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On October 27, 2020, the Government of Hungary and the U.S. Embassy in Budapest unveiled the statue in honor of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, in Liberty Square in Budapest on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe.
U.S. President George Bush waves from the stage to an enthusiastic audience after speaking at Karl Marx University of Economics, in Budapest, July 12, 1989. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)
President George H.W. Bush addressed the people gathered to greet him in Kossuth tér, Budapest, in 1989. (@AP Images)
Former U.S. President George Bush gets the Great Cross of the Order of Merit from Hungarian President Ferenc Madl during a ceremony in the Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 27, 2001. (AP Photo/MTI/Lajos Soos)
President Bush buys plums from a vendor in a Budapest shopping arcade, July 12, 1989. Secretary of State James Baker is at right in the entourage including security agents and reporters. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi)
President and Mrs. Bush visit the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial in Budapest, Hungary, July 13, 1989. (Photo Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)
President Bush in Kossuth square in front of the Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary,1989. (Photo Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)
President Bush is surrounded by crowds during his visit to Var, Old Prison on Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary, July 12, 1989. (Photo Credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum)
President Bush participated in a bilateral meeting with PM Nemeth in the Parliament. PM Nemeth presented the President with a piece of the Iron Curtain. (Photo Credit: George H.W. Presidential Library and Museum)
President Bush meets with leaders of new political parties in Hungary in the living room of the Ambassador's Residence in Budapest, July 12, 1989. (Photo Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum)
President Bush and President Straub address the rain drenched crowd from a dais at the base of the Kossuth Statue in Kossuth Square, Budapest, July 11, 1989. (Photo Credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum)
Video remarks on President Bush and his statue
It was a historic moment when President George H.W. Bush addressed the people gathered to greet him in Kossuth tér, Budapest, in 1989. And it was a heartwarming moment at the same time as he tore up his written speech saying: “You’ve been out here for too long. Let me just speak to you from the heart. And I’ll be brief.” Whether you were there and can relive that moment through this video now, or see it for the first time, we hope you will enjoy it!
“I didn’t realize the historical significance of the visit at the time… but I do now.” In this video, Tim McBride, personal aide to President G.H.W. Bush, reflects on their historic visit to Hungary in 1989, and about the years working with him. He recollects fascinating behind-the-scenes memories, and offers his impressions of a man who was not only the leader of the country, but also a great and caring person.