Message to the President of Germany Commemorating the Birth of General Frederick von Steuben.
I AM HAPPY to have this occasion to address Your Excellency personally and to convey to you the friendly greetings of the American people. General von Steuben's invaluable service in the cause of independence is taught in every American school and is gratefully remembered by every American citizen. The people of the United States have also never forgotten the other great contributions to our National life that have been made by men of German birth or German blood in this country. They have influenced our educational ideals and methods, our scientific and technical thought, and our cultural and artistic life. They have greatly served the land of their adoption and have done honor to the land of their origin.
HERBERT HOOVER
[His Excellency General Paul von Beckendorff und von Hindenburg, President of the Reich]
Note: The message was sent in conjunction with ceremonies in Berlin honoring the 200th anniversary of General von Steuben's birth. General von Steuben was a German volunteer in the American War of Independence.
Herbert Hoover, Message to the President of Germany Commemorating the Birth of General Frederick von Steuben. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/211066