Symposiums

The French-American Cultural Foundation and The National WW1 Museum and Memorial hosted a symposium and lunch at the French Embassy’s La Maison Française as a part of the 1917-2017 WW1 Centenary observances marking the U.S. entry into the Great War.  The theme of the program was “The U.S. Entry Into WW1:  Was There A Choice?”  Following welcomes from Ambassador Louise V. Oliver, Mme. Nathalie Broadhurst, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of France, and co-host, Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of The National WW1 Museum and Memorial, a series of war-time poems were read by film-maker and author, Ron Maxwell, entitled “Reflections from the Trenches.”  The morning’s keynote speech was delivered by Jay Winter, Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University, who spoke on “Making Unavoidable Decisions in the Context of War,” which was followed by a Panel Discussion with Michael Nieberg and Michael Kazin, moderated by Jennifer Keene. The luncheon began with some music by the “Metronomes” from the Metropolitan Club, led by Knight Kiplinger, who sang a number songs popular during the  WW1-era , along with a stirring rendition of the “Marseilles.” The luncheon conversation, “Stumbling Into WW1:  Will History Repeat Itself?” was the topic of the symposium’s special guest speaker, HRH Prince Nikolaus von Liechtenstein, whose insights and family connections gave a new perspective on the tensions that drew Europe and the world into war. Finally, the symposium ended with a poignant reading of the John McCrae poem, “In Flanders Fields,” by Ambassador James Cain.  The well-attended event provided an opportunity to delve into the “forgotten war” honoring the courage and bravery of the millions who died, and to educate a new generation about it in order to avoid such bloodshed in the future.