In 2002, the Saint Cyr Military Academy and the West Point Military Academy will celebrate simultaneously the Bicentennial of their founding.

         In the course of their two centuries of existence, these two military schools have evolved on both sides of the Atlantic towards a common model of education for officers committed to the same values, devoted to their country and imbued with a sense of duty and of common interest, while mastering the most modern techniques and cultivating the virtue of setting an example which alone can "lead men to attack."

         Since the battlefields of the First World War, a great number of officers who graduated from Saint Cyr and West Point have been engaged side by side in just combats to defend peace, liberty and democracy. This remains true today, especially in the Balkans.

         The exceptional presentation in 1949 of the Croix de la Légion d' Honneur, the most prestigious of our national medals, to the West Point Academy, is the tangible expression of France's recognition for the sacrifice made by numerous former U.S. Cadets on its behalf.

         On the occasion of this Bicentennial, I wish to convey to the Military Academy of West Point and to each one of its Cadets, the friendly testimony of France's gratitude as well as the assurance of my highest regard.

                                                                                Signed: Jacques Chirac