Reagan was scheduled to attend the G7 economic summit in Bonn the week of the 40th anniversary of V-E Day . West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl saw an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the friendship that existed between West Germany and its former foe . During a November 1984 visit to the White House , Kohl appealed to Reagan to join him in symbolizing the reconciliation of their two countries at a German military cemetery . It was suggested that the Kolmeshöhe Cemetery , near Bitburg , was both suitably close and relevant , as 11,000 Americans attached to a nearby airbase lived in harmony with the same number of Germans
G7 economic summit
11th G7 summit
Bitburg controversy