[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 150 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11736-S11737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       AMBASSADOR DAVID HERMELIN

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to David 
B. Hermelin, former U.S. Ambassador to Norway, who passed away on 
November 22.

[[Page S11737]]

  After a distinguished business and philanthropic career in his native 
Michigan, Mr. Hermelin was nominated as envoy to Norway by President 
Clinton in 1997 and confirmed by the Senate that same year.
  Members of this Chamber know that, as might be expected with any 
large group, over the years the performance of our ambassadors, both 
career diplomats and political appointees, have varied widely. By any 
standard, David Hermelin's tenure was spectacularly successful.
  In the short space of two years, Ambassador Hermelin managed a 
remarkable feat: strengthening the already close ties between our ally 
Norway and the United States. His diplomatic and personal charm led to 
unprecedented reciprocal visits within three weeks of each other last 
year--the Norwegian Prime Minister's to Washington, and President 
Clinton's to Oslo, the first ever visit of an incumbent President to 
Norway, in this case in pursuit of a Middle Eastern peace settlement.
  But Ambassador Hermelin's accomplishments were not limited to such 
highly publicized events. Through behind-the-scenes daily efforts, he 
was directly instrumental in the success of Lockheed Martin's bid, as 
part of a consortium, to sell the Norwegian Navy five new frigates 
equipped with the Aegis missile system, a sale worth more than one 
billion dollars.
  Ambassador Hermelin was recognized for his many contributions by 
being awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, the highest honor the 
country bestows upon non-Norwegians.
  Even after Ambassador Hermelin was diagnosed with a terminal illness, 
he vigorously played a major role to help others through an 
international initiative to provide prostheses to victims of civil 
conflict, such as in Sierra Leone.
  On his visit to Oslo in November 1999, President Clinton, in speaking 
of Ambassador Hermelin, reflected on this kind of behavior: ``I don't 
know anyone who has such a remarkable combination of energy and 
commitment to the common good.''
  After diagnosis of his terminal illness, he and a group of friends 
donated ten million dollars to establish a brain tumor center at Henry 
Ford Hospital in Michigan.
  Ambassador Hermelin felt deeply connected to Israel and to Jewish 
causes, raising millions of dollars for local Detroit and overseas 
needs.
  After the Ambassador's death, the U.S. State Department's Norway desk 
officer offered this heartfelt testimony: ``David Hermelin was the kind 
of man who made a friend out of everybody he met, and the people who 
worked for him at the embassy regarded him with an affection that is 
unmatched by the feelings I've seen for any other ambassador at any 
time to any country.''
  Ambassador Hermelin is survived by his wife, five children, and eight 
grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him, 
particularly by his colleagues in the U.S. Government.

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