Sunday, June 3, 1984
Searching for Ancestral Roots
Like his predecessors in office, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, President Reagan has come to Ireland in search of his ancestors. To follow the ancestral footsteps and searching for ancestral roots in the Old World is a deep-seated need for Americans of European descent. On today’s Sunday, Ronald and Nancy Reagan visited the village of Ballyporeen in County Tipperary, a small hamlet with about 300 inhabitants. When Ronald Reagan looked up the baptismal register in the parish church, he found the baptism of his great-grandfather Michael [O’Regan] recorded on September 3, 1829. Michael [O’Regan] immigrated to Illinois during the great famine in Ireland caused by the potato blight in the middle of the 19th century.
Innsbruck, June 6, 1984
D-Day after 40 Years
In a ceremony on Utah Beach, D-Day in Normandy was remembered, where on June 6, 1944, the great invasion for the liberation of Europe had begun. It was in remembrance of the 20,000 soldiers on both sides who had lost their lives on that day in June. On this occasion, President Reagan gave a statesmanlike speech on a grand scale, calling for collaboration for world peace so that the horrifying weapons, which are now available, will never be used. At the same time, he declared his loyalty for Europe. America feels obligated to defend Europe if need be. The experience of two world wars taught America a lesson: It would be of no use to anyone if America retreated and left Europe on its own.
June 17, 1984
Dull European Elections
On today’s Sunday, 197 million eligible voters in Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg were called to the polls to elect delegates to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Previously, citizens in Denmark, Great Britain, Holland and Ireland had already cast their votes for the European Parliament. These elections were dull; there was no real enthusiasm for a common European cause. Local problems stood more in the foreground. Paradoxically, voters in the various countries used these second direct European elections to vent their dissatisfaction with the ruling parties. The idea of a common Europe played a more subordinate role.
June 26, 1984
In contrast to the disappointing European elections, the heads of government achieved, at their European Community (EC) summit meeting in Fontainbleau, an unexpected breakthrough. First, the troubling question of Great Britain’s contribution to the EC was solved. Then, concrete proposals have been made for a European passport, a common television program (Eurovision) as well as for a common history book. The idea of a united Europe has emerged strengthened from this summit meeting.