocean. that joins us a rare and invaluable gift, unprecedented security, and yet, even as we meet here this evening, that security, together with the alliance, is core principles of democracy, of liberty, the rule of law. this is once again being challenged, challenged by those who believe that might makes right and those who would seek to redraw the borders by force. and, of course, we know many new challenges emerge again, ones that the founders of nato could not possibly have foreseen, challenges that would have been unimaginable to nato's architects. growing climate crisis. cyber attacks. disinformation. the alliances. meeting. these threats, as we always have by adapting together over the past three years. we've enhanced our deterrence. we've reinforced our eastern flank. we've ramped up investments in our defense, industrial capacity. we've launched a new strategic

concept we welcomed to exceptionally capable new members. all work that our leaders will carry forward at the washington summit in july. but even as our alliance changes, even as it evolves its purpose remains enduring. ours is a defensive alliance. it's never had and it never will have designs on the territory of any other country. as truman said at the founding, the purpose of this defensive alliance is to allow us to get on with the real business of life the real business of government, the real of society. achieving fuller and happier life for all our citizens. in that way, the true measure of nato's success is not merely the enemies. it's deterred or the territory. it's defended, but all the ways our citizens have used their security used their freedom to improve their lives in tangible

ways. no wonder that democracies continue to make great sacrifices to join this alliance. no wonder nations beyond the trans-atlantic region, including dozens represented here this evening, are striving deepen their partnerships with nato. so as we celebrate this extraordinary alliance. let's not lose sight of why we created it or why it has endured. the 75 years. and let's recommit ourselves to shoring up the foundations of peace, as well as anticipating new and emerging threats. finally, let us together protect all we built in five years under shield and ensure that it remains strong to keep building for the next 75 years. and well beyond that, to each and every one of you who are the life force of nato today. thank you. thank you. thank you for your engagement. thank you for your partnership. thank you for your solidarity. thank you for the work that still lies.

thanks, everyone. thank you very much, mr. secretary and mr. secretary. the floor is now yours. you very much. secretary blinken, the tony ambassador has met today. julia, thank you so for hosting us all here tonight. ministers, ambassadors, their friends. it's great to be here. at the truman hall next to president harry s truman, at least a statue of him. and together with the grandson of harry truman. so this is really a truman evening. and it is particular great to be here as secretary general nato because i'm not able think about

any individual person that has played a more important role for this alliance than president truman. because we have to try to imagine how the world looked light at the end of the second world war because then the plan was, of course, to get the troops, the forces back home. that was the for everyone, but especially for the united states, to send people the atlantic and to europe to help to end the second world war. the united states left europe the first world war. that was not a big success. so therefore, i'm glad that after the second world war, the united state decided to stay stay with their forces, stay the troops. and not only that, but also to end the transatlantic bond with a marshall aid, with the big economic no the economic program to underpin a transatlantic

bond. and then on top of that, not only keeping the forces on the providing enormous economic support to europe. but on top of that actually signed a treaty to protect and defend allies in europe and and press and responsible for all those decisions knowing that to not bring back the troops not bring back the boys after the war was potentially unpopular difficult decision economically costly politically costly and of course also paying a human cost. the press and responsible for that decision that was brave and not obvious and actually controversial at the time was president harry truman. so therefore, we will we will not be in here. it would have not been as so fifth anniversary to celebrate if it hadn't been for that very political decision by the united states to stay in europe.

and therefore, it is great to celebrate the 75th anniversary and to do that at all together with, the grandson and next, the statue of the great president. then, ever since alliance was established or founded in 49, it has been a great success. preserving peace, preventing war and an enabling economic prosperity. and the fact that, as i mentioned by tony and julia, that we have gone from members to now 32, demonstrates that at least we have to act is something right have done over these years establishing a club that so many wants to join and and the great success has been, uh, and enabled or has happened, not least because of us leadership from president truman to president biden, from

secretary acheson to secretary blinken and, from general eisenhower to, general colin, and also supported many very capable u.s. ambassadors. today, represented by julianne smith, so many thanks to all of them for their leadership and the commitment they have demonstrated to our alliance or all these years then what we will do tomorrow is to celebrate. but we will also do what has actually made this alliance a success. and that is to focus on how can we continue to adapt, because the only reason why we are the most successful alliance in history is for two reasons. one, our unity. and second, that we have been able to change when the world is changing. so therefore, we need to prepare the upcoming nato summit in july. we once again are going to celebrate, but also going to

demonstrate our ability to take the necessary decisions to demonstrate our unity and ensure that we stand together. because i cannot tell you exactly what the next crisis or the next conflict or next war will be. but what i can tell you is that of what the next crisis will be, we will be safe as long as we stand together. north and europe, nato because together we represent 50% of the world economic might and 50% of the world's military might. so as long as we stand together, no one can threaten us are safe. so if you that we demonstrate that at the summit in washington, our unity and our ability to change then will continue to be the most successful around the industry. and that will be in the spirit of president truman, and that will be the of this alliance over these 75 years. thank you so much.

well, thank you very much, mr. secretary general. thank you, secretary blinken, for your remarks evening. and thanks to all of our guests that joined us this evening. i also must say thank you to the team at u.s. nato at truman hall that are responsible for bringing together this incredible event this evening. and to our honored guests tonight, enjoy a taste from the 12 original founding allies. i invite you to explore library and maybe even take a at that cookbook from very long ago and do the music tonight provided forms by some members of american. and last but not least i ask you before you leave tonight please do sign the guestbook. so we can remember this very, very occasion. thanks again and enjoy your

evening. so. yeah, yeah.

i'd like to introduce our speakers this evening. ambassador joel davis is a member of the wilson house advisory council. he was appointed on february 21st in in 2018 to be ambassador. extraordinary. and plenipotentiary of the united states to the gabonese republic and to the democratic

republic