Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome to the United States capitol. We are honored to be joined today by members of the diplomatic corps, former ambassadors, representatives from the state department and the u. S. Mint, and leaders of the jewish community. Shortly before christmas 1944, Raoul Wallenberg did something many of us have had to do. He told his mother he wouldnt make it home for the holidays. I must send you my best wishes for christmas by this means, he wrote. I hope the peace so longed for is not so far away. At the bottom of the note, he added, lots of kisses to nina and her little girl. That nina, of course, was raouls sister, who is with us today, as are several members of his family. Thank you all for being here. [applause] by the time he sent that letter, wallenberg had saved more lives than we can count. He had done much of the work on his own, his daring so dumbfounding that the nazis aimed their guns above his head. They were perpetrating what churchill