On May 5, 1985, President Reagan and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl visited a military cemetery outside of Bitburg, Germany, laying a wreath to honor Germany’s war dead. Several weeks before Reagan’s trip, the White House was informed that forty-eight Hitler SS storm troopers were also buried at Bitburg. Congressional resolutions, World War II veterans, Holocaust survivors, clergy, and even Nancy Reagan urged the president to cancel the cemetery visit. Reagan, who could be stubborn under pressure, wrote in his diary, “There is no way I’ll back down.” Time feared that the “Bitburg episode cut deep into the veneer of postwar friendships.” However, thousands of Germans lined the motorcade route with signs expressing their appreciation to Reagan. At home, polls indicated that Americans approved of Reagan’s actions.
