Honoring Congressman Tom Lantos

September, 2008

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker's Remarks

Thank you for inviting me to join you today to say a few words about a unique man. You know him as Lantos Tamás Péter. In the United States, we knew him as Congressman Tom Lantos.

I said he was unique, and he was, in many ways. As you may know, he was the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in the United States Congress. That terrible distinction gave him a powerful moral authority whenever he spoke on matters of life, and death, and human rights, which he did often.

But Tom Lantos also had other personal qualities that gave weight to his voice: He had a fighting spirit… a stubborn courage that never wavered… and he left behind him a unique legacy from his decades of public service. When he died earlier this year, people from across the political spectrum came together in Washington to remember, and to pay tribute to him. They came because he spoke out against oppression wherever it occurred. They came because he believed in doing the right thing, even in the face of extraordinary adversity. Because of the impact that he had, I believe that if we look to his life, and the example that he set, we will find lessons that are still valuable for us as we face the challenges of the world today.

Lantos Tamás Péter was born in 1928 to a Jewish family here in Budapest. Whatever carefree days he enjoyed as a child, however, ended tragically early. He was only 16 years old in 1944 when the Nazis occupied this city. When they began rounding up Jews, he was caught and sent to a labor camp in Szob. He managed to escape, but was soon captured and beaten. Amazingly, he escaped a second time, and this time he made his way back to Budapest where he was able to hide in one of the apartment houses that Raoul Wallenberg, the brave Swedish diplomat, had provided for Jews. During this time young Tamás Péter risked his life a number of times by sneaking out and delivering food, medicine, and messages to other Jews.

Budapest was liberated in 1945, but not before Tamás Péter’s mother and most of his relatives had perished. His father died shortly thereafter.

In 1947, this young man with the indomitable spirit immigrated to the United States and began a new life. He attended the University of Washington and then the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a doctoral degree in economics. He settled in the San Francisco Bay area and embarked on a successful career as an economics professor, a business consultant, and an international affairs advisor. In 1980, after serving as a senior advisor to several United States Senators, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress and won. Tom Lantos then began a new career that combined his professional knowledge with his unique perspective on life, to become one of the most respected legislators in the United States Congress.

He would be re-elected 13 more times, and eventually rise to the position of chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington, a powerful post which gave him an important platform from which to address the issue of human rights. He believed that all people, wherever they were, were entitled to such basic rights as the freedom to speak their mind, to practice their religion, to choose the people who represent them in government…. And he was outspoken about these beliefs.

During his 27 years of government service, Congressman Lantos had too many achievements for me to list today. But let me just say that the first bill that he sponsored was one that made Raoul Wallenberg an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Sadly, last January, he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer. One month later, on February 11, this extraordinary man died.

A few days after his death, a memorial service was held in the Capitol building in Washington, and the outpouring of tributes showed what an impact Tom Lantos had made. President Bush called him “a man of character… a champion of human rights,” and “…a living reminder that we must never turn a blind eye to the suffering of the innocent at the hands of evil men.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recognized Tom Lantos’ role as “a staunch defender of freedom and an implacable foe of tyranny.” She said: “I have lost an inspirational mentor and a dear friend.”

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, an institution which Congressman Lantos had both praised and criticized over the years, had this to say about him: “He knew what was possible because he had lived through the unimaginable.”

Many people at the service recalled his strong stands on democracy and human rights… others talked about his integrity… and several even mentioned the little dog – Mackó – which he loved to carry with him to his office.

But what was perhaps most remarkable was how many people used words like “gracious” and “gentlemanly” to describe the way Tom Lantos dealt with people. Being outspoken, and strong, and standing fast for what you believe in, does not always go along with being gentlemanly and gracious. But that is the kind of man he was.

Tom Lantos never forgot his past, and he never lost perspective on the amazing journey his life had taken. When he announced his retirement, he said this: “It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of Congress.”

Let me assure you: Americans were as proud of him as he was proud of his success in America.

Tom Lantos learned early, in a tragic way, that freedom… and dignity… and security must be fought for, even – no, not even, especially – in the face of extraordinary adversity. He saw how evil can triumph when, as Edmund Burke said, good men do nothing. Tom Lantos vowed to never be one of those men who do nothing. As he once said: “The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians and we can never rest….”

He was not referring to the past. The lessons of his life, and the words he lived by, still speak to us today. There are still challenges that face us, if good men and women do nothing. There are still values, and freedoms, that must be fought for. And there are still forces that do not believe in these freedoms.

There are terrorists who believe that it is right to send people out to commit suicide with a bomb and kill as many innocent victims as possible. There are extremists who would keep women from being able to work, or have a career. They would keep young girls from getting an education. And they have used the Internet and other forums to try to convince others that the rest of the world is waging a war on their religion, which is not true.

Of course, threats can come in many forms. Threats of force. Economic threats.

It is tempting to look around us on this beautiful day, in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and think: Yes, things are going quite nicely now. We have fought for our freedom and won it. Life will get better and better.

I hope it does. We all hope that will be the case.

But that is not the future that people in all countries see. Their future is still undecided. Their freedom must still be fought for. They need good men and women to stand up – and to stand together with them.

That is the lesson that Tom Lantos taught us, and it is a good lesson to remember as we honor him today.

Thank you.